Photo: Fox
Who Should Play The Kind Of Dad Who Divided The Brothers Castellano?
Now that Danny has bowed to Richie's request and agreed to let their deadbeat dad back into his life, who should play Castellano Sr.?
Past episodes of The Mindy Project have introduced us to members of the characters' extended families: Mindy's brother, Morgan's grandma, Tamra's boyfriend. The latest episode of The Mindy Project adds a new branch to the show's family tree with the introduction of Danny's brother Richie. When the staff at the practice hear that Richie's come to town because there's something important he wants to discuss with Danny, everyone decides that Richie's going to come out to his brother — and they're half-right; Richie is gay, but Danny's known since Richie was in grade school[footnote]Poo Pants Elementary School[/footnote] and went trick-or-treating as Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct.
While the show's producers resisted one sitcom cliché, the topic Richie actually wants to discuss is another: their dad left them when they were kids, and while he has stayed close-ish with Richie, Danny has shunned him for years. Richie's been in contact with their dad recently — he sent along the gift of the Miami Vice soundtrack, aw — and hopes to reconnect with Danny now that so much time[footnote]Poo Pants Elementary School[/footnote] has passed. After an initial explosion of anger, Danny relents...and so we may surmise that Castellano Sr. will be coming to the show soon. Since we've already wildly speculated on the same subject with regard to Elementary, who should play the Castellano patriarch on The Mindy Project?
Dustin Hoffman
Why he could be great: He's a short New Yorker who, from Midnight Cowboy to Luck, has played lots of slippery characters who let people down.
Why he might not: Could even Danny stay mad at a Dustin Hoffman character for decades? Because he's adorable.
Paul Sorvino
Why he could be great: He's been "Big Daddy" in this commentator's heart since Law & Order.
Why he might not: There probably aren't enough apple boxes to let Chris Messina frame a scene with him.
Christopher McDonald
Why he could be great: He kind of resembles Messina, especially around the grin; he's been one of our most believably scummy scumbags since Thelma & Louise.
Why he might not: He's the WASPiest WASP that ever WASPed.
Henry Winkler
Why he could be great: His role on Childrens Hospital has shown a new generation of comedy writers that he can do real goofy shit; he could revive his Happy Days accent.
Why he might not: The little we know about Castellano Sr. makes him sound an awful lot like Eddie R. Lawson, the deadbeat dad he plays on Royal Pains.
Ron Rifkin
Why he could be great: He is basically an age-progression photo of Chris Messina in a way that is actually spooky; it would be nice for him to show he can be funny again.
Why he might not: It might be hard for viewers to root for a reconciliation between Danny and Arvin Sloane.
John Travolta
Why he could be great: There's definitely something about him that's not quite trustworthy; he could revive his Welcome Back, Kotter accent.
Why he might not: He's only deigned to do one (1) TV role since the early '90s, so he might think he's too fancy.
Joe Pantoliano
Why he could be great: The Sopranos is but one of approximately one thousand instances where he played a short, loud, obnoxious, angry crook.
Why he might not: Nnnnnope, coming up blank here. Winner!