Friday, August 14, 2009

Which Actor...

or actress, are you most eager to see play something totally against-type? Explain your answer in the comments.
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60 comments:

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

Anna Faris!
I do love her ditzy blonde characters, but after what she did with CD in "Lost in Translation" I'm sure she has something big in her.
And I don't mean some cute indie rom-com, but something more dramatic, perhaps with a Charlie Kaufman screenplay.

Dimi said...

I guess it would be utterly ridiculous to want Michael Cera to play some hard boiled, morally corrupt person but more likely I want to see Paul Rudd try and be really unlikable on screen.(Impossible!)

Of course, there's always Christian Bale in a romantic comedy. (I'm not sure if I'm kidding with this one)

Rae Kasey said...

Amy Adams. There has to be something dark in there to show us.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

Keira Knightley out of the period dramas. I'd like to see more of Keira in roles like the Love Actually one (Edge of Love does not count)

Kurtis O said...

OMG, Amy Adams, without question. Yes, she's clearly one of the most skilled actresses of her generation, but I'm so terribly tired of her perpetual innocence. It was borderline insulting that Nora Ephron actually tried to play off Julie Powell -- who, btw, is basically a carbon copy of Rose from "Sunshine Cleaning" -- as a "bitch." I believe "Bitch, please!" was my reaction to that. A bitch would be interesting. Ms. Adams, if you can muster it, get down, get dirty, get mean. Give us something new.

Anonymous said...

Amy Adams in To Die for'ish role.

NATHANIEL R said...

Dimi... good call. i think Bale doing comedy would be a REALLY smart move in his career right now (provided he could pull it off)

jose wasn't she supposed to do something slightly meatier... like a porn star biopic or somesuch. and then turned it down for another ditzy blonde comedy (sigh)

i'm going to say HELENA BONHAM-CARTER and JOHNNY DEPP doing something against type... like playing non-weird characters. Remember in 1997 when BOTH of them were phenomenal in very unBurtonesque roles (Helena in Wings of the Dove and Johnny in Donnie Brasco)

i'd also like to see Evan Rachel Wood play a non-dark character.

Clement said...

I'd love to see either Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, or Tom Hanks play somebody who isn't, "Actor playing an actor while still being the actor".

All three have gotten lazy for various reasons. Tony Scott needs to quit thinking he and Denzel are equal in casting pairings to Scorsese & DiCaprio.

But in all seriousness, I'd like to see if Keira Knightley could go back and do a good romantic comedy. Enough serious(ness) for now.

Clement said...

Haha, Jorge...I should've read your comment first. As for Anna Faris, who I'm far from crazy about, she played a fantastic character on an arc on Entourage. That showed a ton of range I never anticipated she had. As for Amy Smart...no range at all folks.

Anonymous said...

yeah, paul rudd could be great as a very cold villain.

and i love sarah michelle gellar in buffy and think she has the necessary range. so she could be in something a little less "the grudge" and a little more "devil wears prada", for me she was fine in her comic sexualized performances in cruel intentions and southland tales.


leo dicaprio should do more comedy (he was fun to watch in catch me if you can).

and why charlize theron never did a hitchcockian film? she has the face for it.

remy

Doug said...

I'd like to see Scarlett Johansson do a different role. She was my favorite actress during the first half of this decade, but she's done little in the last five years that impressed me. I suppose Iron Man 2 is something different, but that's not what I had in mind.

K.P. Durkin said...

But Nathaniel, isn't Bonham-Carter being in burton films going against type in a sense? Let's not forget that she was considered the Mercant-Ivory "Corset-Queen" for all those years.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see Heath Ledger play a living person.

Judw said...

I'd like to see Jennifer Aniston get out of these stupid romantic comedy roles and show us her skills like she did for 2002's the Good Girl.

Juno101 said...

I just laughed really hard, anonymous's joke.

Anyway,
zooey deschanel should do something else, anything else. Whether its a biopic or something. She's just herself. Which is nice but come on.
I never thought of anna farris, I could believe she has potential, I guess.
I'd love to see lisa kudrow do something serious and rock it out. Like robin Williams or Mo'nique who this year seems very likely to get a oscar nomination, I want lisa to be the next comedian to get a critically acclaimed role.
Ellen page, I want her to play a non-teen role. I'd like to see her be a adult, other than that I'm good from her.

Thomas said...

I would like to see Harrison Ford do something different. He tried in a few roles earlier this decade, with "What Lies Beneath" and "K-19" but the movies were not quite successful. I always thought have been making westerns. Why couldn't he have been his generation's Clint Eastwood? Also, Harrison should play a ruthless titan of industry, someone like Sinclair Lewis' Dodsworth.

par3182 said...

the lovely laura linney in a blousy role like martha in who's afraid of virginia woolf

Runs Like A Gay said...

How about a frigid Marisa Tomei?

Henry said...

Since I'm watching Gladiator right now, I'd like to see Russell Crowe in lighter fare, like a romantic comedy.

I'm strangely looking forward to whether Eric Bana can pull it off in The Time Traveler's Wife and Scarlett Johansson getting her action freak on.

How about Tina Fey in a serious, dark movie role? That'd be interesting, though unlikely...

FrenchGirl said...

LOL it seems Amy Adams and Christian Bale have different characters in "the fighter": Adams acts a very strong woman and Bale is hilarious in Ecklund(according to the observators)
i'm not sure on Bale in RomCom because usually i dislike actual RomComs
i like idea on Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and Depp tried in "Public Enenmies".
Clearly,every one has good ideas

Anonymous said...

See Sum of Us. :-> It's my favorite Crowe movie. He's so lovable.

Anonymous said...

Oh fuck, I made a mistake.

Henry See Sum of Us. :-> It's my favorite Crowe movie. He's so lovable.

mrripley said...

sandra bullock - there is an oscar waiting for her she just needs a director who says no sandy -isms and the gold is hers,she is one of hollywoods best stars our generations goldie hawn and has made lots of hit films,she just needs the right role.

Anonymous said...

i think this is one of the worst things i have seen written on here.

I'd like to see Heath Ledger play a living person.

Anonymous said...

Nicole Kidman as a Einar Wegener in "the danish girl", something like Bergman's Persona or something like "Who´s afraid of virginia woolf" type of thing.

Kate Walsh should play a serious psychodramatic role and not all those tv-series. She is too talented for that.

Michelle Pfeiffer in a dark and twisted and deep role again. Not always those light ones.

mrripley said...

meryl streep as bette davis!!! that she'd win an oscar for.

Agent69 said...

I can't stand Amy Adams, but maybe I'd despise her a little bit less if she played against type (if it is even possible for her).

Anonymous said...

I like the ideas about Bale and Depp. I would also add Will Smith. He has basically played the same guy since Independence Day.

The Medwenitsch said...

Did somebody see the documentary "The City Addicted to Crystal Meth"?
I think it would be really shocking to see for example Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts play meth addicts, banal though it may be...

The Medwenitsch said...

oh and michelle williams, anne hathaway and jake gyllenhaal playing hardcore-fans of nirvana, one of the oldest being in their late twenties... and then kurt cobain dies.
i think the world is ready for a 90s-period-piece.

Timothy said...

Evan Rachel Wood already played a non-dark character beautifully in "Whatever Works."

Juno101 said...

I really like the medwenitsch's ideas.

D said...

Yeah, I'm not sure if Johnny Depp is even capable of playing just a regular, contemporary human being anymore. I know he's getting the big bucks to do weirder projects, but I'd like to see him do something really basic, like a romcom.

Anonymous said...

I would like to watch...

Uma Thurman as a soft, loveable and conventional mommy.

Amy Adams as a very unlikeable, tough and horrible person... someone like Amy Ryan in "Gone baby gone".

Jodie Foster as a romantic comedy heroine... ("Kissing Jessica Stein" comes to my mind).

Ryan T. said...

"Since I'm watching Gladiator right now, I'd like to see Russell Crowe in lighter fare, like a romantic comedy."

I'd recommend A Good Year. After seeing it I told my friends that never once in my life did I think I would use the word adorable to describe Russell Crowe. Plus the movie has Marion Cotillard!

As for actors who I want playing against type...

I always wanted to see Orlando Bloom in a really sinister evil villain role.

Chris Na Taraja said...

I agree with Nat, Helena BC needs to play a sane role. We need to see her and Amanda Plumber as strong sane women.

Let's get Amy Adams, Keira Knightly and Ann Hathaway playing the stygian sisters, or at least in a brothel!

I want to see Jennifer Tilly as a mother of at least 3 or 4 kids doing a Lorenzo's Oil thing, or maybe an Erin Brachovich.

Julia Roberts needs to be a drug addict.

And Tom Cruise needs to play gay at least once!

Let's bring back robert Redford as a nasty drunk.

And Will Smith in drag! Maybe he can play a pre-op tranie.

Christian Bale in a comedy is just what he needs.

james MacAvoy as a serial killer.

Michael Parsons said...

Jodie Foster play weak and vulnerable for a change, or Amy Adams play cold, Both could use a change of direction to really change their game

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see Cate Blanchett do more comedy. She was GREAT in 'Bandits'

Unknown said...

Kate Winslet as an undercover CIA agent

Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Daniel Day Lewis in a Woody Allen film or Charlie Kaufmann film

Meryl Streep working with a European director like Von Trier, Herzog or Hircschbiegel

Amy Adams as an drug-addicted hooker?

Tom Cruise as a pedophile....he would be GREAT!

Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore switching agents

Andrea said...

ha, since when was Depp ever in a rom-com?

Either way, I wish Burton would just stop casting Helena Bonham Carter and Depp for everything. They're way too good for that. Every time someone says "oh, Depp/Carter play the same person over and over agian" I guarantee you they're thinking about the Burton movies. The best Depp and Carter performances have always been non-Burton films (except for Edward Scissorhands). Depp's in Public Enemies was so refreshing, and made me remember he's great at playing normal people (remember Donnie Brasco?)

Bernardo said...

Besides the obvious choice of Amy Adams, I'll go with...

JENNIFER COOLIDGE

And no, I'm not joking. I honestly think that she has a lot of charisma, which has been wrongly used in the worst films of the decade (Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, etc.) I feel that with the right screenplay and director, Jennifer would thrive. She is a very good comedian (Legally Blonde, American Pie) and has the chops to go further.

Mo'nique keeps coming to my mind. She did do Phat Girlz before Precious...

cal roth said...

Jennifer Connelly needs to stop crying. I want big laughs from her. Maybe a musical. A feelgood thing.

Jordan Wellin said...

I would say Christian Bale, but I honestly don't think he has proved that he can do anything but growl.

Amy Adams is of course the obvious choice. She always comes across so cutesy and precious.
Amy--take some growling lessons from Christian and yell, or something.

Jordan Wellin said...

"I'd like to see Heath Ledger play a living person."

Huh? Do we really need to stoop THAT low?

Yancey said...

I'm all for actors doing what they know and doing it well, and it's not the end of the world to be known for one kind of thing, especially if you're getting paid well for it! But if the goal is to be a versatile and "Serious Actor", then that's another story. I love Amy Adams, but changing things up might do her some good. She won't be able to get away with these cutesy type roles in her fifties and sixties, so I'd get started on some risky roles now while you're young and on a career upswing! To many people, you're only as good as your last role. Still love ya, Amy!

It's Cold Outside said...

Yes, Chris Na Taraja!

Tom Cruise playing a Gay actor. It would be amazing.

Daniel Armour said...

I'd like to see Denzel Washington do a comedy at some point because I'm tired of seeing him in thrillers. Kate Winslet as the main villain in a film would be nice as well. Christian Bale has said he will never do a rom-com, so any chance of that happening is gone. That doesn't mean he can't do some type of comedy, though.

Alex F. said...

mrripley and Luigi, you both may get your wish --

"Uma Thurman as a soft, loveable and conventional mommy."

Uma has a mommy commedy "Motherhood" premiering in October.

and

"meryl streep as bette davis!!! that she'd win an oscar for."

Well she's not playing Bette Davis, but Meryl Streep has been attached to play what is essentially the Margo role in Flora Plum which is pretty much All About Eve in the circus. So if it ever happens...

Mony said...

Johnny Depp - one of my afavourite actors but I would like to see him play just a sane person and not over the top characters. He plays over the top characters way too much. He is excellent as that but just see him do something else. I wonder how he wouls do in a period piece. :)

No more cop roles for Denzel - whether it is a good cop or bad cop.

There are probably others will have to think on it.

Mony said...

Oh yeah Amanda Bynes needs to move away from the comedy route. She is only 22 and already typecast. I am not even sure she can do dramatic roles.

Cameron said...

How about Charlize Theron as a badass sci-fi heroine... oh wait, nevermind...

Cameron said...

On a serious note, though, I'd love to see Winona Ryder do something that's not all so "Woe is me, I don't know what I'm doing with my life." She was great in The Crucible, where she really took control and asserted herself as a dynamic character.

And if James Franco could ever play anything dark and evil (Spiderman doesn't count), I'd like to see it, but I'm afraid that adorable smile could never turn maniacal. On second thought, maybe it's better that way...

NATHANIEL R said...

cameron -- on charlize.hee

daniel --kate as a villian. Hmmm. maybe she should. I love it when adorable actresses play villains. Does anyone remember how good chilling it was to see Laura Linney do that in HOUSE OF MIRTH. yikes.

Pål heartily agree that Streep should give herself over completely to an auteur soon. Go KIDMAN like fervor. it could be so interesting.

runs could Tomei play frigid? her sexuality is so potent a part of her persona. Hmmm

Chris omg. Jennifer Tilly in a fierce mama role. I LOVE THIS IDEA. I LOVE IT SO MUCH I WANT TO STOP WRITING ABOUT MOVIES AND START WRITING HER A SCREENPLAY.

adri said...

I don't want to see Amy Adams play a bitch so much as a Barbara Stanwyck-type tough girl, in some kind of revenge drama, a western like Sharon Stone in "The Quick and the Dead", or like "The Bride Wore Black" where you're using the plus of empathy and adding it to implacable revenge.

I like actresses that are sympathetic. For a stretch for them, I'd just like to see them play "don't mess with me, or I'll kill you". After a long week at work, I can really sympathize with that.

The stretch I'm looking forward to seeing is Edward Norton in "Leaves of Grass" where he plays twins. It's fun to watch an intelligent talented actor create two separate characters. There's the actor's awareness of his usual persona and what contrasts with that.

JS said...

I'd love to see Kirsten Dunst do something to show off how good she really is. I feel like there is an Oscar winning performance in her somewhere...I've loved a lot of her work in the past 5 years but, she's still not getting respect.

Unknown said...

I would love to see Angela Bassett do something divergent from her angry-black-woman routine. Maybe a good genre flick or something with an auteur.

Denzel Washington as the patriarch in a family dramedy would be awesome...or even better, the patriarch's eccentric brother.

Henry said...

Hmm. I forgot about A Good Year. Damn. I enjoyed Crowe in that film (and the film overall). He should do more of those.

I'd like to see Jennifer Connelly go back to the voluptuous femme fatale roles... if she would only gain some weight on her tiny frame.

Kate Winslet as a villain? Fascinating. Sign me up! It would certainly be an interesting choice post-Oscar (when many an actor or actress has screwed up with their choices; Gwyneth, I'm talking about you!)

Wayne B said...

I wouldn't mind seeing Goldie Hawn portray a dark character. Her signature sunniness could be subverted to create an unforgettable villain. It could be epic.

evermoon said...

Ditto on Amy Adams. She's still my ideal casting for the role of Harlequin, if she ever turns up in Nolan's Batman films. Adams doing dark and crazy would have to be one of the coolest things ever.

Ryan said...

JAKE GYLLENHAAL... as a cold-blooded villain!!!!!!!!!