General Hospital's Molly Recast Is The Worst Decision Since That One Carly Scandal
Would the backlash force casting directors to hold some auditions for Molly again?
If there is one thing that fans would probably change about how soap works, it would be recasting. There are many talented actors in the industry who deserve the spotlight, but it's hard to get used to seeing your favorite character look, talk, and often even act differently. While some of them aren't that bad, others leave viewers fuming.
In the history of General Hospital, there has been one case of recasting so bad that the media exploded, and ABC's customer service team spent hours on the phone fielding calls from angry fans. Not only did the show miscast a character so badly that the audience was ready to turn their backs, but it was a character as central to the story as Carly Corinthos.
Back in 2005, after the abrupt departure of Tamara Braun, General Hospital struggled for quite some time to find a new Carly. Before Laura Wright stepped in and made the role her own and continues to develop Carly to this day, there was another actress, Jennifer Bransford.
She wasn't bad, she didn't have a past full of scandals, but the soap fans refused to accept her. It got so bad that the show's production team had to terminate her contract, not to punish her for bad acting, but to protect her from the endless bullying.
Now it looks like the same thing will happen to Brooke Anne Smith, who took over the role of Molly Lansing-Davis after the former actress left the cast due to a drunk driving accident.
The difference between Smith and Bransford is that now the audience has a real reason to be unhappy with the casting decision. The actress, who is supposed to play a young adult woman in her 20s, is actually 39, and ABC's camera lenses are showing the age a little too well.
It's also worth noting that this time the fans are even more outspoken and have many more ways to spread their opinions around the web than they did in 2005. So the recasting of Molly seems inevitable at this point.
The only question is: will the change of actress somehow affect Molly's storyline and personality, which were ruined in the process of the change? This is what General Hospital fans are most curious and hopeful to find out next.
To find out what the future holds for Molly Lansing-Davis, her sister Kristina, and her little family with T.J., tune in to the upcoming General Hospital episodes Monday through Friday on ABC.