Casting
Alicia Leigh Willis was cast in the role of Courtney in December 2001. Casting director Mark Teschner fought for her to be hired in the role, and coached her before her callback with Executive Producer at the time Jill Farren Phelps. Years later, Teschner spoke highly of his experience with Willis, "She nailed it and she got the role and four years later, she was one of the most successful additions on the show. That's also very gratifying when you fight for somebody and they do you right by doing a great job with the role."
In 2006, Willis chose not to renew her contract. She was written off the show, but at her goodbye party on set, Jill Farren Phelps asked if she would stay on and wrap up her character's pregnancy storyline, to which Willis agreed. As the story played out, Willis voiced her opinion on Soap Talk on her character's future, "I love playing Courtney and to see someone else come in, it's like, 'It's my character!' I don't want to see someone else come in, but if they do, I wish them all the luck." Although the network had initially announced recasting the role, it was later confirmed that the character would in fact be killed off. Willis last appeared on February 21, 2006.
Read more about this topic: Courtney Matthews
Famous quotes containing the word casting:
“This I do know and can say to you: Our country is in more danger now than at any time since the Declaration of Independence. We don’t dare follow the Lindberghs, Wheelers and Nyes, casting suspicion, sowing discord around the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt. We don’t want revolution among ourselves.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“All we know
Is that we are a little early, that
Today has that special, lapidary
Todayness that the sunlight reproduces
Faithfully in casting twig-shadows on blithe
Sidewalks. No previous day would have been like this.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Reason sits firm and holds the reins, and she will not let the feelings burst away and hurry her to wild chasms. The passions may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgement shall still have the last word in every argument, and the casting vote in every decision.”
—Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855)