As Brooks Nader prepares to make her TV acting debut in Fox’s Baywatch reboot, she recently addressed criticism of her casting.
The influencer and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl said she’s “excited to show people what I can do,” despite backlash around the apparent stunt casting of someone with less of an acting background than her co-stars.
“I think that the times are different and everyone is so multi-hyphenate now, and you can be both an actor and an influencer and have influence,” explained Nader to the Daily Mail. “And that’s the beauty of the culture that social media has created.”
Noting how the media landscape has changed since the original show’s 1989-’99 run, she continued, “We now have platforms. I think, during the 90s, you didn’t have social media, you didn’t have Instagram or TikTok, and so people could use their voice now, and I think as long as they’re using it for good… I think that it’ll bring a vibe to the show.
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“I think that there’s so many amazing platforms and voices that are on the show, in the cast, and I think it’ll only help the series,” added Nader.
Following an open casting call in Marina del Rey, Fox announced the new Baywatch will star Stephen Amell, Shay Mitchell, Hassie Harrison, Noah Beck, Jessica Belkin, Thaddeus LaGrone, Livvy Dunne and David Chokachi, reprising his role from the original as Cody Madison. Amell will play the grown version of Hobie Buchannon, originally portrayed by Jeremy Jackson as a kid in the parent series.
Nader called her casting as a series regular “the biggest pinch me moment of my career,” adding: “I feel like this is my first big acting gig, and so I’m excited to show people what I can do and obviously big shoes to fill.”
She plays Selene, “the sharp-tongued captain of the Zuma Beach lifeguards. While she is excellent at her job, she and Baywatch Captain Hobie Buchannon have very different approaches to saving lives.”
With a history of stunt casting in the franchise, the original Baywatch series launched the onscreen careers of Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Yasmine Bleeth and more.