Being typecast
At lunch today, my coworkers and I were discussing movies (a frequent conversation topic). When talking about the question of which actors/actresses have consistently done good work throughout their entire careers, we began wondering about the career of Nicolas Cage. Back in the '90s, he was riding high - at least among Americans from my generation - with action hits like "Face/Off" and "The Rock," and the drama "Leaving Las Vegas." Then, it seemed like he fell off the map from being a certified Hollywood leading man on the Cruise-Hanks level, to a guy who you no longer look forward to seeing on the silver screen. What happened? Did his ability to pick good scripts just disappear?
We hypothesized that he may have decided to attempt to avoid being "typecast." Given his commercial success, perhaps he was thinking to himself, "I don't want to be known just as an action hero. I know! I'll make a sensitive historical drama! 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin,' here I come!"
Springing from here, we began analyzing movie thespians and came up with a few observations:
1) For movie star actors, there are three primary types of movie that attain blockbuster status and thus make a longer-lasting impression on the consciousness of the general public - action, drama, and comedy.
2) Some movie stars who are supremely talented in one particular genre will have a lot of difficulty breaking out of that mold, since the audience doesn't want to see them in any other role. See: Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan.
3) The most well-respected male movie stars tend to have had at least one blockbuster hit in at least two of the aforementioned categories, but very few have had mainstream success in all three, because in general, it is the first two genres where an actor gains financial success and recognition that causes the movie-going public to typecast that actor into those roles. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm defining "movie star" as someone who can headline and carry a movie on the strength of their name alone - i.e., "That's the new Tom Cruise flick."
For example, Nicolas Cage has established himself as a marketable action star and dramatic actor, but hasn't really had a successful comedy. Can you see him succeeding in a romantic comedy? In my mind, he's been typecast.
This can be applied to lots of actors. Brad Pitt - drama (Fight Club, Seven, Interview with a Vampire) and action (Troy). Keanu Reeves - action (Matrix) and comedy (Bill & Ted - although everything he does is unintentional comedy, I guess). Russell Crowe - action and drama. Denzel Washington - drama and action. And, so on so forth. In each case, it's difficult for us to envision that actor in a movie outside of what they've proven themselves in - can you see Russell Crowe in, say, "Sleepless in Seattle?" Probably not.
There are a few actors that have sort of broken out of the two-genre mode, but primarily on the strength of their persona in one that they're known for translating to the new one. For example, Robert De Niro and Bruce Willis, both decent action-drama actors, have had some successful comedies in recent years by playing off their tough-guy image.
It's the rare actor that is able to break out of their original genre to become a viable guy who people can think, "Yeah, he can probably play that role" for almost any role. Tom Hanks is perhaps the most well-respected current dramatic movie star, and is pretty bankable as a comedic actor and has done some action (Saving Private Ryan). Tom Cruise is a bona fide dramatic and action star, with "Jerry Maguire" as a decent try at comedy-drama. Will Smith is the young one in this bunch, with action blockbusters, well-received dramas like "Ali," and plenty of comedic experience sprinkled throughout his action movies and also from "Fresh Prince." Perhaps the best example is Mel Gibson - an action star (Lethal Weapon), drama star (Braveheart), and successful comedy (What Women Want). It's hard not to get typecast, but a few have managed to pull it off.
For actresses, since very few tend to do action films, they primarily get to stretch their acting chops in either dramatic or comedic roles. However, I don't hear nearly as much from actresses who are intentionally plotting their career to play a wide variety of parts - not sure why that is.
At lunch today, my coworkers and I were discussing movies (a frequent conversation topic). When talking about the question of which actors/actresses have consistently done good work throughout their entire careers, we began wondering about the career of Nicolas Cage. Back in the '90s, he was riding high - at least among Americans from my generation - with action hits like "Face/Off" and "The Rock," and the drama "Leaving Las Vegas." Then, it seemed like he fell off the map from being a certified Hollywood leading man on the Cruise-Hanks level, to a guy who you no longer look forward to seeing on the silver screen. What happened? Did his ability to pick good scripts just disappear?
We hypothesized that he may have decided to attempt to avoid being "typecast." Given his commercial success, perhaps he was thinking to himself, "I don't want to be known just as an action hero. I know! I'll make a sensitive historical drama! 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin,' here I come!"
Springing from here, we began analyzing movie thespians and came up with a few observations:
1) For movie star actors, there are three primary types of movie that attain blockbuster status and thus make a longer-lasting impression on the consciousness of the general public - action, drama, and comedy.
2) Some movie stars who are supremely talented in one particular genre will have a lot of difficulty breaking out of that mold, since the audience doesn't want to see them in any other role. See: Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan.
3) The most well-respected male movie stars tend to have had at least one blockbuster hit in at least two of the aforementioned categories, but very few have had mainstream success in all three, because in general, it is the first two genres where an actor gains financial success and recognition that causes the movie-going public to typecast that actor into those roles. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm defining "movie star" as someone who can headline and carry a movie on the strength of their name alone - i.e., "That's the new Tom Cruise flick."
For example, Nicolas Cage has established himself as a marketable action star and dramatic actor, but hasn't really had a successful comedy. Can you see him succeeding in a romantic comedy? In my mind, he's been typecast.
This can be applied to lots of actors. Brad Pitt - drama (Fight Club, Seven, Interview with a Vampire) and action (Troy). Keanu Reeves - action (Matrix) and comedy (Bill & Ted - although everything he does is unintentional comedy, I guess). Russell Crowe - action and drama. Denzel Washington - drama and action. And, so on so forth. In each case, it's difficult for us to envision that actor in a movie outside of what they've proven themselves in - can you see Russell Crowe in, say, "Sleepless in Seattle?" Probably not.
There are a few actors that have sort of broken out of the two-genre mode, but primarily on the strength of their persona in one that they're known for translating to the new one. For example, Robert De Niro and Bruce Willis, both decent action-drama actors, have had some successful comedies in recent years by playing off their tough-guy image.
It's the rare actor that is able to break out of their original genre to become a viable guy who people can think, "Yeah, he can probably play that role" for almost any role. Tom Hanks is perhaps the most well-respected current dramatic movie star, and is pretty bankable as a comedic actor and has done some action (Saving Private Ryan). Tom Cruise is a bona fide dramatic and action star, with "Jerry Maguire" as a decent try at comedy-drama. Will Smith is the young one in this bunch, with action blockbusters, well-received dramas like "Ali," and plenty of comedic experience sprinkled throughout his action movies and also from "Fresh Prince." Perhaps the best example is Mel Gibson - an action star (Lethal Weapon), drama star (Braveheart), and successful comedy (What Women Want). It's hard not to get typecast, but a few have managed to pull it off.
For actresses, since very few tend to do action films, they primarily get to stretch their acting chops in either dramatic or comedic roles. However, I don't hear nearly as much from actresses who are intentionally plotting their career to play a wide variety of parts - not sure why that is.
posted by Bob at
6:27 PM
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