Last Man Standing Boss: 'We Fully Expected' Mandy Recast Backlash

[TMC]

https://tvline.com/2018/10/03/mandy-...raim-season-7/

Last Man Standing‘s much-ballyhooed Mandy switcheroo went over like a lead balloon. But the show’s higher-ups anticipated — and were prepared for — the blowback.

In Friday’s premiere, Molly McCook made her debut as the Baxters’ daughter Mandy, succeeding the character’s original portrayer, Molly Ephraim, who opted not to return for the Fox revival. The response, at least from TVLine readers, was largely negative.

“We fully expected [the backlash],” exec producer Kevin Abbott tells EW.com. “You don’t take a character played by an actress that’s beloved and suddenly switch them out. I’m glad they missed Molly Ephraim; that’s a good thing. And they’re going to go through the same process we did in casting.”

Abbott admits that, initially, he and his fellow EPs did not respond favorably to the recast either. “When Molly McCook walked in we thought, ‘That’s not going to work. Physically that’s not going to work.’ And then she’s just so good. We thought maybe another character? Then we thought she’s the best actress, let’s go with it.

“It’s a little jarring then you grow to love her,” Abbott adds. “We hope the audience starts to feel the way we do.”

Over the summer, fellow Last Man Standing exec producer Matt Berry lamented Ephraim’s decision not to reprise her role. “When the show was cancelled [on ABC]… [Molly] got involved in some different things, so when [Last Man Standing] came back, she was not able to do it,” the EP said. “It’s unfortunate. We love her deeply. She’s a big part of who we were.”

[JO Sweet Heart]

Last night was episode five and I still have not gotten into the new girl that plays Mandy. What I want to know is why they picked a girl who is not even close to being anything like the original actress.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[Lorimar Television]

Originally Posted by JO Sweet Heart

Last night was episode five and I still have not gotten into the new girl that plays Mandy. What I want to know is why they picked a girl who is not even close to being anything like the original actress.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

I think physically they look pretty similar

[JO Sweet Heart]

^^^ To me, the only thing that they have in common is their both being slim.

God bless you and them always!!!

Holly

[JamesG]

"Last Man Standing's" Molly McCook Opens Up about Recast Reactions: "At First, People Had a Hard Time With It"
by Matt Webb Mitovich
February 13, 2019


Now almost two-thirds of the way into the season, "Last Man Standing" recast Molly McCook is still counting her blessings to be a part of Fox’s top-rated comedy (and No. 4 show overall).

“It’s been great. I feel lucky,” the Season 7 newcomer effused to TVLine at Fox’s recent TCA press tour soiree. “I sneaked onto this show and it’s a well oiled machine, and here I am!”




Succeeding Molly Ephraim in the role of Mike and Vanessa’s middle child, McCook stands as a markedly taller, and blonder, Mandy. And that has had fans talking from the time the recast was announced up until… well, this very second.

Reflecting on her early conversations with producers, McCook says, “I think that we all kind of decided to go a different route, and that’s OK. New network, new rules. We discussed dying my hair darker, but really, what’s the point?” she continues.

“I’m new, and any actor who steps into a role that’s already been done, and who tries to keep it the same, is making a mistake. We are all different people, and we all decided that ‘different is best’ and just moved forward with it.”




After all, Mandy is still Mandy, an aspiring fashion designer who married young and still lives under her parents’ roof, with husband Kyle. “I mean look, the history is there,” McCook notes. “Mandy has her story that fans have seen, and that still exists. We just decided to make her my own and put a fun spin on it.”

“I’m tall and I’m blonde now, and I’m taking over the world!” she adds with a laugh.




Asked about the feedback she has received since stepping into the role, McCook acknowledges, “Everyone is very vocal about their feelings — that’s the reason why the show is back, because of the fans.”

But as for how the that response has leaned…. “At first, people had a little bit of a hard time with the change-up, but the supportive ones are the ones that stand out to me,” she says. “I always am responsive because it matters so much to me to hear the positive; I thank them every time.”







Previewing what the rest of the 22-episode season has in store for her character, McCook shares, “Mandy and Kyle are spreading their wings and looking at possibly getting a place of their own” — and not a sitcom moment too soon.

After all, “Living with Mandy’s parents is a lot,” the actress smiles, “so they’re seeing what the next step is.”



And what advice would McCook offer her alter ego as she spreads said wings?

“I would tell Mandy to trust her talents. I think she really knows what she’s doing in the fashion industry, and if she could just see how wonderfully talented and unique she is, she could go very far. Like the rest of us, her insecurities can get the best of her sometimes. She needs to power through!”

https://tvline.com/2019/02/13/last-m...ook-new-mandy/

[Chocolate Moose]

Yes, I read that too.

[JO Sweet Heart]

Molly Ephraim is still missed.

God bless you and her always!!!

Holly

[icecream]

The new Mandy totally sucks. And this FOX version does not make me want to see Molly McCook in future roles either.