Capheus Has Been Recast in Sense8! What Happened?

April 27, 2016 Farid-ul-Haq

Jamie Clayton Tweets Sense8

In 2015 the Wachowski siblings and J. Michael Straczynski gifted the world with a wonderful Netflix program called Sense8. And while fans are eagerly waiting for the release of season two, they will have to accept a major character being recast when the show returns.

According to Deadline, actor Aml Ameen, who played Capheus, has been replaced with recent UC San Diego MFA acting graduate Toby Onwumere. Reportedly a conflict broke out between Aml and Lana Wachowski, which heightened during the table read for season 2 in Berlin. The whole thing allegedly worsened when the crew went to India with Aml leaving the project having already shot two episodes.

We aren’t sure about the exact nature of the conflict (creative differences, perhaps), but Capheus being recast is disappointing. Aml looked natural as Capheus, a character who is one of the Sensates and trying to earn money to buy medication for his mother who has AIDS. It might not be easy for newcomer Onwumere to win fans over when he makes his debut in season two. However, another cast member, Jamie Clayton, took to Twitter to answer some fan questions and spread a little positivity regarding the change.

There were rumors about Aml leaving the project because of being transphobic but Jamie was quick to set the record straight. (Short answer: no. Just a rumor.) She also went on to say that while change might be tough for fans, she’s looking forward to Capheus’ character arc in season two.

Jamie Clayton Sense8 Tweet

Jamie Clayton Sense8 tweets

While I am surprised about the sudden recast, I’m still looking forward to the premiere of season two of Sense8. According to Jamie’s tweets, episode one will be released around Christmas and the rest of the episodes will come out in 2017. It still feels like a long wait but considering the content Sense8 was able to deliver in season one it’ll be worth it.

What are your thoughts about Aml Ameen leaving Sense8 during shooting? Do you think the writers should’ve killed his character off instead of recasting it? Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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4 thoughts on “Capheus Has Been Recast in Sense8! What Happened?”

  1. On the one hand, I can see how it would be difficult to completely rewrite an entire season in order to write one – incredibly key – character out. On the other hand, it would be interesting to see how the cluster deals with the death of one of the sensates.

    1. Good point…I do think showing the Sensates dealing with a death within their cluster is going to be something the series will tackle…it might not be with killing of Capheus (instead of recasting him) so early in the season but I have a feeling it will happen soon enough.

  2. I’m glad she nipped that rumor in the bud because I watched that rumor come to life the night the news broke. It was born because of the manner in which Jamie was tweeting about the news; she talked like she was glad Aml was gone and was dismissive of sad fans, basically telling them “don’t worry, be happy”. Hurt fans became angry fans! There were people who instantly decided Aml was transphobic and others who decided Jamie and/or Lana were racist. I know she didn’t intend for rumors to appear, but some tact when referring to a cast mate’s departure goes a long way.

  3. Honestly, I’m sorry but there appears to me an undercurrent of racism here. So you can just, “replace” the Black character? Would they have replaced Jamie with another transgender or killed her off? Interesting to ponder, especially when racists say all Black people look alike and of course they don’t and i’m not sure I will be able to make the switch especially if they do not re-shoot the other scenes, that would be just rude. I suppose I got used to it on my soap opera back in the day when they would announce :the character of … is now being played by…, but it was always rough at first.

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