The Underrated Typecast Actors:
 

I'm sure a lot of communities have threads about peoples' favorite actors in general, or threads debating who the 'best' actors are. I thought it would be more interesting to have a thread where we acknowledge that an actor we respect is a typecast, but at the same time they are also a typecast in such a way that not just anybody could believably do what this particular typecast has been doing. Some typecast actors may not necessarily always exert their unique strengths, but they have a signature persona they've used in at least 3 movies.

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I'll start this thread by naming off Clive Owen. I like the way his on-screen characters try to rationally work their way through the crazy situations they get caught up in. He's like everything that Steve Carrell's characters want to be, and fail to be. My favorite performances of his are in any movie with Julia Roberts as a co-star. Their debates are the best.

ugh, typecast actors.

I can't think of any positive examples to note, but I will list Will Smith and Julia Roberts on this list. Whenever they are in a movie they aren't characters, they are slightly modified versions of themselves. there is no distinction between Will Smith and the character, and Julia Roberts is the same. As soon as I see their name on a movie I immediately loose interest. At the same time, obviously it is them as people that draws the crowds, so they do what no other actors could realistically do, well, in portraying themselves.

okay, on to good typecast actors.

milla jovovich. what can I even say? I don't care if her name on a movie means it will probably be horrible, there is just something about her that is so appealing I will eat it up. I like how gung-ho she is in all her rolls. even if it is so really typical standard action piece she is fully invested and she always has those kickass moves. Plus she is a pretty decent musician, if anyone has ever heard her music.

*Changes name of the thread to The HOTTEST Typecast Actors*
Ok, I'm joking, but seriously, don't just put a photo of Clive Owen out in the open, I may skip a heart-beat and that's unhealthy.

I think he his a great actor indeed, tho, and to be honest I'm very careful in saying which actors deserve my admiration. So I think my evaluation has some significance just for the fact that it's very very restricted. Maybe that doesn't make any sense, but I tried.

Other typecast actors I can think of are Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and Joe Black. None of them are underrated (btw, how is Clive Owen underrated?), and all three are pretty average, Adam Sandler sucking the most. And I guess one of the reasons Jim Carrey doesn't succeed in filmes like Number 23 or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is because of being typecast, so, too bad for him.

Word (by word). I bet you've seen The 5th Element, where she basically owns the movie, but what about Wim Wender's Million Dollar Hotel? That movie brought me a whole new fascination for her <3

Clive Owens underrated? I thought he was a unanimous badass?

Will Smith is overrated in the sense that so many people buy into his typecasting, and he's underrated in the sense that when he's not typecasting, hardly anyone cares that he's doing some of the best acting ever. Julia Roberts is little more than a household name.

I don't think Milla Jovovich is underrated. I mean, granted, she doesn't attract audiences as large as Will Smith's typecasting can attract, but that just means she's not overrated. She could be the lead star of a movie and I think she attracts audiences of exactly the size she deserves - which is neither small nor huge. She and Clive Owen basically have to co-star with bigger name actors like Bruce Willis before a movie they're in will be a box office hit. Milla Jovovich could be the only remotely big name on a film and it will still make at least a few million dollars, while this isn't as much true about Clive Owen.

yeah, milla can definitely carry a movie, a franchise, even, but when you say underrated I think I took more as a service to their acting chops. Milla is actually a decent actress, she has non-genre films where she really demonstrates some subtle abilities which get crowded out in the action pieces.

Now THAT'S an underrated typecast actor who slipped my mind.
Arlington Road was his best movie, in my opinion. Fearless is another strong contender. I base this on the notion that he is what carried the movies, more than production values or supporting actors ever could.
There are other movies Jeff Bridges was in where you might say they were better, but did those movies being better have a lot to do with Jeff Bridges being in those movies? I like The Big Lebowski, but Jeff Bridges was one of many elements that made it good.

I liked his brother's performance in Sand Kings (a two-part Outer Limits story), but beyond that I haven't cared too much about Beau Bridge's involvement in any of the movies or shows I've seen. I generally neither like him or hate him. He's a good supporting actor, but he doesn't have the charisma to carry a movie like Jeff Bridges can.