The subtleties of Casting Gag...

So, Casting Gag says it comes into play "when an actor's role in a film in some way mirrors or parodies their Real Life circumstances and/or career and other roles they're famous for."

(Emphasis mine.)

But it's also insistent that "sometimes it may overlap with Actor Allusion for another character where their respective actors have worked together before." But that's not what Actor Allusion says it is. Furthermore, it says Actor Allusion is "any character, plot or situation that references a previous plot or role for the actor."

(Again, emphasis mine.)

This has totally confused me. Can someone help me rewrite the description so I can actually figure out the difference between the two tropes?

Casting Gag disambiguates itself from Actor Allusion in the second paragraph: "Sometimes it may overlap with Actor Allusion for another character where their respective actors have worked together before. However, the two must not be confused. A Casting Gag relies upon casting an actor in a role that reflects on their Real Life history. An Actor Allusion is any character, plot or situation that references a previous plot or role for the actor."

I don't see how this is terribly unclear. Casting Gag is about the actor as a real life person, while Actor Allusion is about an actor's past role(s).

But as I said, Casting Gag also says it's about "other roles they're famous for." (And yes, I did read that second paragraph — I quoted it in my OP. :))

edited 22nd Apr '13 9:40:02 AM by Leaper

Based on the examples, you may be right that Casting Gag is getting mixed up with Actor Allusion. If that's true, then it's an issue for Trope Repair Shop.

edited 22nd Apr '13 9:42:12 AM by Fighteer

Probably, but I started this thread here because I didn't understand where the "mix-up" is occurring. Casting Gag outright says it can refer to previous roles. So what makes an example fit one or the other?

I think that the two tropes are too narrowly split and should be merged.