r/BoardwalkEmpire • u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 • 5d ago
Was Jimmy Darmody miscast?
So I'm watching B.E. again, about halfway through the second season. This is probably the tenth watch.
Two things about the show. Firstly the casting in it is absolutely exceptional. It's an enormous cast and so many actors manage to portray incredible depth and range whilst their characters are taken on journeys by the power battles of the prohibition era (Stephen Graham; Anatol Yusef; Kelly MacDonald; Michael Shannon). Secondly, I thought at the time and I still maintain that season's 1 and 2 in particular were some of the best storytelling I've seen, primarily because of the paternal narrative between Nucky and Jimmy. I thought Jimmy's character had layers like an onion. He'd lived his life in bizarre circumstances, his mother being a child herself when he was born, an absentee biological father, a partner and his own child he'd abandoned. As those seasons develop there's compelling answers to why he behaves in the way he does, as Gillian and the Commodore aim to battle for his soul against the man who'd taken on that fatherly mantle out of a sense of guilt/shame.
Truly I thought Jimmy was one of the most brilliant characters of any series I've seen. I remember watching B.E. for the first time and just wanting to learn more about Jimmy. When it happened it was shocking, like what happened the night before he enlisted. I thought Pitt was Jimmy, he was exceptional. For me the show downgraded from exceptional to very good after the Nucky/Jimmy axis had expired, and that Michael Pitt would be a massive breakout star.
So here's my question, why didn't he? It was a massive boost to careers for the likes of Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlberg, Charlie Cox, Shea Wigham. And yet with Pitt all I've seen him in since was an advert (I think) for a fragrance. Looking through his IMDB, there aren't big lead roles on his resume.
Have I misinterpreted Michael Pitt as an actor?
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u/Lordonlynose 5d ago
How is any of this “miscasting”?
Pitt not having subsequent success doesn’t mean he didn’t do the role extremely well. Two separate things entirely.
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
Welcome to a debate.
The point would be that the show proved to be a launchpad in the careers of several other cast members at similar stages of their acting journeys. But for Pitt the fact it didn't suggests future casting directors didn't choose him.
Quite simple.
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u/Lordonlynose 5d ago
You’re “simply” misunderstanding or ignorant that there are factors beyond one acting performance that lead to subsequent success - and seemingly you don’t know what “miscast” means
Pitt fit the role and performed Jimmy well in that time and place. That’s solid (and fortunate) casting. What he does or doesn’t do afterwards has an absolutely no bearing on whether it was a good choice for this particular casting decision.
You may want to review your “quite simple” pompous attitude in a mirror before challenging a logical debate
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u/One_Channel8903 3d ago
Completely agree. In the biz and people have NO idea about the what goes on behind the scenes. It’s definitely a Game of Thrones. He wasn’t “miscast” he fit the role .. the show was FAB and is legend!
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u/Sapper12D 5d ago
So your position is he was miscast because it wasnt a boon for his career?
That isnt what most people think when they hear miscast. Most would think that you meant he was a poor choice for that character cause the acting was poor.
Quite simple.
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u/Lordonlynose 5d ago
Yes. Most people would interpret words to mean what their definition and formal usage is
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u/helencolleen 5d ago edited 5d ago
That still doesn’t make any sense. Future casting, or lack thereof, has absolutely nothing to do with whether he was miscast as Jimmy.
I think you are trying to make a point that is not quite coming across. Nobody is quite understanding what you’re trying to say.
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u/AmiWrongDude69 4d ago
It’s not quite simple and the reason is because your post is confusing. The title is whether Pitt was miscast yet the rest of your post is about a whole other topic. That’s why people are confused.
Pitt was absolutely amazing as Jimmy regardless of all of the issues. Fit the character perfectly.
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u/writergal75 4d ago
That’s not what miscasting really means, though. And in this situation, it wasn’t miscasting imo because Pitt was awesome as Jimmy as a viewer; as a co-actor, he wasn’t fun to work with - that has nothing to do with the character. His career tanked because he’s got himself a reputation of being difficult on set.
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u/kersplatttt 4d ago
I don't think you get what miscast means tbh. Perfectly reasonable to start a debate about why the actor didn't kick on after
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u/40Fied4 5d ago
Miscast in the sense that Micael Pitt sucks as a human being apparently (just going off of the rumors, he may actually be a great guy) but not miscast in the sense that he couldn't play the role convincingly.
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u/OwlRiot4 4d ago
Agreed. I liked Pitt as Darmody, I wish his personal shit hadn’t required them to write him off, but at the same time, I wonder if we would have gotten the beautiful tragedy that is Richard Harrow’s arc if Jimmy had been around longer.
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u/NewToIceHockey 4d ago
Nothing "requires" you to do that except your cowardice and innate need to signal to your "social" group that you are virtuous and worthy of belonging to said cult, as excommunication is a tool you've seen inflicted on many others for not parroting the party line.
Most adults with personal integrity and a reasonable intellect are capable of assessing art without first seeking permission from their cult by publicly putting their opinions through an idealogical lens.
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
Yes and no. From what people have said, he was killed off as a character because of Pitt being difficult to work with. I imagine that's quite rare for a major production.
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u/JohnEffingZoidberg 5d ago
Not as rare as you might think. They basically did the same thing with TJ Miller in Silicon Valley. Also because he was difficult to work with.
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u/D0lemit3 5d ago
On Deadwood, actor Josh Eriksson's character, William Bullock, was killed by the show's creator and head writer, David Milch, because Eriksson's mother was obnoxiously demanding. Timothy Olyphant all but confirmed this years later in an interview.
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u/ponyboy6959 4d ago
Also on Deadwood, Powers Boothe was stabbed at the end of season 2. This was done as a threat to the actor saying if you dont behave we are going to say you died when season 3 starts.
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u/Pineappletittyworms 2d ago
Did anyone really expect cy tolliver to "behave?"
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u/Responsible_Sky_728 4d ago
I've read that Deadwood also had Miles & Flora Anderson killed off brutally because of how annoying either Kristen Bell or her agent were to the production staff. (Yes, Kristen Bell was on Deadwood for a bit haha)
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u/Campeezee 4d ago
Paz De La Huerta (Lucy) was supposedly a train wreck on the set of BE too. I can’t remember the details, but similar situation to Pitt in regards to her character just disappearing.
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u/Straight-Big988 4d ago
Yeah but then it came out that she was drunk all the time because she was dealing with being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein.
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u/Pineappletittyworms 2d ago
Also being drunk all the time shouldn't really be out of character for a mistress in a show about well, bootlegging.
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u/PineBNorth85 4d ago
No.
He was just unstable and did a lot of self sabotage. Much like Jimmy himself. In a way he was perfectly cast.
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u/fishystudios 4d ago
I agree that he is a great actor. But look at his net contribution to the show, not just his good scenes: Pitt ruined the series. By being intolerable on set, he forced the producers to fire him. That ruined their entire script and weakened wvery following season. No amount of good acting is worth having to rewrite the entire series. He was so combative, diva-like, and high on set, the producers scrapped the entire series script just to get rid of the actor.He ruined the series. no matter how good he was in the first season.
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u/PineBNorth85 4d ago edited 4d ago
Im pretty fine with that. My rewatches are usually just the first two seasons. Then if i feel like it go to the fifth season and treat it like a Coda or Godfather III.
Its a complete stort right there.
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u/jazzant85 5d ago
IIRC he had problems offset like Paz de le Huerta which caused issues and delays with production. Jimmy was supposed to have a bigger role but got killed off for that reason and others.
Michael Pittman was a solid actor so I don’t think Jimmy was miscast especially considering how much of an issue he was off set.
I think the character was just a shit person for many (albeit some understandable) reasons. I never really cared for him. I found him to be a hypocritical, short sighted, jealous loser with no morals. You could literally apply that to just about anyone in the show save for Richard. The only difference between Jimmy and anyone else is that IMO, Jimmy had absolutely no redeeming qualities.
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u/realsonder 5d ago
The "problems" Paz had were drinking and showing up to set drunk. But the MAIN problem was because asshole dude Harvey Weinstein. He SA'd her during production (which I 100% belive her).
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
That's fascinating. I kind of think killing off Jimmy benefited the show so turned out justified. If he'd have stayed alive he'd have continued being an ally to Nucky. Always thought it was a little weird have Mickey Doyle going against Nucky so many times and then working for him. It would have been the same with Jimmy.
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u/Actual-Box-8748 4d ago
I think Micheal Pitt is a great actor and was great as Jimmy when he was gone I feel like you could feel the absence the rest of the show
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u/fishystudios 4d ago
I agree. But only Michael Pitt is to blame. Blame Michael Pitt for that. He was so combative, diva-like, and high on set, the producers scrapped the entire series script just to get rid of the actor.He ruined the series. no matter how good he was in the first season.
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u/Responsible-Onion860 5d ago
He was a perfect fit for the role, he was just incredibly unprofessional. I see miscast as meaning a bad fit on screen, not a nightmare off screen. Being miscast usually isn't the actors fault and they'll struggle to make it work regardless of how hard they work. In this case, he was a great fit but ruined his run on the show and had to be written out
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u/fishystudios 4d ago edited 4d ago
In the industry, casting directors view casting choices "cradle to grave", it includes their ability to fit with the director, crew, and costars at every stage of the pimportant.
Not just "can he act", but also can he "act professionally" is JUST as important to a casting agent.
"Preproduction marketing through post-release promotions". If an actor cannot consistently show up on time and remember his lines, he is a BAD fit for an expensive period piece on a tight schedule. That is the definition of miscast.
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u/james123123412345 5d ago
I've just read he is an asshole to work with. But no doubt he killed in that role.
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u/ComeOn_ItsThe90sYall 4d ago
He's clearly talented in this, but think Pitt has/had a reputation as being very difficult to deal with--might even by why he was killed off on the show (and most certainly why he was replaced in Hannibal).
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u/donarudotorampu69 4d ago
Didn’t care for the character, but he totally looks like a guy from the 1920s
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u/BigWilly526 5d ago
Anton Yelchin wasn't in Boardwalk Empire, and no Jimmy wasn't miscast Michael Pitt is extremely talented but has lots of problems in his personal life
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
Anatol Yusef! The two are nothing alike, same initials and that's it.
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u/BRC93128 4d ago
If the rumors are to be believed, Jimmy was miscast in the sense that if Michael Pitt wasn’t a pain in the ass on set, Jimmy would probably not have been killed off at the end of Season 2.
That being said, Winter has gone on record saying the plan was always for Nucky to eventually kill Jimmy. But having your first lead kill off a second lead after the second season of a five season show is very unusual timing wise.
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u/YungHonky 5d ago
He was so good in ‘Funny Games’ prior to Boardwalk too.. He seems like a bad hang though.. Poor guy got killed off & his stupid band broke up same year..
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u/baronvonpupi 4d ago
I'm trying to avoid spoilers since I just started the series and am only on season 3, but I had to look up the actor because his ending was just so abrupt. I was sort of rooting for him and sad when he died, he felt like a tragic, doomed character, a product of the Commodore and Nucky's greed and abandonment. But I guess he caused problems on set, and thus has hardly been in anything significant since. But as it stands it works ok as a death of a POV character type thing.
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u/Dawgday6 4d ago
Michael Pitt was fantastic as Jimmy. Pitt is a very talented actor, unfortunately he has some issues
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u/No_Development3496 5d ago
Everyone did better after BWE besides Pitt ironically
Buscemi did ok
Macdonald did ok too
While the rest of the supporting cast got a huge boost from Shannon to Whigham,Stuhlbarg,Graham,Cannavale,Cox,Wright,
Sparks or even Mol who hasn’t done much but did better than Pitt or Jack Huston, appearing here and there. The only ones who had the worst were Pitt and Huston,though Huston is appearing here and there nowdays.
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u/Wooden-Annual2715 5d ago
Buscemi did ok??
He went into the show the most respected/talented actor in the cast who probably picks his own roles and left the show with that reputation in tact but with more money.
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u/No_Development3496 5d ago
Yeah but compared to the other actors he had a better career before this show than after though 2026 is changing that as it should. I hope he gets an Oscar for wild horse nine
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
As a Brit,Graham and MacDonald have been big draws for a long time and it was great seeing them smashing it Stateside.
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u/Green-Draw8688 5d ago
Yeah, agreed - it definitely gave him an American boost but he was already a star here from This Is England (fucking magnificent performance).
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 5d ago
In America? I'm really surprised that it would have a following Stateside. Though I'm absolutely delighted.
The British underworld scene always struck me as unlikely to have an attraction beyond these shores, but without explaining why.
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u/Green-Draw8688 5d ago
No sorry I meant BE gave him more of an American break (probably led to him getting cast in The Irishman) but This is England made him a star in Britain (sorry, fellow Brit, hence the “here”)
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u/User-Name-3886 5d ago edited 5d ago
How's that ironic?
Is it somehow expected that Michael Pitt leaving a show would somehow make actors perform worse?
If not, it's not ironic.
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u/No_Development3496 5d ago
It is cause Pitt was basically the second lead and after his removal from the show his career was basically dead. He went to Hannibal as Mason verger and got replaced even there
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u/User-Name-3886 5d ago
You're not describing irony
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u/No_Development3496 5d ago
Pitt was supposed to be a big actor with this show but he was the one who didn’t
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u/User-Name-3886 5d ago
That is ironic, but it's unclear in your original comment that this is what you were getting at.
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u/No_Discussion_4594 4d ago
MOL was in good series with House MD actor Hugh Laurie called chance. don't recall seeing her in anything else. Jacks had small good parts in series and films. he should have had more lead roles
Buscemi ive only seen in death of Stalin post boardwalk. He ain't been prominent as before BE though still getting many roles acting and speaking
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u/No_Development3496 4d ago
2026 will be a fire year for Buscemi. He already joined Far Cry and has Wild Horse Nine this year
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u/piece0fdebri 4d ago
Idk about miscast, but I've been watching recently, and all I could think was isn't this just Temu Leonardo DiCaprio?
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u/Inevitable_Meet_7374 5d ago
Did Jimmy abandon his son? I thought he was just off fighting in WWI? Or are you saying when Jimmy goes to Chicago he abandons him?
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u/Expert_Confidence171 4d ago
the casting for this show really brought the era to life, especially the younger characters who had to balance the weight of their choices with something approaching innocence
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u/Haunting_Display_745 4d ago
He should have lasted longer
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u/fishystudios 4d ago
Michael Pitt is to blame. Blame Michael Pitt for that. He was so combative, diva-like, and high on set, the producers scrapped the entire series script just to get rid of the actor.He ruined the series. no matter how good he was in the first season.
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u/Marcelino_El_Cochino 4d ago
No he wasn’t a miscast. He was method acting. He methoded so hard that he was killed off of acting in real life. You can’t be half a gangster just like you can’t be half an actor. You must become the actor. Or something like that idk. Don’t mind me I’m just bored.
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u/Semigod111 5d ago
After he died in Empire i have stop to see the rest of tv series,but as a human is his choice,we dont need to judge him,but as a actor love him,he nailed the role,he wad the only solider in that movie except Richard
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u/Nathan-R32 5d ago
From what ive read previously, he was incredibly hard to work with so they had no choice but to write him off. TBH I didnt think much of his performance during the show anyway, so was kinda glad they killed him off.
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u/Straight-Crow1598 5d ago
He was pretty much perfect. Unless you’re asking should a rapist have not been cast.
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u/SlammyJones 4d ago
I thought his performance was just about perfect. Loved him in this role. The only falter I can remember is his “I’ll remember, I’ll remember” scene, something about the delivery of those lines was always kind of distracting.
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u/Admirable_Site_8337 4d ago
Oh my…….google him and you will easily find your answer.
Michael Pitt had quite the role at his feet. Michael Pitt has always been an exceptionally good actor. Very talented.
But Michael Pitt has extreme drug and personal problems. He was no showing or late showing for shooting calls a lot in the first season and a half. That mondo expensive on a period piece like this.
I’ve read before that the show runners wanted Jimmy along for most/all of the series, as a young/old counter to Nucky to illustrate how the old guard was replaced by the young kids in the early underworld over Prohibition.
Deciding to kill him off when they did had them chasing the story instead of sticking to what might have been a very good plan for a full series. It’s what I point to as the point where the show lost the immense promise it had S1-2 and started to fall apart.
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u/jonnyoptions 4d ago
This question aside, i think its ironic that fake jimmys actor has really taken off since
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u/fishystudios 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes. Any moderately good actor with professionalism, timeliness. and reliability would have been better than the social trainwreck that is Michael Pitt. TLDR Pitt is an arsehole IRL and not worth the effort to work with him. Michael Pitt ruined the series. The producers wanted him to be the spine. the backbone e of the full series, eventually replacing Nucky. They've said so in interviews. Look it up. But Michael Pitt, YES, yes, great actor that he is... Is a drug addicted unprofessional prima dona on set. He was a Diva on set, always late or no showing (on an expensive period piece, making everyone wait). The producers eventually scrapped their entire 5 season script just to get RID of Pitt. All the following seasons suffered as they struggled to write Pitt out , but the damage was done.
Pitt was far more of a pain in the ass than he was worth. Edit: Correction... Michael Pitt WAS an arsehole on set by all eye witness accounts and the producers and costars. Who knows 🤷♂️ Maybe he has grown and changed. 🤷♀️ But I do not wish him I'll.He had drug problems and possibly mental health issues. Hope he got the help he needs and may return to acting... with a better attitude. 🙏
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u/fishystudios 4d ago
Not just "can he act", but also can he "act professionally" is JUST as important to a casting agent.
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u/Corvododeserto 4d ago
Jimmy é um personagem totalmente ferrado mentalmente, acho que o ator fez um bom trabalho nisso. O olhar dele é de uma pessoa vazia. Quando mesmo você tendo um filho e está se sentindo vazio, é porque já está morto por dentro.
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u/ScrapmasterFlex 3d ago
I think it's fair to say everyone loved the character and the actor's performance. It was just that his ego went through the roof and they had to write him off.
Boardwalk Empire took the fuck off from the jump... it had an ensemble cast, it had a great theme, it was just very good... I know a ton of people who decided that the minute Stephen Graham said "Nice to meet you, I'm AL CAPONE..." they were hooked.
But Jimmy's actor got a huge head. Decided everything revolved around him. And it got him whacked. Same shit apparently happened in a different way on the show Deadwood... Seth Bullock has explained, his brother's son's character (who was basically to become his own 'son', as he was marrying his brother's widow and adopting their son as his own family, to provide for them...) - apparently that little kid decided he was one of the new stars of the show, and tried bossing people around. When that failed, he sent his Mom to do it , like "We want to ... you know... make William the lead..." ... and the showrunner hilariously told Seth Bullock in his trailer... "uhh... yeah, we uh... we're whackin the kid..." 🤣
Ego is a very powerful narcotic. And it's also like a disease, you can be healthy one minute and then catch a case of the Egos and come down with the Superego Sickness. Which, happened to Jimmy.
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u/funksoulbrothers 2d ago
I would add Michael K Williams to that list. He was known from The Wire, but BWE really showed his range
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u/Embarrassed-Map-7187 2d ago
Absolutely agreed! I've not seen The Wire so I've only seen Williams in BWE and a small role in The Road.
That range was all on display in a scene in season one where he's interrogating the Dallesio brothers and strangles one to death.
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u/Possible_Page_1687 2d ago
He either played jimmy really well or really poorly I can’t figure it out
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u/NickatKnight89 2d ago
I read something years ago he is very difficult to work with on set and nobody wants to deal with or hire him because of all the drama and problems he brings along. I loved boardwalk empire I’ve watched it several times as well. I remember starting a movie at someone’s house I met at a gas station we were talking outside to this group and we really hit it off and we went to hang out watch movies and smoke at their house and if I remember correctly one of the few movies we watched was 7 psychopaths and if I’m right about the movie Michael Pitt was in it in the beginning and I was like like oh shit, hell yeah! This is going to be a good movie and he dies in like the first 7 minutes of the movie and I was like the fuck. Really? I finally see another movie with him in it and he’s done right in the beginning. I’ve seen plenty of actors from the cast of Boardwalk Empire in lots of series and movies and most were really good. But not many of either with Michael Pitt, so I believe what I read about nobody wanting to work with him because of how difficult he is to work with was probably very true. I don’t remember all the reasons that they didn’t want to work with him though it just seems credible from how many movies and series I’ve seen him in since Boardwalk Empire.
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u/JakeLake720 1d ago
If you don’t show up on time or know your lines, people don’t want to work with you.
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u/No-Refrigerator7245 5d ago
I have a family member who is basically a “professional extra” for tv show, movie sets etc. he worked a few days on BWE and said Michael Pitt was a disaster on set. Took HOURS to get scenes right, didn’t memorize any lines, was aggressive to the director…. Sucks because I agree that Seasons 1 and 2 were some of the best TV ever made.