Beyond the Gates
Daytime Drama Casting Directors Talk Four of the Most Challenging and Important Recasts of Their Careers
Daytime soap opera casting directors: Greg Salmon (The Young and the Restless) Marnie Saitta (Days of Our Lives), Christy Dooley (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Kim Coleman (Beyond the Gates) discussed the process of casting for a daytime drama series from contract players to under-fives along and their expectations for auditioning, plus behind the scenes casting tales at their recent panel from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
The entertainment industry event helps actors receive inside intel from leading casting professionals and took place just over a week ago at the Meryl Streep Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.
Moderated by noted journalist Jim Halterman, one of the more intriguing moments of the panel discussion occurred when the subject turned to the challenges of a recast on a soap opera and replacing a popular actor with another in a very key role. Each of the four casting directors were able to put a spotlight on such an occurrence and all were leading men on their respective soaps.
Photo: SAGAFRAFoundation
For Marnie Saitta at Days of Our Lives, she was tasked with finding the new EJ DiMera. James Scott had become amazingly popular in the role from 2006-2014. Then, enter Dan Feuerriegel, who had the right stuff for DAYS to finally pull the trigger and cast the new EJ. The character returned on-screen in 2021 after 7 years.
RECASTING EJ DIMERA
“I do know now how to best approach a recast, like I’m casting a new character,” explains Marnie. “I feel like the actor just has to come in and make it their own. You can’t even try, looks-wise, to be quite honest. Obviously, EJ DiMera is kind of a focal point (of DAYS) and Dan was such a champ. I swear to God, I think I brought him in maybe six times. I would bring him in for other characters, but I kept thinking he’s really good for EJ and it didn’t go. Then, I brought him for something else, same thing. I knew that the role of EJ was going to be really difficult to find, and it finally clicked. He took EJ in a different direction. He has a totally different vibe, but equally as effective.”
RECASTING ADAM NEWMAN
For Greg Salmon, he discussed the pivotal role of Y&R’s Adam Newman, who was previously by Tracker star, Justin Hartley and what he looked for to be able to find the right actor to be the next black sheep of the Newman clan.
“We had Justin Hartley playing the role of Adam Newman before he went to This Is Us, and now Mark Grossman has been playing him,” explained Salmon. “So that was a really tough role to recast. Before Justin, there were two other people (Chris Engen and Michael Muhney) who played the part. Adam Newman is central to the show. This is Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) son. So, it’s an incredibly important character to the show. But now, Mark Grossman’s been playing the role for several years now. He’s completely made the role his own.”
Photo: JPI
Salmon added the key attributes that Mark Grossman or someone like him brings into an audition for the role of that is being recast, “I really think it just comes down to the person’s energy and what they’re bringing to the character,” explained Greg. “You can’t think, ‘Well, I know Justin Hartley looks like this. And the guy before him looked like that,’ because then you’ll just get trapped. You’re not trying to find another Justin Harley. You’re trying to find another Adam Newman. I just remember Mark came in and I think he read with Eric Braeden, and he read with a few other people of the Newman family, and his energy was just off the charts. You know, this is how Adam should feel. Eventually, I think the audience really accepted him.”
RECASTING RIDGE FORRESTER
In a little-known casting story, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Christy Dooley shared how Mark Grossman almost became one of the Forresters! “He tested for us (at The Bold and the Beautiful). Mark came in and read for the role of Thomas Forrester and he was my choice for the role,” says Dooley. “The role wound up going to Matthew Atkinson, but then he came down to read for The Young and the Restless.”
Dooley was also tasked with one of the biggest soap recasts in history when Ronn Moss exited The Bold and the Beautiful in his signature role of Ridge Forrester which Moss played from 1987-2012. Eventually, Thorsten Kaye took over the role at the end of 2013.
Photo: JPI
“When Ronn Moss left the show, Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer, B&B) said, ‘I can’t recast him right now, he’s just too familiar.’ So he waited. The character was always talked about because he is one of the Forresters. Brad finally said, ‘We need to bring him back. We got to find somebody.’ Then to get Thorsten Kaye, who’s so different than Ronn, and he made it completely his own. He’s just amazing at it, so I think time helped (between bringing on a new Ridge.)”
RECASTING DR. TED RICHARDSON
For Beyond the Gates, Kim Coleman, she has a soap opera that is now building a new legacy only in its second season. However, in season one, Maurice Johnson became the first recast in series history when he was replaced as Dr. Ted Richardson with Keith D. Robinson and at a critical point in the storyline.
Coleman explained, “I think it was a transition and everyone was in agreement that it was the right thing to do. And then fortunately, we brought in an actor that the audience knew. They knew his face. He was great. Keith made it his own and there was not a lot of controversy and it wasn’t complicated. Keith D. Robinson is on the show now and everyone loves him. So, it was a very smooth transition.”
You can check out the full conversation with daytime casting directors, Greg Salmon, Marnie Saitta, Christy Dooley and Kim Coleman below.
Now let us know which of the four recasts noted do you think was the most successful? Were you surprised to learn Mark Grossman was a favorite of casting director Christy Dooley for Thomas Forrester before landing his role as Adan Newman? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Mark Grossman is a very successful recast. Justin H was never Adam Neman in my opinion, over-rated actor again my opinion and not suited to this role. Muhney was brilliant and has always been my favourite Adam. But Mark is now Adam Newman.
So eye-opening for this discussion, and I am so glad this happened. Recasting a role can be hit or miss, between [some] audience reactions and the casting itself.
Dan Feuerriegel completely changed the role of EJ DiMera, and I have enjoyed his portrayal since day one. He’s a lot less harsh in comparison to James Scott’s portrayal, which I do believe has helped the character.
Mark Grossman has done a fine job settling into the role of Adam Newman and making it his own. However, Michael Muhney is still the gold standard for the role. However, Grossman would have been horribly miscast as Thomas Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.
As for Ridge, Ronn Moss was far from the best actor that could have been cast. Daniel McVicar, who was cast as Clarke (and did audition for Ridge), would have been a better actor for that character. However, Thorsten Kaye has done solidly in the role as a recast. However, I would have liked to see Lane Davies return to the role.
Keith D. Robinson IS Ted Richardson. That’s all I’ve got to say on that. He is who was meant to be cast in the role since day one. He fits the role and works so well with the cast.
Adam Newman is a character that has been recast probably more than any other character in soap history and all of the actors who took the job have been outstanding. Each made Adam their own. It’s funny that Justin Hartley’s Adam led to him becoming a superstar even though I saw him as the weakest actor of the lot. Kudos to the casting director. As for the current Adam, Mark Grossman he would have made a great Thomas Forrester had he been chosen. But I bet looking at the two roles he is happy that he wasn’t.
Adam Newman is a character that has been recast probably more than any other character in soap history and all of the actors who took the job have been outstanding.
No, the award goes to the role of Tom Hughes on As the World Turns, which had thirteen actors portray the role. Not counting child actors, Adam Newman has had four actors portray the role. For Billy, barring child actors, has had six actors portray the role.
Well the EJ recast is great International sexy man of mystery
BB recast was outstanding Ronn was a sexy slim Ken doll Looked great in a Speedo
Waiting to recast and bring in a big beefy masculine man kept the storyline but moved it along . The actor and writers adapted but kept the character true
Daniel Mc Vicker would also have been a great recast as ridge
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.
The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
Photo: CBS
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.
Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!
Photo: JPI
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless”
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 103
General Hospital,” Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273
So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.
Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.
Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
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53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series
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‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
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