Another Simple Favor‘s recast character has received a ludicrous explanation. The new movie, which was helmed by director Paul Feig, is a follow-up to his 2018 movie A Simple Favor, which starred Anna Kendrick as a bubbly widowed mother named Stephanie Smothers who gets drawn into the orbit of the chic and dangerous Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) shortly before she disappears. The twisty thriller, which was based on the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, was a box office success, grossing $97.6 million against its $20 million budget. It also earned a Certified Fresh 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The 2025 sequel Another Simple Favor has arrived seven years after the debut of the original movie, and it presents a story that is just as tangled and wicked as the previous installment, featuring many of the same characters in different capacities. This includes giving Emily an increased role (because the sequel does not revolve around the mystery of her disappearance) and reducing the presence of supporting characters like Detective Summerville (Bashir Salahuddin) and Stephanie’s friend Darren (Andrew Rannells). However, while another important character has a similarly prominent role compared to her appearance in the first movie, she was recast.

Another Simple Favor Recast Jean Smart As Margaret With Elizabeth Perkins

The Supporting Character Plays An Even Bigger Part In The Sequel

One of the major supporting characters who has returned in the Another Simple Favor cast is Emily’s mother Margaret McLanden. In the previous installment, Margaret furnished Stephanie with important information involving her daughter’s backstory while the amateur investigator was posing as an insurance agent. She plays a similar role in the sequel, offering further information to Stephanie in addition to having an expanded role in the general goings-on, as the movie revolves around Emily’s Capri wedding to incoming character Dante Versano (Michele Morrone).

However, while the character has rejoined the franchise she is now played by a different actor. Although Hacks star Jean Smart originally played Margaret, Elizabeth Perkins has stepped in to take over the role in the new installment. Perkins, who is a three-time Emmy nominee, is best known for her television work, which includes playing neighbor Celia Hodes in Weeds and other important maternal roles such as Sarah Chalke’s character’s mother Elaine Green in the short-lived How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) and Mandy Moore’s character’s mother Janet Malone in NBC’s This Is Us.

Another Simple Favor Explains The Recast By Revealing Margaret “Got Work” Done

There Is A Significant Age Difference Between The Two Actors

The onscreen explanation for why the returning character looks different than the way that she did in the original A Simple Favor takes up just a few seconds of screen time. After reuniting with her mother, Emily comments that she looks different, which is explained away by Margaret saying that she has had work done. This plastic surgery joke is not entirely out of line with ways that other projects have explained recast characters or other strange developments, including Chris Pratt’s Parks and Recreation character explaining the actor’s sudden weight loss as the result of him having stopped drinking beer.

However, plastic surgery can’t quite explain the extreme level of recasting that has taken place in Another Simple Favor. Although Perkins’ Margaret is styled in a similar way to the character’s previous appearance, in reality, Perkins is nine years younger than Jean Smart, meaning that she is still currently younger than Smart was when she originally played the role. While this age difference could have been explained by plastic surgery, the joke is made even more ludicrous by the fact that the version of Margaret that she is playing is at least five years older than the original movie.

Why Didn’t Jean Smart Return For Another Simple Favor?

The Actor Has Gotten Considerably Busier

During a recent interview with Woman’s World, Elizabeth Perkins revealed that she was asked to step into the role of Margaret in Another Simple Favor because Jean Smart was too busy shooting her HBO series Hacks, in which she plays stand-up comedian Deborah Vance. The popular series, which has so far won Smart three Emmys, did not pose a similar conflict with the original movie because it did not begin airing until 2021, three years after the premiere of A Simple Favor.

Source(s): Woman’s World