In Hollywood’s cinematic world, there have been villains who’ve even outshined the lead protagonist when it comes to stage presence and completely immersing themselves in the role they’re playing. While this is true for some, the story is not the same for season 4 of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, whose antagonist, Caroline Warner, has been receiving some flak from family drama aficionados.
The CEO of Market Equities, portrayed by the evergreen and inimitable Jacki Weaver, was introduced in the show’s fourth season as a formidable rival to the Dutton’s, Montana’s largest ranch owners (fictional). While her portrayal of the character impressed some viewers, it did not have the same effect on others.
Did Yellowstone make a mistake by casting Jacki Weaver as the villain?
Yellowstone elevated the family drama genre when it aired the miniseries prequel 1883 in 2021 and the succeeding 1923 in 2022. In these two shows, fans were pleased with Taylor Sheridan’s casting choices and the magnificent cinematography he was able to bring to the screen.
However, with the latest casting of Jacki Weaver as Caroline Warner, the fans on Reddit believe they have fumbled the same this time, with one user posting-
But in Yellowstone it felt like the character was written with someone else in mind but had to go to plan B. It’s so hard for me to buy into the character and always cringed watching her scenes
On the subject of Plan B, the user also mentioned how the creators of Breaking Bad wanted to cast Matthew Broderick for the part of Walter White before it was offered to Bryan Cranston. The user further added:
Reminds me of those articles about actors who turned down roles that would have been hard to wrap your brain around if they didn’t. Like Matthew Broderick as Walter White.
The producers initially made a decision that they believed was best for the series.
Further, if Matthew Broderick had taken up the role, he might have been able to present a different side of Walter White that many people would have grown to love.
Actors approached for the role of Walter White before Bryan Cranston
Given Cranston’s previous humorous appearances and characters, the producers of Breaking Bad considered John Cusack and Matthew Broderick for the role of Walter White, a high school teacher turned meth kingpin.
After both actors declined the role, it went to Cranston. But, despite years of casting news and gossip, Cusack personally disclosed to Variety that he was not even a candidate for the role.
Further, Bryan Cranston revealed to The Rolling Stone that actor Steve Zahn was also in the running for his character and that he was worried he would beat him to the role by adding:
If Steve Zahn did Walter, we’d go, ‘Oh, my God. Steve Zahn is the guy! Can you imagine anybody but Steve Zahn doing it?’ And you wouldn‘t be able to.
Despite the circumstances, Cranston landed the role, and given his three consecutive Emmy awards, it’s reasonable to assume that he did an excellent job portraying Walter White.
