Written by I'm sensitive, but not too sensitive as to drive away men. This face says it all.
Two questions:
Karla: I think Jonah Hill definitely falls into this category. I think he’s capable of more but it would be really hard for him to make the crossover into a more dramatic role. Maybe he’s not even interested in something more serious. He’s younger and probably having a lot of fun working on his comedies and voice overs. I sort of have Jason Schwartzman-sized hopes for him and I wouldn’t want to see him get pigeon-holed into being the funny, humorously awkward kid in every film he does.
Jim: Don’t all fat actors get typecast as the buddy in the buddy comedy, no matter how hard they try?
Also, in order to be typecasted, you have to demonstrate that you have some sort of range that is not being exploited by the industry for whatever reason (probably money…). Not hating on Jonah Hill, but he hasn’t made Wet Hot American Summer yet. (and as an aside, I think there are actually very few comedians who AREN’T typecasted)
Wath this movie now!
If I had to go with someone I think I’d take on one of Seth’s man-crushes, Joseph Gordon Levitt. He just stepped out of his typical sensitive dude in off beat indie comedy and seemed to be stuck somewhere between Zach Braff and Jon Krasinsky on the charming but ultimately forgettable scale. He was great in Inception, and if he really is going to play the Riddler in the next Batman, then my argument is pretty much moot, but I think he’s on the precipice of either sliding back into “make the chicks swoon and not much else mode” or over-capitalizing on Inception‘s success and taking on a series of inferior sidekick roles morphing into poor man’s Edward Norton…
Caroline: “Poor man’s Edward Norton”…love it.
Lets apply that to some ladies. Leslie Man is the poor woman’s Joan Cusack…albeit a hotter version.
As for the A-listers, Cate Blanchett needs to grab a crack whore roll fast because while admittedly an amazing actress, she always carries with her the same air of dignified grace. It is as if her characters are always inner queens…even when shes not Elizabeth. I just want to see if she can lose the inherent cultivation and get a little crude.
Patrick: Michael Cera seems to play the same awkward-nerdy leading man over and over again. He definitely looks the part but I would love to see him in something that’s not funny.
Mumblecore Hero
Seth: I have to pick at Jim’s “man-crush” statement. I wouldn’t consider him a man-crush personally, it’s just weird to have a famous doppelganger. And I’d gather that his roles have been pretty varied throughout his career actually. In fact, a quick glance at this credits shows only ONE (MAYBE two if you count 10 Things, but they were made several years apart) “make the chicks swoon and not much else mode”. He’s been a High school noir detective (Brick), a broken-down bank robber-turned-hero (The Lookout, excellent if you haven’t seen it), an archvillian (GI Joe), a misanthrope (Hesher), an Iraq war veteran (Stop-Loss), and the future holds more variety with nothing resembling one of these roles. Just scan his IMDB page, he’s had a pretty varied career. Which is one of the reasons I don’t mind sharing a face with him.
So while I may have done nothing to disprove Jim’s claim of a man-crush (for me that’s Matt Damon or the aforementioned Ed Norton) I think I’ve safely defended my Doppelganger.
Patrick: Jim was on the money with the fat actor’s always being the buddy, never getting the girl, and being the nice guy etc… Although I think a recent trend, in most of the movies you’ve just named, busts the fat guy type cast. The chubby guy actually gets the girl in King of Queens, Forty Year Old Virgin, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well.
Comedic actors not branching out doesn’t seem like type casting because the actors named seemingly have a choice of movie projects and choose to swing in their wheel house and make butt loads of cash, Hollywood if nothing else is formulaic. If these guys are victims of anything it’s that. They might not get too many acting roles outside of comedy because of the way they look or their acting history. For example Jason Statham won’t be playing any geeky high school guys any time soon, but actors like Rudd, Hill and others are big enough to have a choice. Actor’s ability to choose probably has a place in the definition as well.
Type cast as double edge sword hypothetical role play: Me -Movie producer Sandra Bullock- as Danny Trejo
Movie Producer: Hey Danny Trejo you’d be perfect for this new role as Mexican inmate # 5 in the remake of The Great Escape.
Danny Trejo: Well I guess if I want to eat and keep doing what I love I have to play this role again, but next time I swear I’m holding out for the role of Wall Street exec!
Sorry Dan-o that role’s not coming around the bend anytime soon. No tatted Latinos on the Forbes list means no tatted Gordon Geko’s, (although he could actually play the Mexican inmate in the Wall Street sequel and I can’t even talk about lebuff right now an actor who I hate but consistently like his movies.)
So my answer is Danny Trejo eternally the Mexican former/future/current inmate when I feel he has the potential for more but not the choice.
It's almost unsettling to see him smile.
Sherman: Not a comedic typecast, but it would be nice to see Morgan Freeman play a perverted serial killer or anything other than “black mentor” (today’s version of “magical negro”, which Freeman also used to play all the time). And as a sub-typecast as “black mentor” he’s also typecast as “God”. Which is a lot cooler.
Kevin: My answer is Paul Rudd’s companion in Role Models-Sean William Scott
The StifMeister Forever
Think about it, name a movie when he wasn’t an updated version of Stifler. Sure, American Pie was the teen movie of our generation and that may have cemented him. But to his credit, he fucking nails the duchey-yet funny dude role better than anyone. I stand by that he’s a funny actor, who can mix in classic physical comedy, stupid frat guy jokes, but still work in some heart. I enjoyed him in American Pies (really the only reedeming part of the sequels), Road Trip, The Rundown (yeah, I said it). Sure he has some crappy movies, i.e. Dukes of Hazzard, but it’s the last example of Role Models that made me think there was more to this SWS character. By all accounts he plays an updated, more adult version of Stifler in that film, but he showed some restraint and somehow makes that character likeable against all odds, and really seemed to add some subtly to the role. Also, showed he could really bring in the emotional life lesson part of the storyline. Maybe he’s typecast thats all he can do, but I really think he can do a lot more as an actor and comedic role outside of douchy athlete in high school. I wan to see him get a shot at something different, at least to see how it goes. More SWS in my life I say!
What say you Ramblers? Are there other actors who you care for who are in danger of being typecast or are !GASP! already? I think this is really a function of kinda stock characters being tweaked in a small way and people being set-up to take certain roles. Somebody write some new characters!
