17 Actors Who Literally Played One Type Of Character Their Entire Career Until They Surprised Us All With Something New

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17 Actors Who Literally Played One Type Of Character Their Entire Career Until They Surprised Us All With Something New

Once an actor gets known for playing a certain type of role, they’re often stuck in that type for a loooong time. Still…some actors have impressively managed to break out.

Well, recently, Reddit user roosterkun asked about actors who actually broke out of their typecast, and people had a ton of great responses. Here’s 17 stars who managed to pull it off!

1. Adam Sandler rose to fame in a number of slapstick ’90s and 2000s comedies like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. Not only was he not considered a serious actor, but by the 2010s, he was considered a bad one. He appeared in a number of notoriously unfunny flops, including Jack and Jill and Pixels, and was nominated for almost FORTY Razzies by 2017.

Universal / courtesy Everett CollectionSuggested by u/Upbeat-Fox7091

But he completely changed direction with the 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems. Sandler’s performance was critically lauded and proved he could do dramatic roles. While he’s clearly still interested in his regular low-quality comedy films (check out Murder Mystery 2), he proved it wasn’t a complete one-off with a dramatic role in Hustle, which wasn’t quite Uncut Gems was was still a respectable drama.

A24/Netflix

“That man is a Robin Williams level actor in the right films when it comes to flawless serious and comedic acting.

The problem is he figured out he gets paid more to hang out with his friends on camera for mid comedies (ex. Grown Ups). You can’t blame him if the studio is gonna pay for you and all your bros to hangout in Hawaii for a few months AND you get a dump truck of cash; you would do it, too. So, even though I think he has the actual acting potential to equal Robin, his overall filmography never will, which is sad.

His debut comedies are eternal classics, and Punch Drunk Love, The Longest Yard, and Uncut Gems are all extremely well-made serious films.”

—u/acart005

2. Jeff Daniels did the opposite — he had been known for serious, celebrated roles prior to appearing in Dumb and Dumber alongside comedic legend Jim Carrey.

New Line / courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Positive_Prompt_3171

“He played the role perfectly. In a vacuum without anything else around them, Jeff Daniels’s Harry definitely seems to be playing the straight man to Jim Carrey’s Lloyd being the eccentric. But, as the movie develops, it becomes increasingly clear that Harry and Lloyd are both the eccentrics, and the other characters and the entire world that’s developing around them serves as the straight man. Jeff Daniels hit that certain spot in between perfectly.”

—helpmelearn12

3. Daniel Craig is a great recent example. Best known for playing James Bond, Craig had appeared in a number of serious thrillers and dramas. While starring in another crime story — Knives Out — may have seemed right on brand for Craig, anyone who’s seen the movie can tell that the thoughtful southern detective with a flair for dramatic “whodunnit” speeches is a MASSIVE departure for him.

Nicola Dove / MGM / Danjaq / Courtesy Everett Collection

“Between the latest James Bond movies and Layer Cake, Daniel Craig is mostly known as ‘suave British spy/criminal.’ But later, he proved he has comedic talent and also a knack for southern accents in Logan Lucky and the Knives Out films.”

—u/TJ_McWeaksauce

The character is the opposite of these more reserved, formal characters and in fact is often out of place among the rich and powerful…and yet, Craig nails it, to the point where people are requesting endless Knives Out films led by Benoit Blanc.

Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

4. Craig’s Knives Out: Glass Onion costar Dave Bautista has also eschewed type. Formerly a wrestler, it seemed Bautista would have a path similar to The Rock and do mostly comedic, family, action-heavy roles…especially after he starred in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Jay Maidment/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/maskofharrow89

“Bautista in every role. Dude broke in with Guardians and then made a decision to go as varied as possible to break the typecast and prove he’s got skill. He’s the anti-Rock.”

—u/AliasUndercover123

After Guardians, though, Bautista tried his hand at a few more serious action roles and even villainous roles. With his role in sci-fi hit Blade Runner 2049, sci-fi epic Dune, and psychological horror film Knock at the Cabin, Bautista proved himself a surprisingly strong dramatic actor who could portray many different character archetypes.

Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

“I love that he very obviously cares about working with great directors and pushing boundaries with interesting roles.”

—u/deathbystereo007

5. In the 2000s, Steve Carell was best known for starring roles in The Office and films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Ron Tom / NBC / courtesy everett collection

But he broke from tradition when he starred as a depressive scholar in indie hit Little Miss Sunshine — and he proved it wasn’t a one-off with strong performances in dramas like Foxcatcher (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), The Big Short, and Beautiful Boy.

Fox Searchlight / courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Tacoenthusiast212 and u/AmusingMusing7

6. Jason Bateman was another sitcom star who seemed capable of a single deadpan sort of comedy after a long tenure on Arrested Development. He also appeared in rom-coms like The Switch, The Break-Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, Horrible Bosses, The Change-Up, Identity Thief, etc.

20th Century Fox /Courtesy: Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Sxn90

However, Bateman proved his dramatic skill in the psychological thriller The Gift — before going on to star in the extremely dark and heavy series Ozark, which premiered to massive critical acclaim, much of which focused on Bateman’s performance.

Jackson Davis / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection

7. Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad is one of my favorite examples — it’s an example not just of stellar acting but of stellar casting. Cranston was beloved for playing sitcom dad Hal in Malcolm in the Middle.

Saeed Adyani / 20th Century / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Maut99

Putting him as another dad in the tonal opposite of the sitcom was a genius move, because it made his eventual transformation into hardened drug dealer that much more interesting. Cranston nailed the shift, proving his prowess as an actor and a true jack of all trades.

Gregory Peters / AMC / courtesy Everett Collection

8. Another one of my favorite examples? Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People. Moore was a beloved sitcom fixture for years on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

CBS / courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by MantaRay2256

Appearing in a serious drama like Ordinary People was a huge departure for Moore — even more so by the fact that she played a horribly cold mother. Moore was nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection

9. Woody Harrelson was best known throughout the ’80s and early ’90s for his role on the sitcom Cheers. He made the jump to film with similarly comedic roles in movies like White Men Can’t Jump, Wildcats, and Cool Blue.

Paramount TV/ Courtesy: Everett Colleciton

In 1993, he tried his hand at a more serious role in Indecent Proposal. But the true shift came the next year, when Harrelson portrayed a mass murderer in Natural Born Killers. Since then, Harrelson has portrayed a plethora of different characters in different genres, franchises, and plays. He’s been nominated for three Oscars.

Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Nerditter

10. Bruce Willis was similarly a TV lead before Die Hard. His most notable role had been starring as David in Moonlighting and in the rom-com Blind Date, and he seemed to be poised to continue to play romantic leads.

ABC. Courtesy: Everett Collection

Suggested by u/eddietwoo

When he was cast in Die Hard, he became a major action star, completely changing his career (which would go on to become extremely action-heavy, though he did break out of that type, too, with the critically acclaimed The Sixth Sense).

20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

“People these days forget Bruce Willis was a TV heartthrob when Die Hard came out. People were used to ’80s bodybuilders starring in action movies, and a lot of the buzz came from confusion: ‘An action movie starring BRUCE WILLIS, WTF??’”

—u/TheBoredMan

“Audiences laughed en mass when trailers for Die Hard were aired. The thought of Bruce Willis playing an action hero was hilarious to the general public.”

—u/moo-loy

11. Jonah Hill was widely known for comedy roles in the 2000s, such as Knocked Up and Superbad. He surprised everyone with a supporting role in 2011’s Moneyball, garnering an Oscar nomination.

Melinda Sue Gordon/Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

While he continued to appear in comedies (like 21 Jump Street), he started racking up an impressive track record, working on the Tarantino film Django Unchained and more prominently in the Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, a role he took for SAG’s minimum salary because he wanted to be in it so badly. He’s even forayed into directing with the critically acclaimed Mid90s, proving himself far more than just a funny guy.

Mary Cybulski/Paramount Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

12. While Matthew McConaughey did a large variety of roles earlier in his career, he started to get typecast as a romantic comedy lead with a series of hits like The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Fool’s Gold.

Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/Maut99

However, in 2012–2014, there was a huge shift in the way the public saw McConaughey after he appeared in Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, True Detective, and Interstellar all within a two-year period, culminating in him winning an Oscar in 2014 for Dallas Buyers Club, and getting nominated for an Emmy for True Detective.

Anne Marie Fox/Focus Features / courtesy Everett Collection

13. Robin Williams was a beloved comedic actor for decades, appearing in comedies like The Birdcage and family films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Hook.

20th Century Fox / courtesy Everett Collection

While Williams did memorably appear in a few dramas (including Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting), he usually portrayed a heroic, beloved figure. In the early 2000s, however, he proved he could take on dark roles after starring in Insomnia (in which he played a murderer), One Hour Photo, and The Final Cut.

Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection

“Robin Williams playing a killer in Insomnia was always so striking to me. He did such a great job, and it was so different from his prior roles.”

—u/chrisball96

14. Ralph Fiennes built a career on appearing in serious, heavy dramas (often in villainous roles) like The English Patient, Schindler’s List, The Hurt Locker, and The Reader, and also gained more widespread fame playing Harry’s Potter’s villain Voldemort.

Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Fiennes rarely appeared in anything even comedy-adjacent…until his role in the comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel (and a subsequent role in the Coen brothers’ comedy Hail, Caesar!).

Bob Yeoman/Fox Searchlight Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

“[Fiennes] built his career on prestige drama roles, and never shied away from playing an unlikable character. See The English Patient, Schindler’s List, Red Dragon, The Duchess, Harry Potter, etc. His performances are always heavy. Then he goes and does The Grand Budapest Hotel and you see the guy has great comedic timing. Blew my mind to be laughing at Ralph Fiennes.”

—u/Snoopy_Dancer

15. And finally, let’s end on three actors who broke out of HUGE typecasts after starring in the 2000s’ biggest franchises. First up, we have Elijah Wood, who led the Lord of the Rings trilogy as the hobbit Frodo.

New Line Cinema

Suggested by u/skinnyminnesota

After LOTR, Wood appeared in indie hit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, then went dark with roles in Green Street Hooligans and Sin City (in which he portrayed a literal cannibal).

Miramax Films

“Loved Elijah so much growing up, then he went from hobbit to serial killer, and it was chilling.”

—u/FreeShavocadoCitizen

“Green Street Hooligans is a great movie that he really gave his all in. Completely changed my view of him.”

—u/justhere4daSpursnGOT

16. Next, we have Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the series of the same name, a role many struggle to porce him from. His first role after the series ended was the horror film The Woman in Black.

Murray Close/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection

Suggested by u/skinnyminnesota

From there, Radcliffe seemed on a quest to take the strangest roles possible in a number of offbeat indie projects. From playing a talking dead body in Swiss Army Man to a man who grows horns in Horns to a dog walker in a fictional romance movie-within-a-movie in Trainwreck to the Weird Al biopic literally titled Weird, Radcliffe has proven he can play virtually any role. To any who doubted his acting, Radcliffe has also proven himself onstage in a variety of roles such as Equus, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and more recently, Merrily We Roll Along.

A24 / courtesy Everett Collection

17. And finally, we’ll end on Robert Pattinson, who memorably starred as the vampire Edward in the Twilight series. After Twilight (which were, by the way, critically panned films), Pattinson appeared in a number of really interesting and different indie roles in acclaimed films, including The Lighthouse.

Summit Entertainment

Suggested by u/skinnyminnesota

But the true break from his typecast came in his next major commercial role as Bruce Wayne in The Batman. It was a controversial casting choice, but after the film’s release, Pattinson garnered major critical acclaim for his performance.

Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

What actor surprised you when they played out of their typecast? Let us know in the comments!

Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.