The best YA movies and TV shows appeal to audiences of all ages, because their themes are universal. We all may gladly leave our terrible teen experiences in our rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean that we weren’t irrevocably shaped by them anyway. High school is awkward, needlessly cruel, and incredibly uncomfortable. Most feel lucky to survive the ordeal at all.
Although few franchises have or ever will soar to the heights of Harry Potter, the YA craze in film and television doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. For every failed series that begins and ends with a single movie, there are always ten more in the works. Sadly, like most adaptations, few of them ever live up to the source material.
Some actors are so intrinsic to the project that recasting them would end in utter ruin for the series. Imagine Buffy Summers or Katniss Everdeen replaced midway through the story. It simply wouldn’t have worked. However, plenty of ancillary characters are recast, particularly when the demands of the role become greater than the performer’s ability.
There are, of course, other reasons. Perhaps the actor was simply wrong for the role or maybe the studio was looking to cut corners by casting someone cheaper. There is also always the possibility of scheduling conflicts getting in the way.
Some of these replacements are more obvious than others, but there are a few that you may have missed, no matter how closely you were paying attention.
Here are 20 YA Actors Recast Mid-Franchise (That Only True Fans Noticed).
Richard Harris as Dumbledore in Harry Potter
Actors are often replaced due to scheduling conflicts, money, or because they weren’t a good fit for the role. However, in the case of Albus Dumbledore, the man who brought him to life in the first two Harry Potter films was unable to return. Film legend Richard Harris passed away before he could reprise the role.
Dumbledore was recast with Michael Gambon. Although Gambon’s portrayal of the wizard improved over time, most fans feel that Harris was far truer to the Dumbledore from J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, No one is ever getting over Gambon’s now infamous delivery of “Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?”
Harris had a kindness and a sense of serenity that was completely absent from Gambon’s performance. Still, there is no arguing that the actor made the role his own.
Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria in Twilight
When Twilight Big Bad, Victoria, reappeared in Eclipse, she may have had the same fiery red hair and disposition, but she wasn’t portrayed by the same actress from the first two installments.
Fans weren’t the only ones shocked by the change of performer.
Rachelle Lefevre was caught completely off guard as well. Although Summit Entertainment claimed to have replaced the actress with Bryce Dallas Howard due to Lefevre’s scheduling conflicts, that’s not the end of the story.
Lefevre has stated that she was fully committed to the role and that the new part she took would only have a ten-day overlap with Eclipse’s shooting schedule.
James Neate as Toby Cavanaugh in Pretty Little Liars
Pilots are rarely set in stone. From the story to the actors themselves, the first episode of any series is largely subject to changes down the line. There are many examples of actors recast after a show was picked up, like Willow in BtVS or Sookie in Gilmore Girls.
Even after the pilot airs, actors are still replaced. This may go unnoticed by fans if the role is small enough. Toby Cavanaugh was a major supporting character on Pretty Little Liars and was with the show from beginning to end. In his first appearance, however, he was portrayed by a completely different actor.
James Neate won the role in the pilot, but was quickly replaced with Keegan Allen in subsequent episodes.
Cher (and more) - Clueless
A television continuation of Amy Heckerling’s coming-of-age ‘90s classic, Clueless began airing in 1996 and was a travesty in every sense of the word.
The unforgettable fashions, clever dialogue, and half the cast were all noticeably absent from the show.
Of course, the most glaring casting difference was that Alicia Silverstone had been replaced with Rachel Blanchard as Cher Horowitz, perhaps because they were both blondes - there were no other real similarities. Cher’s dad, played by Dan Hedaya in the movie, was replaced with Michael Lerner. Meanwhile, Paul Rudd and Brittany Murphy were recast with David Lascher and Heather Gottlieb, respectively.
The rest of the cast remained more or less intact, but Silverstone is lucky that her film deal with Columbia-Tristar saved her from having to partake in this series.
Solomon Trimble as Sam Uley in Twilight
The great-grandson of Levi Uley, Sam Uley was the Alpha of the pack. In reality, though, his part was usurped by an entirely different actor.
This is an example of a performer being recast after the character’s role is expanded.
Solomon Trimble portrayed the Quileute shapeshifter in Twilight, but after Sam’s part in the franchise grew, he was replaced in subsequent films by Chaske Spencer.
Sam’s role in Twilight was incredibly minor - Trimble wasn’t even credited as the character, but spoke his lines - so many fans didn’t even realize that he had been recast for New Moon. When most people remember Sam from the films, Spencer is the actor that they see.
Ross Butler as Reggie Mantle in Riverdale
If you’re wondering why Archie Andrews’s nemesis, Reggie Mantle, has a significantly smaller role in Riverdale than in the comics that inspired it, look no further than the actor who portrayed him. Ross Butler had an incredibly busy schedule between his work on Riverdale and another teen drama, 13 Reasons Why. The writers wanted to do more with the character, but Butler really wasn’t available.
Cut to season 2 and Butler was replaced by Charles Melton. The entire situation ended amicably, with Butler simply choosing the Netflix series over the CW drama for its sophomore outing. He was also happy to endorse Melton, explaining how grateful he was that the role of Reggie went to another Asian-American actor.
Lavender Brown (twice) in Harry Potter
Lavender Brown had a much smaller role in the Harry Potter films than she didn’t and was portrayed by multiple actresses across the eight movies. The issue is that the first two actresses who played the character, Kathleen Cauley and Jennifer Smith, were both black. However, when the release of The Half-Blood Prince (the book) revealed that Lavender had a larger role to play in the series, she was recast with Jessie Cave, a white actress.
Many of these actors began basically as extras who were assigned names from the book, more so than conscious casting choices.
There is no reason why Lavender needed to become white.
Her race is never explicitly mentioned in the books and it makes no sense why the character wouldn’t remain black, especially in a series so lacking in diversity.
Dylan Neal as Hermes in Percy Jackson
Although Percy Jackson has had five installments in book form, there were only two film made: The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. Neither were particularly well received by fans or critics. The series follows the titular hero as he learns that he is Poseidon’s son, making him a demigod.
Thanks to Jackson’s heritage, the book is rife with deities, several of which were recast from one film to the next.
Hermes, the Greek god of messengers and speed, among other things. His son, Luke, was one of Percy’s main antagonists. Dylan Neal played the character in The Lightning Thief, but was recast when Sea of Monsters was made.
Neal was replaced with Nathan Fillion, best known for his starring roles in Firefly and Castle.
Buttercup in the Hunger Games
Most fans of Suzanne Collins’s novels were at least reasonably satisfied with the The Hunger Games films. Many felt that the plot was true to the books and the characters were well cast. However, one notable exception to this was Buttercup, the “hideous-looking cat” belonging to Katniss’s sister, Prim.
In the first film, Buttercup wasn’t the shaggy, ginger-colored feline from the novels, but rather a black and white cat.
This might seem like a minute detail, but it doesn’t make much sense, especially considering the cat’s name. Not all fans may have noticed the discrepancy, but producer, Nina Jacobson, and Collins herself were unhappy with the outcome. When Francis Lawrence replaced Gary Ross as director for Catching Fire, herequested that Buttercup be recast for future installments.
Florenica Lozano as Eleanor Waldorf in Gossip Girl
Heads would’ve rolled if Leighton Meester had been recast as Blair Waldorf after the pilot aired. However, Eleanor Waldorf being replaced made zero noise.
In Gossip Girl’s first episode, Blair’s mother was played by Florencia Lozano. Her harsh performance gave a lot of insight into Blair as a character.
The next time we saw Eleanor, however, she had been recast with Margaret Colin. The writers also chose to go in an different direction with the character altogether, making her a much softer version of the woman we met in the pilot.
Both changes worked out well, as Colin’s work in the part made Eleanor a fan favorite for many viewers.
Parker Bagley as Jason DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars hasactually quietly replaced quite a few members of the cast. Jason DiLaurentis is another character who was portrayed by a completely different actor in the pilot. Alison and Spencer’s half-brother was played by Parker Bagley in that, as well as another season 1 episode.
Beginning with the second season, the role of Jason went instead to Drew Van Acker.
This is somewhat common practice, especially with supporting characters. Sometimes a role is cast with no idea of how big a part the character will actually play. Perhaps once Jason became a meatier role, Van Acker was simply a better fit. Whatever the reason for his replacement, most fans prefer Van Acker.
Imogen Tear as Madi in The 100
Madi was introduced in the season 4 finale of The 100 as a young nightblood who was found by Clarke. She was originally played by Imogen Tear. However, when the show returned for its 5th season, the role had been given to Shadowhunters star Lola Flanery.
It’s unclear why the part was recast, as Flanery is actually younger than Tear.
Perhaps the latter was aging too quickly to remain believable or maybe she has others projects in the works. It’s also possible that Flanery just had more acting chops.
Whatever the reason, Tear was only Madi in a single episode, so fans are now accustomed to seeing the character portrayed by Flanery. Viewers were happy with her performance, so no one really questioned the decision too much.
Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep in Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the most adored series of all time. While the films never quite managed to recreate the magic of C.S. Lewis’s novels, first installment The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came closest to achieving that goal. Since then, we have only gotten two more of seven books, Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader - though apparently The Silver Chair is in the works.
Reepicheep, the leader of the Talking Mice of Narnia, made his first appearance in Prince Caspian. He was Caspian’s bravest, most trusted knight and was voiced by Eddie Izzard. The actor was recast by the time Voyage of the Dawn Treader was made three years later, with Simon Pegg instead lending his voice to the mouse.
Pierce Brosnan as Chiron in Percy Jackson
Another character to be recast for the Percy Jackson sequel was Pierce Brosnan. In The Lightning Thief, the former James Bond played Chiron, son of Kronos and brother to Zeus, who happens to be a centaur. Chiron helped trained the young demigod characters at Camp Half-Blood.
However, Brosnan was replaced in the sequel with Anthony Stewart Head, whom Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will recognize as Watcher Rupert Giles.
There has been on and off talk of a third installment of Percy Jackson, but at this point, it would likely only go ahead with an entirely new cast.
Pansy Parkinson (three times) in Harry Potter
When it comes to the side characters of Harry Potter, many of them were introduced in roles involving little to no speaking, so their casting was more of an afterthought than anything else. It’s not terribly shocking that the roles were recast when the actors had more to do. Plus, the films were made over the course of about ten years, so it’s likely that not all of the original choices were available anyway.
Many of these characters had much smaller roles in the films than the books.
Draco’s gal pal, Pansy Parkinson has been played by four different actresses.
The one with whom most fans are familiar - and the one with the most screen time - is the last performer to portray her, Scarlett Byrne.
Linda Louise Duan as Tina Minoru in MCU/Runaways
Linda Louise Duan’s role in Doctor Strange was so small that many fans didn’t even notice that she played Tina Minoru, Nico’s villainous mother in Runaways. She was one of the masters of the mystic arts and her weapon of choice was the Staff of One. The actress was even credited as Tina Minoru.
Runaways has, thus far, made no connection between these two portrayals of the characters. Tina is portrayed by Brittany Ishibashi on the show and certainly plays a far bigger role in the MCU than Duan ever did.
Runaways was quite self-contained over the course of its first season, but the show’s sophomore outing has promised more direct references to the MCU. We’ll have to wait and see if that includes Minoru’s involvement with Stephen Strange.
Krystopher Hyatt as Embry Call in Twilight
Much like his fellow shapeshifter and pack member, Sam Uley, Embry Call went through a lot of changes after a Twilight. In the first film, he was played by Krystopher Hyatt, but like Solomon Trimble, the role wasn’t credited as the character.
Once Embry’s part was expanded upon, Hyatt was replaced by Kiowa Gordon.
Just like the situation with Trimble, Hyatt’s part in Twilight was so small that casual viewers likely didn’t even realize that his character’s presence was important. When it was time for the actor to play a bigger part, he was quickly recast with Gordon. The situation is incredibly similar to Chaske Spencer, in since Gordon is the actor fans imagine when they think about Embry.
Anne Marie DeLuise as Jessica DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars
Alison’s mom was originally played by Anne Marie DeLuise, but Andrea Parker quickly took over acting duties for the role. Her husband, Kenneth was also portrayed by a different actor in the show’s first episode. He was relegated to a background character with no lines, though, so you might not remember him at all prior to Jim Abele being cast. Some of these replacements had such small parts in the pilot that most fans didn’t even notice that they were replaced in later episodes.
There was another character who changed actors after the pilot as well: Ian Thomas. Carlo Marks was the first to play Ian, but then he was recast with Ryan Merriman in the part.
Verne Troyer as Griphook in Harry Potter
Dumbledore may have been the most notable and noticeable replacement in the Harry Potter films, but over the course of eight of them, he was hardly the only actor recast. One replacement that went unnoticed by many fans is the character of Griphook.
The Gringotts Goblin was initially portrayed by Verne Troyer, best known as Mini Me in the Austin Powers movies. However, his voice was dubbed with that of another actor: Warwick Davis, who many fans will remember played the titular character in Willow.
By the time Griphook reappeared in the franchise, he had been replaced altogether with Davis.
Interestingly, Davis also portrayed another character in the Harry Potter films. He was cast in the role of Charms master and Head of Ravenclaw, Filius Flitwick.
Jonathan Morgenstern in Shadowhunters
We’ll have to wait until next year to see this recast in action, but when Shadowhunters returns, there will be a different actor playing the “reborn” Jonathan Morgenstern. Will Tudor portrayed the character up until what appeared to be his exit. However, the midseason finale revealed that not only is Jonathan alive, but his body has been damaged beyond all recognition. This means that really anyone could take over the part moving forward.
The actor taking up Jonathan’s villainous mantle will be Luke Baines. Apparently, this new iteration will be the most sinister evil that Clary and the Shadowhunters have ever faced. Sadly, we won’t be able to argue about who did a better job portraying the character until 2019.
Did you notice that all of these actors had been recast? Let us know in the comments!
