CAROLYN ASPENSON:  I really don’t believe in the “this character could never be recast” theory.  In my opinion the actor is the character, the character is not the actor.  With that being said, I think any actor could step into a recast role and make it their own.  Would it be a different character with this actor? Absolutely.  Nothing can change that.  Typically when an actor leaves a role the character is changed to some degree to fit the acting style (and personal style) of the character. 

There have been several successful recasts throughout ABC history.  Who doesn’t remember the angst and trepidation of the fans when Sarah Brown left the role of Carly on General Hospital?  Sarah Brown gave Carly a rough around the edges, tough persona.  That was Carly.  Tamara Braun stepped into the role and though it took the fans time to adjust, she won them over.  She changed Carly, making her more subdued and less rough.  I don’t think the story played out by the second Carly would have been the same had Sarah Brown stayed in the role.  Tamara Braun left and in walked Jennifer Bransford.  She brought something entirely different to Carly. We saw desperation and the true insecurity of the character.  Personally I thought Jennifer  Bransford was phenomenal.  I think the problem those at ABC had was with her acting abilities.  She ‘out-acted’ everyone in her scenes.  Jennifer Bransford was powerful as Carly which I feel was her demise.  They couldn’t have the kind of strength she brought in scenes with Maurice Benard.  She was simply too over powering.  We now have Laura Wright who again brings an entirely different take on the character.   

Another character recast that works for me is (and some of you are going to throw up when I say this) Natalia Livingston.  Can you imagine Amber Tamblyn playing against Maurice Benard as his love interest?  Something about that just doesn’t ring true to me.  Of course Emily has been changed dramatically, but the stories she’s involved in since Natalia came along are stories designed for an older Emily, not the Emily who left a few years ago.  

There are also character recasts that haven’t worked.  I’ve never thought this to be the actors fault, it’s more a combination of storylines and character changes that make an actor a poor recast.   

Jacob Young is JR.  He’s the best JR on AMC and is doing an excellent job as this character.  As Lucky Spencer however, it was not a match.  The storyline was horrible, the character changed from the Lucky we knew and loved to some alien version of himself no one knew or even understood.  I honestly thought it was Jacob Young until I saw him as JR Chandler.  He can act, but GH didn’t give him the material, in my opinion, to be  Lucky.  Apparently someone liked him in that role because he did receive an Emmy.  

I think characters like Erica Kane, Tad Martin and Luke Spencer could certainly be recast however I don’t think ABC would take the risk.  I imagine the majority of fans watching these shows have an emotional attachment to the actors and the characters they play and would likely prefer some characters ‘die’ rather than attempt a recast. 

THE MEDIA HO:  There are three that immediately come to mind, and I'm sure no one will be surprised when I say that AMC's Erica and GH's Luke and Brenda should never, ever, be recast. Let's face it, both Erica and Luke are characters well known outside the world of daytime drama. They are icons, like J.R. Ewing and Mister Rogers. Don't mess with icons. I am slightly flexible about Brenda: should Eva Longoria decide to leave prime time to return to daytime as Brenda Barrett, I could live with that. (Heck, IRL she even replaced Vanessa Marcil in Tyler Christopher's affections, so she's got the part down cold!) However, there's about as much chance of that happening as the proverbial snowball in you-know-where.

Certain actors grab hold of a role and never let go. Anthony Geary, Susan Lucci, and, yes, Vanessa Marcil fall into that category. As does Lynn "Lucy Coe" Herring, but I've been begging for her return for years, and no one has paid attention. Ditto Cynthia "Faith" Preston.

KELLY B:  Luke Spencer.  He proved he can’t even come back as a look-alike cousin and pull it off successfully.  There’s just one Luke – and one Laura.  We’ve been looking at the back of someone’s head for the past four years.  At least TIIC haven’t tried to make us loyalists swallow a recast.  They let us keep our little fantasy.    

Jeez, there are so many veteran characters that have come back lately in the form of the appropriately aged original actors.  I love that  I guess there are others that; while I’m not pining away for their return, I just couldn’t imagine someone else stepping into their ‘Property of General Hospital Wardrobe Department’ shoes.  Helena, Brenda of course, Lucy – I’m still holding out hope that they’ll resurrect the Nurses Ball one day.  The others that leap to mind are more fringe characters, like Elton and Reginald.  They might not have had major storylines, but they had ‘IT’.

JENJEN:  I can think of a few roles which shouldn’t be recast, such as Erica Kane, Brenda Barrett or Luke Spencer, but mostly I think all roles can be recast successfully.  I think if fans really like a certain character, they’ll be open minded and give a different actor in the role a chance.  If it’s the actor a person is the true fan of, as opposed to the character, then you probably can’t make them happy with a recast anyway, so a show can’t worry about people they can never make happy.  The show has to move on and tell the story they want to tell.   

As far as why I think there are a few characters that shouldn’t be recast, some actors are able to work magic and lift their characters up into an odd reality that other characters never reach.  There seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of chemistry that occurs, almost like a “boy meets girl” kind of romance, only its “actor meets role.”  Everything clicks in a way I can’t describe and no recast is going to duplicate it.  Yeah, you could hire a petite, brunette actress to play Brenda Barrett and she might be a very good actress, but she’ll never touch that magic like Vanessa Marcil did.  The odds are simply against it. 

When it comes to a part like Erica Kane, her portrayer, Susan Lucci, has done so much herself to benefit “All My Children,” ABC Daytime and soap operas in general, it would be a personal affront to her and all who’ve enjoyed her to even dare try to recast her.  To put it bluntly, I’d be pissed the hell off and I don’t even watch AMC anymore.  

I can remember when Susan Lucci did her first ABC Movie of the Week.  It was the highest rated program of the year (or something equally wonderful) and it was all because of her.  She brought in the crowd.  One of the best “Saturday Night Live” shows ever was the one she hosted.  I will never, ever forget the soap opera spoof she did about trying to find her lost luggage at the airport.  That episode of SNL probably wasn’t hurting for ratings, either.  Susan Lucci’s many appearances on “Live with Regis and Kathy Lee” has been cited as one of the many reasons they had the success they did.  The point is, while “All My Children” has brought Susan a lot of success, the opposite can be said as well.  To recast the part of Erica Kane would be insulting and shameful.  It would leave a lot of bitter fans who felt like they’d been spit on.  In other words, there’d be a lot of Susan Lucci fans feeling the same way a lot of Genie Francis fans feel.  Genie’s fans haven’t even gotten a full recast.  They only get a once-a-year “back of the head” shot at the mental hospital.  As a Genie fan, whenever Laura is mentioned on GH, a little voice in my head says, “Fuck you, too, General Hospital.”

SHERRY MERCURIO: We're talking simply for my own personal viewing benefit?  I don’t want to see GH’s Brenda recast, because I don’t care that much about the character and I do think that Vanessa Marcil has *something* that would be difficult to reproduce.  Without that something, Brenda is just doubly annoying.  I’ve no desire to see a Laura Spencer recast either, I’m not sure I can explain why exactly – it’s not that I don’t think someone else is capable of the character, but when I consider, after all this time, a recast or the death of the character …well, bring on the closed casket and I’ll wait for Genie Francis to wander back someday.  Lila couldn’t have been recast, purely because the fan uproar would’ve made it impossible to hear the new actress utter “now, Edward”.  I’m sure this is not all-inclusive; I reserve the right to add to it in the future!  Next time can we discuss who should be recast, should’ve been recast ages ago, or will be recast even if I have to do it mentally for myself every time he/she shows up on screen?   

EMERALDAX:  Quite simply, a character should not be recast if the only thing that makes the character interesting is the actor who portrays them.  The main question to ask is:  are the viewers attached to the character or the actor? Was it really Brenda that fans adored, or was it Vanessa Marcil?  I’ve only seen Brenda when she came back to the show with Luis Alcazar.  Frankly, Brenda did nothing for me.  I think Vanessa Marcil is very talented and beautiful, and if I had time I would definitely watch her on Las Vegas.  But Brenda?  If a new actress replaces her, she better be as charismatic as Vanessa or else people might realize that Brenda is really a twit.  If the character isn’t that compelling, a show’s only hope is that viewers will connect with the new person.  If a character is that compelling, like Carly on GH or Todd on OLTL, then the new actor better have the chops to pull it off. 

KATHY HARDEMAN:  That being said, there are a couple characters who have made such an indelible impression from the strength of their personality that a believable recast would be impossible – Lila, Luke, Faison, and Helena come immediately to mind.  Other characters, including main ones could be recast, even *gasp* Sonny if necessary to phase them out.  Very few characters should be given nonrecastable status or soaps would fade away.  No recast, no character, no storyline, no soap.  What?  No soaps?  Perish the thought!