Lost in Space switches up genders and it’s for the better
Executive producer, Kevin Burns, reveals a partial reason why the Lost In Space role of Dr. Smith changed genders and here’s why it’s a good thing.
It all stems from a conversation that he had with the late actor, Jonathan Harris, who was the OG Dr. Smith in the 1965 series that ran for three seasons.
"Jon [Jashni, EP] and I had wanted Dr. Smith to be a woman. Why? Because we were very close to Jonathan Harris. I knew him very well. I had him in my ear telling me ‘If they ain’t got me they got nothing. Kevin, I love you, but it will fail because I am Dr. Smith and nobody else can be Dr. Smith. That’s why that Gary Oldman movie died.’ So we said we won’t invite that comparison."
There’s also scuttlebutt as to the robot being maybe a female too.
Either way, decisions like these absolutely makes sense. If someone did so well with the original role, why not flip said role on its head? Make it tougher to compare one to the other. If anything’s factual it’s that nostalgia-fueled fans like myself can’t help but compare.
The canvas can be man, woman or story, you give something just a new coat of paint, it’s going to get picked apart. Putting Parker Posey into the role as a younger, different chromosone’ed doctor will make this Dr. Smith Netflix’s own Dr. Smith.
And to be honest, I’m pretty excited to be covering Lost in Space for Show Snob because of that reason. I’m completely new to the franchise. I’m sure Jonathan Harris was fantastic for the original series. However, I have no preconceived notions as to how the role should or could be played.
And knowing Parkey Posey’s previous roles like original mean girl Darla in Dazed & Confused, she seems like a perfect for the role. And the fact that she admits to not being a Trekkie could get her bonus points with the fanbase.
"“As a 5- or 6-year-old, I’d wake up before 6 o’clock to watch the static turn to color, and just to watch ‘Lost in Space,'” said Posey, who for good measure added that she was never as interested in “Star Trek.”"
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Visually, Lost in Space looks absolutely breathtaking so you have to think that the casting choices for such a big endeavor will have it’s “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed.
All episodes of Lost In Space drops April 13th on Netflix.