Rueben's Ramblings

One of the more difficult jobs in the entertainment industry is that of the casting agent. It might not seem that hard of a position, but imagine you are the decision maker who has to cast a new pilot or a pivotal guest starring role in a TV series or determine who plays the myriad roles in a major motion picture.

Can you imagine someone else playing Captain Jack Sparrow other than Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Or, could you envision a different actor playing James “Sawyer” Ford in Lost other than Josh Holloway? The TV shows and movies you love could have turned out very different without an experienced and knowledgeable casting agent at the helm.

But my question is: What if you were a casting agent? Who would you cast in a major motion picture or your favorite television show? That question, as you can imagine, has crossed my mind quite frequently because of my love for all things entertainment related.

Lynda Carter

One casting decision I would make is the lead role in the long gestating Wonder Woman theatrical release. A number of actresses have been suggested for this highly coveted role, such as Charisma Carpenter (from Buffy and Angel fame) and even Megan Fox (the Transformers movies); but my choice for Diana Prince would be Dollhouse co-star Miracle Laurie. She may be a newcomer, but so was Lynda Carter (for the most part) when she brought this world-renowned hero to life in the popular 1970’s television series.

Miracle Laurie

There are a number of other similarities between the two actresses. Lynda is 5’ 9½” tall and Miracle is 5’ 9” tall. They are both voluptuous woman with long brown hair and baby blue eyes. They both can hold their own against their male counterparts and can handle action scenes with aplomb.

Check out the pictures of both Lynda (during her days as Wonder Woman) and Miracle (from her days on Dollhouse) and judge for yourself.

Next, venturing into the world of television: if I were a casting agent, I would go to the powers that be behind the new FOX series Human Target and convince them that one important component of their show is missing: the heart. As my friend Tiffany states to me on a regular basis: a show has to have a heart – that one key character that holds the plotlines together, gives the viewers a reason to tune in each week and to be the catalyst for a successful series.

Autumn Reeser

Human Target held its own in the ratings, had some great action sequences and featured some pretty spectacular guest stars in nearly every episode, but each episode has been lacking in heart. This situation could be remedied by simply adding one strong character to the show. My suggestion would be to bring the character of Layla (as portrayed by Autumn Reeser, who starred in The O.C.) back on as a series regular. She would easily be the heart of the show, holding the keys players together and providing her wealth of computer knowledge to the team for all of their missions. Situation solved – at least in my opinion.

Emmanuelle Vaugier

NOTE: Unfortunately, Autumn Reeser will be starring in the new fall ABC series No Ordinary Family so she won’t be available, but the series could bring a different woman onto the show to add some much needed heart such as Emmanuelle Vaugier, who appeared in several episodes this past season.