Current Events > Watching Deadwood - Using the same actor twice confused me (SPOILERS)

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Spoilers for the whole show as a precaution. I will be talking about character deaths and stuff.

I'm almost through Season 3 but I spent all of Season 2 confused AF.

There is an actor that I recognized from a TV show called Raising Hope ( i think that was the name, I keep wanting to call it Raising Arizona.) that played a decently large roll in Season 1. Dude shot and killed Wild Bill. He got beaten down by Charlie Utter IIRC, and Charlie was BFF with Wild Bill. Then he got run out of town.

Second season the same actor shows up again with a different name, and seems to have a good job working for a millionaire. So my thinking was after he was run out of town he grifted his way into a job and started dressing the part. He walks around town and not a single person recognizes him. Somehow he even has the last letter that Wild Bill wrote. He runs into Charlie Utter again and Charlie beats the shit out of this guy. The dude even gives Charlie the letter that Wild Bill wrote. How has Charlie not pointed out that it's the dude who he beat the fuck out of for killing his BFF only (plot wise) less than 2 years before, maybe less.

Turns out it's the same actor playing two different characters. It kind of put a bad stain on season 2 for me because I spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop on this dude and it never did. Now I know why.

I'm not necessarily opposed to the same actor being used twice, but you can't do it when those two characters have some overlapping plot points like they did here.

Tv shows did this all the time. Seinfeld has done it

Naysaspace posted...

Tv shows did this all the time. Seinfeld has done it

I've seen a bunch of episodes of it but never sat down and binged it all. Were they all relatively major characters? I get it for minor characters with no story arc but in Deadwood the two characters had a whole season wide arc.

It's pretty common for day players to be in numerous episodes of shows as completely different characters.

I'm doing a watch through of Las Vegas right now and Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas from Veronica Mars) was literally in two back to back episodes as two different characters. It's not usually that blatant but I guess if they make them look different enough it works.

I'm sure it's in part to do with me being able to sit there and watch Season 1 and Season 2 over the course of a week where they would have been separated by a year or more when they released.

Yes. I'm at the same part you are. At least the first character was #1 not very smart, #2 very dirty, #3 had eye makeup on. If it had lasted more than the 3 seasons it might have worked better if the 2nd character showed up in a theoretical 5th. Having the same actor show up next season is too jarring

It's definitely unusual for prestige TV and I'd never expect it outside of a twin situation.

Was cool though, that actor is great.

I read somewhere that when actors play characters that they are meant to be different people, so when I saw the same actor playing a different character I wasnt confused. I dont know though. I might have that wrong.

I remember back on Dr. Quinn, they had a character who was a rich hotelier trying to break into the Colorado Springs market, and in a previous season he'd played General Custer. But in that case, as Custer he'd worn a long-haired wig and beard, as the hotelier, he had short hair and was clean-shaven.

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

I've seen a bunch of episodes of it but never sat down and binged it all. Were they all relatively major characters? I get it for minor characters with no story arc but in Deadwood the two characters had a whole season wide arc.

No