Dan Telfer Alleges Zachary Levi Cast Him in a TV Pilot Before Taking the Role for Himself
Comedian Dan Telfer claims Zachary Levi cast him in a TV pilot, only to snag the role for himself when the show was greenlit.
Published Oct. 22 2024, 4:36 p.m. ET
Actor Zachary Levi has voiced concerns about facing rejection in Hollywood due to his political views. However, a recent social media post may further alienate him from many.
In late September 2024, comedian Dan Telfer shared on Threads that the Shazam! star once cast him in a TV pilot, only to take the role for himself after the network picked it up.
Here are all the known details.
Zachary Levi allegedly cast Dan Telfer in a TV pilot but then took the role for himself.
On Sept. 29, 2024, comedian Dan Telfer took to Threads to share his experience of being cast as a lead character in a TV pilot executive produced by Zachary Levi.
"He was very nice on set," Dan recalled. "I felt great about it. All signs pointed towards the show getting a green light.
However, Dan soon learned that while the show was indeed picked up, he no longer had the role. As it turns out, Zachary Levi decided to cast himself instead. Dan later found out by reading a magazine interview that Zachary "knew he wanted that role from the beginning."
"I was of course mentioned nowhere and got nothing from it," Dan added, explaining that he had gone through "several rounds of auditions to land the role in the pilot," while Zachary didn't audition at all.
Dan also revealed that he signed a "multi-month hold," preventing him from auditioning for competing roles while waiting to shoot the series. For months, he received updates and was "shown sizzle reels," being told that the network liked him.
Ultimately, it didn’t work out, but Dan has since moved on in his career.
"I don't think I was a victim and I am not even implying it HAD to be his idea," he wrote. "But yes, it was grimy and gross, and it was where he thrived."