For actors, typecasting can be a hurdle to overcome. Some resign themselves to it, and build careers in that narrow niche. Robert Knepper, Mark Pellegrino and Giancarlo Esposito have thriving TV careers as baddies everyone loves to hate thanks to natural knacks for menace, while Julia Roberts, with her toothy smile, has held the America’s Sweetheart title for literal decades.
Others become frustrated when they’re reduced to a single kind of character, and spend years fighting to prove themselves capable of more than that one note. The original Superman, George Reeves, became so synonymous with the Kryptonian he was forced to do advertising appearances and wrestling exhibitions in the costume in order to pay the bills. And we all know how far some former Disney stars will go to shake their squeaky-clean images and play more adult roles.
A few love it: Michelle Rodriguez has often said she’s incredibly happy to always get offered the “badass gal” roles, and Karl Urban is such a sci-fi/fantasy nerd he seeks out parts in adventure films with geeky fanbases.
And then there are those rare occasions when an actor breaks away from their typical mold and surprises everyone with an unexpectedly great performance. After polling several cinephile friends, I’ve gathered a handful of the best examples of this, starting with:
1. Vincent Price in “Laura”
Price will forever be known as one of the quintessential Kings of Horror. But one of his best performances predates his Hammer and Poe work, and is the absolute antithesis of those sinister roles.
Shelby Carpenter is a smooth-talking Southern playboy who has the spine of a jellyfish; a weak-willed kept man who’s more than happy to propose to Laura while he cashes her aunt’s checks and wines-and-dines a younger model on the side. Seeing Price play a pretty boy Lothario was quite a jolt, but the man carried it off with panache.
2. George C. Scott in “The Changeling”
Best known as a bombastic general (see: “Patton” and “Dr. Strangelove”), Scott impressed me in this creepy little ghost story (not to be confused with the other “Changeling,” starring Angelina Jolie).
Composer John Russell has just lost his wife and young daughter in a tragic accident. Grief-stricken, he moves into a beautiful old house that, unfortunately, is just as haunted as he is. Scott still gets to shout a couple times, but for the most part this is a more nuanced and poignant performance for the old soldier.
3. Louise Fletcher in “Big Eden”
Fletcher won an Oscar for her portrayal of the cold-hearted Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and later solidified her position as the antagonist everyone loves to hate when she played the manipulative religious leader Kai Winn (or Pope Karen, as I like to think of her) in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
So seeing her as the loving teacher (and lifelong ally to closeted gay artist Henry) Grace Cornwell in “Big Eden” is something of a shock. She helps cook for Thanksgiving! She sings beautifully in the church choir! It’s wonderful to see Fletcher be so grandmotherly.
4. Vinnie Jones in “Galavant”
Once an aggressive professional footballer in the UK, Jones capitalized on his tough guy image to make the transition into acting, where’s he’s typically an assassin (“Elementary”), a bounty hunter (“Snatch”), or the muscle in a criminal gang (“Gone in 60 Seconds”).
And while he’s still very much a henchman in the fantasy comedy musical series “Galavant” – Gareth is the villainous King Richard’s right-hand, bodyguard and torturer – the role gave Jones the chance to show how incredibly good he is at comedy, including comedy built around song-and-dance numbers. Amazing.
5. James Stewart in “Vertigo”
Who doesn’t love Jimmy Stewart? For the first half of his career, he was a bashful Everyman, an underdog to root for and a stammering sweetie you just wanted to hug.
But in the latter half of his career, Stewart made a concentrated effort to tarnish his squeaky-clean image and “Vertigo” definitely achieved that. In the Hitchcock classic, Stewart plays Scottie, a former detective afflicted with acrophobia and vertigo, who becomes obsessed with a woman he’s paid to investigate. Seeing Stewart as a controlling, overbearing obsessive made this psychological thriller even more disturbing.
6. Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder”
Action’s biggest, most bankable star, the guy who’s played scrappy heroes for 30 years, donned a full prosthetic suit and unleashed a volley of coarse profanity in a minor (but memorable) appearance as the uncouth studio exec Les Grossman. Talk about thwarting expectations.
7. Charlize Theron in “Monster”
Theron has built a solid career as an action star thanks to films like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Atomic Blonde” and “The Old Guard.” The South African beauty is undoubtedly talented, but it took playing real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos to convince the Academy and net her a Best Actress Oscar — according to legendary critic Roger Ebert, her gritty turn as Wuornos is “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema.” I have to agree with him.
8. Ralph Fiennes in “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
He’s played some of the most intimidating villains in cinema: Nazi Amon Göth in “Schindler’s List,” Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” series, Francis Dolarhyde in “Red Dragon.”
Seeing him as the zany Monsieur Gustave, concierge of the famous Grand Budapest Hotel, who romances elderly guests and is framed for the murder of the hotel’s dowager owner? An absolute hoot. Who could have guessed such a dignified Brit could flail about so hysterically?
9. Robin Williams in “One Hour Photo”
On the flip side of the coin: seeing a beloved comedian in a serious – and seriously disturbing – role can be quite a paradigm shift, too. Williams will forever be one of the most beloved funnymen in history. But in “One Hour Photo,” he plays the loner Sy, a photo technician who has spent years obsessed with the “picture perfect” Yorkin family.
Obsessions never end well for anyone involved, and Sy predictably goes too far when his fantasy around the Yorkins is fractured by the real world. It’s a deeply, deeply upsetting but superb performance from Williams (*blows a kiss to the stars*).
10. Melissa McCarthy in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Here’s another funny(wo)man who makes an impression in a serious role: The typically exuberant McCarthy pulls it in with this restrained performance as real-life writer Lee Israel, who turned to forging letters from deceased actors and authors in order to pay the bills. It’s honestly a bit of a tragic story and McCarthy’s performance is moving.
11. Will Ferrell in “Stranger Than Fiction”
I can’t stand 85% of Ferrell’s films. His brand of “overgrown manchild” comedy just doesn’t appeal to me. So it surprises some folks when I mention “Stranger Than Fiction” is one of my all-time favorite films.
A large reason for that is Ferrell is actually likable when he’s playing the straightman reacting realistically to bizarre happenings. His Harold Crick is a slightly sad little guy you want to see happy, and I love his dynamic with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s brash baker Ana Pascal.
12. Chris Evans in “Knives Out”
He’s tall and broad and handsome, with a dimple-producing smile. He’s got that “Hollywood ideal of the boy-next-door” quality. He’s Captain America, for crying out loud.
Which makes it awfully jarring when you meet Ransom Drysdale, a total and unrepentant jerk, the proverbial rich and entitled sociopath who’s willing to go to any lengths to secure his fortune. Not even those fantastic cable-knit sweaters can hide how nasty he is underneath the pretty surface. (And as director Rian Johnson has said, watching Ransom hate dogs is proof of how talented Evans is, since Chris Evans – of course – absolutely adores pooches.)
13. John Turturro in “The Batman”
Best known for playing off-beat weirdoes (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “The Big Lebowski,” just to name two), you would never expect Turturro to be a convincing tough guy. But his mob boss Carmine Falcone is, honestly, pretty dang intimidating. I buy him as the sort of gangster who maintains a (sometimes literal) stranglehold on his criminal empire.
Just further proof that you can never count out the weirdoes and the folks with real talent – a truly good actor can play almost any role.
ANGIE BARRY is a contributing columnist for Shaw Media. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers topics in pop culture, history and literature, contact her at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.