10 Times Queer Characters Got New Faces

Throughout the history of entertainment casting, there have been instances where changes needed to be made to established characters. Actors choose to depart. Regimes change behind the camera. Conflicts lead to firings. Whatever the reason, recasts happen, and in the case of queer characters, casting changes can impact representation and, in some cases even strengthen it. This week's list highlights 10 occasions where queer characters experienced major casting changes. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

 

Rufus - 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams
The horror sequel 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams came five years after the original 2001 Maniacs. It's most notable recast came with lead actor Robert Englund being replaced by Bill Moseley as lead cannibal Mayor Buckman. The recasting of one of the other maniacs, Rufus, was less promoted. Christopher McDaniel replaced original actor Brendan McCarthy in the role of the franchise's queer male cannibal, who once again set his sights on one of the town's male visitors (Trevor Wright). As a supporting character, the recast of Rufus did not have much of an impact on the overall plot of the film, or the character, who remained fairly unchanged between the two movies. The horror sequel was not well-received in comparison to the original and proved to be the last entry in the short-lived franchise.

 

Andy, Jarod & Griff - Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!
After a sequel to the raunchy gay comedy Another Gay Movie was announced, it was revealed that three of the original film's four leads would not be returning for the sequel. Michael Carbonaro, Jonathan Chase & Mitch Morris did not reprise their roles, leading to the casting of Jake Mosser, Jimmy Clabots & Aaron Michael Davies as returning characters Andy, Jarod & Griff, respectively. The recasts did not help to elevate the material in the widely-panned sequel, and at times the characters veered away from their characterizations from the first film. To their credit, the trio of new actors embraced the wild and wacky gay plot and did not shy away from the film's more revealing scenes. It's unknown whether having the original actors may have been better or whether their inclusion would have made for a more successful outing.  

 

Marc Everhard - Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds
The independent comedy Eating Out got a sequel two years after the original. The key role of Marc, the love interest for leading man Kyle (Jim Verraros), was recast with Brett Chukerman replacing Ryan Carnes due to scheduling conflicts. The new Marc was now going to be portrayed by an out gay actor, replacing the straight Carnes. While the recast had major potential, the role of Marc was reduced in the sequel as his blossoming romance with Kyle, which ended the first film, was revealed to be on the rocks, with the two experiencing a break-up at the start of the sequel. While they would find their way back to one another by the end of the second film, Chukerman instead shared many of his scenes with his straight co-star Marco Dapper (Troy), as Marc attempted to thwart Kyle's scheme to rebound into Troy's bisexual pants.

 

Edwin Paine - Dead Boy Detectives
The announcement of a Dead Boy Detectives series at Netflix brought the title characters Edwin & Charles out of the comic books and into creator Neil Gaiman's television universe. However, the two characters had already guest starred on another Gaiman series, Doom Patrol, with Ty Tennant playing Edwin, whose secret queer crush on his best friend Charles was discussed. For their own series, the role of Edwin was cast with George Rexstrew. Despite being teens, the characters were set to be played by older actors. This fed into the series' darker tone but the recasts, coupled with changes made during the series' development, meant that much of the Doom Patrol portrayals did not carry over into the Netflix series, including the look of the Edwin character and his personality having less brood and more attitude. Edwin's homosexuality, however, became a much bigger focus, explored throughout the series.  

 

Adam - Dante's Cove
Adam (Stephen Amell) began the series as a minor supporting character but for Season 2 of the queer series, Toby's straight bestie was recast with Jon Fleming. The recast led to a major shift in the character, as Adam developed an addiction for a local drug, Saint, which loosened his inhibitions leading him to dive into queer sex. Adam's relationship with Toby (Charlie David) evolved along with his sexuality, leading to a more complex connection that moved beyond friendship and became more romantic, after Toby's split from his love Kevin (Gregory Michael). Adam became a more prominent character on the supernatural series, leading to a much bigger impact on the overall narrative thanks to his sexual awakening and his continued addiction to the show's seductive drug.

 

James Kent - True Blood
Ahead of its seventh and final season, it was announced that recurring actor Luke Grimes was being promoted to the main cast. However, before the final season of the hit HBO series premiered, it was revealed that Grimes departed the series and the role of James would be recast with Nathan Parsons. Season 7 would see a major shift in James' character, as he moved from being a love interest for female vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) to being a love interest for the show's gay supporting character Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). The recast ushered in a final gay romance for Lafayette before the series came to a close. The recast was not without controversy as reports alleged that Grimes departed the series due to conflict over appearing in a same-sex romance, which Grimes has since disputed.  

 

Will Horton - Days of Our Lives
In 2013, Chandler Massey departed his role as Will Horton, one-half of the soap opera's popular gay supercouple Will & Sonny, as Massey sought to finish college after his contract expired. The role was recast with Guy Wilson, who wasted no time stepping into the role and illustrating his own chemistry with Will's longtime love Sonny (Freddie Smith), just in time for the couple's historic wedding. Wilson made the role his own and Will underwent some major changes, which included marital strife, cheating on his husband, and the character's apparent demise. Wilson's tenure lasted just under two years, ending with Will's brutal murder, which led to major outcry over the treatment of a legacy character that had become an LGBTQ icon. Will's death meant the end for the supercouple, though that would prove to be temporary.  

 

Sonny Kiriakis - Days of Our Lives
In 2017, it was announced that Chandler Massey would be reprising his role as Will, whose death was proven to be an orchestrated ruse to rip him away from his family. After overcoming Will's amnesia, and rekindling their marriage, Will & Sonny (Freddie Smith) departed the series in 2020. When they returned for the Beyond Salem spinoff series, Zach Tinker was cast to play Sonny, leading to another big change for the supercouple. Tinker's immediate chemistry with Massey and his co-stars, led to the couple transitioning back to the main daytime serial for another year, starting in 2022. The character of Sonny didn't experience any major character changes, but Sonny was allowed more personal agency in storylines, becoming less attached to Will as Tinker made continued guest appearances without Massey as recently as 2023.

 

Tal Baker - Step Up: High Water
Originally a YouTube Red series, Step Up: High Water moved to STARZ for its third and final season. Leading man Petrice Jones did not return to his role as gay dancer Tal due to a scheduling conflict. In a notable recast, Keiynan Lonsdale was tapped to take over the role, bringing a heightened notoriety to the series, given his previous roles in Love, Simon, The Flash, Dance Academy and the Divergent franchise. Lonsdale's casting also meant that Tal would now be portrayed by an out queer actor. Despite the additional quick exit of Tal's recurring love interest Johnny (Al Calderon), Tal's love life did not fade away with the recast, as Sheldon Best was introduced as Gunnar, a new beau for Tal. The only downside for the final season was Tal often taking a backseat when it came to screentime as the series focused on other more salacious storylines.

 

Morph - X-Men '97
When it was announced that the '90s X-Men animated series would be rebooted, fans were instantly excited to learn the original voice cast would also be returning, where possible. The series made more waves with the announcement of a change on the voice cast, with JP Karliak joining as the new voice of Morph (originally voiced by Ron Rubin). The recast also translated to the character's look, as Morph received an updated character design, making them appear more unique, as Morph would be nonbinary. This was a major development for the character, who played only a minor role on the original series, appearing in just 21 episodes, out of 75. For the reboot, Morph was a central member of the X-Men team, voiced by a nonbinary actor, and with some character agency via an unrequited crush on fellow X-Man, Wolverine.