Typecasting: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

See Also [[The Judge]], [[Adam Westing]]. An extreme example of this is [[I Am Not Spock]] (and also [[I Am Not Leonard Nimoy]]). When it happen with voice actors, it's called [[Pigeonholed Voice Actor]]. The opposite is, naturally enough, [[Playing Against Type]].

 

 

 

* [[Abbott and Costello|William Bud Abbott and Lou Costello]]

* Even before [[Supernatural (TV series)|Dean Winchester]] (who is the ultimate of this character type), [[Jensen Ackles]] always seemed to play [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]], [[Badass|slightly dangerous]] [[The Woobie|woobies]] with massive family issues. See ''[[Smallville]]'' one year earlier, and ''[[Dark Angel]]'' before that.

** His earlier roles were much more varied. For example, he played an awkward, sensitive gay guy in ''[[Velvet Goldmine]]''.

* Tobin Bell is becoming a career villain very quickly, and is now almost universally known [[Saw|as Jigsaw]]. Even in a ''bit part on an episode of [[Seinfeld]],'' he manages to be some sort of antagonist.

* [[Jack Black]]'s been known for playing either a hyperactive maniac [[Large Ham]] role or a slob. Except in ''[[King Kong]]'' and ''The Holiday'' of course.

** His character in King Kong fits perfectly the "hyperactive maniac Large Ham" description.

* [[Brian Blessed]] is always cast is big, boisterous characters who shout a lot.

* Has anyone noticed how most of Orlando Bloom's major roles have been in historical/fantasy action/swashbuckling movies? I'm thinking ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'', ''[[Troy]]'', ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]]'', and now ''[[The Hobbit (film)|The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Three Musketeers (2011 film)|The Three Musketeers 2011]]''.

** Patrick Stewart is almost as known for being [[X-Men (film)|Professor Charles Xavier]] these days as he is for his role on ''Star Trek: TNG''.

** At least in movies and on TV, he seems to be typecast for the "good, wise non-action leader" role, especially "good king" - which makes it either very funny when he plays against type (see ''Jeffrey'' - snarky, somewhat [[Camp Gay]] interior designer and Pink Panther activist) or rather unsettling (''The Lion in Winter'' - still superficially the affable "good king", but the dialogue establishes really quickly that he's actually a selfish, scheming jerk who has [[Wife Husbandry|taken someone raised almost as an adoptive daughter as his mistress]])

** [[Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead|Mr Shhh]] wasn't exceptionally fast-talking...

* James "Jimmy" Cagney, far down on the list, but among the first and most severe cases of typecasting in early Hollywood. Since smashing a grapefruit in Mae Clarke's face in ''[[The Public Enemy]]'' (1931), he will be forever known as the hardass gangster, complete with his own [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]], "You dirty rat..." Cagney started his career as a "hoofer" or dancer in stage musicals, was a teetotaler, spoke fluent yiddish (though a gentile), and was no slouch at judo (put to great use in ''Blood on the Sun'' (1945), with one of the most brutal fights ever filmed). Yet none of this erased the tough guy persona he was famous for, even after winning an Oscar for the musical ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'' (1942). Part of the problem was that Cagney couldn't flash a smile that [[Slasher Smile|didn't imply godless bloodlust]].

* [[John Candy]] played [[Bumbling Dad]]-type roles like in ''[[Uncle Buck]]''. He's played a cop in some of his movies though.

* Since becoming an A-list actor, only three movies [[Jim Carrey]] has starred in aren't comedies in some way: ''The Majestic'', ''[[Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]]'' and ''The Number 23''. (''[[The Truman Show]]'' is a dark satire, his role in ''[[Batman Forever]]'' is comedic, and ''[[Man on the Moon]]'' is a [[Biopic]] of [[Andy Kaufman]], so all of them have a comic element.)

* A large number of [[Gary Chalk]]'s live action roles has him working for the government. These includes jobs in politics, [[Marvel Comics|S.H.I.E.L.D.]], military and most frequently, a police officer.

** Ironically, he eventually tried to avoid the karate typecast by playing the [[Every Man]] who gains the ability to do awesome karate moves. Unfortunately, Jackie Chan becoming Jackie Chan wasn't that much of a movie.

* Roy Cheung plays a lot of psychotic Triad gangsters and other villains in Hong Kong movies, to the point that when he played a Shaolin monk in ''[[Infernal Affairs]]'', it was seen as [[Playing Against Type]].

* Gary Coleman as the wisecracking black kid. See also [[Adam Westing]].

** [[Peter Jackson]] specifically sought him out for [[The Frighteners]] because of his role in the [[Re-Animator]] series.

*** It's weird seeing him play a mild-mannered psychic in [[Babylon 5]], especially as he still uses that vaguely creepy voice he uses in all his roles.

* [[Tom Cruise]] always seems to play a selfish yuppie-type (sometimes he is also somewhat troubled) who eventually gets his comeuppance and learns how to truly love. His typical role is summed up by Rich Hall in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmg9e785lo this video].

* Even stage actors aren't immune to this. Look at John Cullum, playing a cynical, worldwise, southerner and/or father, in ''Shenandoah'' (original cast and revival), ''[[1776]]'' (movie), ''[[Urinetown]]'', and ''110 in the Shade''. Ironically, he initially turned down the role of Rutledge because he did not want to play a southerner.

* [[Tim Curry]] has played at least one villain in many a cartoon. See ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'', the cartoon adaptation of ''[[The Mask (animation)|The Mask]]'', and "The Creation" from [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s video series ''The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible'', among others. He does have a [[Beard of Evil]].

** Hexxus from ''Ferngully''

** See also providing the voice of Melek, assistant to [[The Dragon|Prince Thrakhath]], in ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]] III''.

** Need I even mention Pennywise from ''[[IT]]''?

** Wadsworth the Butler/{{spoiler|the real criminal}} in the movie version of ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]''.

** He was [[The Dragon]] with an [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign|unplacable accent]] in [[Loaded Weapon 1]].

** And a guest spot on [[Monk]] as [[Fat Bastard|Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck]]. Interestingly enough, Curry was the second of three actors to play the part: Adam Arkin was the Whale in his first appearance, then Curry for one episode, and in the character's final episode, it was Ray Porter in the suit.

* Vincent D'Onofrio, after ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'', generally plays a big, scary guy. In ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'', he plays a perfectly sane (wife-beating redneck) farmer who gets eaten and his skin worn by a creepy bug alien about sixty seconds into his first scene. Even on ''[[Law and Order: Criminal Intent]]'', Bobby Goren is impliedly a little ''off''. Which is sad, because he's genuinely a good actor.

* [[Robert De Niro]] is always either a mobster or a cop. Or a tough role otherwise ([[Cape Fear|a psycho]], [[Raging Bull|a boxer]]). (Though he once played a [[Stardust (film)|gay sky-pirate]], and let's not forget his role as a [[Awakenings|catatonic patient]] which won him an Oscar nomination.) His later career consists mostly of [[Adam Westing|comedic takes on his badass image]].

* Danny DeVito is the sleazy scumbag character [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|with a Heart of Gold]].

* The only constant between [[Johnny Depp]]'s roles is that, with the exception of ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' (being a sequel), he hasn't done the same kind of character twice. And in that strange way, audiences have come to expect him to just be that kind of offbeat character.

** Frequently pairing up with [[Tim Burton]] tends to do that.

* [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] is an interesting example. After his [[Star-Making Role]] in ''[[Titanic]]'', media pundits almost unanimously predicted that Leo would be another flash-in-the pan celebrity, typecast as a [[Bishonen]] [[Teen Idol|teenage heart-throb]] before forever vanishing from the limelight after hitting 35. Unusually, he was [[Genre Savvy]] enough to move away from pretty boy roles into [[Darker and Edgier|something grittier]] and started a very fruitful creative partnership with [[Martin Scorsese]]. Ironically, this led [[Di Caprio]] to being typecast in crime and/or business dramas, Scorsese's signature genre, where he usually plays intense, morally ambiguous types. Leo's lead role in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi film ''[[Inception]]'' was seen as an attempt at broadening his acting range... right until it turned out he was playing an intense, morally ambiguous mind thief.

* In the 1960s and 70s there was the great Anton Diffring, who became pretty much ''the'' archetypal sinister German officer. For a period during the 1960s no self-respecting WWII film was complete without an icy glare or cold and calculating remark courtesy of Herr Diffring.

* Jason Dolley, a member of the [[Disney Channel]] repertory, is typecast as ''two'' different types of characters: Either an unlucky, unappreciated loser who gets the girl in the end (in his three Disney Channel original movies: ''Read It and Weep'', [[Minutemen]], and ''Hatching Pete''): or a moronic, slacker musician (in his two Disney Channel sitcoms, ''[[Cory in The House]]'' and ''[[Good Luck Charlie]]'').

** He's finally due to play a moronic, slacker musician in a DCOM for a change, when the ''[[Good Luck Charlie]]'' movie is released.

** And his voice has likely ''[[Child's Play (film)|haunted your nightmares]]'' from childhood.

*** Which is strange, because he started off as the sweetest guy ever, Bill in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' (''still'' a [[The Woobie|Woobie]]!). It seems 2 years ago, finally, he was able to play someone who wasn't evil in any way, shape or form in the ''[[Halloween (film)|Halloween]]'' remake as the Sheriff of the town, and probably the nicest guy in the movie.

*** Managed to finally escape his typecasting in ''[[Deadwood]]'', where he played the town's [[Dr. Jerk|jerkish]] [[Frontier Doctor]] who cares deeply about [[Good Is Not Nice|helping the people]].

"Doc Cochran": When you laugh, you leak piss. }}

** His typecasting is [[Lampshaded]] in ''[[Urban Legend (film)|Urban Legend]]'', where he plays a scary, stuttering gas station attendant. He runs up to a girl getting gas trying to yell something, but he [[Can't Spit It Out]]. She shakes him off and drives away in her car, assuming he was trying to attack and/or rape her. After she's out of earshot, he finally manages to shout "SOMEONE'S IN THE BACK SEAT!" Much later in the movie, he's mentioned on the news as a suspect in the murders.

** Then, of course, [[Jackie Earle Haley|Haley]] nailed an ''[[Film/A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010|Elm Street]]'' audition of his own years later... which resulted in him playing another (presumably) smelly psychopath.

** With his recent Charlie Chaplin-esque turn in the film ''Louis'', don't count Haley out just yet.

* Guillermo Francella always does comedies, and he's always either the goofy lovable horndog, the irresponsible parent who has a change of heart at the end of the movie, or both.

** He has done a couple more serious roles lately (even losing his signature mustache), but even then his characters are always fans of Racing Club of Avellaneda, just like he is in real life.

** [[The Hobbit]] may or may not change this. The above character traits kind of fit Bilbo as well, though.

** Subverted even earlier in ''[[Lucky Number Slevin]]''.

** Subverted even even earlier when he plays a [[General Ripper]] in '''[[Dreamcatcher]]''.

** Subverted even even even even earlier than that in ''{Street Smart}''.

** In other words, Freeman's had a pretty decent career.

* Since playing Seth Brundle in ''[[The Fly]]'', [[Jeff Goldblum]] has tended to play [[The Worm Guy|twitchy geniuses]].

** Oddly enough, he made his [[Death Wish|film debut]] playing a rapist.

* [[Hugh Grant]] is the dorky-yet-lovable Brit. As he's getting older, that role is often passed to [[Martin Freeman]].

** L-l-l-lets not forget his p-p-p-p-persistent nervous s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-studder.

* After his debut role as Hives in the [[Marx Brothers]]' ''Animal Crackers'' (1930), Robert Grieg played the Loyal Butler in something like thirty films. He was also in ''[[Trouble in Paradise]]''.

* Sid Haig is a gore porn psychopath.

* Jon Heder. Need the tall, gangly nerd who talk with a strange speech pattern to rival Shatner? Look no further.

** To the point that literally every role he's ever played is just [[Napoleon Dynamite]] to some degree. Gosh!

* [[Michael Ironside]] as either a [[Badass]] (who may or may not be an amputee and is increasingly likely to be an [[Old Master]]) or as a [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]] [[Big Bad]] who either has superpowers or is trying to kill an orca. In recent movies (''[[Terminator|Terminator: Salvation]]'', ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men: First Class]]''), he's played [[Non-Action Guy|non-action]] naval commanders.

** Incidentally, [[Samuel L. Jackson]] apparently had trouble not cursing for one movie who was trying to keep a PG-13 rating. They were talking about it in the extras on the DVD.

*** Far more than the swearing alone, [[Samuel L. Jackson]] has simply been typecast ever since ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'' as a [[Badass]] Motherfucker. Before that movie, he played a variety of small roles. Variety as in actually varied.

** [[Samuel L. Jackson]] is so considered a [[Badass]] that when it came time to give the [[Ultimate Universe]] version of [[Nick Fury]] (the most [[Badass]] secret agent this side of [[James Bond]]) a new look, he was made to look like... [[Samuel L. Jackson]]. Not surprisingly, [[Samuel L. Jackson]] ended up playing him in the movie continuity. When the characters in the comic were fantasy-casting a hypothetical movie, guess who Fury thought should play him?

*** He actually set that up, letting Marvel use his likeness with the explicit contract detail stating he would play the character should it go to film.

** Although when he reprised the role of Abe Sapien in ''[[Hellboy II]]'' he got to perform the dialogue as well as wear the suit.

** Paul Casey does this in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[Torchwood]]''. Jimmy Vee often takes on shorter roles in this case, such as the Moxx of Balhoon or Bannakaffalatta.

** The remake of ''[[Psycho 1998]]'' is an exception.

* Speaking of ''[[Psycho]]'', the original Norman Bates - Anthony Perkins - faced typecasting twice. Prior to ''Psycho,'' Perkins seemed to be making a career playing the tall-and-gangly, boyishly charming male ingenue-like characters. After ''Psycho,'' he ended up playing creepy weirdos/psychopaths a majority of the time.

* [[Shia LaBeouf]] is the young every-dude in sci-fi/action films produced by Steven Spielberg.

* [[Bruce Lee]] as the Asian version of [[John Wayne]].

* [[Christopher Lee]]'s sepulchral tones have made him a career out of playing villains. Though to be fair, he's well-suited for it, with his razor-thin build, dark eyes, towering height, and [[Evil Sounds Deep|powerful deep voice]].

* Jay Leno played thug type roles in sitcoms like ''Alice'' and ''[[Laverne and Shirley]]'' before becoming the host of ''[[The Tonight Show]]''.

* Jared Leto, as the guy who gets the shit kicked out of him.

*** The scene where [[Ed Norton]] beats him to within an inch of his life in ''[[Fight Club]]'' is called something like "[[Break the Cutie|Killing the Angel]]."

* This trope was the bane of [[Bela Lugosi]]'s life, [[I Am Not Spock|poor guy.]]

** Yeah, most of his roles were somewhat [[Dracula]]-like villains, even when a film wasn't supernatural. This was so much the case that [[Playing Against Type|his few good guy roles]] seem to have been intended in part to surprise the viewers in movies such as {{spoiler|''The Black Cat'' (1934)}}. His favorite role was in ''Ninotchka'', where he finally had a romantic role.

** Actually used amusingly in the ''War of the Worlds'' parody bits of the ''[[Scary Movie]]'' franchise. When the guy offering the heroines shelter pulls down his hood and reveals his face, you know he's a nutcase before he's done anything because it's Michael Madsen.

** In recent years, he's been playing American generals and agents in crappy Russian action movies. [[Money, Dear Boy|Why, would you ask]]?

*** Exception for [[Christopher Walken]]: Tracey's dad in ''[[Hairspray]]''. <s>Ha!</s> '''Yaoww... [[Verbal Tic|WoAAAoow!]]'''

*** Walken's gone on record of [[Money, Dear Boy|never turning down a role]], mostly because he wants to try anything. While the roles offered tend to be a bit more odd, it did land him his revival from Fatboy Slim's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Ky5R-vxns ''Weapon of Choice''].

** ''Huge'' exception for [[Gary Oldman]]: the adorably clueless Rosencrantz in ''[[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead]]''. Considering the fact that both lead actors tend to be typecast as creepy villains, the following exchange from said movie becomes particularly awesome:

'''Guildenstern ([[Tim Roth]]):''' Don't let them confuse you... }}

*** Oldman also has ''[[Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy]]'' as an exception now.

* The last guy that tried to type cast [[Chuck Norris]]- oh, well, never mind.

** [[Chuck Norris]] simply plays himself [[Inverted Trope|Dialed Down]] [[Up to Eleven|To Eleven]].

* [[Al Pacino]], like DeNiro, is always either a mobster or a cop.

** To put a little spin on his typecast roles, [[Scent of a Woman]] has him played a blind retired war veteran.

* When [[Elvis Presley]] appeared in movies throughout the 50's and 60's most of them were as the happy-go-lucky guy in musical comedies such as ''Live A Little, Love A Little'' ''Kissin' Cousins'' and ''Stay Away Joe''. Although he did play against type in a Clint Eastwood-style western called ''Charro!''.

* Jonathan Pryce is prone to playing authority figures. Among his most high-profile roles of this type are [[Evita|Juan Perón]], [[Pirates of the Caribbean|Governor Swann]], and ultimately the [[G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra|U.S. President]]. Before that, he was being [[Brazil (film)|pursued by authority figures]]...

** According to rumor, he gained a role in the 1953 film ''From Here To Eternity'' but his part was cut back when audiences, associating him with Superman, chuckled whenever he appeared on-screen. However Fred Zinnemann, the director, insists that this is not true.

* [[Keanu Reeves]] is the embodiment of spaced-out characters. See ''[[The Matrix]]'', ''[[Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure|Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure]]'', and ''[[A Scanner Darkly]]''. There is some debate over [[Dull Surprise|how intentional this is]].

** It's a pity that so few people have seen the movies in which he plays [[The Heavy]]: in ''[[The Gift]]'', he plays a violent, wife-beating redneck, and in ''[[The Watcher (film)|The Watcher]]'', he plays a ''[[Serial Killer]]'', and is terrific in both. As an [[Action Hero]]? Not so much.

** Also his role in ''[[Hellraiser]]''.

* [[Tim Roth]] usually plays thugs/murderers/convicts/all of the above at the same time. And he tends to die violent deaths.

** He's playing a rare good guy (and television role) in ''[[Lie to Me (TV series)|Lie to Me]]''.

* Sadly, [[Seinfeld|Jerry Seinfeld]] will never, ever, ''ever'' be able to act in any live-action role whatsoever. At least, not until he is past the age of 70. Fortunately, the fact that he is one of the greatest comedy icons of [[The Nineties]] doesn't seem to have penetrated his mind, so for ten years he was happy just being a stand-up comedian, as he was before (and ''within'') [[Seinfeld|his prime-time reign]].

* Michael Shannon seems to always play robotic men who are one stubbed toe away from a psychotic break.

* [[Jason Statham]], who is always a bald badass (except for a minor role in ''[[The Pink Panther]]'' remake... and [[wikipedia:Gnomeo and Juliet|this upcoming movie]]).

* Pity the fool who messes with [[Mr. T]].

* The [[Three Stooges]]. All four of them.

** Not a fan of Joe Besser or Curly Joe, the fifth and sixth Stooges?

* One could summarize Danny Trejo's start in acting thusly: He was training another actor how to fight after having networked his way onto the film in prison, when someone says, "You look like an ex-con! Come over here and play and ex-con." And now, he gets a [[Machete|film]] showcasing his [[Badass|talents]].

** Steven Moffat seems to be [[Mind Raping]] the Eleventh actor by writing his past roles into the script. The ends may justify the means though, as Moffat rewrites the endings of these plotlines to be healthier than the endings of the actor's past characters.

* On the other hand, [[Christopher Eccleston]] did get somewhat typecast over the years: either as a troubled, working-class, underdog everyman with some tragic story (''Jude'', ''Let Him Have It'', ''Flesh and Blood'', ''Strumpet'', ''Revengers Tragedy'', ''Hillsborough'', ''The Second Coming'', ''Heroes''... even the [[Doctor Who|Ninth Doctor]] fits this, at least stylistically), or as a mostly blockbuster-style villain (''Gone in 60 Seconds'', ''G.I. Joe'', ''The Seeker'', ''Elizabeth''). The former because of activism and conviction; the latter to [[Money, Dear Boy|be able to take a badly paying theatre role once in a while]]. Still, when [[The Agony Booth]] wrote about his role the admittedly awful movie adaptation of ''[[The Dark Is Rising]]'' "You're Christopher Eccleston. You're practically synonymous with having a charming and likeable screen presence. There is absolutely nothing scary about you.", the reviewer clearly had never seen ''[[28 Days Later]]'', ''Shallow Grave'' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmYNwvxzSb0 or his Jago] in ''Othello''.

* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], in any action movie he stars in, plays unstoppable badasses. Once he is committed to a given task, ''[[Determinator|nothing]]'' (including invisible alien, shape-shifting robots or Satan) [[Determinator|is going to sway him or stand in his way]]... no, actually, except for [[Terminator|Sarah Connor]] and [[Batman and Robin (film)|Batman]]. And if he is playing a father or is otherwise in charge of kids, ''[[Papa Wolf|do not mess with them if you value your life]]''.

* Chris Tucker as the effeminate comedy relief.

** ... which Jean spoofed in the film ''JCVD''. Seagal has yet to show his sense of humor...

*** Seagal appeared as a parody of his usual roles in ''[[The Onion]] Movie'', as the Cock Puncher.

* It wasn't particularly imaginative making Reginald VelJohnson's character in ''[[Family Matters]]'' a policeman, considering he had already played a cop in ''[[Die Hard]]'', ''Turner & Hooch'', ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', the TV movie ''One of Her Own''...

* Whenever [[Tom Waits]] appears in a movie, he's usually crazy and/or magical. The crazy magical hobo schtick is actually a large part of his musical persona too.

** Except in ''[[Hoodwinked]]'', where he somehow got to be the [[Intrepid Reporter]], and the big dumb guy role went to Jim Belushi.

** The Duke himself [[Lampshade Hanging|put it best when he said]], "I play John Wayne in every movie, regardless of the character."

*** I think The Duke meant he plays [http://www.cracked.com/article_18959_5-sidekicks-who-got-screwed-by-history_p2.html Yakima Canutt] in every movie

* All through [[The Eighties]], Michael Winslow tended to be The Guy Who Makes Noises. In fact, his entire career is built on being The Guy Who Makes Noises. He even admits this.

** That's who he is in real life. Though he was a voice in [[Gremlins]].

** He then completely reverses the ship by playing [[Complete Monster|twisted serial killer]] Kevin in ''[[Sin City]]''.

* Chow Yun-Fat is good at playing tragic heroes in Hong Kong action movies. Since his work with [[John Woo]], nearly every gunplay role he plays has him using [[Guns Akimbo|two guns]] at least once in the movie.

** ... and [[Stranglehold|game]].

* After his [[Big Bad]] role in ''[[Nochnoi Dozor]]'', Russian actor Viktor Verzhbitskiy has played one villain after another, including at least three [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|evil oligarchs]]. Thanks to his [[Large Ham|larger-than-life acting style]], he is often the only reason to watch those movies.

* Bert Lahr, who played The Cowardly Lion in ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', later complained that he was typecast as a lion: "There just aren't all that many parts for lions."

* John Lithgow went through a period in the 1980s where he played a scientist in several movies. If it's 1985, and your movie needs a physicist who does ''not'' act like a [[Mad Scientist]] (with [[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension|one noteworthy exception]]), then John Lithgow is your man.

** He plays a computer scientist in 1983's ''[[Twilight Zone the Movie]]'', a University of Kansas science professor in 1983's ''[[The Day After]]'', physicists in 1986's ''[[The Manhattan Project]]'' and 1984's ''[[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension]]'', and an engineer who designs interplanetary spacecraft in 1984's ''[[Main/ptitledixtv 2 ac|2010]]''

* Vincent Price, as 'the really creepy scary movie actor'.

* [[Tom Selleck]] has been typecast as cops or soldiers, particularly in [[Magnum, P.I.]]. Selleck himself, however, claims that [[American Gun Politics|his support for the NRA]] has hurt his career.

** ... A Half-Human Hybrid created by the villains to join up with the heroes and bring them down from within, but eventually changes sides through [[The Power of Love]] and plays a pivotal role in defeating his creators.

* Look at Glenn Morshower's filmography. Almost all of his characters have a military rank.

* Pretty much every role of Henry Winkler aka "[[Happy Days|Fonzie]] these days seems to be as an outrageously incompetent lawyer in various sitcoms and movies.

* Ken Jeong as the "funny Asian dude".

* [[Liam Neeson]] plays the aged badass with a haunted face and a certain chance of getting killed in his movies. If he doesn't die, he makes other people die in his place. (The last bit can either be about [[Darkman]] or [[Batman Begins]])

* Tom Felton may get this way seeing as his character in Rise of the Apes is basically Draco Malfoy without magic

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355062/ Jerry Haleva] is an extreme example. His every credited acting role has been as Saddam Hussein. Though anecdotes seem to suggest he could also have played Stalin.

* Jeremy Renner tends to play [[Anti-Hero|badass loose-cannon]] types. See ''[[SWAT]]'' and ''[[The Hurt Locker]]'' for two prime examples.

* [[Eric Vale]] [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] that he's often cast as a douchebag.

* Ralph Bellamy was often stuck playing [[Romantic Runner-Up|dull nice guys]].

* [[Mark Strong]], as a [[Bald of Evil|bald villain]] with [[Evil Brit|an English accent]].

 

== Actresses ==

** Mo'Nique completely averts this in ''[[Precious]]'', and it could very well launch her career into new heights.

** Hattie [[Mc Daniel]] played so many [[Mammy]] maid roles that she noted she would rather play a maid for $700 a week than be a maid for $7 a week.

* Devon Aoki is the badass Asian girl.

** Also, she doesn't talk as much as she act.

* When Bea Arthur was cast as Dorothy Zbornak in ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', the similarities to ''[[Maude]]'' were noticed immediately and she was asked if she was worried about being typcast. She responded that life was too short to worry about that.

* Jessica Biel was worried enough about her typecasting as the "[[Girl Next Door|good girl]]" from ''[[7th Heaven]]'' (which had cost her the lead role in ''[[American Beauty]]'') that she [[Public Exposure|posed half-naked]] for ''Gear'' magazine (when she [[Jail Bait|was seventeen!]]) in order to shake off that image and get out of her contract on the show. It worked.

* Nikki Blonsky always seems to get typecast as a fat teenager who's around to prove a point. This may be the main reason why her career never took off despite a lot of hype for her in the beginning.

* [[Claudia Black]] seems to show up as capable, confident, and very [[Deadpan Snarker|sarcastic]] characters, whether she is there in person or it is just her voice.

* [[Zooey Deschanel]] seems to either play the [[Deadpan Snarker]] or the [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl]]. Or both. She's the [[Love Interest]] a lot, too. No wonder, she's ''beautiful''. It would take a lot of makeup and editing to make her creepy enough to be a villain, because [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]. She could probably pull off [[The Vamp|a seductress role]], though.

* Loretta Devine is almost always cast as a doting mother/grandmother. And, she is rarely in starring roles.

** Except in ''[[Urban Legend (film)|Urban Legend]]'' and its sequel ''[[Urban Legends Final Cut]]''.

* [[Anna Faris]] is always [[The Brainless Beauty]].

* Characters played by [[Heather Graham]] seem to tend to end up having a lot of sex for one reason or another.

** It's probably because [[Everybody Remembers the Stripper|she's willing to get naked on camera]]. [[Ms. Fanservice|Constantly]].

** Let's be honest though, this happens to most attractive young actresses who are both really talented ''and'' willing to get naked on camera. See also: Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Eva Green, Salma Hayek.

* Katherine Heigl usually plays a high maintenance woman who, while successful in her career, has a poor love life.

* Period Movie: A type of film which features [[Keira Knightley]] wearing [[Gorgeous Period Dress]] and [[Ms. Fanservice|occasionally nude]]. She's the plucky main character and is most likely a little ahead of her time.

* Remember how fiesty and colourful Amy Madigan was as the wife in [[Field of Dreams]]? Well she's since become typecast as a joyless crone who's probably insane. The mind boggles.

* Alexandra Moen seems to be carving out a niche as "troubled posh woman". (She was Lucy Saxon in [[Doctor Who|"Last of the Time Lords"]], for those of you who don't know her name).

* Actress Lupe Ontiveros estimates that she's played a maid between 150 and 300 times on screen.

* Joan Plowright is the ultimate Sweet Old English Lady.

** Oddly averted in her breakout role, ''[[Bagdad Cafe]]'', where she is in charge of delivering the [[Whoopi Epiphany Speech]].

** Now subverted with ''Warehouse13'': Mrs. Frederic is definitely an authority figure, but rather than being [[Affably Evil]], she is a gruff, kind of creepy [[Da Chief|Chief]] who nevertheless ''not'' evil (so far).

* Catalina Saavedra originally refused (angrily) the role of Raquel in ''[[The Maid]]'' (2009 Chilean film) because she had already played too many maids.

* Luciana Salazar as "eye candy on rehashed sequel of an old comedy franchise/movie based on cartoon".

* [[Tilda Swinton]] as the androgynous [[Ice Queen]].

** Subverted in ''The Frighteners'', where she is portrayed as the victim only to {{spoiler|change gears halfway through the film to become the villain)}}.

* When Zhang Ziyi appears on the screen, you start to count down to the beginning of some serious [[Waif Fu]].

* Kelly Preston seems to usually play the doting mother in family films (e.g. ''Jack Frost'', ''What a Girl Wants'', ''The Cat in the Hat'', ''Sky High'', ''Old Dogs'', and ''The Last Song'').

* And while we're at it, we also have [[Angelina Jolie]] as the other badass tough girl who doesn't die as often, though she did kill herself in [[Wanted]].

* Need a runaway, drug addict, hooker, hellraiser, or [[Broken Bird|otherwise troubled young woman?]] Taryn Manning’s your gal.

* Given the number of times [[Hayden Panettiere]] and Christina Milian have played [[The Cheerleader]], [[The CW]] missed a trick by not getting one or the other or both to make a guest appearance on ''[[Hellcats]]''.

* [[Stephanie Sheh]] will forever be known as the woman who voices [[Shrinking Violet|shy]], busty [[Moe]] girls who [[Naruto|have]] [[Bleach|crushes]] [[Haruhi Suzumiya|on the main protagonist]].

* Characters played by Mischa Barton usually tend to end up in relationships with other girls, at least briefly. The same is sometimes true for her [[The OC|OC]] girlfriend Olivia Wilde.

 

== Both ==

* Many sci-fi actors, especially those who appeared on ''[[Star Trek]]''. If you become famous for a role in a sci-fi show or movie, accept the fact that you'll get no work outside of theatre, voice acting, and guest spots that [[Adam Westing|are basically parodies of your most famous role.]]

** [[Patrick Stewart]] has been able to avoid the Trek curse; sure, his other major mainstream role is Professor X in the ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men]]'' film continuity (which, while not a straight "genre" match to ''Star Trek'', certainly is science fiction), but outside of film, he is a very, ''very'' respected Shakespearean actor, one of the finest of his generation.

** [[William Shatner|Shatner]] isn't so much typecast in [[Sci Fi]] so much as he is typecast as [[Large Ham|him]][[Chewing the Scenery|self]]. Doesn't seem to bother him though, and he does it well.

*** It wasn't until [[The Eighties]] with ''[[T. J. Hooker]]'' that he had any success as a character actor outside of ''[[Star Trek]]''.

** LeVar Burton has a few other well-known roles. He played Kunta Kinte in ''[[Roots]]'', voiced Kwame in ''[[Captain Planet]]'', and was the host of ''[[Reading Rainbow]].''

*** Which this [[PBS]]-watching son of Trekkies found quite amusing once he was old enough to understand the concept of acting.

*** However, he was just about the only major ''[[Star Trek]]'' cast member who never bitched about it.

** And if you're particularly unlucky, even the roles written for your ethnic group will [[Race Lift|suddenly be handed to white actors instead]].

* Quinton Flynn seems to voice three kinds of characters: [[Metal Gear Solid|Badasses]], [[Advent Children|comedic villains]], or just plain Ax Crazy [[Kingdom Hearts II|pyromaniacs]].

 

{{reflist}}