Stunt casting: Celebrity vs Broadway Actor

Comparing celebrities with actual Broadway actors that originated/played the same role. Enjoy =)

Time Stamps:

Keke Palmer (Cinderella): 0:48
Cameron Dallas (Mean Girls): 1:38
Nick Jonas (Les Misérables): 2:44
Melissa Benoist (Beautiful): 4:15
Emma Stone (Cabaret): 5:33
Cody Simpson (Anastasia): 6:54
Jordin Spark (Waitress): 8:29
Joe Sugg (Waitress): 10:10
Colleen Ballinger(Waitress) 11:34
Daniel Radcliffe (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) 13:40
Jordan Fisher (Dear Evan Hansen): 15:16
Gaten Matarazzo (Dear Evan Hansen) //Sincerely, Me// - Part 1: 16:38 - Part 2: 17:31
Brendon Urie (Kinky Boots) 18:45

And a bonus at the very end ;)

[granger.danger]

TIME STAPS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS COMMENT :)

⚠️For everyone saying that Gaten wasn’t stunt cast:
At the start of this video (0:23) there’s a disclaimer talking about that. But I’m going to elaborate:
I know there’s a debate to where people draw the line when it comes to stunt casting. I am obviously aware that Gaten started his career on Broadway (Gavroche in Les Mis). Therefore, I added said disclaimer in order to explain the how and why some of these celebrities might not be considered stunt casting (where I was mainly talking about Gaten). Still, in the disclaimer I mention how everyone in the list could be considered “star casting”. By that I meant, how every single celebrity in this list became famous OUTSIDE of Broadway. And it wasn’t until they became famous that they starred on Broadway (or in the case of Gaten Matarazzo and Nick Jonas, they RETURNED to Broadway as adults.). Now, I personally consider Gaten star casting (even though he is perfect for the role of Jared). He was a really good Gavroche, but if it wasn’t for Stranger Things, the majority wouldn’t have known he was in Les Mis on Broadway. And still, it’s possible he didn’t went through the audition process for Jared the same way other actors do.

When I said that there’s a debate to where people draw the line on stunt casting, I’m talking, for example, how Nick Jonas was on 3 Broadway musicals (he was also Gavroche) before he became famous. But still, everyone considers him stunt casting when he technically only returned to Broadway/West End. Now, as you can see in this video, I’m fully aware that Gaten was a better cast in DEH than Nick Jonas in Les Mis, where some say that part of the definition for stunt casting is when a celebrity is cast in a role that they aren’t well fitted. But that’s a debate. Nevertheless, the point of this video isn’t necessarily about that, as it’s more about seeing the differences/similarities in the performance between a “celebrity” and an actor who’s main work is in theatre (most of the Broadway actors that I referenced in the video originated the role). My mistake was adding a disclaimer about what I mean with celebrity, as I definitely should have added a disclaimer talking about what I mean with Broadway actor. And like I just said, I’m talking about an actor who’s main work is in theatre, where they are mostly known for being on Broadway and constantly star on musicals. So yes, both Nick and Gaten started on Broadway, but currently their main work isn’t in theatre. And they are known for their work OUTSIDE of theatre.

Now, I wanted to title this video “star casting” in order to prevent confusion, but I found out that “star casting” doesn’t mean what I thought it meant. Apparently, it means: “An all-star cast”. Which no one in the list fits in that definition. That’s why I just opted with stunt casting (as the majority of this list definitely are) where I was aware I needed to add a disclaimer.

I’m really sorry for the confusion.omparing celebrities with actual Broadway actors that originated/played the same role. Enjoy =)

Time Stamps:

Keke Palmer (Cinderella): 0:48
Cameron Dallas (Mean Girls): 1:38
Nick Jonas (Les Misérables): 2:44
Melissa Benoist (Beautiful): 4:15
Emma Stone (Cabaret): 5:33
Cody Simpson (Anastasia): 6:54
Jordin Spark (Waitress): 8:29
Joe Sugg (Waitress): 10:10
Colleen Ballinger(Waitress) 11:34
Daniel Radcliffe (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) 13:40
Jordan Fisher (Dear Evan Hansen): 15:16
Gaten Matarazzo (Dear Evan Hansen) //Sincerely, Me// - Part 1: 16:38 - Part 2: 17:31
Brendon Urie (Kinky Boots) 18:45

[M]

Everytime a time celebrity came on screen, i was like "oh they're actually doing good" & the Broadway professional would come on & blew them out of the water.

[allysonbua]

cameron dallas sounded like that one boy who got casted in your high school show just because he was a male

[mieulrichsen]

Celebrities: doing an adequate job of singing (except Cameron Dallas)

Broadway actors: bringing soul and life to the characters

[leedraconis]

Gods imagine trying act with CAMERON DALLAS as your scene partner. Big props to her for keeping her usual pace while facing such a Sisyphean task

[Emylisis]

as someone who has never heard any of these songs before: I could understand DRASTICALLY more of the words when sung by the broadway actors, not to mention how much more emotion was conveyed

[rickyricardo]

My biggest takeaway from this is just how different of a style broadway and theatre acting/singing are from other media. None of the celebrities were bad singers (well, except Cameron Dallas and maybe Joe Sugg), but the broadway performers' voices were just so much more full, rich, and relaxed even if they were both hitting the same notes. And none of the celebrities were bad actors (well, except Cameron Dallas), but the broadway performances felt much more naturalistic and polished. It just somehow feels more right with the broadway actors.

[irinakermong]

See, the thing with Nick Jonas is that if he was in a high school production, he'd be a perfectly adequate Marius. Dude never stood a chance against Rob Houchen or Michael Ball.

[KaynDarlene]

Jordan sparks talent is absolutely insane. Her note didn't shake once her breath control is astounding.

[klee_.fangirl]

Nick Jonas was actually incredible, but then I heard Michael Ball... he was absolute breathtaking.

[abbiegclark]

Can we talk about how Daniel Radcliffe absolutely slayed that? He made me smile so big.

[michelcomenta]

Not only did Cameron sing like he had a gun pointed at his head, but he acted like it as well. Imagine paying to see him as Aaron when you had Kyle who absolutely killed it in the role. I'd ask for my money back

[bozzie]

kimiko be able to sing whilst moving around vs colleen who cant at all is a perfect example

[OlivReme]

2:06 I was reading the comments in this part and thought "Oh wait Cameron got better at the end" then realized that it was the other guy singing 😂

[ginger_L]

the way my jaw actually dropped when it got to kimiko glenn
her vocal control is insane, especially compared to colleen who sounds out of breath the whole time

[imogenkrause]

jordan fisher sounded SO GOOD but ben platt's fidgety awkward mannerisms really bring the character to life

[grandlordSpencer]

This really shows the difference between a good celebrity cast and a stunt cast! You've got folks like Urie in Kinky Boots or Jordin Sparks in Waitress who can carry the parts with their own merits and takes on the vocals and performance choices, and then...you've got Cameron Dallas.

[panchish]

giggling at nick jonas vs michael ball you know what you did w this comparison 😭😭

[KBeom]

Of all the celebrity casts, though, I think Daniel Radcliffe really killed it. He seems at home at the theatre

[teaganthordarson]

The fact that they had to change the key for so many of these celebrities. If a regular theatre actor went into an audition and asked to have the key of their main song changed, they would laugh them off the stage.