In the first threeHalloweentownmovies , Kimberly J. Brown starred as Marnie Piper . Though Disney speak to her about doing a 4th movie , they ultimately decided to replace her with Sara Paxton — without countenance her screw why .
Sometimes, when a TV show or movie franchise has to replace an actor, they do a pretty good job of finding someone who looks similar to the original performer, thereby making the transition easier.
For example, William Hartnell played the First Doctor onDoctor Whofrom 1963–1967. He died in 1975, so when the long-running show decided to bring back his character for guest appearances in 2017 and 2022, they cast David Bradley, who previously played William Hartnell in the 2013 biopicAn Adventure in Space and Time.
However, sometimes, they do a not-so-great job at recasting and replace the actor with someone who lookscompletelydifferent. Here are 14 TV shows and movies that replaced an actor with someone who looked literally nothing like them:
1.InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Lavender Brown was a minor, non-speaking role played by Jennifer Smith.
However, when she became a larger role and a love interest for Ron Weasley inHarry Potterand the Half-Blood Prince, she was recast with Jessie Cave, who stayed in the role for the rest of the series.
Here they are side-by-side.
2.OnThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,Janet Hubertplayed Vivian Banks for Seasons 1–3. However, when they offered her a new contract, she followed her agent’s advice andturnedit down in hopes the studio would renegotiate it with her. However, they never did.
Daphne Maxwell Reid then played Aunt Viv for Seasons 4–6.
3.In the first threeHalloweentownmovies, Kimberly J. Brown starred as Marnie Piper.
However, inReturn to Halloweentown, she was replaced by Sara Paxton. Disney had spoken to Kimberly about the possibility of returning for the fourth movie, but, for reasons unknown to her, theydecidedto go in a different direction.
4.OnThe Fosters, Jesus Adams Foster was played by Jake T. Austin for Seasons 1–2. However, hedecidedto leave the show after learning his role was going to be reduced going forward. He didn’t want to be held back.
So, he was replaced by Noah Centineo for Seasons 3–5. In the show, Jesus’s new appearance was the result of surgeries he had to undergo after a car accident.
5.InThe O.C.Season 1, Kaitlin Cooper was portrayed by Shailene Woodley. However, she wasrecastbecause she looked too young for the vision the showrunners had for the character in future seasons.
Willa Holland took over the role for Seasons 3 and 4. She’s about a year older than Shailene.
6.OnGame of Thrones, Ed Skrein played Daario Naharis in Season 3. Heleftthe show because of “politics.”
So, Michiel Huisman took over the role in Season 4.
7.InIron Man, Terrence Howard played James Rhodes/War Machine. However, hereportedlydeclined to reprise the role following a pay dispute.
Don Cheadle took over the role inIron Man 2and all subsequent Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.
8.InAvengers: Endgame, Emma Fuhrmann had a brief appearance as an aged-up version of Cassie Lang.
However, she was replaced by Kathryn Newton inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Emmadidn’t knowabout the recasting until it was announced at Disney’s Investor Day in 2020.
9.OnLast Man Standing, Alexandra Krosney played eldest daughter Kristin Baxter in Season 1.
In Season 2, the character wasaged upthree years, so she was replaced by Amanda Fuller, who’s four years older than Alexandra.
10.Similarly, Molly Ephraim played Kristin’s younger sister, Mandy, for Seasons 1–6. Sheleftand found new opportunities because the show was canceled by ABC.
However, the show was picked up by Fox, so Molly McCook took over the role for Seasons 7–9.
11.On a single episode ofThat ’70s ShowSeason 1, Pam Burkhart, Jackie’s mom, was played by Eve Plumb.
When the character returned in Season 6, she was played by Brooke Shields.
12.WhenTrue Bloodintroduced James Kent in Season 6, he was played by Luke Grimes. Heallegedlywalked away from the show because James was going to become a love interest for Lafayette Reynolds, and he didn’t want to play a gay character.
Nathan Parsons took over the role for Season 7.
13.OnRiverdale, Reggie Mantle was portrayed by Ross Butler in Seasons 1–2. However, heleftbecause he had a scheduling conflict with13 Reasons Why, which he felt was a better fit for him as an actor.
From Seasons 3–7, Reggie was played by Charles Melton.
14.And finally, onBoy Meets World, Lily Nicksay played Morgan Matthews for the first two seasons. Series creator Michael Jacobsreportedlydecided to recast her because she seemingly no longer enjoyed acting.
She was replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway, who’s three years older, for the remaining five seasons. When she made her first appearance on Episode 14, Cory referenced the character’s disappearance, saying, “Morgan, long time, no see!”
On the series finale ofGirl Meets World, both actors reprised the role of Morgan.
