I’m calling this “1A” because it was unexpected… but
delightfully welcomed!
You’ll recall that when I posted the first installment of “Now
That…” back in May, I spent some time speculating on the story possibilities
stemming from getting more acquainted with Lea’s
often-referenced-but-never-encountered family of origin. I think both here (in
the comments) and over on Twitter, I asked fans to submit suggestions for the “dream”
cast of actors to portray Lea’s mom, dad, and brother Donnie.
And… you did! So many, in fact, that I’m devoting this post to
a roundup of all those considerations, as well as their most notable credentials.
I apologize for the quality of these photos—since there have
been numerous broken photo links in my posts recently, I created a work-around for
these to be seen properly. If anyone still sees broken links where a pic should
be in this post, please let me know!
BIG DISCLAIMER HERE: Just to be clear, especially for those
new to the blog—I don’t have ANY inside info as to whether or not TGD is planning
any episodes for S4 built around Lea’s family, much less who might be
considered for such roles if they are.
This is just #Shea fans having fun.
Except that Sela Ward “liked” a number of posts on Twitter
that tagged her as a Mom possibility. That’s a fact! So do with that what you will.
Me, I’m just claiming braggers rights.
ANYWAY…
Oh, three more things:
1) Unlike the Playlist, I’m listing these suggestions anonymously.
2) Several of
these actors (especially the men) are Canadian or U.K. born, and the TV series
they’re associated with may not be as well known to U.S. viewers.
3) Although I'm not including the actual birthdate of each actor, I AM listing them by age (oldest to youngest for each role). And I tried to find a "recent" pic of each, but since many of these names are new to me I may have faltered on that... I'm sure you'll let me know!
Let the dream casting continue! Here are the possibilities we came up with thus far:
(and you're not seeing double; I put a few different "Lea shots" all over the place so you could visualize possible family resemblances)
For Mama Dilallo...
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| Sela Ward |
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| Susanna Thompson |
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| Allison Janney |
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| Callista Flockhart |
Mostly film & theater in recent years but since 2015: Empire, The Handmaid’s Tale, Live in Front of a Studio Audience, One Oscar
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| Kelly Rutherford |
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| Vera Farmiga |
Bates Motel, When They See Us (both earned Emmy
nominations)
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| Tricia Helfer |
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| David Morse |
House, John Adams,
Outsiders, Blindspot,
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| Gary Sinise |
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| Hugh Laurie |
House, Veep, Chance;
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| George Clooney |
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| James Denton |
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| Nestor Carbonell |
Lost, Ringer, The Morning Show
(also directed/acted in Bates Motel and has directed 2 eps of TGD: 1.8 “Apple” and 3.12 “Mutations”. I shall try not to
hold his involvement in the latter episode against him.)
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| Matthew Settle |
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| Jake Johnson |
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| Marc Bendavid |
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| Travis Milne |
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| Jeff Ward |
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| Darren Criss |
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| Iain DeCaesteker |
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| Max Theriot |
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| Anthony Lemke |
6 comments:
My Pick: Mama Dillalo: Sela Ward,Papa Dilallo: George Cloney, Brother Donnie: Darren Criss
Great post, Kelli! Love it to see all of our dream cast consolidated in a post like this. Just at a glance, tho, why are there so many actors from Good Witch lol?? Anyhoo, the list are insanely/unbelievably good, almost perfect. SHEA fans, or rather, Lea fans are amazing! I'm looking forward to see more names!
My favorite is Sela Ward - Hugh Laurie - god it's difficult for Donny...
- Jake Johnson is so brotherly and looks like an equal mess to Lea,
- Bendavid looks more like a responsible and know-it-all brother,
- Milne looks like the just asshole mechanic brother,
- Jeff Ward looks like playful mess very laid-back brother,
- Criss looks like the handsome/player brother which is also equal to Lea,
- Iain looks like a cold brother, like someone who hate Lea, and
- Max will make that perfect brother that everyone loves but also is cunning
hmmmm
I guess the most likely to be cast from these bunch is:
- Sela Ward/Alison Janney/Vera Farmiga
- Hugh Laurie/Nestor Carbonell
- Travis Milne/Jeff Ward/Darren Criss
The most unlikely would be:
- Calista Flockhart, she prefers to stay at LA for work I guess
- George Clooney, too good to be true? the very definition of dream casting
- James Denton, his age would not make sense(?)
- Max Thieriot, I guess he's busy with Seal Team and coming to Vancouver will be hard
Wild card would be Marisa Tomei. She could come back to tv for a couple episodes, maybe just two tops.
Another wild card is Tricia Helfer.. she is, I think, too young, but that doesn't matter, her bff (or just close friend) Michael Trucco played Shaun's dad!
Sela Ward and Hugh Laurie are just like hands down... perfect!
Did Sela really retweet some tweets about this?? seriously? I loved her, I'd love for her to be mama Dilallo very much!
If I can dream, Sela Warrd and George Clooney would make a fantastic couple! OH MY GOD I'm too excited right now
Well, I'm one of the people who's very much in favor of Sela Ward playing Lea's mom, and I was one of the people who, when I tweeted about that, she liked my tweet! So here's hoping if we're gonna see Lea's mom in S4, whenever that is, it's her!
For Lea's dad and brother, I'm familiar with about half the actors you listed (more in the Lea's dad group than in the Donnie group). I'd go with Jake Johnson for Donnie, because he and Paige Spara look enough alike that they could be siblings.
As for Lea's dad, I'd go with Gary Sinise, simply because he's my favorite actor of the bunch.
There is one question that occurred to me: was Lea's beloved Grandpa Rod her mom's father, or her dad's father? We know he's deceased, but since they've done flashbacks with Shaun, I don't know if they'd go so far as to do flashbacks with Lea, but if they did, who would they cast as Grandpa Rod? I know that my first choice for Grandpa Rod in a flashback would be Martin Sheen, and my second choice would be Dan Lauria, unless they were going to do a scene from when Lea and possibly Donnie were kids or teenagers, in which case they might have to go with someone younger, in which case I'd have to think about who I would suggest.
Sela Ward liked those comments? Really?!?!? That's awesome!! (jumping around Lea-style from "First Case, Second Base").
I thought she did a WONDERFUL job on "House" - as well as her other critically-acclaimed roles.
I don't have a particular preference for who fills those roles - we got some GREAT choices presented right here! For me, it depends on the dynamics of the characters. Will they be one-and-done, showing that they are clearly an unhealthy presence in Lea's life? If so, I would lean to some of the more antagonistic choices on the list. Or will there be some bonds that start to rebuild, possibly creating the possibility for recurring characters? If that, then I say pick the ones who are more TV-savvy to give us something for the long haul.
Kelli, I like your quip about Nestor. Like you, I don't blame insufficient storytelling in the latter on directing - though the writers of that episode didn't get a MLK, Jr. Day Greeting Card from me. After directing two episodes, both of which featured significant Shaun and Lea moments, I would love to see Nestor in a role that could prove even more critical in the Shea story.
Amy, I've been wondering the same thing about Grandpa Rod. I suspect that as we get to know more about Lea's family, that question will be answered about WHICH grandfather he was. And what he left his own child - if anything - upon his passing, seeing as he left behind a prized car and an auto business to two of his grandchildren. Perhaps the polar-plunging lake house mentioned in "Friends and Family"???
One thing I would love would be for at least one, and possibly more, of the picks to come from THIS group of picks. It would be a nice tip of the cap to the Shea fandom - and this particular page!
Jake Johnson is still my #1 pick but I think Jeff Ward is a surprisingly good choice too. As someone who watches Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can definitely see how his character, Deke Shaw, could be similar to Lea.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is also on its final season this year which means he should be available for the Good Doctor Season 4 if the producers see/agree with this list. xD
As for her parents I'm with @Faghost that Sela Ward and Hugh Laurie would be good for her parents. Jeff and Sela's derivative last name notwithstanding. Though I wouldn't mind David Morse or Susanna Thompson respectively either.
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