The Brady Bunch was a classic American sitcom that ran for five seasons from 1969 to 1974.
Created by legendary producer Sherwood Schwartz, The Brady Bunch was, oddly enough, never much
of a hit or a critical darling while it aired.
But it took on a life of its own in syndication, airing on various stations as reruns starting
in 1975.
But regardless of when people watched and enjoyed the show, a huge part of the appeal
was the talented cast.
Because of the premise of the show, actors of many age ranges were featured, from the
young child stars playing the youngest Brady’s to the adult actors playing Mike and Carol
Brady.
(And don’t forget Alice, who was just as much a part of the family as anyone.)
Fans of the Brady Bunch have likely watched and rewatched many an episode over the years.
And because of that, they likely see the actors and the characters they played as being one
and the same.
It’s hard to imagine any other actor playing a part that you love and that you’ve seen
over and over.
Yet, did you know that the actors on the Brady Bunch almost didn’t end up playing their
respective characters?
Like every Hollywood production, there were many people considered for each role.
And also like many other productions, there were people who initially were strongly considered
before the producers went with the cast we all know and love.
But who were some of the actors that were nearly on the show?
Stick around, as Facts Verse presents: These famous actors were almost cast in the Brady
Bunch family!
Mike and Carol Brady While everyone knows that Robert Reed and
Florence Henderson played the roles of the Brady parents, Mike and Carol, there were
a couple of other prominent actors strongly considered for those roles first.
Jeffrey Hunter was a handsome actor in the 1960s who nearly starred in not one, but two
legendary characters.
Sadly, neither worked out.
Hunter’s first near miss came when he was cast as the commander of the Starship Enterprise
on the pilot episode of Star Trek.
His character was named Captain Christopher Pike.
Unfortunately for Hunter and the rest of the people who worked on that pilot, the network
was unimpressed by the final product.
They ended up scrapping the whole show and starting again from scratch.
Of course, as we all know, the pilot was recast with William Shatner as Captain Kirk, and
the rest is history.
Hunter also was nearly Mike Brady.
Or at least, he tested for the network.
A column by Hollywood journalist Sidney Skolsky at the time revealed that Jeffrey Hunter had
been given a serious look by the network brass, but ultimately they passed on him.
Another name that was given in the article as having tested for the show was Bob Holiday.
Holiday was a hunky actor who had just finished playing Superman on Broadway in a show called
It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman.
But the producers and the network decided Holiday was not the right fit for the role
of Mike Brady either.
And obviously, they ended up going with Robert Reed.
Diane McBain was a beautiful blond actress who was considered for the role of Carol Brady.
McBain at one point had a contract with Warner Bros after having been discovered acting in
a high school play.
She was in the movie Parrish in 1961, which was a drama about the tobacco industry.
She then acted in a slew of TV offerings, including Surfside 6 and Batman.
She even played opposite Elvis in his 1966 film, Spinout.
But, as with Hunter and Holiday, McBain tested for the role in front of the network and wasn’t
chosen.
Ultimately they went with Florence Henderson, who had been making a name for herself at
that point on Broadway.
Cindy Brady Susan Olsen is known for playing Cindy Brady,
the youngest of the Brady daughters.
Susan was known for her adorable demeanor, as well as her propensity to wear her hair
in braids or curls for the first few seasons.
Susan played the part brilliantly, and she made audiences fall in love with her darling
character over and over each week.
And yet, she almost lost out on the part to a VERY prominent actress.
Or at least, she’s very prominent now.
On the Bravo show, ‘Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” several of the former Brady
Bunch actors were asked about behind-the-scenes aspects of the show.
This included Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Christopher Knight,
and Mike Lookinland.
The actors were there to promote a crossover special between the Food Network and HGTV
called A Very Brady Renovation: Holiday Edition.
This was where the old Brady abode was renovated to modernize it.
During the promotional interview, Susan Olsen revealed a very juicy tidbit about her role.
She nearly lost it to Oscar winner and acting/directing legend Jodie Foster.
Reportedly a young Foster was in the running for the role of Cindy, but ultimately the
producers and the network went with Susan.
But clearly, Foster’s career went JUST fine after being rejected from this particular
role.
Before we tell you about the Brady Bunch cast, be sure to give this video a like.
And subscribe to Facts Verse if you haven’t already!
The Grueling Casting Process The casting process for a major TV show can
be intense.
There are always several rounds of auditions.
Actors have to first prove their chops for casting assistants, then for casting directors,
then for producers, and eventually for the studio and the network.
And in the later parts of the process, they have to act opposite other potential candidates.
This is known as doing ‘chemistry reads,’ where the top brass can see how well their
potential stars match with each other in both acting style and visually.
It’s an exhausting process for actors, and an emotional roller coaster to boot.
But Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz knew that even with all of that careful vetting,
it can be extremely tricky to cast children.
He knew that, for starters, the roles of the Brady kids would be fairly intense for whatever
kid actors they picked.
And he also knew that the success of the show would rely heavily on how well the child actors
did in their lead parts.
One strategy Schwartz used, with great success, was to try to replicate a little of the experience
on set.
He knew that life on a set can be incredibly distracting, sometimes boring, and overall
not very easy.
So during the auditions with the child actors, he intentionally left toys on his desk.
These were there precisely to distract the actors as they auditioned.
And basically, when any of the kids were able to either look at the toys but not play with
them, or even not look at them at all, he would write that info down.
This played a big part in choosing which kids could handle being on set.
He knew that if they could manage to not be distracted during the audition by fun toys,
they’d be able to handle the rigors of life on a sitcom set.
And Schwartz clearly didn’t take the casting of the Brady kids lightly.
According to the Internet Movie Database, he and the casting team auditioned 464 boys
and girls in total.
He later said that he also wanted to make sure he got the kids parts nailed down before
casting their parents.
But of chief importance was making sure that the kids looked like their parents.
Of course, this was tricky since he didn’t yet know what the parents would look like.
Though clearly, he had a sense already that he wanted to cast a white couple, and that
their hair would either be dark or blond.
Because as a safeguard, Schwartz originally cast 12 kids.
He cast 6 kids with blond hair, in case the parents ended up with blond hair too.
And he cast 6 kids with dark hair, in case the parents ended up with dark hair too.
Ultimately, after casting Florence Henderson, he had to let go of the girl actors with dark
hair, so Carol Brady’s daughters would look like her.
And after casting Robert Reed as Mike, he had to let the blond boys go, as they didn’t
match the hair of their dad.
Certainly a tough break for those 6 kids who were NEARLY cast on The Brady Bunch, but their
hair color help them back.
The Brady Bunch still holds a place in American pop culture, and fans of the show continue
to watch reruns on TV and online.
Clearly, the series hit on something that resonated with Americans both in the late
‘60s and early ‘70s and even today.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine the show with any other cast other than the ones we
all know and love.
But it’s also fun to imagine what it would have been like.
Can you picture Jodie Foster playing Cindy?
It’s a fun thing to think about.
Now it’s time to hear from you.
Can you imagine any of the Brady parts going to other actors?
Do you think the show would have been basically the same, or would it have completely changed
the dynamic of the show?
Let us know in the comments section below.
And before you go, make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to Facts Verse
if you haven’t already.
Click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content!