Actors Who Are Stuck As One Character

[preppyak]

Took this from an idea in the Jon Heder hate thread...

Who are actors that are stuck as one character?

A few I'll start with:

Jason Alexander - George
Matt Leblanc - Joey

or basically the entire casts of Friends and Seinfeld

Richard Karn - Al Boreland

I'll stop there...add away

[seconds]

Harrison Ford - Dr. Norman Spencer

I mean seriously, they always make him like that character now!

seriously though, none come to mind.

[hobbes2809]

edit: Im an idiot, nevermind

[preppyak]

I also wanted to add

Arnold Schwartzeneger - Terminator

[hobbes2809]

this isnt exactly the same thing but everytime I see Keanu Reeves, I think of Ted from bill and ted

[FondestMemory]

vince vaughn plays the same character in every movie anymore, does that count? owen wilson too.

[Bishop]

Hugh Grant. "Hello, I'm the bumbling but adorable British man who has starred in romantic comedies since the early 1990's.

[A picasso blue]

I also wanted to add

Arnold Schwartzeneger - Terminator
he's so awkard in anything, mostly because he's Austrian. and like in every film where hes in America theres an entire backstory they dont explain and its weird wondering how he got there.


like in Jingle All The Way. how did this big Auustrian guy end up in an American suburb? theres a complicated backstory there that no one can figure out

[reductiondesign]

Ferris Bueller for the win.

[Blueskyburning]

schwarzenegger for the win

[preppyak]

vince vaughn plays the same character in every movie anymore, does that count? owen wilson too.
Hugh Grant. "Hello, I'm the bumbling but adorable British man who has starred in romantic comedies since the early 1990's.
yeah, I was thinking about these...

Because Adam Sandler is basically a one hit wonder as well, basically, every SNL person you can mention.

I'm thinking people that are locked in one role...like when you see them in another movie, you can't picture them as another character.

Like Kiefer Sutherland trying to star in anything now...he'd immediately be Jack Bauer to everyone

[kirbs84]

rob schnider as that guy

[kirbs84]

Because Adam Sandler is basically a one hit wonder as well, basically, every SNL person you can mention.


I disagree about Sandler. In both Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish he's shown that he's capable for more than being a goofball

[SC0926]

I disagree about Sandler. In both Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish he's shown that he's capable for more than being a goofball
I agree...I thought he was awesome in those 2 movies.....ok..what about good ole Jack Black? Funny man..always will play the funny, crazy ass man. I know he played a serious role in King Kong..but honestly..I thought he was terrible in that part. It just didn't fit. Just my opinion

[preppyak]

I disagree about Sandler. In both Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish he's shown that he's capable for more than being a goofball
I liked him alot in Punch Drunk Love...so I'll agree there.

Another one that got me is Vincent D'Nofrio...i'll always know him as Private Pile from Full Metal Jacket.

Even when I see him in Law and Order: CI, i still imagine him with his rifle

[preppyak]

I agree...I thought he was awesome in those 2 movies.....ok..what about good ole Jack Black? Funny man..always will play the funny, crazy ass man. I know he played a serious role in King Kong..but honestly..I thought he was terrible in that part. It just didn't fit. Just my opinion
I actually though he was decent in King Kong...he had to mesh two different styles of acting (silent film basically from the 32 version, and the more modern form from the more recent Kong versions).

I had just seen the 1932 version before I went to the theatre, and when you understand it's Jackson's homage to that movie, his at times even over-acting makes sense.

But that isn't enough...he's still that goofball worthless brother type character

[kirbs84]

I actually though he was decent in King Kong...he had to mesh two different styles of acting (silent film basically from the 32 version, and the more modern form from the more recent Kong versions).

I had just seen the 1932 version before I went to the theatre, and when you understand it's Jackson's homage to that movie, his at times even over-acting makes sense.

But that isn't enough...he's still that goofball worthless brother type character

the first King Kong was from 1933 and was not a silent film

[preppyak]

Actually, a lot of these answers are probably going to come from TV...

Think about Fraser, Kelsey Grammer will always be that role.

David Hyde Pierce really too

[preppyak]

the first King Kong was from 1933 and was not a silent film
true, not silent, but it relied entirely on that silent film acting style...the overdramatic chest beating style of acting. The acting is entirely melodramatic....I mean, all you hear is screaming from Fay Wray basically.

And I thought it was 32, my bad

[thejetstolehome]

mark hamil.
carrie fisher.

[boldt_action]

kiefer sutherland, unfortunately


but he plays it well.

[preppyak]

mark hamil.
carrie fisher.
yeah, Luke is one of those roles...

Fortunately for Hayden Christiansen, he sucked badly enough at being Anakin that he won't really be remembered as it.

[FondestMemory]

Fortunately for Hayden Christiansen, he sucked badly enough at being Anakin that he won't really be remembered as it.

true. he'll just be remembered as the guy that makes ya say, 'man, that movie would have been awesome had that one douche had any acting talent whatsoever.'

[SC0926]

I actually though he was decent in King Kong...he had to mesh two different styles of acting (silent film basically from the 32 version, and the more modern form from the more recent Kong versions).

I had just seen the 1932 version before I went to the theatre, and when you understand it's Jackson's homage to that movie, his at times even over-acting makes sense.

But that isn't enough...he's still that goofball worthless brother type character
yeah..I guess I just watched and a few parts...and thought, ok whens he gonna start doing something stupid...i just couldn't take him seriously...but i gotcha with the whole overacting, kind of homage to the old version...none the less...i still think hes more or less typecast in the funny haha roles

[fedhed7]

Adam Sandler
Ben Stiller
Dave Chappelle

[Star^^Rock]

Elijah Wood.He always plays someone who is awkward.His acting is horrible on top of that.

[Andy]

Lets give a round of applause for Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy for life.

[FondestMemory]

Elijah Wood.He always plays someone who is awkward.His acting is horrible on top of that.

are you serious? dude's a great actor. and what role is he stuck in? any fear of being remembered as only frodo i think got erased in sin city. he plays a lot of different roles and always does well.

minus the faculty, but that wasn't his fault.

[preppyak]

Lets give a round of applause for Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy for life.
yep, that's one no doubt

yeah..I guess I just watched and a few parts...and thought, ok whens he gonna start doing something stupid...i just couldn't take him seriously...but i gotcha with the whole overacting, kind of homage to the old version...none the less...i still think hes more or less typecast in the funny haha roles
yeah, i don't think King Kong really offsets that stereotype...especially when he follows it up with Nacho Libre.

He had one movie where he wasn't a complete goofball, but that's probably going to be it for him

[Star^^Rock]

are you serious? dude's a great actor. and what role is he stuck in? any fear of being remembered as only frodo i think got erased in sin city. he plays a lot of different roles and always does well.

minus the faculty, but that wasn't his fault.


No way!I like LOTR and some other movies he was in, but Elijah is crappy.

[preppyak]

are you serious? dude's a great actor. and what role is he stuck in? any fear of being remembered as only frodo i think got erased in sin city. he plays a lot of different roles and always does well.

minus the faculty, but that wasn't his fault.
haha

I agree though...Black and White is another one where he plays a different role. He's got a good variety going.


And I may have the ultimate one...The Rock...people barely even know his real name (Dwayne something?)

He will always be that eyebrow raise

[FondestMemory]

No way!I like LOTR and some other movies he was in, but Elijah is crappy.

i guess we'll just disagree. i just have no clue what you're considering him crappy in. he's by far one of the best young actors out there right now. he's gonna be around a while, considering he's been working consistently since he was 8 and is only getting better.

[kirbs84]

Sitffler will always be Stiffler. (I called him Stiffler because I can't remember his real name)

[FOBPrettyNPunk]

Jason Mews (i think that's his name) will always be Jay of Jay and Silent Bob.

[uh oh smmoreo]

How could no one have said Jon Heder? Napolean, seriously. He plays the same guy over and over and over.

[Darren McLeod]

Yeah, TV actors can very rarely escape the character that you've known them as for years and years.

[Star^^Rock]

i guess we'll just disagree. i just have no clue what you're considering him crappy in. he's by far one of the best young actors out there right now. he's gonna be around a while, considering he's been working consistently since he was 8 and is only getting better.


If you say so.

[Broken Parachute]

Thomas Ian Nicholas is always going to be Henry Rowengartner to me.

[noodledancer]

How could no one have said Jon Heder? Napolean, seriously. He plays the same guy over and over and over. i think it's early enough in his career that he might be able to escape napoleon. it'll probably be difficult, since he's pretty restricted by his personal beliefs, but it's possible.




p.s.~ elijah wood is fabulous.

[Brownpants06]

Pacino - The loud violent [cop, drug dealer, criminal, etc]

[Brownpants06]

Sitffler will always be Stiffler. (I called him Stiffler because I can't remember his real name)

Haha, good one, its Sean William Scott though, i think.

I guess all the guys from american pie i think of them only from that movie.

[radiofriendly]

i did enjoy Napolean, but it's inplausible to think Heder will ever escape that shadow...ever...

[SingleDoubt]

Dave Chappelle
he'll always be known as... dave chappelle?

[Adeniz19]

Elijah Wood.He always plays someone who is awkward.His acting is horrible on top of that.I agree he always plays weirdos in all his movies but i dont think he is bad or will be remembered for one part. maybe frodo but thats it

[I am all talk]

he'll always be known as... dave chappelle? no, i think he means as a funny black man. He will always be that comical black guy.


chris farley played the same exact character in all of his movies. and with few exceptions so does Jim Carrey

[Adeniz19]

no, i think he means as a funny black man. He will always be that comical black guy.


chris farley played the same exact character in all of his movies. and with few exceptions so does Jim Carreyi dont think comedians should count on this list. how many comedians actually vary from movie to movie?

[Juliana101]

Morgan Freeman always seems to play the smart black man who knows everything.

[lanolynn]

i did enjoy Napolean, but it's inplausible to think Heder will ever escape that shadow...ever...he could get past it if he didn't keep playing the same type character in all his movies(see previews for benchwarmers)

[dashboard1190]

I don't know if it's been said but Mike Myers (post Austin Powers).

Cat In The Hat (bomb)
Shrek (...still a comedy)

[itsjdiggity]

Vin Diesel

[wrppdarndyrfngr]

can't beleive noone has said...........

will farrell.

[JezisHChrist]

Whoever plays Harry Potter. Pretty much the whole Harry Potter cast, actually. Those kids are fucked.

[believethehyph]

Dan Radcliffe - Harry Potter

[preppyak]

Pacino - The loud violent [cop, drug dealer, criminal, etc]
I would have thought Scarface would have been the role that trapped him...but I don't think it did.

Look at the Godfather series, his more recent stufff, he may have similiar acting styles, but I'm looking more for people who are trapped as one character, not one typecast

Whoever plays Harry Potter. Pretty much the whole Harry Potter cast, actually. Those kids are fucked.
Yeah...that's a good one.

[preppyak]

I don't know if it's been said but Mike Myers (post Austin Powers).

Cat In The Hat (bomb)
Shrek (...still a comedy)
To be fair, I think Austin Powers is going to be the role that always traps him.

That's one where anyone who was 12ish or younger when the 1st one came probably didn't know him on SNL, so he will always be Austin Powers to them

[IAmNietzche]

Keifer Sutherland - Jack Bauer

Obvious in the casting of him in the Sentinel.

[Nick Lopez]

To be fair, I think Austin Powers is going to be the role that always traps him.

That's one where anyone who was 12ish or younger when the 1st one came probably didn't know him on SNL, so he will always be Austin Powers to them
I can vouch for that one.

[catscradle]

how about Kevin Costner. He plays almost the same characters in all of his movies. No matter what type of movie he's in there is always some type of romance tied in to it.

[Broken Parachute]

Whoever plays Harry Potter. Pretty much the whole Harry Potter cast, actually. Those kids are fucked.

Agreed.

Actually, all of the Harry Potter cast of kids EXCEPT for Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy). He's been in other movies already. He played the little kid in Anna and the King and The Borrowers. He was in another movie too, I forgot what it was.

[Star^^Rock]

JACKIE CHAN!!!

He will always be in a kung fu movie!

[the_champ_is_here]

Macauley Caulkin


for real, he'll always be the cute kid from Home Alone, no matter how many times he's incarcerated.


And are we doing archetypes or actual characters?

Either way, Pacino doesn't fit the mold. He's one of the greatest actors ever in almost any role. And if you think he was loud and violent in the Godfather you're just fucking retarded and you didn't actually watch the movie. In fact, hthe only two movies that come to mind where he's like that are Scarface and Carlito's Way

[the_champ_is_here]

and there's way more to characters than what genre the movie they're in. You can't just say "Mike Myers can only do comedies." Wayne Cambell is a completely different character than Austin Powers is a completely different character than what's his name from So I married an Axe-Murderer.

You can't just generalize and pigeon hole shit

[Broken Parachute]

Macauley Caulkin


for real, he'll always be the cute kid from Home Alone, no matter how many times he's incarcerated.


And are we doing archetypes or actual characters?

Either way, Pacino doesn't fit the mold. He's one of the greatest actors ever in almost any role. And if you think he was loud and violent in the Godfather you're just fucking retarded and you didn't actually watch the movie. In fact, hthe only two movies that come to mind where he's like that are Scarface and Carlito's Way
I think we're doing "types" of actors because people have said Joe Pesci and Will Ferrell who don't always do specific characters but same types of movies (Pesci- mobster type movies, Ferrell- comedical nonsense movies).

[hockey0001]

Dustin Diamond aka Screech

[preppyak]

Dustin Diamond aka Screech
how I forgot that, I don't know, but definitely. A lot of Saved By the Bell has that one
Macauley Caulkin

for real, he'll always be the cute kid from Home Alone, no matter how many times he's incarcerated.

haha

And are we doing archetypes or actual characters?

Either way, Pacino doesn't fit the mold. He's one of the greatest actors ever in almost any role. And if you think he was loud and violent in the Godfather you're just fucking retarded and you didn't actually watch the movie. In fact, hthe only two movies that come to mind where he's like that are Scarface and Carlito's Way
Two for the Money he was kind of belligerent too, but he has played a fairly diverse set of roles.

And I;m going for specific characters, because archetypes are the norm in Hollywood mostly, it's when someone breaks out of their specific set that they get nominated for an Academy Award basically.

[ActorInThisPlay]

Jackie Chan
Jet Li

[Doubleya2002]

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

[zbrmike79]

so i didnt read thru all the pages... but if someone said Ryan Renyold i agree.. and if they didnt.. i say him

[Brownpants06]

Macauley Caulkin


for real, he'll always be the cute kid from Home Alone, no matter how many times he's incarcerated.


And are we doing archetypes or actual characters?

Either way, Pacino doesn't fit the mold. He's one of the greatest actors ever in almost any role. And if you think he was loud and violent in the Godfather you're just fucking retarded and you didn't actually watch the movie. In fact, hthe only two movies that come to mind where he's like that are Scarface and Carlito's Way
Did you forget movies like Heat, Two for the Money, The Recruit, or even Any Given Sunday?

I'm not saying he's a bad actor, he's fantastic, but he has been taking mostly the same type of rolls.

[katiecomrade]

vince vaughn plays the same character in every movie anymore, does that count? owen wilson too.

owen wilson? whaaat? please explain yourself.

[Poultrylicious]

Gary Coleman

[Poultrylicious]

And The Olsen Twins will always be michelle

[domesticyeti]

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

agreed

also-
michael madson is always some sort of gangster or mob guy.

[gilatron5000]

I can't believe Paul Walker and Jessica Alba havent been listed yet.

I don't know if it's been said but Mike Myers (post Austin Powers).

Cat In The Hat (bomb)
Shrek (...still a comedy)54

[Poultrylicious]

(http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=58360)Originally Posted By Gilatron 5000
I can't believe Paul Walker and Jessica Alba havent been listed yet. yea they could never top Into The Deep

[Clarett'sGreyGoose]

Did anyone say the guy who played Shooter McGavin?

CollegeHumor.com said it best - The guy could cure cancer, and an entire generation of kids would still know him as Shooter McGavin.

[gilatron5000]

(http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=58360) yea they could never top Into The DeepInto The Blue. :P

[Broken Parachute]

Did anyone say the guy who played Shooter McGavin?

CollegeHumor.com said it best - The guy could cure cancer, and an entire generation of kids would still know him as Shooter McGavin.

Hahaha. Christopher McDonald I think his name was.

[preppyak]

Did anyone say the guy who played Shooter McGavin?

CollegeHumor.com said it best - The guy could cure cancer, and an entire generation of kids would still know him as Shooter McGavin.
haha

Did you forget movies like Heat, Two for the Money, The Recruit, or even Any Given Sunday?

I'm not saying he's a bad actor, he's fantastic, but he has been taking mostly the same type of rolls.
yeah, that's why I tried to specify people being locked as one character, not as one role, because we could make a 1000 post thread about that easily with those people, the better part of acting today in mainstream film is like the studio system in the 30-40's, where people get a role and that's what they always play...and only with combos being accidentally correct do you get rememberable movies (or you have to look to the indie films).

For example, Pee Wee Herman is a character locked actor...where as Al Pacino could be Tony Montana, Michael Corleone, etc.

[irthesteve]

Homer Simpson

[irthesteve]

Morgan Freeman always seems to play the smart black man who knows everything.
hey, you do what you're good at


my vote goes to Jason Biggs, the pseudo-nerd who is just a bit ackward

[Scott Weber]

Michael Richards will always be Kramer.
Matt LeBlanc will always be Joey.
Keifer Sutherland will always be Jack Bauer.
Zach Braff is forever JD in my mind.
Lisa Kudrow is always Pheobe.
Kelsey Grammar is Frasier.

[Scott Weber]

Did anyone say the guy who played Shooter McGavin?

CollegeHumor.com said it best - The guy could cure cancer, and an entire generation of kids would still know him as Shooter McGavin.
Haha, he's the bad guy in Dirty Work too.

[laryssa]

They're obviously going to typecast Jon Heder as that same dork because Napoleon Dynamite made such an "impact"

For actors that want something more for their career, it's heartbreaking. I sound like an episode of Behind the Scenes or whatever that's on IE, but John Belushi ultimately resorted to drugs and alcohol because of his failures in characters that weren't.. silly.