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{{Sugar Wiki}}
{{
A [[Fan-Speak]] phrase: this is what you say to yourself when [[Tom Hanks Syndrome|someone gets their first serious role, instead of the goof-off they've always been,]] and you're at least half-expecting a train wreck, and then... wow! They pull it off! Turns out [[He Really Can Act (Sugar Wiki)|He Really Can Act]]
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]]''.
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*** 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 (animation)|Young Justice]].''
* This is one of the reasons ''[[The Truman Show]]'' is widely considered to be [[Jim Carrey]]'s best movie.
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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''.
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*** 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 ''[[Nighthawks]]''.
* [[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.]
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** [[Will Smith]] in ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' and ''Ali'', which was certainly needed after the huge dud of ''[[Wild Wild West (film)|Wild Wild West]]''. If he didn't prove himself as an actor, it is likely that no one could have respected him after that. This was crystallized by his role in the utterly emotional ''[[The Pursuit of Happyness]]''.
** ''[[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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** ''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]]''.
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** Audio Books? How about Inkspell? He's the vocal inspiration for one of the roles! (Mo. And he played him in the well casted ''[[The Inkworld Trilogy|Inkheart]]'' movie.)
* [[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 (film)|Harry Potter]]'' franchise have been receiving relieved sighs from critics, who recognize that, as they've grown, they've all truly grown into their characters. [[Daniel Radcliffe]], who recently{{when}} starred (nude, yes) in ''[[Equus]]'' in London's West End (and other places afterwards), also received positive reviews overall... And come to think of it, there are plenty of child actors that developed into, you know, actual actors.
* 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''.
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* 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).
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*** [[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 with a Heart]].
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** 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''.
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** 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]]''.
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**** 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.
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* "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 [[The Nostalgia Chick]]'s "Dark Nella Saga". Scary but funny, hammy but menacing and in the last two reviews she could go between fangirl and evil quickly and awesomely.
* 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''.
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** 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 the Rain|Singin in The Rain]]'' to ''near perfection on live television''. To give some perspective, even stage performances of the number nowadays don't require the actor to perform all of the stunts because of the sheer amount of athleticism required pull it off.
*** [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 ''[[500 Days of Summer|Five Hundred Days of Summer]]''.
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* 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 & Order|Law and Order]]''...shortly before it was cancelled.
** He was also good as a more laid-back Louisiana cop on the [[Screwed by the Network]] show ''K-Ville''.
** 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]].
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* [[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 (film)|The One]]'' was first put forward, the role of the good and evil protagonists ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]) was written for Dwayne Johnson. However, he opted to do ''[[The Scorpion King]]'' instead, and the script was re-written for [[Jet Li]]. While YMMV on the how good ''The One'' is, there's no denying the awesomeness of seeing Jet Li kick his own ass. Seeing the Rock do that would probably not be as cool. Besides, Jet Li and [[Jason Statham]] make a great team. The role of a Conan-like barbarian suits the Rock better.
* [[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 vs. the World|Scott Pilgrim]]. In fact, it could be said that once Scott [[Took a Level
** [[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.
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*** 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 ''[[Yogi Bear]]'' movie has gotten some praise for how well he did the voice.
*** 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 a Dream]]''
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* [[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 ''[[8 Mile|Eight Mile]]''.
* Jessica Biel in ''[[The Illusionist (film)|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''.
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* Natalie Portman in ''[[Black Swan]]''. Through most of the movie, it looked like she was on the verge of crying. And considering [[Break the Cutie|what her character put up with]], you couldn't blame her.
** Natalie Portman has been doing critically acclaimed movies for some time now.
*** [[Mila Kunis]], [[That '70s Show|usually]] [[Family Guy|known]] [[Forgetting Sarah Marshall|for]] comedies, showed her skills opposite Portman.
* [[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]]''.
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* People only familiar with [[Angelina Jolie]] from the ''[[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider|Lara Croft Tomb Raider]]'' movie would do well to watch such films as ''Life or Something Like It'', where she gives a powerful performance as a TV reporter who discovers she is doomed to die in a week.
** 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 ''[[Community]]''. Jeff seems like the same "character" plays on ''[[The Soup]]''. Then you see something like "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking", and [http://img340.imageshack.us/i/communitygoon.jpg/ the look on Jeff's face during the following line]. For context, {{spoiler|Pierce promised Jeff would get to meet his estranged dad, whom he has issues with. Jeff said that if it turns out to be a [[Mind Screw]] by Pierce, that he will beat Pierce. Jeff is currently looking at a limo, and has answered from a phone call from a man claiming to be his father and in the limo. It's obviously Pierce, and Jeff has just realized that and is right in the middle of switching between "hopeful" and "murderous rage".}}
{{quote|
** Pretty much everyone on ''[[Community]]'' is amazing. It may just be the writing but Chevy Chase is incredibly funny on it. Chevy Chase. The guy who took pratfalls for one season on [[Saturday Night Live]], did two good vacation movies and has basically been a punchline ever since, because everything he tried either simply failed or was a complete disaster. Rebooting this guy's career is pretty much just one of this show's 6 billion [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|CMOAs]] and counting.
* 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]]... even the notoriously major assholes of IMDB gave him praise for his performance in it.
* 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 (film)|Outlander]]'' and even ''[[Twilight (novel)|Eclipse]]'', but it wasn't until his subtle, [[Cold Sniper|scary]], [[The Woobie|heartbreaking]], [[Doing It for the Art|Method-influenced]] ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]'' performance as [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|deformed]] [[WWI]] [[Shell-Shocked Veteran|veteran]] [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Richard Harrow]] that we saw how talented and committed he really is.
** 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.
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** 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 by the Red String]].
** [[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]].
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* The acting in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' is superb across the board, but special congratulations has to go to Jack Gleeson, as Joffrey. Granted, it's the [[Complete Monster|sort of amazing acting]] that makes you want to [[Cruel and Unusual Death|toss him to direwolves]], but still. Well done... you little '''bastard.'''
** 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.
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* Bizarrely, some have had this reaction to ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]: Dark Of The Moon'', namely Patrick Dempsey as [[Complete Monster]] Dylan Gould.
** 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.
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* 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.]]
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* [[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-Eyed Idealist|wide-eyed]], [[The Ingenue|ingenue]] performances. The came the US remake of ''[[Shameless]]'' where she not only proved she could act her ass off but somehow managed to come off as a better actor than ''William H. Macy''.
* 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 the Middle]]'' could take on such a heavy role. Four seasons later, He has won three emmys, turned the show into a critical favourite and is considered one of the best Actors on Television.
** He did play [[The Devil]] in ''Fallen''.
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* 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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[[Category:Audience Reactions]]
[[Category:Sweet Exists (Sugar Wiki)]]
▲[[Category:He Really Can Act]]
[[Category:Sugar Wiki]]
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