Chuck Lorre has said his initial doubts about casting Anna Faris in the sitcom Mom were ultimately justified, after she left the series in 2020.
The showrunner makes the claim in his memoir, Sitcom, in which he recalls having “initial reluctance” about placing Faris in the leading role.
“I initially said no. I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” Lorre writes.
He says he later changed his mind after reflecting on how he had “bungled” his relationship with Charlie Sheen. That experience led him to conclude that an actor’s private life should not determine whether they are right for a part.
“Someone’s personal life is none of my business. The mom in ‘Mom’ would be, and should be, Anna Faris,” Lorre writes.
However, after Faris departed the sitcom following its seventh season, Lorre says he came to believe that his original reservations had been correct. “As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” he writes.
Lorre also says the “mysterious reasons” for Faris leaving were “not mysterious to anyone on the show”. He adds that Mom “found its true voice” towards the end, despite continuing for only one further season without Faris before it concluded.
