Cannot use my objects method when accessing from Stage LibGDX

I have a class Card with the method setOwner. I have set up my touch input to use a hitActor to identify touches by getting the Actor's name like so :

public boolean touchDown(int screenX, int screenY, int pointer, int button) {
   Vector2 hitCoord = stage.screenToStageCoordinates(new Vector2((float) screenX, (float) screenY));
   Actor hitActor = stage.hit(hitCoord.x, hitCoord.y, false);
    if (hitActor != null) {
            stage.getRoot().findActor(hitActor.getName()).setOwner();// here it doesnt identify the setOwner() method;
    }
    return false;
}

The problem is that it doesn't identify the method setOwner(). My Card actors are in a ListArray deck so I type casted them like so :

  for (Card c : deck) {
        c = (Card) stage.getRoot().findActor(c.getName() + c.getSuit());
    }

But still it doesn't identify the methods declared in the Card class. My goal is to call the methodsetOwner on the Actor that got touched.