Inspiring Dave Annable Post Sheds Light On Agony Of Network Series Recastings
Courtesy of CBS The broadcast upfront has always been a rollercoaster, with the highs o..
Courtesy of CBS
The broadcast upfront has always been a rollercoaster, with the highs of series pickups sometime followed by the lows of actors on newly ordered shows being replaced. While recastings are virtually inevitable when the networks rush to cast and film 70+ pilots within a two-month window, competing for talent with the other broadcasters as well as cable and streaming networks, 2018 was particularly brutal, with major recastings on three new CBS series, The Code, F.B.I and The Neighborhood.
Unlike years past when cast members would often go through the celebration of their pilots series orders before finding out they were not continuing, this year I hear that the actors who were being recast were at least told at the time of the pickup. One of those affected was Dave Annable, who played the male lead in the pilot for The Code. He was in Disneyland with his family when 10 days ago he got the good news-bad news call. The next day, he wrote a thoughtful, analytical and inspiring Instagram post about his firing that provides a glimpse into what actors in that position go through, the emotions involved, as well as the inevitable element of self-doubt that creeps in. Like the famous “You took the sourest lemon life has to offer, and turned it into something resembling lemonade” speech from the This Is Us pilot, Annable manages to find a silver lining in the setback and to look forward without bitterness.
“Ive never been fired before and certainly not publicly,” he wrote. “Right now I want to run. I want to hide. I want to quit. The TOUGHER thing to do is face it. To embrace it. Learning to deal with failure is one of the most important lessons youll deal with in your life. Guess what? Failure is mandatory. Its growth. Itll never stop.”
It took me awhile to discover Annables post because of the craziness of upfront week but its worth sharing. It already has drawn support from fellow actors including Octavia Spencer and Bonnie Sommerville, who are among the many who applauded Annable in the comments.
