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Who is TV’s casting gold?

Love on the Spectrum's Michael. MasterChef's Julie Goodwin. Australian Idol's Guy Sebastian -who are the names who were a casting director's dream?

“When we were asked to make an American version of the show, I was scared. I thought, ‘Oh no, it’ll never be the same. You’ll never find another Michael. You’ll never have the heart and soul of the original series.”

When Cian O’Clery, Co-creator and Director of Love on the Spectrum was asked to embark on an American version of the series, he worried he would never find another character quite like Season One’s Michael.

As anybody who watched the show knows, he epitomised the show. The one cast member you’d hate to lose! But the US version went on to win three Emmy Awards.

Marion Farrelly who has cast on shows including Big Brother, Celebrity Apprentice and The X Factor told TV Tonight, suggests nobody is irreplaceable.

“As you cut down the large tree, all the others grow,” she said. “There have been times where I think, ‘Please, audience do not vote out this person, because we’ll all die without them!’But the fact is, when that shade has been removed other people see the sun and they grow. So you can replace anyone. You really, really can. There’s always someone who will step in and be interesting, but they just haven’t had enough oxygen.”

But who else has been ‘Casting Gold’ in some of our favourite usncripted shows?

This was a tricky list to draw up, and in some long-running shows I was torn as to who was the ideal name. Feel free to agree or not!

Love on the Spectrum:
Michael

Sylvania Waters:
Noeline Doniher

Australian Idol:
Guy Sebastian

MasterChef Australia:
Julie Goodwin

The Block:
Gav & Waz

Go Back to Where You Came From:
Raquel Moore

Big Brother:
Sara-Marie Fedele

“TV casting is a funny thing,” Farrelly continued. “People you love in your cast are often people you’d run from in life. You’d put them in the Big Brother house, but you’d properly hide behind the sofa and pretend you weren’t in if they came round your own house.

“Case in point. The Real Housewives. Magnificently made, incredible casting. I’d watch Gina Liano forever, but I’d so be hiding behind the sofa if she popped round to ‘Farrelly Towers’ for a chardy.  She’s in my top ten.

“(Big Brother‘s) Ryan Fitzgerald is casting gold. He said ‘I’m this bloofy ex AFL player, but at the same time I cry alot’. He had us at ‘hello’ frankly. An ex AFL player who is funny and cries? Casting gold but… he never shed a tear. He totally played us. Which is the whole point of casting. He should be playing us. Good on him. He was way smarter than us.”

The Real Housewives of Melbourne:
Gina Liano

Gogglebox:
Lee & Keith

Travel Guides:
The Fren Family

Married at First Sight:
Ines Basic

The Bachelor:
Tim Robards

The X Factor:
Dami Im

But Marion Farrelly also recalls a young Reece Mastin from X Factor 2011.

“Reece walked in and I thought, ‘He might win this.’ He looked right, beautiful temperament, really nice person, great support family, beautiful voice, adaptable… he could sing a ballad and then throw out Guns & Roses. It was like he’d already won it.”

Australia’s Got Talent:
Jack Vidgen

Australian Survivor:
David Genat

I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here:
Shane Warne

Celebrity Apprentice:
Deni Hines

Back in Time for Dinner:
The Ferrone family

4 Responses

  1. Lee and Keith are a good shout. They feel like the glue holding the show together some weeks.

    I’m so glad X Factor introduced the wildcard that season as I was bummed when Dami Im was voted out. Now look how far she’s gone since winning the show!

  2. My belief of this score is everyone is an individual and everyone can shine in their own unique way and given the chance they will shine and appeal if given the chance. Foibles and faults make up the fabric of who we are. They’ve all been standouts in their own right.

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