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{{Sugar Wiki}}
{{
A [[Fan
The in-universe version is [[Master Actor]].
{{examples}}
* [[Kevin Bacon]], commonly known as a teen movie star for most of his career, had almost ended that career when he starred in ''[[A Few Good Men]]''.
** Critics also loved him in ''[[The Woodsman]]''.
** He was also excellent in ''[[Murder in
** He also won praise for his portrayal of [[Complete Monster|Sebastian Shaw]] in [[X
** ''The Woodsman'' also had a terrific example in Mos Def. His monologue about the child who had been torn apart by a rapist is both chilling and a [[Tear Jerker]].
*** Another one by Mos Def in the TV biopic ''[[Something The Lord Made]]'' where he played pioneering black cardiac surgeon Vivien Thomas. He manage to not only hold his ground but possibly surpassed it against Alan Rickman. Mos Def was nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy.
*** Mos (it's just Mos now, motherfucker!) has also received praise for his performance in the sixth season of ''[[Dexter]]''.
* Ask the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' fandom, and most will say that the prologue for ''Kingdom Hearts II'' took a turn for the [[Tear Jerker|heart-wrenching]] towards the end. The sob-inducing performance of Roxas? Yeah, that was ''Jesse McCartney''. Same goes for Alyson Stoner (the English voice of Xion) in ''358/2 Days''.
** And if you were still unconvinced by Jesse McCartney in KH2, then [[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep|Birth By Sleep]] and''358/2 Days'' will change your opinion.
** Here's another example: see him acting as Robin/Nightwing in ''[[Young Justice (
* This is one of the reasons ''[[
** Don't forget ''[[Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]]''. A much more [[Straight Man]] role for [[Jim Carrey]].
** And ''[[The Majestic]]''.
** Try "Doing Time on Maple Drive"
** Or ''[[I Love You Phillip Morris]]''.
** And ''[[Man
* [[Emily Osment]] in [[Dadnapped]] and the [[Series Finale]] to [[Hannah Montana]]
* [[Will Ferrell]] in ''[[Stranger Than Fiction]]''.
* A lot of viewers had this reaction to [[Zac Efron]] in ''[[
** Not to mention his even more recent role in ''[[Me and Orson Welles]]'', which is receiving fair reviews.
** In ''[[Hairspray]]'' too.
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** ''Click'' too.
* [[Eddie Murphy]]'s performance in ''[[Dreamgirls]]'' has been described like this. In fact, it's said that he could've won an Oscar for his performance had ''[[Norbit]]'' not been released before the Academy voted.
** Beyonce Knowles in ''[[Dreamgirls]]'' really shone. Just when it had been so easy to write her off, too...
*** Have you seen her in ''[[Obsessed]]''? Two words: Kick.Ass.
* [[Sylvester Stallone]] in ''Cop Land''.
** Interestingly, Stallone was wildly praised for his performance in the original ''[[Rocky (
*** Same for ''Rocky V'' and ''Rocky Balboa,'' which went closer to the feel of the first film.
*** A friend of mine explicitly said this about Stallone's performance in ''[[
* [[Jean
* [[Will Smith]]'s rising career was down to a series of steps where he would set himself up with fans with his winning smiling, slightly goofy and fun personality and then use a dose of serious acting to establish his credibility and then open himself up to a bigger audience.
** In the episode of ''[[Fresh Prince of Bel Air]]'' where his absentee father returns and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmerFuzRNZ4 yet again abandons him.]
*** [[Tear Jerker|"How come he don't want me, man?"]]
** The 1993 film adaptation of the play ''Six Degrees of Separation'', his first movie role, in which he had the very challenging role of a very sweet, complicated {{spoiler|con artist}} and aced it.
** [[Will Smith]] in ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' and ''Ali'', which was certainly needed after the huge dud of ''[[Wild Wild West (
** ''[[I Am Legend]]'' wasn't perfect, but this scene solidified it:
{{quote|
[[Beat|(starts to cry)]]<br />
'''Neville:''' [[Tear Jerker|"Please say hello to me."]] }}
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** He has had several other sedate, respectable roles before ''One Hour Photo'', though (perhaps most notably in ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'', which he got an Oscar for).
** ''[[Dead Poets Society]]'', people! Earlier than that, there was the TV-movie adaptation of ''Seize The Day'' (no relation to ''DPS''), and of course ''The World According To Garp''... but people weren't really paying attention to those when they came out. They ''wanted'' wacky [[Mork and Mindy|Mork]]-Robin. How times change...
** And ''[[Moscow
*** To paraphrase a post-Oscar moment (which Williams recieved for ''[[Good Will Hunting]]''), when an interviewer asks him how he felt about taking on such a serious role: "I went to Juilliard!"
** Another example is his terrifying performance on ''[[Law and Order SVU]]'' as an amoral psychologist screwing with people in real-life versions of the infamous Milgram Authority Experiment.
* In an odd example, [[Hilary Duff]]'s performance seems to be the only thing in ''[[
** ''Raise Your Voice'' is a much earlier example. The only reason it bombed was because of the demographic issues. It was too mature for her pre-teen fans.
* [[Lindsay Lohan]] in ''[[Georgia Rule]]'' although it received mostly negative reviews, most critics praised her acting and said that her performance was the best part of the film.
** Lohan has shown that she's pretty good at playing more than one character, in such films as her debut ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'' and ''[[Freaky Friday]]''. Her impression of [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] in the latter is uncanny. However, the winning streak ended with ''[[I Know Who Killed Me]]'' - Lohan appeared to have a lot of trouble working with prosthetic special-effects makeup.
** She was also excellent in ''A Prairie Home Companion'', as Meryl Streep's daughter. She more than holds her own both acting-wise and vocal-wise, measuring up against actors like Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, and Virginia Madsen.
* [[John Wayne]] is an older example of this. After seeing ''[[Red River]]'' (directed by Ford's friend, Howard Hawks) [[John Ford]] famously said, "I didn't know the big lug could act."
* In his review of ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'', [[Moviebob]] captioned the photo of [[Eli Roth]] with the phrase "When did ''he'' learn to act?" There was also Mike Myers' [[One-Scene Wonder]].
* Brendan Fraser has appeared in movies ranging from crap like ''[[Monkeybone]]'' to comedies like ''[[George of the Jungle]]'' to campy blockbusters like ''[[The Mummy Trilogy]]'' and ''[[Journey to
** ''[[Gods And Monsters]]'', anyone? If you're sharing the screen with Sir Ian McKellen, just holding your own has to qualify.
** Also ''[[The Quiet American]]''.
** While ''[[Blast
** Audio Books? How about Inkspell? He's the vocal inspiration for one of the roles! (Mo. And he played him in the well casted ''[[
* [[Jeri Ryan]]'s debut on ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' was met with a degree of eye-rolling from the fanbase: "Oh great, here comes a shameless attempt at [[Ms. Fanservice]], [[Narm]] ahoy, etc..." Then came that episode where she had to manifest a dozen different personalities in twenty minutes... [[Hidden Depths]] indeed.
** Garrett Wang in "Timeless," the [[
* Much of the young adult cast (the "Golden Trio", in particular) of the ''[[Harry Potter (
* Jamie Foxx earned his stripes with ''Ray''.
** ''[[Collateral]]''.
** ''[[The Soloist]]'', as well.
* Colin Baker, aka the Sixth Doctor was widely considered the worst from his short TV tenure on ''[[Doctor Who]]''. When the actor reprised the role for the [[Big Finish Doctor Who|Big Finish audio dramas]], he was later voted the ''best''.
** The [[Big Finish]] Audios also gave [[Rescued
* Whether [[Arthur Darvill]] was any good at acting in his earlier career was mostly up for debate due to the fact that he spent most of it playing back up for a much more [[The Sooty Show|famous]] teddy bear, and now... well, watch any episode of ''Doctor Who'' he's in and you'll see what this guy can do. His conversation with Amy in "The Pandorica Opens" is arguably his best scene.
* Owen Wilson in [[Wes Anderson]] films: ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' and ''The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou''.
** Speaking of ''Royal Tennenbaums'', typically sophomoric movie actor Ben Stiller convincingly plays a grieving, tightly-wound widower.
* When [[Desperate Housewives|Teri Hatcher]] is cast as the Other Mother in ''[[Coraline (
* Channing Tatum, mostly known for being reasonably hot and dancing in ''Step Up'', actually pulled off a really powerful and tragic performance in ''A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints'', even going so far as to have a Method moment and throwing a table through a window in an unscripted and highly emotional scene.
* Frank Sinatra crooned and hoofed his way through ''Anchors Aweigh'' and ''On The Town'', and then won an Oscar as Maggio in ''From Here To Eternity''. In his acceptance speech, he admitted that he was just a "song-and-dance man." (One that would go on to play several more Oscar-worthy roles, such as ''The Man With the Golden Arm'', and ''Suddenly'', where he plays a stone-cold psychopath.)
** Not to mention his performance in ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (novel)|The Manchurian Candidate]]''.
* Doc Hammer of ''[[The Venture Bros]]'' had this reaction to ''himself''. In the [[DVD Commentary]] to ''The Invisible Hand Of Fate'', he says that normally he and Jackson Publick are reading the lines for [[Man of a Thousand Voices|their many side characters]], they're pretty much just reading the lines in a funny voice without even trying to act. In that particular episode, Doc discovered his acting chops, pointing out the scene where Billy Quizboy angrily confronts the people manipulating him.
* ''Edward Scissorhands'' got this kind of attention for [[Johnny Depp]]. During his ''[[21 Jump Street]]'' days he had been thought of more as a teen mag coverboy than an actor (a situation that did not make him happy).
* Dick Powell was a regular song-and-dance man in the forties used to doing lighthearted musicals, but his turn as a jaded and cynical private detective in ''[[
* [[Vincent Price]] is normally thought of a quite a [[Large Ham]], more campy than generally scary. Even in straight-up horror suspense pictures like ''[[House
** Or if you watch ''Dragonwyk'' where he deftly pulls off the charming leading man, capable of seducing [[Gene Tierney]]. It's a role Gregory Peck was originally supposed to play.
** Anyone who still doubts Prices acting chops should see his role in "The Song of Bernadette,"
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* Mo'Nique, whose entire filmography up until this point had consisted of [[Lowest Common Denominator|low-brow]] comedies, shocked ''everyone'' with her portrayal of an abusive, mentally unstable mother in ''[[Precious]]'', a role which earned her a much-deserved Oscar.
** [[Mariah Carey]]'s performance in the same film was also praised.
* Although critics nowadays are generally big fans of [[Leonardo
** So they forgot ''[[
** For others, his real breakout performance was in ''[[The Departed]]''.
** The last holdouts were almost certainly converted by ''[[Shutter Island]]'' and/or ''[[Inception]].''
* [[Kristen Stewart]], best known for playing [[Twilight (
** It's worth noting that she already had a [[Catch That Kid|good performance]] to her name.
*** Also from earlier on, ''[[Panic Room]]'', especially {{spoiler|the hypoglycemic fit}} while trapped with her mother in said room.
*** [[Speak]] is a great performance too.
*** [[Adventureland]] also counts, with a surprisingly realistic performance.
** Perhaps her most admired performance so far is her role as a prostitute from ''[[Welcome to
** Stewart seems to be a genuinely talented actress; she's simply best known for a role whose motivations and lines are incredibly hard to communicate convincingly.
* Billy Connolly in a number of smaller roles, but the breakout is probably the film ''Mrs Brown''. As well as [[The Boondock Saints]] franchise in which he plays the stoic, [[Badass Grandpa|aging yet ruthless]] [[Hitman
** Anyone who's surprised by Billy Connolly's acting ability obviously hasn't seen his stand-up, where he plays hundreds of characters of varying voices and accents. There's an early video of him playing a man doing a quiet [[Anguished Declaration of Love]], only to let off a fart in the middle of it.
* Neil Patrick Harris is an odd example. He's re-invented himself as a comedic actor in the last decade after being known as a child star in the 80s. Then came [[
** He was also very touching as a disturbed, socially-awkward murderer in ''[[Law and Order: Criminal Intent]]''.
* Firass Dirani was wasted on ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force|Mystic Force]]'', as demonstrated by his recent (Logie Award-winning) appearance on ''[[Underbelly]]: The Golden Mile''. Similarly, [[Power Rangers Jungle Fury|Anna Hutchison's]] fantastic performance as Allison Dine on ''Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities''.
** So was Amy Jo Johnson. There's a great moment from the second season of the original show when Kim is kidnapped by Goldar and is turned into his perfect bride... which happens to be Rita Repulsa. The potion doesn't take, but Kim decides to mess with Goldar, Squatt and Baboo and turn in a pitch-perfect imitation of Rita, right down to the screeching and "I have a headache!", enough that Goldar thinks it worked too well. Even [[Atop the Fourth Wall
** Power Rangers is actually pretty good for these moments. Considering that one of the prerequisites for being a Ranger is being a "Teenager with Attitude" (or at least a young adult), you end up with very young people who are doing their very first big job, and have little experience otherwise. It could be said that they become good actors ''because'' of their time on ''Rangers.''
** Melody Perkins jumps in leaps and bounds from her first appearance as Astronema in [[Power Rangers in Space]]. In her first few appearances, she [[Chewing the Scenery|chews]] and [[Evil Is Hammy|hams]] more than the [[Power Rangers Turbo|previous season's]] villain [[Meaningful Name|Divatox,]] including a great amount of [[Large Ham|Shatner speech.]] A few episodes and she'd gotten better, and then came the epic 'Secret of the Locket' arc, where she portrayed Astronema teetered between good and evil so well that the viewer honestly didn't know where she would end up in the end. And THEN, after turning her back on being a bad guy, she is downright [[Nightmare Fuel|TERRIFYING]] when she is reprogrammed back into her Astronema persona.
** Olivia Tennet, and her performance as Dr. K, are just a couple of the reasons why ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]'' is so awesome. Let's review: At first, she is totally deadpan and hardly changes facial expressions or displays emotions. (It's in character, so it's justified. Dr. K only loses it whenever [[Berserk Button|someone mentions that the suits are made of spandex]], including a little kid.) And then there's the episode [[Day in The Limelight|"Doctor K"]], where Olivia really gets to shine. Holy cow. That she portrayed the various emotions her character felt throughout the episode, especially the [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|guilt she faced over her mistakes]], with seeming effortlessness was awesome enough--especially considering how difficult it would be to portray a [[Teen Genius]] that [[Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds|accidentally destroyed nearly the whole world]]. That she did it at only 17 years old (when ''RPM'' began production) makes it a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for her.
* Jackson Rathbone's performance in ''[[Twilight (
** There are a ''lot'' of surprisingly good turns for UnSubs. [[
* Even though it was just voice-acting, ''Andy Dick'' (in)famously known for his shock-value comedy, gave a truly tragic performance as [["Well Done, Son" Guy|Nuka in his last moments]] in ''[[The Lion King]] II''.
** He was also very good in the English dub of ''[[Laputa: Castle in
* Somewhat subverted in the case of [[Eliza Dushku]] and ''[[Dollhouse]]''. Most fans agree that her acting skills at the show's beginning were, while not awful, very limited. But then came the season 2 finale {{spoiler|in which she hits it out of the park, when the realization of Paul's death finally hits her}}.
* [[Paris Hilton]] in ''[[Repo!
** And her brief, almost self mocking appearance on ''[[Supernatural]]'' in season 5.
* In the early '90s, probably no one thought that rapper [[Mark Wahlberg|"Marky Mark" Wahlberg]] will once be nominated for an Oscar (''[[The Departed]]'', 2006).
** ''[[The Basketball Diaries]]'' proved it first, but he also gave magnificent performances in ''[[Boogie Nights]]'', ''[[Three Kings]]'', and ''[[I
** Similarly, his brother Donnie Wahlberg was just that dude from New Kids on the Block until he showed up in ''[[Ransom]].'' Later performances in ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' and ''[[Band of Brothers]]'' cemented his status as a solid, talented character actor.
* Most people wrote Orlando Bloom off as basically worthless because of his [[Estrogen Brigade Bait|popularity with]] [[Unfortunate Implications|girls and women]] until his [[Take That Me|self-deprecating]] appearance on an episode of ''Extras'' and his performance as a near-suicidal failed writer in the London play ''In Celebration.'' Fans could have told these people that all they needed to do was watch him in ''Ned Kelly'' or ''Haven'' to see what he can do.
** Or ''Elizabethtown''.
* [[Bruce Willis
** Eh, we'd already seen ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''.
*** ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' is arguably a better example, proving just how much range he really has.
*** An earlier example: ''Death Becomes Her''. Who knew that he could be goofy too? (Well, anyone who remembered ''[[Moonlighting]]'', but such films as ''[[
*** Even earlier, anyone who thinks he can only play wisecracking action heroes is advised to see him as a disabled Vietnam vet in ''In Country''.
** This has happened to Bruce a few times. He started off as a comedic actor in ''[[Moonlighting]]'' and when it came time for him to do action roles like ''[[
*** He's not the only one. Lloyd Bridges came at it in the opposite direction, spending part of the 60s establishing himself as a dramatic, action hero actor on film and in television. And then came ''Airplane!'', and his comic career was born. More than ten years of parody films like ''[[Hot Shots]]'' later, his son [[Jeff Bridges]] is doing ''[[
** The movie adaptation of ''[[Sin City]]''.
* [[Brad Pitt]] in ''[[
** Note that this is one of the first roles where his looks were seriously downplayed and he had to succeed on pure ability. And he aced it.
* Cher. When her name came up in the opening credits for ''Moonstruck'', the audience laughed. She bagged an Oscar for it.
** Cher in [[
* Tom Wansey, in [[Ace Lightning]]. For most of the first series, people weren't convinced he knew what he was doing; then came an episode with the series first character "[[Disney Death|death]]". He hasn't been seen since, of course, excluding a brief stint in a hospital drama; make of that what you will...
* Mike O'Malley is known for [[Yes, Dear|subpar comedies that somehow made it past 5 seasons]], Nickelodeon game shows, and being a Boston sports fan. However it wasn't until his turn on ''[[Glee]]'' as Kurt's father that people realized that he can actually act!
** He's also playing a recurring role on ''[[Parenthood (TV series)|Parenthood]]''.
*** Also revealing unexpected depth on ''[[Parenthood (TV series)|Parenthood]]'' -- Dax Shepard, who got his start goofing off with Ashton Kutcher on Punk'd.
**** Back on the subject of Mike O'Malley, this goes back earlier than ''[[Glee]]'' and ''[[Parenthood (TV series)|Parenthood]]''. Case in point: the [[Too Good to Last]] NBC series ''[[My Own Worst Enemy]]'' where he switches back and forth between a falsely created personality as a loving husband and his true self as a [[Badass]] killing machine spy.
* During the Rifftrax of the movie ''Daredevil'', Mike is briefly impressed by a moment of good acting from [[Ben Affleck]] as he plays blind lawyer Matt Murdock.
{{quote|
'''Mike:''' Huh. Ben Affleck takes a stab at acting. And that's the last time we'll ever see him do that. }}
** ''[[Chasing Amy]]'', particularly the car scene.
** ''Hollywoodland'' also got plenty of mileage in this department.
** He manages to be a legit [[One-Scene Wonder|scene stealer]] in ''[[Boiler Room]]'' as well. To the point that he almost steals the entire movie.
*** ''[[
** While We're on the subject of the Affleck Brothers, let's not forget Casey. After bit parts in comedies such as ''[[The Last Kiss]]'' and the ''Oceans'' Films, no one expected much. Then in ''[[The Assassination of Jesse James]]'', he delivers an absolutely stunning and brilliantly understated performance as Bob Ford, the much reviled murderer of Jesse James, who wants nothing more than to be famous. His role in ''[[Gone Baby Gone]]'' shows that he's only going to get better!
** He isn't alone either. While no one was really in doubt after ''[[Babel]]'' and ''[[Fight Club]]'', Brad Pitt really proved his talent as the violent, psychotic, but self-loathing, and deeply remorseful Jesse, who has the live with the guilt of the bloodshed he has caused.
* How about Ludacris in ''[[Law and Order SVU]]'' as Darius, Fin's evil stepson. He was pretty impressive as a villain, and honestly stole the show as a legitimately intimidating perp.
** SVU is apparently good for this sort of thing. Witness [[The Carol Burnett Show|Carol Burnett]] (yes, ''that'' Carol Burnett) as Birdie Sulloway in season 10's "Ballerina" and Kathy Griffin, (yes, ''that'' Kathy Griffin) as Babs Duffy in season 11's "P.C."
** Another odd case is Cynthia Nixon. While she is a good actress, and no one's arguing that, she's best known at this point for ''[[Sex and
** Even before Ludacris, there's Ice-T himself. While he'd been seriously acting for a few years, most of his roles were drug dealers and gangbangers, which people probably didn't see as a stretch for someone known primarily as a gangta rapper. There were a lot of raised eyebrows when he appeared on screen to play Fin Tutuola, with jokes about the rapper who brought you "Copkiller" playing a cop. And then he proceeded to own the role.
** There was also Schyuler Fisk, best known as Sissy Spacek's Daughter and the Girlfriend in ''Orange County'' playing a college student who has a child with her estranged father. Talent clearly runs in that family.
** Let's not forget Robert Patrick, best known as the T-1000. His role as a sex offender is creepier than anything involving liquid metal or guns.
*** Of course, fans of ''[[The X
*** And don't forget his turn in [[The Sopranos]] as a compulsive gambler in way over his head. When he finally breaks down in anguish, it is absolutely heartbreaking.
*** Hell, anyone who saw ''[[Terminator]] 2'' knew that. There's a reason the T-1000 has made so many "best villain" lists, and at least half of that is due to Patrick's [[Nightmare Fuel|utterly]] [[Uncanny Valley|terrifying]] performance.
** While he was always good, Chris Meloni really proved himself in his monologue in the season two episode "Victims."
*** And he showed impressive comic talents in ''[[Wet Hot American Summer]]'', a guest spot on ''[[Scrubs]]'', and ''[[Gym Teacher:
* While [[Chris Pine]] was hardly ''bad'' in ''[[Star Trek (
** But then, anyone who saw ''Bottle Shock'' knew that he could act already...
** Anybody saw "Carriers", was spot on being a jerk, but with other implications... heartbreaking actually...
* Ellen DeGeneres's [[Living Emotional Crutch|"I look at you, and I'm home"]] speech in ''[[Finding Nemo]]''.
** The DVD commentary said that the take they used was her second one- by the end of recording the first one, she was crying so much because she thought she had ruined the line, and she had to take a break. By the second try, she was still distraught over the first take. Probably an example of method acting.
* [[Miley Cyrus]] in ''[[
** Don't forget ''The Last Song'', several critics, most notably [[Roger Ebert]] praised her acting in that film. But, she got a Razzie nomination for it.
** Most people that gave ''[[Hannah Montana]]'' a chance instead of [[Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch|automatically panning it just because it was a Disney show]] already knew that Cyrus had real charisma and a flair for comedy. Even in the first season where she clearly showed her inexperience, she had some moments of brilliance (watch the episode where she also plays her [[Uncanny Family Resemblance|evil identical cousin]]).
* It might not have been intentional, but the [[The Nostalgia Critic
** These people must have missed the end of the bit where he acts out the Joker's monologue from ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.
** While most of the Critic's proper woobie moments are just Doug putting his natural-born [[Puppy Dog Eyes]] to good use, his breakdown before the [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in the "Commercials Special" wasn't just shouting, screaming or OTT crying, it was... genuinely sad.
** And he does it yet again in ''[[Suburban Knights]]''. From Ma-Ti's {{spoiler|death}} to Linkara giving him an idea for another quest, the Critic looks and acts like his whole world has been destroyed. And not just common review suffering, he's 100% broken. Doug should be proud of himself.
* [[Atop the Fourth Wall
** Lewis is amazing at portraying fear and sadness, portraying these in Cry For Justice 5-7 and Care Bears 13.
** 90's Kid {{spoiler|possessed/replaced by the Entity}} is easily the high point.
* "8-Bit" Mickey Paradis surprised a lot of people with his acting chops in ''[[Suburban Knights]]''. Known more for his wacky dancing and willingness to lose his clothes, his range of emotions was a big change.
* Nella in [[
* Not a comedic example, but after playing Meredith Grey as a perpetually vague, droll, half-asleep character for what seemed hundreds of episodes, all of a sudden Ellen Pompeo confronts her lucid mother about how she just can't deal with yet another upheaval in her life. It's not one of Izzie's Steven's hysterical meltdowns; it's quiet, understated, and completely rips your heart out.
* Georgia van Cuylenberg spent most of ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' making Vanille into one of the most irritating [[Genki Girl|Genki Girls]] ever. Then came a little scene on a stormy rooftop in Nautilus. ''Damn'' but she can act an [[Heroic BSOD|epic breakdown]].
* Josh Peck, famous for kid-oriented shows like ''[[Drake and Josh]]'', ''[[The Amanda Show]]'', and various movies got his HRCA moment in 2008's ''The Wackness''.
* [[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]] in just about everything he's done since ''[[3rd Rock
** Basically every review for ''[[Mysterious Skin]]'' has a sentence that is essentially: "HOLY. COW. Didn't see that coming."
** But nobody really noticed until he returned to acting after taking off a few years to go to college. And not only his acting chops, but how fully committed he can be to any role or bit performed. His stint as host of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' had him perform the "Make Em' Laugh" number from ''[[Singin' in
*** [http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQyOTI3Mzky.html The performance can be seen here.] And yes, he does do the backflip off the wall. Twice.
*** His performance in ''[[Brick]]'', which came out very soon after ''Mysterious Skin'' and starred Gordon-Levitt as a teenage ''hardboiled detective'', had a similar effect. But for the grand majority of movie audiences, it was almost certainly ''[[Inception]]''.
*** Actually, for the majority of people his breakout role was more likely ''[[
* [[Robert Pattinson]]. ''[[Remember Me]]''. Not that he was ever bad, per se, but ''holy cow''. But he earned a Razzie nomination for it.
** ''[[Water for Elephants]]''.
** This could pretty much be said for the majority of the ''[[Twilight (
* [[James Bond (
** Right in the middle of his stint as James Bond, he starred in ''[[The Wild Geese]]'' as basically Daniel Craig's version of Bond, ie a hard, cold badass. His first scene where he forces a drug dealer to overdose on his own product is quite unnerving to people used to his foppish, denonair Bond.
*** Not forgetting ''[[For Your Eyes Only (
* ''[[The Invention of Lying]]'', despite being a comedy, features one very effective scene of Ricky Gervais' character improvising a description of Heaven to comfort his dying mother, which shows Gervais could easily start a career as a dramatic actor if he ever wanted to.
** This should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the Extras christmas special and Andy's speech to camera at the end.
** Wait. This is a surprise? Anyone who was watching Series 2 of [[The Office]] in the U.K already knew this.
* Anthony Anderson spent quite a few years being thought of as just a funny fat guy, verging on [[Uncle Tomfoolery]] in some roles. Then came his terrifying run as [[Large Ham]] [[Complete Monster]] Antwon Mitchell on ''[[The Shield]]'', leading to more highbrow films like ''[[The Departed]]'' and a starring role on ''[[Law
** He was also good as a more laid-back Louisiana cop on the [[Screwed
** Also in ''The Shield'', Walter Emmanuel Jones, who played [[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|the first Black Ranger]], as a coked out gangbanger.
* Cameron Diaz in ''[[Being John Malkovich]]''. She's unrecognizable and really good.
** ''[[Any Given Sunday]]'', in which she holds her own against [[Al Pacino]].
* [[Mark Hamill]] impressed ''everyone'' after ''[[Star Wars]]'' by taking very serious roles in the Broadway versions of ''[[Amadeus]]'', and ''[[The Elephant Man]]''. Then he started [[Batman:
** Also see ''[[Wing Commander (
* While he was arguably already giving the best performance in the ''[[Twilight (
* You know [[Charlie Chaplin]]? The guy with the funny mustache who did slapstick in old silent comedies? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcvjoWOwnn4 Behold]. Holy ''moley''.
* [[Professional Wrestling|The Rock]], while [[Kayfabe|technically an actor]], was hardly what most people would have thought of as one. [[Dwayne Johnson]], on the other hand, is quite successful.
** Interestingly, when the idea for the movie ''[[The One (
* [[Michael Cera]]'s constantly mocked for his typecasting ("Hey, have you seen that Michael Cera film where he plays an awkward teenager who falls in love with a quirky girl?"), but he's starting to be seen in a new light after playing [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]] [[Scott Pilgrim
** [[Youth in Revolt]], that's all.
* [[Alyson Hannigan]]. She did okay in films, and looked decent in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', but the episode "Dopplegangland" was where she showed she could really, really act. Evil Vampire!Willow was darn impressive, but then Good!Willow tries to imitate Vampire!Willow, and Vampire!Willow tries to imitate Good!Willow. It was a tour de force performance.
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* When Nina Dobrev was cast in the roles of Elena and Katherine for ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'' most people thought she would never be able to carry the series, let alone play two completely different characters, judging by her performances on ''[[Degrassi]]''. Fast forward to mid season one, and people started to realize just how talented she actually is. Fast forward to season two, and she had viewers and critics floored by how easily she slips between Elena and Katherine while keeping both of them completely in character.
* Tom Welling is able to play several completely different in personality characters in [[Smallville]]. There's Clark Kent, Kal (Clark while infected by Red Kryptonite, a hedonistic and insensitive [[Jerkass]]), Kal-El (Clark Kent's [[Straw Vulcan]] Kryptonian self), a teenage Jor-El during flashbacks, Bizarro (who starts out as a [[Complete Monster]] and gets [[Character Development]] into a [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]), and Clark Luthor/Ultraman (a [[Complete Monster]] who's screwing his own sister). And when Clark gets possessed, he perfectly copies the person's speech patterns.
** He also did a great impression of John Glover/Lionel Luthor in the [[Body Swap]] episode.
** Welling also has good comedic timing, as can be seen in "Hex" where he's cursed into forgetting he has superpowers. See [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dciw9alV1S0 here for some of the highlights].
** You can even see how Tom Welling improves as an actor by the different personalities he portrays on the show. Kal and Kal-El seem a little over-done and forced when he portrays them, but his Clark Luthor is so different from the normal Clark through subtle acting differences and a more reserved portrayal. Clark Luthor is probably the most disturbing thing this troper has seen on the show; he looks like Clark, but Welling portrays him completely differently whilst simultaneously avoiding the viewer thinking "this is just the guy who plays Clark doing him another character" - we are absorbed into the role.
** The same can also be said for his co-star Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. While he was never bad in the series (Quite the opposite, in fact), it was the season three arc when Lex is desperately trying to win his father's affection by doing increasingly terrible things that really showed how much he had grown. When he crosses the line into full-on villainy, its both terrifying and heartbreaking. He shows how horrible a person Lex can be while reminding us of the boy he used to be. By the end, it is practically impossible to imagine anyone else playing the role.
* In case you didn't catch [[Ryan Reynolds]] in ''[[Definitely Maybe (
** He pulls off absolutely terrifying extremely well in ''[[The Amityville Horror]]'' 2005 remake.
* [[Justin Timberlake]] in ''[[Alpha Dog]]''. This probably got him the cred he needed to get a key role in ''[[The Social Network]]''.
** Timberlake also really earned his bones as a comedy performer with the famous ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' skit "Dick in a Box" and his series of commercials for Sony.
*** Timberlake's performance in ''[[The Social Network]]'' is also one of these, as both a comedic & dramatic actor.
*** Even his vocal performance as Boo-Boo in the ''[[
*** His understated performance in ''[[Black Snake Moan]]'' is quite impressive.
** Watch the video for [[Elton John]]'s 'This Train Don't Stop There Anymore', especially the part where Elton's against the wall and sinking. Then notice where this entry is on the list, and that Sir Elton doesn't look like that these days ... and look at how accurate it was.
* [[Hugh Jackman]] the triple role of Tomas/Tommy/Tom in ''[[The Fountain]].'' It was amazing.
** Another example is him portraying the double of a man who is also played by him in ''[[The Prestige]]''. Up until the double starts "acting" as him, they actually look, sound and move ''like different people'' and the transformation is genuinely astonishing.
** The skill in portraying such a morally ambiguous yet still somewhat sympathetic character in The Prestige that makes the viewer forget that they're even watching Wolverine's actor also shows his skill.
* George Eads of [[CSI]] was a passable but unremarkable actor, but then came the season five episodes "Grave Danger: Volume 1" and "Grave Danger: Volume 2." Wow.
** Especially considering that he spends about 90% of "Grave Danger" {{spoiler|in a box the size of a coffin.}}
* Marlon Wayans in ''[[Requiem for
** And again ''[[G.I. Joe:
* Chris Tucker in ''[[Dead Presidents (
** And for both him and [[Ice T]] in ''New Jack City''. Often in the same scene.
* [[Megan Fox]] in [[Eminem]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&feature=related "Love The Way You Lie" music video.]
** Eminem himself, in ''[[
* Jessica Biel in ''[[The Illusionist (
** ''[[Easy Virtue]]'' showed she was a great actress. As well as a surprisingly good singer!
* From the serious to the comic: [[David Bowie]]'s mysterious, cool, sensual aura has bled into so many of his film/TV roles over the years that one can forget his genuine acting talent...so as a quick refresher, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXvAaNcXNzI enjoy] the short film/music video hybrid ''Jazzin' for Blue Jean'', in which [[Acting for Two]] results in [[Adam Westing]] of the coolness and an [[Adorkable]] protagonist.
* [[Jet Li]], best known as a pint-sized badass martial artist, in ''Ocean Heaven''. The romantic drama, proudly touted as his "first non martial-arts film", has Li play a terminally-ill father of a 22-year-old autistic child.
** Or ''[[Danny the Dog]]''. The martial arts are used in service of the story (i.e., the fights express emotion just as clearly as the dialogue), and his mannerisms when playing a man raised as a dog are ''uncanny''.
** As to his martial arts movies, it is worth pointing out that Li delivered terrific performance in ''[[Hero (
*** Don't forget his role as Wong Fei Hung in the ''[[Once Upon a Time
* Natalie Portman in ''[[
** Natalie Portman has been doing critically acclaimed movies for some time now.
*** [[Mila Kunis]], [[That '70s Show|usually]] [[Family Guy
* [[Lisa Kudrow]], better known for her role as Phoebe in ''[[Friends]]'', in the 1998 film ''[[The Opposite of Sex]]''.
** See also her work in ''[[The Comeback]]'' and ''[[Web Therapy]]''.
** And her role in Paper Man, where you can actually see her channeling "Angrish Phoebe" in a productive way that works. It's on Netflix, look it up.
* Jesse Eisenberg, although giving good performances in films like ''[[
* Mickie James, in that episode of [[WWE Raw]] where she tricks [[Trish Stratus]] into believing Trish's boyfriend Jack had just tried to rape her.
* That doofy guy from ''[[Bosom Buddies]]'', and ''[[Bachelor Party]]'', and ''[[Volunteers]]'', and ''[[Mazes and Monsters]]'', ... and then Tom Hanks did ''[[Philadelphia (
* People only familiar with [[Angelina Jolie]] from the ''[[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
** Her role in ''[[Girl, Interrupted]]'' cemented her status as a great actress, and that was before ''Tomb Raider''.
* For a while, it seemed like [[James Franco]] was going to be remembered as whiny and irritating Harry Osborn in ''Spider-Man''. Then along came ''[[Pineapple Express]]'', and
** This had arguably happened earlier when he fully embodied the role of [[James Dean]] and when he held his own in ''[[Milk]]''. Earlier still in ''[[Freaks & Geeks]]'' as Daniel, the cool rebel deconstruction, who desperately wants to break out of the loser perception everyone has of him. His speech about being one of the "Dumb Kids" is heartbreaking, even if you know before hand that it is setting up a final joke...
** He actually improved alot over the course of the ''Spider-Man'' movies, going from wooden in one movie, to "whiny and irritating" in the next, to ''very convincing'' in the third, as he plays Harry as evil and vengeful, with amnesia, in a moral dilemma, and ''dying'' all in the same film.
* [[Gorillaz]] bassist Murdoc is voiced by Phil Cornwell, who's a comedian by trade. Since the tone in the interviews and animated shorts is usually [[Non Sequitur|weird and light-hearted,]] this works out pretty well. But in the iTunes session interviews, there are some surprisingly frightful parts, and Cornwell proves himself as an actor by bringing Murdoc across as [[Jerkass|phenomenally scummy,]] even intimidating. The brutal on-tape fights and {{spoiler|[[Ho Yay|suggestive]] chloroform scene}} are played quite convincingly for the characters, adding a dark new layer to the [[Gorillaz]] story development.
* [[Richard Pryor]]. Anyone who has only seen a small portion of his standup and his movies with Gene Wilder can be forgiven for assuming that he is not a particularly great actor. Funny yes, but not a great actor. And then in some of his performances, he'll pull out the Mudbone character, or some other similar characters (junkies and such) that are both ''amazingly'' well performed '''and''' a serious bit of [[Mood Whiplash]] compared to his usual energetic comedic style.
** He also gives an excellent straight dramatic performance in ''[[Blue Collar]]''.
* [[Kanye West]] in [[Tear Jerker|We Were Once a Fairytale]]. ''[[Up to Eleven|Twice]].''
** Also him on [[The Cleveland Show]].
* Joel McHale in ''[[
{{quote|
** Pretty much everyone on ''[[
* Shane Kippel in ''[[Degrassi]]''. He was criticized ''a lot'' during his tenure on the show (primarily earlier seasons) for not really being able to act when it came to dramatic sequences (which, being ''Degrassi'', did happen sometimes). Then he played a supporting character in the film ''Dog Pound'', which caused just about ''everybody'' to go back and do a [[Double Take
* Jack Huston, grandson of [[John Huston|that famous director]] and nephew of [[Anjelica Huston|that other badass lady]], was perfectly serviceable in things like "[[Eastwick]]," the very silly and enjoyable ''[[Outlander (
** Boardwalk Empire has this effect with a few of its stars. Steve Buscemi plays very well against type as the ruthless but humane Nucky; but it is Michael Stuhlbarg, a former bit player whose only major role was as the timed Woody Allen type lead in ''[[A Serious Man]]'', as the brilliant but deeply twisted Arnold Rothstein and Michael Shannon as the psychopathic [[Knight Templar]] Agent Van Alden that really leave a mark.
** To say Paz de la Huerta is [[The Scrappy|disliked by the majority]] [[Hatedom|of the fandom]] is putting it mildly. However, watching her performance in the season two episode "A Dangerous Maid" surprised a lot of her detractors as you watch Lucy Danzinger come to terms with her pregnancy, her baby's father, and her future. It's some very deft work from Ms. de la Huerta.
* [[Jackie Chan]] is known for more comedic roles, so his dramatic performance in ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' remake surprised many viewers.
** Not those who'd seen [[Shinjuku Incident]]. Chan plays a less glamorous version of [[
* Though ''[[Damages]]'' wiped out any possible doubts about Ted Danson, no one expected [[Cheers|Sam Malone]] to knock it out of the park as Gulliver in the '90s TV version of ''[[
* After twenty years, Sam Rockwell became everyone's favourite quirky independent actor. He gave excellent serious performances in ''[[The Assassination of Jesse James]]'' and ''Frost/Nixon'' but it was his complex, emotionally demanding role in ''[[
* After small roles in ''[[The Adventures of Pete and Pete]]'' and other shows, Heather Matarazzo turned a searing and remarkably mature performance in ''[[Welcome to The Dollhouse]]'' proving immense skill for any actor but especially for a twelve year old.
* Anne Hathaway in ''[[Rachel Getting Married]]'' proved that she is a force to be reckoned with.
* Something of a retro example: Christopher Walken has never been regarded as a bad actor, but his persona is so famous that it can often overshadow his talent. He was brilliant in ''[[King of New York]]'' as the drug kingpin who knows that his dreams of redemption are futile and he cannot escape the burden of guilt and in ''[[The Funeral]]'' as a man who is fully aware that his bloodlust will only cause more destruction for everyone and who believes that he will go to Hell when he dies. And if you can get through ''[[Catch Me If You Can]]'' without shedding a tear, there's a fiver here with your name on it.
** And if you need further convincing, check out [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5mE4LiUX0 this behind-the-scenes clip] of Walken from ''Catch Me If You Can'' (at about the 2:20 mark). This guy's the real deal.
* [[Harvey Keitel]] was always a good supporting actor, proving he could hold his own alongside [[De Niro]] but never getting the big parts. Then in ''[[
* Simon Pegg in ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]'''s dramatic scenes. A comedy actor shouldn't be that good at crying.
** He also makes a surprisingly good villain of the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] type, if you happen to be a fan of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
* Many people who only knew [[Hayden Panettiere]] as [[Heroes (TV series)|Claire the cheerleader]] got a very pleasant surprise on seeing her performance in ''[[Scream (
* You wouldn't think that [[Diedrich Bader]] would be any good at serious deadpan roles after ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'' and ''[[Office Space]]''. But his performance as Batman on [[Batman:
* After being known as a Leading man and Hollywood Actor, Tom Cruise proved his talent in ''[[Born On the Fourth of July]]'' as the all-American ex-Marine turned anti-war activist Ron Kovic. He had similar parts in ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' and ''[[Magnolia]]'' showing what he can do. He arguably proved it earlier than that in ''[[The Color of Money]]'', merely by not being blown off the screen by Paul Newman.
** Cruise made his name with muff, fluff and stuff like ''[[Risky Business]]'', ''[[Cocktail]]'' and that paen to [[Ho Yay]] and the U.S. Navy, ''[[Top Gun]]''. His "serious" co-star turn with [[Dustin Hoffman]] in ''Rainman'' got the critics to sit up and take notice and persuaded [[Oliver Stone]] to use him for [[Oscar Bait]] in ''[[Born On the Fourth of July]]''.
** He's completely unrecognizable as a fat, bald, [[Cluster F-Bomb]]-spewing media mogul in ''[[Tropic Thunder]]''.
** He's a beautifully broken man in ''[[Vanilla Sky]]''.
* While best known for taking his shirt off constantly and talking like a drunk, Matthew McConaughey proved he was no slouch in ''[[A Time to Kill]]'', in which he brings remarkable depth to what could have been a shallow role and effortlessly holding his own alongside veterans and critically acclaimed actors such as: [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Donald Sutherland]], [[Kevin Spacey]], Chris Cooper, Brenda Fricker and Charles Dutton. He now seems to be returning to that with his role in 2011's ''[[Lincoln Lawyer]]''.
* [[Colin Morgan]] and [[Angel Coulby]] easily dominated the early episodes of ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', especially with their character's reactions to their [[Girl of the Week|girlfriend]] and father's deaths respectively, but Bradley James gets to prove himself with Arthur's rage against Uther and subsequent meltdown when he discovers the truth about his mother. Angel and Bradley also deserve credit for ''completely and utterly selling'' the Arthur/Guinevere romance, a relationship that even the ''shippers'' admit was initially a bad case of [[Strangled
** [[Katie McGrath]] was often considered the weak link amongst the younger cast considering she was the only one who had no professional training, but she manages a heart-rending delivery of the line: "I'm scared, Merlin," and nails a later scene in which Merlin is forced to poison her, in which she goes from confusion, to gradual realization, to horror and panic without a single word of dialogue.
** It's pretty common for fans to be blown away when seeing Colin Morgan in a serious role for the first time - he's never ''bad'' as Merlin, but in ''Island'' and ''Parked', his two subsequent film roles, he's phenomenal to the point that after having gone to see either film specifically for him, it's easy to be so drawn in to his performanc that you forget tha that it's him.
* Season 10 of [[Smallville]] is showing that Lucas Gabreel doesn't need ''[[High School Musical]]'' to show that he can really act, especially since he plays [[Evil Redhead|Alexander]] [[Teens Are Monsters|Luthor]] and [[Superboy|Conner Kent]].
* In a rare voice acting example, Andrea Libman has always been known for playing kiddie roles that doesn't exactly require too much acting. For ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
** This also applies for some of the other voice actresses on the show. As CR put it, their performances in the previous [[My Little Pony]] shows were probably only lackluster because they weren't given anything interesting to say.
* [[Vin Diesel]] is the kind of "actor" who basically plays the same type of character, regardless of what character he's supposed to be playing. And then he did ''[[Find Me Guilty]]'', and suddenly people were quoting the trope name.
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** The episode "The Rapture" aired two seasons before the above episodes, and is widely praised as one of the best examples of Misha's acting ability. In this episode, he transitioned from the relatively emotionless Castiel to his very human vessel Jimmy, and [[Tear Jerker|brought many viewers to tears]] in the process. Notable since this episode is during his first season on ''[[Supernatural]]'', before which he was largely unknown.
* Nicole Richie as an enemy agent in ''[[Chuck]]''.
* While Tobey Maguire may be best known for being [[Spider
** See also The Cider House Rules and Pleasantville.
* The acting in ''[[
** Alfie Allen's masterful [[Calling the Old Man Out]] in the third episode of season two proves he's not just Lily's [[Butt Monkey]] brother anymore.
* Remember Judith Light from ''[[
* Lacey Turner was fairly well-known in Britain for portraying Stacey Slater in popular soap opera ''[[Eastenders]]''. When she was cast in the third season of ''[[Being Human (UK)]]'', many fans groaned at the prospect of having to sit through the performance of an actress largely known for shouting loudly at everyone else in the room. The fanbase was very pleasantly surprised when she turned in a surprisingly nuanced performance as vengeful murder victim Lia.
** She also underwent quite a transformation within ''EastEnders''. She was perfectly good as a shouter, but her last few months on the show and her character's struggle with being bipolar showed what a phenomenal actress Lacey Turner actually is.
* [[The Young Ones|Adrian]] [[Bottom|Edmondson]] on ''[[Holby City]]''. His character, Abra, starts out as borderline [[Plucky Comic Relief|comic relief]], as one would expect from him, but it eventually becomes clear that the man can [[Tear Jerker|reduce his audience to a sobbing mess]] just as easily.
* Carrie Anne Moss proved some depth in ''[[
* In his first two major roles, ''[[Moonlight]]'' and ''Three Rivers'', Alex O'Loughlin didn't impress many people (except with his hotness). But then he guest-starred on an episode of ''[[
** When you compare the withdrawn, quiet and fairly meek serial killer to his highly-physical, snarking, and aggressive Steve McGarrett in the new ''[[Hawaii Five
* [[Demi Lovato]] won critical praise for her guest role in 2010 on ''[[Grey's Anatomy
* [[Lady Gaga]] at the 2011 VMAs proved that she could be a great stage actor.
* Bizarrely, some have had this reaction to ''[[Transformers (
** In a more "he really can direct" way, this movie clearly proved that if [[Michael Bay]] wants to make a serious, mature and dark movie, he makes a serious, mature and dark movie ''right''.
* Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper on ''[[Mad Men]]'', especially when she pulls the [[Deliberately Cute Child]] act in "The Beautiful Girls". There's a reason why her little brother has been [[The Other Darrin|replaced four times]] while she's still on the show, even getting [[Promotion to Opening Titles|into the opening credits in Season 4]].
* Jack Black is known for being goofy, silly, immature, etc. Then comes along his despicable character in the [[King Kong]] remake...
** However, it's [[Dustin Hoffman]]'s tutoring for ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' that really allowed Black to create a truly soulful character as Po.
* John Ritter and Dwight Yoakam in ''[[Sling Blade]]''.
* Iwan Rheon in ''Misfits'' was certainly never considered a bad actor, and was arguably the best of the main cast. However his role as {{spoiler|Future!Simon}} shows his clear talent: through subtly changing his behavior, {{spoiler|Rheon in a few scenes clearly showed the character development Simon has undergone, and exhibits simultaneously a vastly different personality, yet with a few glimpses of the Simon we know and love peeking through}}. Not an easy job to handle.
* Nathan Lane's sinister turn as Preed from ''[[Titan
* [[Woody Allen]] in ''[[The Front]]''. Up until this point in his career, he had been known for playing silly, nebbishy nerds. Although there are traces of that here, it's a deeper and more dramatic performance than even his fans are used to.
* [[Britney Spears]] is rather respected for her comedic-timing in her bit parts on ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' and ''[[Will and Grace]]''.
* Film critics savaged [[Madonna]]'s performances for years until her turn as Eva Perón in ''[[Evita]]''; she eventually won a Golden Globe for her performance.
* If there's anyone out there that doubts [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] has skill as an actress, they should be made to watch the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episode "The Body" and the episode following it. They could ''not'' have worked nearly as well without Gellar's painstricken performance.
** Ringer, playing two extremely different types of women..one kind of cuddly loving messed up [[Mama Bear]] and another ice queen/manipulative bastard defined.
* Christopher Reeve was an unknown in 1978, although an unknown who'd gone to Julliard (where he was [[Robin Williams]]' classmate and friend). Rejected three times before he finally got the part, he came to define [[Superman]] for at least one generation, and on the strength of his acting, made us believe not only that a man could fly but that [[Clark Kenting]] was entirely possible.
** And lest you think his talents are limited to filling out blue spandex or wearing glasses convincingly, go watch ''Deathtrap'', where he plays an earnest young writer {{spoiler|and murderous sociopath}}, or ''[[Somewhere in Time]]'', but [[Tear Jerker|be prepared to cry. A lot.]]
* Fred Durst, commonly known as the [[Nice Hat|backwards red cap]]-wearing mook from [[
* Though his ''[[Cool
* After her disasterous debut performance in the ''[[Nightmare On Elm Street]]'', many people wrote of [[Rooney Mara]] as the worst new star of the year. Near the end of the year, she had a [[One-Scene Wonder]] in [[David Fincher]]'s ''[[The Social Network]]'', and suddenly people began to see some potential in her. That potential was reached with ''[[The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo]]'' where she managed to match [[Noomi Rapace]]'s performance and (in some people's eyes) exceed it. Mara later revealed that she had a miserable time working on ''[[Nightmare On Elm Street]]'', and almost quit acting. Thank God she didn't.
* [[Sam Worthington]] in ''[[The Debt]]'' came as a surprise to some critics, especially those who thought he couldn't escape his [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping|Australian accent]].
* [[Matthew Lillard]] is usually known as a the [[Large Ham]] actor who played Shaggy in [[Scooby Doo]]. In ''[[The Descendants]]'', he displays surprising restraint and emotion that some were not aware he was capable of.
* Emmy Rossum was mainly known for giving bland, [[Wide
* Thomas Haden Church was best known as the goofy mechanic Lowell on the comedy series ''[[Wings (TV series)|Wings]]''. Then he appeared in ''[[Sideways]]'' in a role as far from Lowell as humanly possible and blew everyone away with his performance.
* [[The Colbert Report|Stephen Colbert]] on [[Law and Order: Criminal Intent]] as a {{spoiler|forger and murderer}}. It's not until the credits roll that you realize you've been watching ''that'' [[The Colbert Report|Stephen Colbert]] in a dramatic role.
* Bryan Cranston on ''[[Breaking Bad]]'' is defining example of this trope in action. Almost no one thought the bumbling dad from ''[[Malcolm in
** He did play [[The Devil]] in ''Fallen''.
* Aaron Paul has a bit actor for years with some minor Film work and guess spots. Then He was cast as Jesse on ''[[Breaking Bad]]'' and turned what could have been a thin character into a remarkably deep, fragile human being with an abundance of regret, self-loathing, a compulsive habit of destroying himself and probably the only real moral compass of anyone on the show.
* Inverted with Jon Hamm. He received tons of praise for his remarkably tense, understated performance on ''[[Mad Men]]'' and is praised as basically the reason the show is so successful. Many viewers have been surprised by his work in stuff like ''30 Rock'' and ''[[Bridesmaids]]''. which qualify more as "He really can be funny".
* [[Emily Browning]] going from the childlike and innocent [[A Series of Unfortunate Events]] to [[Sucker Punch]] is mind blowing to some people. The difference in characters in immense...
* [[Vanessa Hudgens]] proves she could go the distance in the acting department with her subtle but emotional performance in [[Sucker Punch]] where she plays the complete opposite of who she played in [[High School Musical]].
* An Inversion. David Caruso is best known to audiences for putting on sunglasses and cheesy one-liners. Therefore seeing him in ''[[King of New York]]'' as the violent but well-intentioned police officer who is disgusted that a wealthy man can get off for murder is quite a shock. He not only plays the role extremely well, he easily holds his own alongside Christopher Walken.
* J.K. Simmons is likely best known to the public for his scene-stealing role as J. Jonah Jameson in ''[[Spider-Man]]'', getting all the best lines. But anyone who saw him in ''[[Oz]]'' knew him as the depraved Nazi Vern Schillinger, a man who is in turns absolutely loathsome and at the same time filled with self-hatred and regret. Its a complex role and Simmons absolutely nails it, giving arguably the best performance in the whole series.
* Tom Hulce made his first big acting mark as goofy Delta frat member Pinto in ''[[Animal House]]''. Then along came a movie called ''[[Amadeus]]''. And then, a movie called ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'', where it turns out he really can ''sing'' as well.
* In voice-acting, [[Johnny Yong Bosch]] is a bit typecast; he used to work on [[Power Rangers]] and typically plays confident, outgoing heroes. Then comes ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'', in which his character is not only a meek, ostracized coward but ''also'' has a [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]. You will not recognize him.
* Another voce acting example: [[Jason Griffith]]. Compare his acting in ''[[Sonic X]]'' to his performance in the last ''Sonic'' game he worked on. Or his performance in ''[[Kurokami]]''. You will see a marked difference.
* [[Shailene Woodley]] is best known for her role on ''[[The Secret Life of the American Teenager]]'', turning in a performance that ranges all the way from bitchy to pouty with heaps of [[Dull Surprise]] in between. Imagine the shock critics had upon seeing ''[[The Descendants]]'' where she is not only very good but nearly steals the film from George Clooney. Maybe there's hope for the rest of the cast too.
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* Matthew Morrison certainly hasn't been bad on ''[[Glee]]'', but his turn as co-plaintiff Paul Katami in the reenacment of the Prop 8 trial was fantastic. He conveys his character's hurt over being considered a threat to children perfectly.
* Gary Busey - After seeing him in [[Rookie of the Year]], I didn't believe it when I heard he was crazy. Then I saw a video of Gary Busey being Gary Busey... Well, at least [[He Really Can Act]].
* For some people (this troper included), Karl Urban gets this treatment after ''[[Star Trek (
* Stephen Merchant's performance as Wheatley in ''[[
* Richard Horvitz has always played [[Invader Zim|comedic]] [[Angry Beavers|roles]]. In ''[[
* A good deal of the musical guests on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' have appeared in skits, proving themselves to be not only talented musicians, but pretty good comedic actors as well.
* There's no question that [[Jennifer Hale]] has talent, but some of her roles arguably did not make the best use of them. Then she was called in to play Commander Shepard in ''[[
* [[Chris Evans]] in [[Captain America:
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