Stephen Amell can easily understand why more than 2,000 actors packed the lobby, ballroom and halls inside the Marina del Rey Marriott on Tuesday hoping to land a part on the Baywatch reboot for Fox and Fremantle. He had to chase down a role, too.
It was just a week ago that Amell’s casting was revealed, and it will be a quick sprint to a March production start in Venice Beach and on the Fox lot in Century City. With showrunner Matt Nix at the helm and McG on board to executive produce and direct the first episode, the series will find Amell starring as Hobie Buchannon, the son of David Hasselhoff’s Mitch Buchannon from the original. Hobie’s world is turned upside down when Charlie, the daughter he never knew, shows up on his doorstep. She’s eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy and become a Baywatch lifeguard alongside her dad.
While hundreds of hopefuls were waiting to be seen by Fox casting directors — many of whom were decked out in red swimsuits with a few even carrying rescue cans just in case — Amell talked to The Hollywood Reporter about how wild the open casting call was, why he chased down the role and how he’s preparing physically but also mentally. “No matter how hard I work, we are going to cast someone in their early 20s on this show and they’ll be able to roll out of bed with an eight-pack and there’s not a thing I can do about it. I’ll focus on having other strengths. I’m the veteran, the old guy,” said the Arrow star.
It’s a big Baywatch day. How does it feel to be here?
This is where the rubber hits the road in terms of it being real. You chase a job for a long time — I think someone told me about this in November — and here we are in mid-February. Once you actually get the job, you have a moment where you go, “Fuck, what am I going to do now?” All of this stuff kind of helps. No pun intended, but I’m now dipping my toes in the water, so to speak.
So you really had to chase it?
Oh yeah.
Why did you go after it?
I heard wonderful things about [showrunner] Matt Nix. That’s first and foremost for all of my jobs in television. My closest and most important relationship outside of the cast has been with the showrunner, and I’ve been blessed in my career to have a bunch of great ones. All the reports that I got about Matt were terrific. Then about the actual series, it’s an iconic property. People kept asking me about it. It turns out that Jessica Lowrey, a director friend of mine, is directing the second and third episodes. She and I were at a dinner and she said, “So what about Baywatch?” I said, “What do you mean?” That was in December. I did a tape and put myself in the mix. The rest is history.
It must make it that much more exciting when you chase a project down like that.
For sure.
What’s the prep like to get ready to be shirtless on the beach?
The prep is to think about sustainability. I don’t want to trick my body into looking a way that I can’t deal with, especially if I’m having to get in the Pacific Ocean in March when it’s like 58 degrees or something. The big thing for me at this age is nutrition — really nutrition and then consistency in the gym. And then understanding that no matter how hard I work, we are going to cast someone in their early 20s on this show and they’ll be able to roll out of bed with an eight-pack and there’s not a thing I can do about it. I’ll focus on having other strengths. I’m the veteran, the old guy.
Aging is brutal, isn’t it?
Time waits for no man.
Matt Nix, David Chokachi, Stephen Amell and McG at the Baywatch open casting call at Marina del Rey Marriott on Feb. 18, 2026.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
When your casting was announced, you posted something really beautiful about this show and how filming in Los Angeles adds a “deeper layer of meaning.” What does it mean that Baywatch will be based here and employ a lot of people at this moment in time?
I mean, that is where the pressure could lie. I think that 100 percent of my focus is just being in service of the show because being in service of the show is being in service of all of the things that you just mentioned. A show that honors first responders in California, a show that is going to employ a lot of people in California. I think that I could go the rest of my career and probably not experience a day like today where you have thousands of people coming out to audition for a show that hasn’t shot a day yet, just because they like the property. But I think more than anything, because people love the idea of production in California, it’s where it should be. And I don’t want to speak ill of any other production because that’s not the point. Good for anyone that shoots a day on any production. But occasionally you’ll see a show that’s set somewhere and you’re like, no, that’s not Chicago, or that’s not California, or what have you. So it’s really, really just very, very blessed and filled with a great deal of gratitude that I get to put my attention to my efforts and my service towards a project like this.
Walking in here today …
It’s wild.
It is. And seeing all these hopeful young people — and some older people, too — does it take you back and make you think of a young Stephen Amell trying to break into the business?
Oh yeah, man. I almost auditioned for Canadian Idol back in the day. Yeah, Canadian Idol. No, it’s really special because here’s the deal: I’m 100 percent positive that not only is this open casting call going to bear some fruit in terms of people who you will eventually see on the show, but some of them, whether it’s on this project or another project years from now, this opportunity will be a catalyst. They will be standing where I’m standing two, five or 10 years from now. I’m positive that will be the case.
When you got cast, did you go back and watch old episodes of Baywatch?
The Baywatch Instagram account followed me, so I’ve watched a couple of clips. But until we get this on its feet, I got to stay away. Although, we were in Austin this summer and we went to this really old-school waterpark. I took my daughter into this super ‘80s cafeteria to get her a burger, and Baywatch was playing in the background. This was well before I knew anything about this opportunity, and she turned to me and asked, “What’s that show? It looks fun. I want to watch that show.” So maybe we’ll watch it together.