He Really Can Act (Sugar Wiki): Difference between revisions

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The in-universe version is [[Master Actor]].

* [[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]]''.

** ''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.

* 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.

** 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]]''.

* [[Emily Osment]] in [[Dadnapped]] and the [[Series Finale]] to [[Hannah Montana]]

* [[Will Ferrell]] in ''[[Stranger Than Fiction]]''.

** Not to mention his even more recent role in ''[[Me and Orson Welles]]'', which is receiving fair reviews.

** In ''[[Hairspray]]'' too.

*** Have you seen her in ''[[Obsessed]]''? Two words: Kick.Ass.

* [[Sylvester Stallone]] in ''Cop Land''.

*** Same for ''Rocky V'' and ''Rocky Balboa,'' which went closer to the feel of the first film.

* [[Jean Claude Van Damme]] in ''[[JCVD]]''.

* [[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.

*** [[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.

** ''[[I Am Legend]]'' wasn't perfect, but this scene solidified it:

{{quote| '''Neville:''' "I promised a friend I would say hello to you today. [[Sanity Slippage|Hello.]]"<br />

** 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...

*** 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.

** ''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.

** ''[[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]]''.

** Garrett Wang in "Timeless," the [[Good Troi Episode|really good Harry Kim episode]].

* Jamie Foxx earned his stripes with ''Ray''.

** ''[[Collateral]]''.

* 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.

* 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.)

* 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).

** 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,"

* 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.

** For others, his real breakout performance was in ''[[The Departed]]''.

** The last holdouts were almost certainly converted by ''[[Shutter Island]]'' and/or ''[[Inception]].''

** 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.

** Perhaps her most admired performance so far is her role as a prostitute from ''[[Welcome to The Rileys]]''.

** 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.

** 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.

* 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''.

** 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.

* 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 ''[[Castle in The Sky]]''. Maybe he should stick to voice overs.

* 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}}.

** 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).

* 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''.

** Eh, we'd already seen ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''.

*** ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' is arguably a better example, proving just how much range he really has.

*** 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''.

** The movie adaptation of ''[[Sin City]]''.

** 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 [[MASK]]. People felt she should have bagged an Oscar for it.

* 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...

* 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| '''Matt:''' What is your problem with our clients, we have good, respectable clients. What's your definition of better? Define better.<br />

** ''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."

** 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.

*** 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."

** 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.

** 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]]).

** 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.

** 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.

* 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''.

** Basically every review for ''[[Mysterious Skin]]'' has a sentence that is essentially: "HOLY. COW. Didn't see that coming."

*** [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]]''.

* [[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]]''.

** 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.

* ''[[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.

** 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]].

* 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.

** [[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.

** 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.

** 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.

*** 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.

* 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.}}

** 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.]

** ''[[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''.

** Natalie Portman has been doing critically acclaimed movies for some time now.

* [[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.

* 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.

** 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.

* [[Kanye West]] in [[Tear Jerker|We Were Once a Fairytale]]. ''[[Up to Eleven|Twice]].''

** Also him on [[The Cleveland Show]].

{{quote| '''Jeff:''' ...Go on.}}

** 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.

* 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.

* 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]]''.

* 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]]''.

** [[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]].

** 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.

** 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]]''.

** See also The Cider House Rules and Pleasantville.

** 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 ''[[Whos the Boss]]''? Well, before she was Tony Danza's co-star, she was on ''[[One Life to Live]]''. As Karen Wolek, who had to admit to being a prostitute on the witness stand at her friend's murder trial. The scene is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSLLTBaR9gQ&feature=related here]. She won the 1980 Daytime Emmy for Best Actress for that scene, BTW.

** 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.

* [[Lady Gaga]] at the 2011 VMAs proved that she could be a great stage actor.

** 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]].

* 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.

* [[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]]''.

* 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.]]

* 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.

** 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.

* 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.

* 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.

* 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]].

* 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.

 

{{reflist}}