In the movie industry, it is common for actors to get typecast in certain types of roles. It may be that their personality and acting skills make them perfect for comedy roles or that their appearance means they are ideal to play gangsters. Once an actor is typecast in this way, it becomes almost an expectation that their future roles will be in the same movie genres. However, there are occasions when an actor is cast in an unexpected role that is nothing like the previous characters they have played. When this happens, moviegoers often expect that the actor will not suit the role. This is not always the case as there are many actors who have landed unexpected roles and totally smashed it. Here are five examples of actors who nailed unexpected roles.
1. Jim Carrey in The Truman Show
During the first half of his movie career, Jim Carrey was well-known for his comedic roles and often played characters in slapstick type movies. The perfect example of this ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’. When he took on the lead role in the 1998 surreal drama movie ‘The Truman Show’, moviegoers were not quite sure what to expect. However, Carrey totally nailed it and this led to him diversifying the roles he played in the second half of his career.
2. Robin Williams in One Hour Photo
Just like Jim Carrey, Williams was best known for playing roles in comedy movies as he was particularly talented at this type of acting. He shifted more towards playing dramatic roles when he starred in movies such as ‘Good Will Hunting’ and ‘Dead Poets Society’. However, it was still a shock when he played the lead role ‘One Hour Photo’, released in 2002. His character was a photo developer who became unhealthily obsessed with the customers. Robin Williams was terrifying in this role and this was a side of him that fans hadn’t seen before.
3. Emma Watson in The Bling Ring
It is little wonder that Emma Watson was typecast into a particular type of rile. She began her career as a child actor and played the role of Hermione Granger throughout the entire franchise of Harry Potter movies. When the final movie was complete, Watson chose to continue with a career in acting and opted to try out roles that were completely different to Hermione. She took on the role of a woman at the center of a gang of Hollywood thieves in the 2013 movie ‘The Bling Ring’. Her character couldn’t have been more different to the lovable young witch she had played previously but she proved to fans that her acting skills are versatile.
4. Charlize Theron in Monster
It is Charlize Theron’s sex appeal that has landed her many of the roles she has played throughout her career and she is often cast as the femme fatale. However, the character she played in the 2003 movie ‘Monster’. The movie was based on the real-life story of serial murderer Aileen Wuornos. Theron won an Oscar for her performance but some credit must go to the makeup artists and wardrobe team as Charlize Theron was completely unrecognizable in this role.
5. Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Carell has been perfectly cast in many comedy films and is probably most famous for his role in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’. Even when providing voice overs, he was cast in comedy roles, such as Gru in the ‘Despicable Me’ series of films. However, when he took on the role of a wrestling coach who becomes a murderer in the 2014 biographical sports crime drama movie ‘Foxcatcher’, it was an opportunity to show moviegoers a different element of his acting talents. He must have played the role well as he was nominated for the Best Actor Award at the Academy Awards.
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