All American recast Layla's father during season 3, and here's who plays JP Keating now. The CW's football drama has accumulated a growing cast as the show has continued. While Spencer James is still the star, characters like Olivia Baker, Jordan Baker, Coop, and Layla Keating have had prominent roles. As each of their stories grows, more characters were introduced to All American. For Layla, this meant the introduction of her father, mega-music producer JP, during season 1.
Layla's father appeared in multiple episodes during All American's first two seasons with actor Elvis Nolasco playing the character. JP returned for the first time in All American season 3, episode 7, which finally showed what happened during the summer when the kids went to Las Vegas. He only was in a few scenes; one where he and Layla met briefly, another where he listed to Patience's new song, and then Patience saw him kissing one of his singers. However, viewers might not have immediately recognized JP, and for good reason. All American recast Layla's father for season 3.
The absence of Elvis Nolasco as Layla's father didn't go unnoticed by All American viewers and raised questions about why he was recast. Elvis Nolasco confirmed on social media that the reason All American recast him in season 3 was due to COVID-19. He revealed that his absence was caused by COVID restrictions and travel guidelines. All American films in California naturally, but Elvis Nolaso is a New York native and wasn't able to head out west when necessary. As a result, the show had no other choice but to recast Layla's father.
With Nolasco unable to return for season 3, All American cast Ray Campbell to play Layla's father. He has been acting since the late 1990s and got his first recurring role as Kleavon Gardner in The Shield. Campbell later joined Breaking Bad as Tyrus Kitt, and he's reprised the role multiples during Better Call Saul's run. More recently, Ray Campbell was featured in multiple episodes of How to Get Away with Murder as Solomon Vick, joined Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots, and had a supporting role in Danny Trejo's From a Son.
Now that All American recast Layla's father, it will be interesting to see who plays him moving forward. Elvis Nolasco wants to return in the future and keep playing JP Keating. However, Ray Campbell played Layla's father throughout the most recent season and returned for a small role in the All American season 3 finale. With Layla expected to play an important role in All American season 4, her father should appear again.
This puts the show in a difficult spot when deciding who will play Layla’s father moving forward, especially as COVID remains a concern. Ray Campbell might continue to play Layla's father moving forward to avoid further confusion, which could result in All American’s recast becoming permanent and leaving Elvis Nolasco to remain away from the series due to the pandemic. If that is the case, perhaps the show will eventually find another role for Nolasco to play.