"Against Type" actors

[MDK]

Couldn't figure out the correct wording, apart from anti-stereotypical, but that is a mouthful so here we are.

Actors/Actresses who have done a good job outside of their usual wheelhouse.

Arnie in Maggie springs to mind. The film was okay but it was interesting to see Arnie doing something that serious without pulling out someones spleen. And I was bullshitting with @Benjamin about Dave Batista, who looks like he should be constantly typecast, but is surprisingly decent as a serious actor. Okay, I'm basing it off of a few minutes in Blade Runner and Bushwick (underrated film btw) but he looks like he has potential.

Kristian Wiig as well. She has been in some absolute shite but she did Welcome to Me and I thought it was a good flick.

Massive shout-out to Jim Carey as well. From Dumb and Dumber to Eternal Sunshine (via Man on the Moon). 

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine is a revelation. Totally believable although, after watching his recent film about filming Man on the Moon it seems as though Gondry got hold of him at just the right time.

[MDK]

12 minutes ago, ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster said:

Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine is a revelation. Totally believable although, after watching his recent film about filming Man on the Moon it seems as though Gondry got hold of him at just the right time.

At that point he was like two different actors. 

[JasonM]

Even though he's practically become a joke nowadays, I feel Liam Neeson did a damn good job dabbling into action films when he was a renowned dramatical actor. His performances in The Phantom Menace and Batman Begins are arguably standouts compared to the other actors, Taken 1 was a decent brainless action flick, but his best role was arguably The Grey which was harrowing and left me profoundly moved at the end of it all.

Anyone who hasn't seen The Grey need to see it.

[MDK]

The Grey was a hell of a lot better than I though it would be. 

[Benji]

Heath Ledger going from teen comedy hearthrob in stuff like 10 Things and Knight's Tale to Brokeback Mountain and that Joker.

Oh, Robert DeNiro from everything ever to Meet The Parents. It's a similar role, but he plays it for comedy perfectly.

[Jimmy]

Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love is probably my favourite casting against type, he's also great in Funny People, but I feel that's a performance that is potentially a lot closer to home than PTA's great film. 

Cynthia Nixon is so perfect in Terence Davies' A Quiet Passion, I had no idea she was most famous for her role in Sex in the City (which I've never watched). 

There's plenty more, but those two are the performances that leap out for me. I'd be tempted to make an argument against Jim Carrey because I'd just outright claim he's a versatile actor who has a number of outstanding roles outside of his associated type - but maybe they're just too far and between. 

[GhostMachine]

Jim Carey did a really good tv movie called Doing Time On Maple Drive back in the early 90's, at the same time he was on In Living Color. He plays an alcoholic in it.

MDK mentioned Batista in Bushwick. Really good acting job by him in it, but I thought the ending was horrible.

[MDK]

9 hours ago, Jimmy said:

There's plenty more, but those two are the performances that leap out for me. I'd be tempted to make an argument against Jim Carrey because I'd just outright claim he's a versatile actor who has a number of outstanding roles outside of his associated type - but maybe they're just too far and between. 

Yes but I'm not 12 and remember when he only did whacky comedies 

[Moses Julep]

I always really enjoy Steve Carell in his more serious roles.

[Lint]

Really don't know if its "against type" since he's always appeared in a lot of different genres, but John C. Reilly is someone I usually think of for his comedic roles.  The fact he's done a hell of a lot of drama, as well as being nominated for a Tony for the Broadway production True West

[MDK]

8 hours ago, Lint said:

Really don't know if its "against type" since he's always appeared in a lot of different genres, but John C. Reilly is someone I usually think of for his comedic roles.  The fact he's done a hell of a lot of drama, as well as being nominated for a Tony for the Broadway production True West

He has been in some cracking films but I will always think of him as Dewey Cox. Which is by a distance the best pisstake genre film of all time.

[Gazz]

Robin Williams was always seen as primarily a comic actor despite killing it in a number of dramatic roles.

[MalaCloudy Black]

38 minutes ago, Stardust Gazzenius said:

Robin Williams was always seen as primarily a comic actor despite killing it in a number of dramatic roles.

Yeah, he was phenomenal in One Hour Photo. Really good in the film World's Greatest Dad too.

[Benjamin]

21 hours ago, Moses Julep said:

I always really enjoy Steve Carell in his more serious roles.

Yeah, I always forget he was a fucking correspondent on the Daily Show and was basically the star of the Office when he's become such a phenomenal dramatic actor. Just saw the Last Flag Flying and he was incredible, really brings such a punch to more subdued roles.

[Moses Julep]

1 hour ago, Benjamin said:

Yeah, I always forget he was a fucking correspondent on the Daily Show and was basically the star of the Office when he's become such a phenomenal dramatic actor. Just saw the Last Flag Flying and he was incredible, really brings such a punch to more subdued roles.

That movie was so good, thinking of which you can also throw Bryan Cranston in there. He went from comedic figure to acting badass.

[GhostMachine]

11 hours ago, Stardust Gazzenius said:

Robin Williams was always seen as primarily a comic actor despite killing it in a number of dramatic roles.

My three favorite movies of his are actually (in no particular order) Hook, Being Human and Bicentennial Man. And he's serious for most of Hook.

[Pooker]

One of my favorite Jim Carrey movies that I never hear anybody talk about is The Majestic. First movie I remember watching him in that wasn't a comedy and always thought he did a great job in it.

[GhostMachine]

Smacking myself big time for not mentioning that movie when I brought the tv movie. Because The Majestic is actually my favorite Jim Carrey movie (with The Truman Show being second). Jim Carrey is a more versatile actor than he's given credit for.

Lets also not forget that, despite him only being in it briefly, he's in the last Dirty Harry movie, The Dead Pool (not to be confused with Deadpool). As a rock star who gets murdered while working on a slasher film (with Liam Neeson playing the director). He lip syncs `Welcome To The Jungle' in it. And Guns N' Roses have a cameo during the funeral of Carrey's character.

 

 

[JasonM]

4 hours ago, GhostMachine said:

Smacking myself big time for not mentioning that movie when I brought the tv movie. Because The Majestic is actually my favorite Jim Carrey movie (with The Truman Show being second). Jim Carrey is a more versatile actor than he's given credit for.

Lets also not forget that, despite him only being in it briefly, he's in the last Dirty Harry movie, The Dead Pool (not to be confused with Deadpool). As a rock star who gets murdered while working on a slasher film (with Liam Neeson playing the director). He lip syncs `Welcome To The Jungle' in it. And Guns N' Roses have a cameo during the funeral of Carrey's character.

 

 

Wait, was that Jim Carrey?! That's actually spectacular, but I was too young when I saw that for it to really register to me.

I always love cameos of actors before they were famous.