How to Get Cast on ‘Legacies’

“Legacies” is a teen fantasy drama about a group of supernatural beings who are coming of age and trying to live harmoniously in the hallowed halls of the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted. Set two years after its predecessor, “The Originals,” the drama focuses on students who are the descendants of the most powerful magical bloodlines from both “The Originals” and “The Vampire Diaries.” From Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell), an orphan descended from a powerful lineage of vampires, werewolves, and witches, to Josie (Kaylee Bryant) and Lizzie Saltzman (Jenny Boyd), the twin witch daughters of human headmaster Alaric Saltzman, the students must navigate the ins and outs of their magical gifts.

The primary ensemble includes:

• Danielle Rose Russell as Hope Mikaelson
• Aria Shahghasemi as Landon Kirby
• Kaylee Bryant as Josie Saltzman
• Jenny Boyd as Lizzie Saltzman
• Quincy Fouse as Milton “MG” Greasley
• Peyton Alex Smith as Rafael Waithe
• Matthew Davis as Alaric Saltzman
• Chris Lee as Kaleb Hawkins
• Ben Levin as Jed
• Leo Howard as Ethan

After four seasons, original cast member Bryant left the show. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity and support on Instagram in December 2021. “I am so grateful to the fans, and will love them always and forever for welcoming and accepting me into this world,” she wrote. In reference to her character’s pansexuality, she added, “Josie has helped so many beautiful humans feel comfortable in their sexuality, and I hope her legacy lives on so that one day everyone feels free to love whoever they want, regardless of gender.”

As of now, the network hasn’t confirmed whether or not the fantasy drama will continue. As Screen Rant noted, “Legacies” hasn’t performed as well as its predecessors. But don’t count out the residents of Mystic Falls just yet. If the show does get the green light, we will share any open casting calls that come along.

“Legacies” isn’t currently casting. However, when the series is looking for new talent, its team often posts notices on Backstage, especially for background work; so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on our casting call section for future opportunities to join the series. Previous casting calls for the series have included:

Witches

• Background/extras
• All genders, aged 18–26
• Seeking talent from Atlanta
• All ethnicities
• Pays $75 for eight hours

Werewolves

• Background/extras
• All genders, aged 18–30
• Seeking talent from Atlanta
• All ethnicities
• Pays $75 for eight hours

Supernatural Townspeople

• Background/extras
• All genders, aged 25–50
• Seeking talent from Atlanta with unique, edgy looks
• All ethnicities
• Pays $75 for eight hours

For those who are interested in working on something similar to “Legacies,” you can always check out our list of supernatural projects that are casting now. You can also apply to one of these nationwide gigs. 

Lesli Gelles-Raymond and Greg Orson of GO Casting are the CDS for “Legacies.” They’re the duo behind big-name projects like “The Following” and “Containment,” plus “Legacies” sister series “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals.” According to previous casting notices, Dashia Brooke Wathen (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Constantine”) also helps find background talent. 

Understand the assignment before going in. At San Diego Comic-Con, “Legacies” writer, director, and executive producer Brett Matthews described the spinoff as “more of a high school show, which is fun, because it’s teen love…. And that’s hard enough when you’re human, but when you’re supernatural, it’s even worse. I’d say our tone’s a little lighter, but we still have all the things that are our brand, which is horrible tragedy and epic romance—and it’ll always have that. But it’s a little more high school, a little more fun.

“It’s very much an ensemble cast,” he continued. “ ‘Vampire Diaries’ was always an ensemble; ‘The Originals’ always was; so it’s still very much in that tone. We want it to be a reflection of modern youth and modern reality.”

Do your research. Because “Legacies” is a spinoff—and part of a larger established universe—many characters (and actors) have carried over from its predecessors. Before Russell auditioned for the role of Hope for the fifth and final season of “The Originals,” she was a huge “Vampire Diaries” fan; but she didn’t realize until the audition that the shows were connected. 

“When I got an audition for this, I was very familiar with the characters and the concept,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “But I hadn’t seen anything of ‘The Originals’ until I was down to the end for the role, and I watched the whole fourth season. And then when I got it, I did my proper homework.”

Bryant and her mother were avid watchers of “The Vampire Diaries” years before she auditioned for what was, at the time, an untitled Julie Plec project. “It really is a dream come true,” she told ET. “I never would have thought that. I was the kind of person where three years ago, five years ago, I was watching videos from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Comic-Con panel, and I was watching videos of Julie Plec talking about watching all the actors audition. It was something that I genuinely spent my spare time enjoying watching and diving into the backstory of it all. 

“Actually going to Comic-Con last week and sitting next to Julie Plec and explaining my character, and trying to explain to the fans that I would be sitting in their spot right now if I didn’t have the opportunity [to be part of the show]—it feels very strange,” she continued. “I feel like I need to prove to them, like: Guys, I made it on the inside. It’s possible.”

Don’t get discouraged. Russell told Teen Vogue that “the audition process was a little trying. I remember going in for the callback, and I saw, like, three other girls there. And I was like, ‘I’m definitely not going to get this. Definitely.’ And then I got an email that Julie [Plec] wanted to get on a Skype call with me, and then I was like, ‘I feel good about this one.’ And it was a great Skype call, and I found out, like, two weeks later. It was a long two weeks.