Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To assign an actor, singer, or dancer to a role for which they are unsuitable or inappropriate. This unsuitability can be due to age, appearance, acting style, vocal range, or other characteristics that do not align with the requirements of the role.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The director miscast the young actor as the aging king, making the performance unconvincing.
  • She was a brilliant comedian but was completely miscast in the tragic leading role.
  • Critics agreed that the film was miscast from the start, with several actors playing against type unsuccessfully.

Advanced Usage

• Passive Voice: Often used in the passive voice to describe the state of the actor or the production.

  • He felt he had been miscast his entire career in romantic leads.
  • The production was critically panned, largely because it was so badly miscast.

• As an Adjective (Past Participle): The past participle "miscast" can function as an adjective.

  • The miscast actor struggled with the demanding Shakespearean dialogue.
  • It was a miscast role that did not utilize her talents.

Variants and Related Words

• Miscasting (Noun): The act or instance of casting someone in an unsuitable role.
  • The miscasting of the lead was the play's greatest flaw.

Synonyms

• Misassign: To assign to an unsuitable position or task.
• Type-cast (in a negative sense): Although "typecast" usually means to repeatedly cast in similar roles, it can imply a form of miscasting if the role is a poor fit for the actor's established type.

Antonyms

• Well-cast: Cast in a suitable or ideal role.
• Perfectly cast: Cast in a role that is an excellent match for the actor's abilities.

Verb

1. cast an actor, singer, or dancer in an unsuitable role