Retro-Casting Y: The Last Man In The 1980s

From Jodie Foster and Karen Allen to Matt Dillon and Chaz Bono, several iconic actors from the 1980s would make ideal characters on Y: The Last Man.

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The long-awaited TV adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s acclaimed comic book series Y: The Last Man made its premiere on FX Monday, September 13th, 2021. While fans look forward to seeing how Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer) navigates the post-apocalyptic world, much of the anticipatory appeal comes from the addition of new characters created for the show that will interact with the likes of Hero (Olivia Thirlby), Agent 355 (Ashley Romans), and the other beloved comic characters.

Aside from the new character additions, Y: The Last Man boasts a diverse cast of supreme acting talent that hails from the worlds of film, television, and theater. But, what would the cast look like if the show had been made four decades ago?

8 Karen Allen – Jennifer Brown

As Yorick and Hero’s loving mother and Ohio’s ambitious congressional representative, portraying the character of Jennifer Brown requires charisma, compassion, and command. As such, Diane Lane has been cast for the role in the new TV series, but, thinking back to iconic 80s actresses who had the ability to be both vulnerable and strong-willed at once, the great Karen Allen comes to mind.

With early TV experience on East of Eden, Allen’s breakout role came as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark in which she exhibited tremendous bravery and physical strength as Indiana Jones’ helpful accomplice. With emotionally fraught turns in Starman and The Glass Menagerie, Allen’s tenderness would go a long way in making Jennifer’s fate resonate even longer.

7 Matt Dillon – Yorick Brown

The relatively unknown actor Ben Schnetzer plays protagonist Yorick Brown, A.K.A. The Last Man, in the new series, a young male survivor with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Considering the character’s history, physical appearance, and need to credibly portray a relatable hero, Matt Dillon would make an ideal candidate if the show were made in the 1980s.

After delivering one of the finest debut teenage performances as Rusty James in Rumble Fish, Matt Dillon’s movie fame grew as he continued to show his supreme acting talent throughout the decade, fostering a rough exterior and soft interior that would be perfect for Yorick’s taxing physical heroism as well as his brooding internal depression that comes in the wake of immense survivor’s guilt.

6 Jodie Foster – Hero Brown

As Yorick’s misguided and brainwashed sister, the rage-filled Hero begins to evolve when she realizes she has been duped by the Amazons. Such a major character arc requires the precocious credibility of an actor like Jodie Foster, who was a part of a few underrated 1980s movies and who won an Oscar for playing Sarah Tobias in The Accused in a similar role to Hero’s abusive history.

After honing her craft on television throughout the 1970s, Foster became a bona fide star by the 80s and was never afraid to take on daring and unconventional roles. The prospect of seeing her act opposite Matt Dillon in a story as rich as Y: The Last Man would be an absolute dream.

5 Rae Dawn Chong – Agent 355

While producers have altered the nationalities of certain characters on the show, they’ve wisely opted to remain faithful to Agent 355’s black identity. It would be even wiser to do so in the 1980s as a symbol of progressiveness, opening a perfect opportunity for someone as talented and enjoyable to watch as Rae Dawn Chong. The importance of POC representation on TV in the 1980s would certainly be an important factor in a retro adaptation of this series.

After her breakout role in Beat Street, Chong proved her immense physical action skills in Commando, and, the same year, she showed great dramatic acting chops in The Color Purple, giving her the requisite range to play someone so integral to Y: The Last Man as Yorick’s fierce bodyguard.

4 Michelle Pfeiffer – Beth DeVille

Although Yorick’s long-term girlfriend Beth DeVille is illustrated as a young blonde woman, she’s played by black actress Julia Canfield in the new series. Had the show been made in the 1980s, it would not be a stretch to cast the fast-rising Michelle Pfeiffer in the role.

Pfeiffer not only looks nearly identical to Beth in the original comics, but, also, coming off her cheery role in Grease 2 and her miserable role in Scarface, she demonstrated the performative range that ultimately led to her first Oscar nod in 1989. With the ability to play comedy and drama at the highest level, it would be a casting coup to land Pfeiffer in the role of Beth.

3 Kristie Alley – Kimberly Cunningham

A new character created solely for the TV adaptation includes Kimberly Cunningham (Amber Tamblyn), a conservative author and political rival of Jennifer, whose POTUS father died from the plague. The character requires a brazen level of sass and disgust in liberalism that could be convincingly portrayed by 1980s Kristie Alley.

As one of Hollywood’s staunchest conservatives, Alley would fit into the role with ease, bolstering her performance with trademark quips and stone-faced barbs she became famous for in Summer School, Lover’s Boy, and, of course, the well-aged sitcom Cheers from which she would bring a wealth of TV experience as a top 10 character on the show.

2 Amanda Plummer – Nora Brady

Another character created from whole cloth for the show is Nora Brady (Marin Ireland), a presidential press advisor who will be instrumental in shaping public opinions relating to the plague. Considering how a relatively unknown stage actress has been cast in the role, it wouldn’t be a stretch to follow a similar path in the 1980s.

As such, Tony Award-winning actress Amanda Plummer would make a terrific Nora Brady. Upon her introduction to the show, Nora is seen lamenting a birthday party mix-up for her son in the same scene that she ends up firing guns at a shooting range. It’s the kind of material Plummer can demonstrate with ease, as seen in the opening diner scene in Pulp Fiction, which requires both touching tenderness and hyper-violence at once.

1 Chaz Bon0 – Sam Jordan

One of the most important casting decisions of Y: The Last Man includes that of Elliot Fletcher as Sam Jordan, Hero’s trans best friend. Since trans men play a vital role in the plot of the story as it relates to the plague, casting a real trans man becomes doubly important. Therefore, who would be better to play the role of Sam in the 80s than Chaz Bono?

In addition to being an accomplished actor in his own right, the famous son of Cher and Sono Bono would bring important awareness to LGBTQ rights in a time of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/y-the-last-man-1980s-retro-cast/