Five-O casting mistakes

[AJ from NY]

You think Martin Sheen was too young for his role in "Cry, Lie"? Eddie Calhao (Sheen's character) was presented as an aggressive young hotshot lawyer - no? I even recall Danny Williams making a point of just that.

[Todd]

You think Martin Sheen was too young for his role in "Cry, Lie"? Eddie Calhao (Sheen's character) was presented as an aggressive young hotshot lawyer - no? I even recall Danny Williams making a point of just that.

I thought he was presented as a sleazy lawyer with a bunch of experience already. He was only 29 at the time of filming, and looked it.

Anyway, from the season, there was another casting of a guest star who was too young. Melody Patterson, who played Tot Kee's (James Hong) assistant Missy, was only 20 at the time. There's no doubt Patterson was very pretty (she was one of the best looking female guest stars of the series, in my opinion), but she was still only 20. The Missy character was supposed to be a semi-experienced criminal who acted both as Tot Kee's personal assistant and partner in crime. This was not a role for a 20-year-old girl! They attempted to make Melody Patterson up to look older, but the entire time I was distracted by her very youthful appearance which didn't fit with the role.

They should have switched Patterson with Beverlee McKinsey, who was a 36-year-old playing a wild young girl in "The Joker's Wild, Man, Wild!" McKinsey looked her age, and would have been a much better assistant for Tot Kee than Patterson, whereas Patterson would have been a much better wild, young, spoiled girl than McKinsey!

Both women were pretty, so they could have still fit the bill for the characters being attractive.