reasons a producer may decide to recast

There are plenty of reasons recasting happens, and this is a non-exhaustive list meant for those who are simply curious about some of the circumstances that lead to an actor either being replaced midway through production or not reprising a previous role. It is best to avoid making public speculations as to why an actor was recast—rumors can easily be taken as fact, and there have been instances where fans unfairly blamed either an actor or a production team without knowing what actually happened behind the scenes.

just a few possible explanations

• character description changed or evolved from the original casting
• role turned out to be a miscast / not well-suited to the actor after all
• disputes over pay or union status
• studio/licensor changing hands
• issues regarding scheduling/availability (ex: actor was sick or out of town and production could not move deadline)
• desire to “reboot” a series with fresh voices
• breaches of contract on either side
• recast for the purposes of more authentic representation (ex: to better match a character’s nationality)
• dispute or reservations regarding script/content of production
• creative differences among team members or new decision-makers being put in charge
• (very rarely) negative feedback about voice performances from consumers, fans, or beta testers
• original actor retired or changed careers

In the case of amateur online productions where the work is provided on a volunteer basis, other common reasons for recasting are actors disappearing without turning in lines, or production casting voice actors before they were ready.

best practices for recasting an actor

Sometimes recasting is unavoidable, but handling the situation professionally and courteously can go a long way towards maintaining a good relationship with current and former cast members.

Consider whether there’s any way to work things out with the original actor first.

If you’ve already made up your mind to recast, that’s okay—it’s your project! But if you value working with the actor in question, it may be worth considering whether there might be a way to keep them on board. For example, if you enjoy working with them but their schedule has gotten too busy to routinely turn in lines on time, is there any flexibility you could make regarding deadlines? Or, if you plan to recast because you’re rewriting the character to have a different personality, would you be willing to allow the original actor to re-audition with the new specs before opening up casting again? If the actor wants to re-negotiate pay for a new installment and it’s not in the budget, is there an alternate accommodation that could be considered such as reduced workload, self-directed sessions, or outsourced editing?

One common frustration from actors who are recast for creative reasons is feeling like they weren’t even given a chance to try to keep their role. For example, a producer may recast because they decide they want “a deeper voice”, but do not even bother asking the original actor if they can try deepening the pitch. While it’s obviously your call either way, simply allowing the original actor to re-audition for the role with the new direction in mind can go a long way—and the results may even surprise you.

Be sure to honor your payment obligations.

If you’ve already recorded sessions with the actor or you’ve assigned them self-directed work and they’ve completed it, you’re still on the hook to pay them whatever was contractually agreed upon for the amount of work already finished—regardless of whether or not you decide to use the work in the final product. For example, if you book an actor for a four-hour video game recording session and at some point during or after the session you decide it’s not working out, you’d still need to pay them for those four hours. Or, if it was a self-directed indie project that paid per line, you ask the actor to record an initial batch of 100 lines and then decide to recast after receiving them, you’d still need to pay for the 100 lines they already recorded. Even if you did not have a formal contract in place, it is simply good business practice to pay the people you hired.

Try to avoid recasting in the middle of a series if at all possible.

If episodes with the previous actor have already been released and the character’s voice suddenly changes midway through, it can be quite jarring to the audience. If you must do it, try to create a smooth transition by casting someone who can match the original actor relatively closely. They can later grow into the role more and make it their own, but it will help ease viewers into the change.

Address the situation with tact and compassion.

Being recast can be an emotional experience for many actors, especially if it’s their first time losing a role or it’s one they were really looking forward to. If you ever plan to cross paths with this actor again in the future, it’s best not to burn bridges.

Consider offering a different role or cameo if you happen to have one available that the actor might fit.

Some actors may decline and that decision should be respected, but for actors who were really looking to be part of the project regardless, they may see it as a nice gesture. If you choose this route, it should also be handled with dignity so the actor doesn’t feel like they’re just being handed a “consolation prize”. For example, “I’m sorry things didn’t end up working out with Character A, but the team really likes your work and we do have a different role in mind for you in case you’re interested.”

Inform the original actor as soon as possible that you are recasting.

It’s true that actors aren’t entitled to know if their work ends up being used in a project, and there are plenty of stories about actors who completed a job only to find a video of the finished product out in the wild with someone else’s voice! But this can be a very unpleasant surprise to an actor and create unnecessary hurt feelings. Getting ahead of this early on by letting the actor know that you’ve decided to go in a different direction can still be an emotional blow, but chances are they will appreciate you being upfront rather than having to find out the hard way.

Inform the new actor if they will be taking over a role that was publicly already voiced by someone else.

To be clear, if you are still in the middle of production and nothing has been released yet, the fact that it’s a recast is irrelevant. But if the new actor will be stepping in to replace a character that previously had an established voice—especially on a project with a fanbase—it can help to be transparent so they know what to expect. (For example, fans often become upset when the voice of an existing character suddenly changes, and sometimes take it out on the new actor who is unprepared for the backlash.)

what NOT to do when recasting an actor

Recasting can already be a messy situation, so the last thing you want to do is add fuel to the fire unnecessarily. Most of the following points apply primarily to online hobby/indie productions as opposed to industry-level work, but it’s never too early to get into the habit of conducting business in a professional manner!

Before recasting due to “lack of communication”, consider whether the ball may have been in your court.

For example, if you only tried reaching out to an actor via social media or a messenger service they may not regularly check, try sending an e-mail instead. If you never gave them a solid deadline for turning in lines but want to recast because you feel they’re taking too long, reach out and update them with a firmer date. In the case of unpaid/volunteer projects, remember that people do have other obligations, so try to at least give them the courtesy of a final reminder before moving along with someone else.

Try not to recast just because you feel you “found someone better”.

It’s incredibly hurtful to an actor to offer them a role, but then take it back because you changed your mind and want someone else to do it instead. One of the reasons we do not allow first-come, first serve casting on the VAC is because of the tendency new producers have to award the part to the first person who submits an audition, then change their mind when someone more fitting submits an audition soon after. This is unfair to both actors involved and creates a messy situation. If things just aren’t fitting how you imagined to, try to redirect the actor to something closer to what you’re looking for. If you truly cannot get what you want with the performance, you might consider asking them if they’d be okay with switching to a different role. Again, it’s your project and you can do what you want…but this is almost certainly a recipe for bad blood.

Don’t make it personal.

You may (and perhaps rightly so) feel that the actor has been unreliable or undirectable, wasted your time, or lacked quality/skill. However, insults are not only difficult to take back, but they make you look bad as a director—and word may get around to other actors, who may hesitate to work with you. Whenever possible, take the high road and be professional in your communication. You can convey the gravity of the situation and still remain civil; for instance, “I understand that you no longer have the time available to commit to this project. However, this will make things difficult for our team as we have already produced the first half of the series with your voice as this character, and now we need to hold auditions to replace you and get the audience used to the new voice. We would greatly appreciate it if you would reconsider and let us know if we can assist you in a compromise.”

Avoid badmouthing the original actor.

Yes, it can be frustrating if an actor creates issues for your production, whether that’s by being rude to the director, showing up half an hour late to sessions, or instigating drama with fellow cast members or fans. But rarely will it serve you well to start talking trash about them behind their back, especially to the rest of the cast or to the new actor who will be stepping in to fill the role. Now, of course you may need to discuss the matter internally with your other team members, but use discretion about who you vent to. Remember that in this day and age it is very easy to screenshot conversations, and you can expect word may very well get back to the actor in question.

Don’t make details of the recast public unless necessary to do so.

Many times you can simply update the credits for your project and avoid drawing too much attention to the fact that there was a change. But if you absolutely need to publish something on social media—for example, your project already has a fanbase and they’re asking what happened, keep any statement professional and neutral.

Bad example: “Unfortunately, John Doe didn’t turn in his lines on time, so going forward he will be replaced by Dave Smith as the voice of Eric.”
Good example: “Please note that due to scheduling issues, there will be a voice actor change going forward. We’d like to welcome Dave Smith to the role of Eric.”

If the dispute was over pay or contract matters, it’s especially important to try to avoid sharing details to people who don’t know or need to know the internal workings of your contracts. For example, it’s generally considered bad form to share specifics with fans about how much an actor was getting paid to work on your project. While there may always be exceptions for extreme circumstances, a history of negative comments about former team members can make others hesitant to work with you in the future. And finally, it’s important to consider whether a statement you make could be considered defamatory in a legal context.

ways to minimize recasts in the future

If you find yourself having to recast on a somewhat routine basis, you may be asking yourself whether the problem lies with something you’re doing or if there’s any way to avoid it going forward. The answer is: possibly! Recasts happen even on very high-profile productions with celebrities, but here are some tips to help you better find a cast and stick to it.

Allow yourself enough time to find what you’re looking for.

Many casting calls these days have very short deadlines (sometimes even less than 24 hours), and “urgent” ends up being the default. This can lead decision-makers to rush through the audition process without getting the time to truly consider a variety of submissions.

While sometimes rush casting is unavoidable, try to plan ahead as much as possible and avoid putting the audition process off until the very last minute. There’s no magic number for how many days to allow for auditions, but – for example – if you have a four-day deadline rather than a two-day deadline, chances are you will not only get more submissions to choose from but also actors may tend to spend more time on crafting a great audition for you when they don’t feel pressured to turn it in immediately. And giving yourself time to review can help in case callbacks are needed.

Resist the urge to immediately cast the first submission that jumps out at you as a good fit.

If you’re reviewing auditions as they come in as opposed to a batch review after the deadline passes, you may think you hear one you like early in the process…but then, at the last minute, another audition comes in that then stands out even more as exactly what you had in mind for the role. There are plenty of reasons to avoid first-come first-serve casting, and this is one of them.

Allow for potential callbacks in your audition process.

A callback is when you request specific actors to re-read for the role in question. This could mean giving them additional material from your script to read and seeing how they do with it, or you might give some notes on their original audition and ask them to re-record the audition with your notes in mind. Callbacks happen when you review the initial auditions you receive and narrow them down to a small pool of say, three to five actors who are all strong contenders for the role. The callback process allows you to hear more from these top contenders and can help you make a final decision.

If the final project would require a lot of live-directed sessions and you’re especially concerned about avoiding recasts, you may even wish to consider holding live-directed callbacks. These can be a bit of a nuisance to schedule and may feel like wasted time for the actors if they don’t end up booking the part, but it does allow you to see how well you’d potentially work with certain actors in a real-time collaborative session. Live callbacks are best reserved for paid projects, though actors generally aren’t compensated for the callback itself as long as it’s clear that it’s still an audition and not a session.

Practice transparency during the audition process and make use of content warnings as needed.

Sometimes, recasts happen when an actor drops out of a project due to being uncomfortable with the content. This is of course their right, but one way to help minimize these instances is to be upfront during the casting process about what the project entails. Nudity and sexual content should always be disclosed (and casting should be limited to adults only), but consider other themes or imagery which could potentially be triggering to others, and allow actors to come to you if they need further clarification on content. Many actors will have no problem with it, but in case someone does, it’s always best to be transparent so you can avoid an awkward situation midway through. And of course, always respect an actor’s wish to use a pseudonym if they so choose.

If you’re casting for a third-party client, have them be specific with what they’re looking for.

Allow your end client to approve your final picks before you post a casting announcement or contact the actors to inform them they were chosen. It can be an embarrassing situation all-around if the client changes their mind about what they want, although sometimes it’s unavoidable.

Be clear about rates and workload from the beginning.

Pay-related challenges can’t always be avoided, but being transparent about rates from the initial audition/offer can help actors be aware of exactly what they’re getting into. For instance, one reason pay-related disputes (sometimes leading to recasts) can happen is if an actor finds out that their castmates are getting paid more than they are for the same amount of work. While you may have your own reasons for this, put yourself in the actor’s shoes: how would you feel if you found out that your work was considered to be worth less than a peer’s for some arbitrary reason?

As explained in the Indie Rate Guide, stating the offered rate (ex: “$250 per hour”) up front in the casting call can help actors feel confident in what to expect and take the stress out of playing the guessing game of “send me your rates”. For example, some actors may quote lower if the project is perceived as being made by a small team with a small budget, but it can then feel like a slap in the face if it turns out other actors on the project were being granted the industry standard. If the original actor then threatens to pull out once budgets have already been set, suddenly you’ve got a mess on your hands. Do your best to keep the rates fair across the board.

If possible, include an estimation of the expected time commitment.

It’s not always possible to know how much work you’ll need each actor to do, but even a general idea can help actors evaluate whether the project would be feasible for them to take on. For instance, a very busy actor might see that main roles have approximately 200 lines while side roles have approximately 40 lines, and realize that they should probably just audition for the side roles given their schedule. It’s also a bit rough on the actor side if you expect something’s going to be a quick job and they suddenly spring on you that it’s going to be, say, a 100-page script! You might also wish to include the approximate timeframes that each actor will be expected to adhere to (for instance, “The lead role of this project will have about 8 hours worth of recording in total, and this part will need to be completed by the end of January.”) It also helps if you mention how recordings will be conducted (for instance, will actors be recording on their own time, or will you be having live-directed sessions?) as this can also impact whether or not an actor is able to commit. This can help minimize schedule-related recastings.

Always give specific deadlines (with a little wiggle room if possible) for independent recordings.

Even if it’s tempting to say “take as much time as you need”, this can come back to bite you if they end up taking all the time in the world. Try to allow for a little extra time if possible in case they end up needing an extension, unless you have a hard deadline for production (in which case, inform them of such.) Many actors greatly appreciate it if you send a reminder a few days before the deadline (in the case of long deadlines) and it can help reduce the cases of “I’m so sorry, I forgot!”

Especially for volunteer projects, have a backup in mind.

Unlike a professional project where actors are getting paid for their work and therefore incentivized to complete it, hobby projects are comprised of unpaid, often younger volunteers who get overwhelmed with real-life obligations or eventually lose interest in a project, which can lead to long periods of not turning in lines or even ghosting a producer. This is what it is, but when reviewing auditions it can help to make a private note of your alternate choices just in case an actor ends up being unable to fulfill or continue a role.

Use recasting as a last resort, not a default mode of operation.

Unfortunately, some producers view actors as completely interchangeable and don’t care about cast consistency, leading to a character’s voice changing constantly between videos or perhaps even missions in the same game! Be sure to keep a spreadsheet for yourself of each character in your project, the actor playing them, and that actor’s contact information. And when it comes time for a new installment of your project, try asking the original actor to reprise their role unless you truly want something different..

what if you are the actor being recast?

Finding out you were replaced on a project is never fun. If you’re a new actor, it can feel especially crushing—you might wonder if you did something wrong or worry that maybe you’re not cut out for a career in voice acting. But rest assured that it’s not just you—a very large number of actors (even celebrities!) have had to go through recastings before.

Understand that there is no guarantee a role is permanent.

Getting cast in a new project is exciting, and it can be easy to get ahead of yourself thinking about how you can’t wait to play as your character when the game you’re working on comes out or how being the lead of this exciting new series is going to impact your career. But until recording is finished and the project is out, there is always unfortunately a chance – even a tiny one – that someone, somewhere is going to change their mind. If you’ve hyped yourself up over a project you were cast in, and then for some reason or another you happen to get recast, it can feel absolutely soul-crushing.

This extends to reprisals, too. Just because you were fortunate enough to play a certain character in a show or game—perhaps even multiple iterations of that franchise over the course of years—does not mean that you will automatically be offered a reprisal. While cast consistency is often in production’s best interest, there are situations (often outside of your control) where a decision maker may choose to go with someone else.

That being said, the likelihood of being recast is still very small, so try not to stress yourself out over it. Enjoy the moment and bring your best efforts to the project, but wait to fully celebrate until it’s released.

Don’t let a recast discourage you from continuing to pursue VO.

Especially if the recast happens early in your career, you may start doubting yourself and wondering if you’re in the right career path. But it’s important to note that many highly-regarded working voice actors (and even screen actors) have been through a recast at some point, sometimes in what would have been a career-making role.

Take the high road and think carefully before posting.

Similar to the advice given to producers above, accepting the news with grace and professionalism will almost always serve you better in your career than firing off a scathing email to the person in charge, making a post blasting the decision on social media, or sending a message to the new actor berating them for taking over “your” character. Vent privately to a trusted friend or mentor, allow yourself to feel upset about it, and then do your best to move past it and not let it affect the great work you are going to do in the future.

It’s best not to post about a recast if your work as the character was never made public, but if you have already been credited in a role and are later replaced or not asked to reprise, you may feel you need to make a post addressing the situation. In this case, it is best to keep your wording classy, let someone you trust look over your post before you share it, and wait to post until you are not in an emotionally heated moment. Do not direct or encourage any negativity towards the new actor, who may have not even been told that they were taking over an established role.

If the recast WAS by any chance your own fault, take it as a learning experience.

To be clear, if you were recast because the team decided they wanted a different voice or performance in general, that’s not a failure on your part—miscasts do happen, and sometimes a director’s vision evolves once the recordings actually begin. But if you were recast due to dropping the ball in some way yourself – for instance, you didn’t turn in lines due to a personal emergency but failed to communicate the situation to the team, or were misleading about the quality of your recording setup, take it as a lesson for the future. Making a mistake isn’t the end of the world—take away what you can from the experience, but try not to beat yourself up over it.

If you are an actor being offered a role that is a recast, keep your eyes open to ensure that there is nothing shady going on.

Most recasts happen for legitimate reasons, such as a change in creative direction or the original actor no longer being available. But occasionally, an actor may attempt to negotiate pay or contracts, and the client attempts to recast them to show that they are “replaceable”. If you are friends/acquaintances with the original actor who played the role, you may consider privately reaching out to make sure things are on the up-and-up, but be mindful to use discretion and not break any NDAs in the process.

Alternatively, you can respond with something like “Thanks so much for considering me! Before I [audition/accept this role], may I check as to why the original actor is not returning?” Or, “If you’re able to tell me, was the original actor offered a chance to re-read for this character?” Taking over a role that the original actor voluntarily declined to return to is fair game, but consider very carefully whether you are comfortable replacing someone who is actively trying to negotiate their contract.