Cast Someone As Meaning
Definition: (1) To choose an actor or actress for a role as a character. (2) to think that a person will follow a pattern of behavior or a role in life.
The first definition is literal, while the second is figurative. See literal vs. figurative here.
Origin of To Cast Someone As
One of the definitions of cast is to assign an actor a part in a play or movie. It is unclear exactly when this originated, but theater and Hollywood have contributed to its popularity.
Examples of To Cast Someone As
Here is an example of two men arguing over a movie’s casting decisions. This dialogue uses the literal definition.
Mario: I can’t believe they cast him as the lead.
Axel: Why? Don’t you like him?
Mario: He’s a terrible actor. He has no personality.
Axel: He doesn’t really need a personality of his own. He just needs to assume the personality of his character.
Mario: I just feel as though any other person cast as the main character would be better than him.
A mother uses the phrase while talking to her son about how people are treating him at school. This dialogue uses the figurative definition.
Mother: Why do you look so unhappy?
Son: My teachers have some misconceptions about me. I’m trying to think about how I can change their minds.
Mother: What is it that they think about you?
Son: Well, I’m not sure how it happened. I guess one of the other kids must have told them some lies about me. But anyway, they’ve decided to cast me as a bully. They think I’m beating up the other students.
Mother: That’s ridiculous. How could they think that? They must see you being kind to the other students.
Son: The other kids keep saying I’m hurting them. I don’t know what to do.
More Examples
This quote is about an actress chosen for a role in a classic movie.
- Louis B. Mayer cast her as the leading lady opposite Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Reynolds recalls. –Chicago Sun Times
In the second excerpt, an actress was chosen for the most important role in a popular movie.
- The actress’s incredible talent was subsumed by a single character, despite the fact that she had once so impressed Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II that they cast her as the lead in “Oklahoma!” –Washington Post
Summary
To cast someone as something means to select a person to play a part in a movie, play, or other public entertainment.
Contents