Jason Biggs recast as Leonardo. Seth Green to replace him

[Powder]

He's almost certainly a well known name among teens and young adults in the US. American Pie was a hugely successful series of films. & OITNB is popular as hell.

[Wretched Reptile]

I just can't decide how to feel about this news. I like Seth a lot. Still, I don't really see him as an ideal fit for Leo. He seems better suited to someone like Casey in this series.

I've honestly never thought much of Biggs as an actor, but he really was PERFECT as Leo. Something about his tone and delivery was just completely spot on. I will definitely miss his work as the character. I'm sure I'll adjust to Seth doing the role going forward, but it's gonna be pretty strange at first. There's just no way around that.

[JH24]

Wow, so Jason Biggs was (likely) fired and replaced? Surprising that this news stayed "low" for quite some time.

It's a shame that Jason had to go as I loved his Leo voice. But besides his behavior/actions, he never seemed that committed to the show. I got the impression it was just something he "did" but didn't really wanted to be associated with.


Seth Green seems like a nice guy and it's good to see he gets along with other VA's. I definitely look forward to see his work and "interpetation" of Leo.


Having said that, I'm also looking forward to hear more of Dominic this season, I was surprised they didn't cast him for season 3.

With Jason gone, it seems almost certain Dominic will do the rest of Season 2 now. (Unless Jason still did some episodes later on until he stopped working on the show)

[JH24]

^

I agree, Jason really did an awesome job as Leo, he nailed Leo's character perfectly and I'll definitely miss his role as Leo. But in a way it almost seemed he didn't want to be associated/connected with the show. (He only appeared on the first Comic Con before the show started I believe)

Still, I'm used to Dominic and he's doing a great job IMO, if he does the rest of season 2 (which seems more likely now, but perhaps Jason still did an episode before he left) I feel relieved knowing Leo's character will be in good hands. Dominic seems like a nice guy and is committed in playing Leo.


Really looking forward to see Seth Green (he seems like a nice guy and gets along with other VA's) as Leonardo, it's safe to say Leo's character will be in good hands for this season and season 3.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Originally Posted by JH24

^

I agree, Jason really did an awesome job as Leo, he nailed Leo's character perfectly and I'll definitely miss his role as Leo. But in a way it almost seemed he didn't want to be associated/connected with the show. (He only appeared on the first Comic Con before the show started I believe)

Still, I'm used to Dominic and he's doing a great job IMO, if he does the rest of season 2 (which seems more likely now, but perhaps Jason still did an episode before he left) I feel relieved knowing Leo's character will be in good hands. Dominic seems like a nice guy and is committed in playing Leo.


Really looking forward to see Seth Green (he seems like a nice guy and gets along with other VA's) as Leonardo, it's safe to say Leo's character will be in good hands for this season and season 3.

You summed up how I feel about it.

[Shark_Blade]

I think Jason got replaced since he doesn't seem to cooperate like joining gatherings/comic cons and other such events with other voice actors. Maybe there's internal conflict too?

But it's all in the past. I'm okay with Dominic tbh, actually prefer him. But they're going with Seth Green so I'm gonna give him a chance before judging the new Leo voice.

[BubblyShell22]

Yeah, I agree about the whole commitment thing. As I said, Jason never mentioned TMNT in interviews he did, and that seemed very odd to me. I guess he didn't want to be associated with the show, and it's better to have someone who's not only committed to playing the role full time but who wants to promote it and get the word out. Jason never did that, and that really disappointed me.

[BubblyShell22]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Makes me think that maybe he was also a pain to work with and they eventually decided enough was enough like many employers might do.

Just speculation of course, though I don't doubt that someone who has publicly acted the way he has would not be much better as a co-worker. If it was though, doubt we'd really hear about it, would be a bit unprofessional for an employer to spout off about someone they fired if it affects the person's job prospects.


Now we all just need to put pressure on Seth Green to go in with the right mindset. lol

That's very true, plus he wasn't available for recording sessions and the studio probably told him he couldn't miss a certain number of recording sessions since this is a big show. But I definitely could see him not getting along with people and just being a jerk.

Originally Posted by JH24

Wow, so Jason Biggs was (likely) fired and replaced? Surprising that this news stayed "low" for quite some time.

It's a shame that Jason had to go as I loved his Leo voice. But besides his behavior/actions, he never seemed that committed to the show. I got the impression it was just something he "did" but didn't really wanted to be associated with.


Seth Green seems like a nice guy and it's good to see he gets along with other VA's. I definitely look forward to see his work and "interpetation" of Leo.


Having said that, I'm also looking forward to hear more of Dominic this season, I was surprised they didn't cast him for season 3.

With Jason gone, it seems almost certain Dominic will do the rest of Season 2 now. (Unless Jason still did some episodes later on until he stopped working on the show)

I agree he never seemed committed to the show as he never spoke about it in interviews or anything like that. That's why I have confidence that Seth Green will definitely promote the show and get it out there as he seems like the type to do that.

[Shark_Blade]

Okay I'm done with Biggs, so many negativity about him. Letting him go once and for all....done.

A new chapter for Leo, I look forward to hear the new him. I will always welcome Dominic too.

[JH24]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Yeah, I agree about the whole commitment thing. As I said, Jason never mentioned TMNT in interviews he did, and that seemed very odd to me. I guess he didn't want to be associated with the show, and it's better to have someone who's not only committed to playing the role full time but who wants to promote it and get the word out. Jason never did that, and that really disappointed me.

Yeah, after 2012 it's not easy to find something that's really associated with Jason and the turtles. I did find an interview from July 2013 were the interviewer actually asked him one question about the series besides American Pie and Orange is the New Black.

===

You’ve been voicing Leonardo on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the last couple years, what’s it like to be leading the world’s most famous sewer mutants?

Jason: I tell ya, boy, it’s pretty cool. I grew up with the turtles, so it’s one of these sort of surreal, crazy things that I was able to lend my voice to. Leonardo was my favorite growing up, being the leader of the group - of course I’m the leader, I mean, that just makes perfect sense… What’s really crazy is to be a part of it and to see how people react. I knew it was a big, huge, global property that had a lot of fans, obviously, but just seeing how excited people get by it around the world is such a trippy thing. It’s really, really cool.

===


Some other questions Jason answered with more rude language. But it also seems a style/"persona" he's chosen for himself and perhaps wants to be known for. But he liked portraying Leo and does know about the fanbase and the show's popularity.

[bridgegrn]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Agreed - all of those photos are heartwarming. It's nice when people appreciate the fans instead of treating us like a nuisance!

Omg, get over yourself. Yeah, you may not like him as a person but Jason Biggs definitely brought his A game as Leo. He was outstanding and brought a lot of depth and fun to the character. That's what matters. Not kissing the collective asses of overly entitled 20+ year old fans.

[bridgegrn]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Yeah, I agree about the whole commitment thing. As I said, Jason never mentioned TMNT in interviews he did, and that seemed very odd to me. I guess he didn't want to be associated with the show, and it's better to have someone who's not only committed to playing the role full time but who wants to promote it and get the word out. Jason never did that, and that really disappointed me.

Why should he have to? He definitely never phoned in his performance. Just because he doesn't do conventions and stuff does not make him any less committed to the job he was hired to do, which was to voice a character. Why can't he work and have his own life? He should not be condemned because he didn't live and breathe TMNT.

[JTH]

Originally Posted by JH24

I agree, Jason really did an awesome job as Leo, he nailed Leo's character perfectly and I'll definitely miss his role as Leo. But in a way it almost seemed he didn't want to be associated/connected with the show. (He only appeared on the first Comic Con before the show started I believe)

But there was an interview with Sean, Rob, and Mae for IGN where they said during last year's Comic Con that they were already doing voice work for Season 3. That was at last year's Comic Con. Jason could have already been gone then for all we know if they were already doing Season 3 voicing at the time.

One thing I'll give Nick credit for, is they've kept a lot of stuff under wraps about the behind the scenes.

Originally Posted by bridgegrn

Why should he have to? He definitely never phoned in his performance. Just because he doesn't do conventions and stuff does not make him any less committed to the job he was hired to do, which was to voice a character. Why can't he work and have his own life? He should not be condemned because he didn't live and breathe TMNT.

Nobody is saying he should suck up and throw candy to fans.

Just to act like he gives a d***.

[BubblyShell22]

Yep, time to move on and embrace the change, which I'm so up for doing. Bring on Seth Green. And I agree about Dom, too. He's a good Leo.

[BubblyShell22]

Originally Posted by bridgegrn

Why should he have to? He definitely never phoned in his performance. Just because he doesn't do conventions and stuff does not make him any less committed to the job he was hired to do, which was to voice a character. Why can't he work and have his own life? He should not be condemned because he didn't live and breathe TMNT.

I'm not saying he had to live and breathe TMNT, but it would have been nice for him to promote the show in interviews as a way to get it out there for people who may not have known the show was back. Just seemed to me like he really didn't care about it after a while. He can work and do other things just fine, but it seemed to me that he just didn't want to be associated with it anymore after a time. That's just the vibe I got from him.

[bridgegrn]

Originally Posted by jth

Nobody is saying he should suck up and throw candy to fans.

Just to act like he gives a d***.

Give a d*** about what?

[bridgegrn]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

I'm not saying he had to live and breathe TMNT, but it would have been nice for him to promote the show in interviews as a way to get it out there for people who may not have known the show was back. Just seemed to me like he really didn't care about it after a while. He can work and do other things just fine, but it seemed to me that he just didn't want to be associated with it anymore after a time. That's just the vibe I got from him.

How do you know that he was even approached to do promotional work for the show? Has he said anything negative about the show? Maybe he was asked by Nickelodeon not to because of what happened earlier when they linked the TMNT to his personal Twitter. Has that not occurred to anyone? That maybe he stopped doing interviews about TMNT to distance what he does on his own time from the show?

[JH24]

Originally Posted by bridgegrn

How do you know that he was even approached to do promotional work for the show? Has he said anything negative about the show? Maybe he was asked by Nickelodeon not to because of what happened earlier when they linked the TMNT to his personal Twitter. Has that not occurred to anyone? That maybe he stopped doing interviews about TMNT to distance what he does on his own time from the show?

I have to admit, you do make a valid point. I don't like the things he's saying on his Twitter or outside TMNT, but I can't really judge him for that as it Jason's own choice and maybe a way he wants to portray himself.

It's just noticeable that he didn't really associate himself with the show after the first season, but then again who knows what happened behind the scenes or what agreements were made.


After reading his answer to a question from a July 2013 interview quoted in an earlier post it's clear that Jason did enjoy/liked his work as Leonardo and that he liked the show/series. I think that's one of the most recent comments we've seen from Jason about it.

I don't like how he acts in media but it is his own choice. If he stayed on the series I could have separated that from his role as Leo. In the end, it's a shame he had to leave. Leo's character is in good hands with Dominic and Seth but Jason still is the "original" Leo. He did a great job.

[IndigoErth]

Jason: Leonardo was my favorite growing up, being the leader of the group - of course I’m the leader, I mean, that just makes perfect sense…

Grabbing up leadership alone does not a similarity make. Might have done him some good in terms of self improvement to understand the long held qualities of Leo and aspire a little more to relate to the character...

Will miss his voice work for Leo, but... ah well, his loss, back to the pie where he belongs.

[JTH]

Originally Posted by bridgegrn

How do you know that he was even approached to do promotional work for the show? Has he said anything negative about the show? Maybe he was asked by Nickelodeon not to because of what happened earlier when they linked the TMNT to his personal Twitter. Has that not occurred to anyone? That maybe he stopped doing interviews about TMNT to distance what he does on his own time from the show?

That's the whole problem with what we're saying. How do we know if he was even "approached"?

Call me crazy, but if you enjoyed something, you wouldn't sit around and wait for the people you work for to give you "permission" to promote what you enjoy, you'd go out and do it because it's something you take pride in. I highly doubt Sean, Rob, Greg, Mae, or even Kevin waited for permission from Nick to go out and to about the show, they'd just do it because they enjoy talking about their work.

And distancing himself from it all is the worse thing to do because all that does is make you look more guilty of whatever you've been accused or rumored of. And if Nick decided that, shame on them; and if Jason chose that, then good riddance. The way you repair or help your image in public's eye is to do interviews and talk to people, not deciding to hide and distance yourself.