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What are some actors that can only play themselves? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Maven@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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[-] boletus@sh.itjust.works 91 points 3 weeks ago

Jeff Goldblum

[-] M137@lemmy.today 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

This is one of the few that's correct but also completely fine, IMO.

[-] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 72 points 3 weeks ago

The Rock

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

hes too lazy to act in anything else. he just wants to be a movie star. bautista and cena is trying to become an actor. apparently DWAYNE behind the scences thats his contracts and it rubbed people the wrong way.

[-] galaxy_nova@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago

I honestly really enjoy cena in the stuff he’s in

[-] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Peacemaker had no right to be as good as it was.

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[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 63 points 3 weeks ago

Sean Connery is not an actor, he's a movie star.

Yesh, I am a British shecret agent. Bond, Jamesh Bond.

Yesh, I am a Shoviet Shubmarine captain. my name is Ramiush. Marco Ramiush.

[-] harmbugler@piefed.social 36 points 3 weeks ago

I mustache you a question but I'm shaving it for later

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[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 53 points 3 weeks ago

How do we even tell between actors that only get casted for one type of role, actors who only apply for one type of role, and actors who just can't play anything else well?

[-] Maven@lemmy.zip 47 points 3 weeks ago

Thats kinda hard to say tbh...

I think Adam Sandler is a good example of an actor who CAN play more than one role (Uncut Gems as an example) but mostly only does movies that are all the same role.

[-] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe 22 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah, that's the other-side-of-the-coin of your question but much more interesting. For instance, there's a list of examples on the wiki page for typecast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typecasting#Playing_against_type

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[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

When you see them as themselves, then you know.

Tom cruise for example, he isn't any superhero at all but he always wants to play that role (and probably always wanted ever since he was that kid who was always much smaller than the others).

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[-] SkaraBrae@lemmy.world 44 points 3 weeks ago

Jack Black.

[-] Killer57@lemmy.ca 24 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I didn't know, he did a really good job as playing a teenage girl in Jumanji.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 17 points 3 weeks ago

And as a nervous high school student in Northern Exposure. Or in high fidelity.

I think his problem is that overwhelmingly people cast him because they want the bombastic hairball. It's not lack of skill, it's typecasting

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[-] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 43 points 3 weeks ago

Owen "Wow" Wilson

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[-] a_person@piefed.social 40 points 3 weeks ago

The rock "the rock" the rock johnson

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[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 38 points 3 weeks ago

Christopher Walken. The exception would be maybe Sleepy Hollow, but only because he didn't have any lines.

[-] Epp@lemmus.org 37 points 3 weeks ago

Watch Severance. He's a very different Christopher Walken.

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[-] KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de 36 points 3 weeks ago

Ryan Reynolds. There were some other movies but once he was in Deadpool, I feel like his whole personality was sarcastic mean funny guy

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[-] Epp@lemmus.org 35 points 3 weeks ago

Seth Rogan. Worst Donkey Kong possible.

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[-] MyBrainHurts@piefed.ca 30 points 3 weeks ago

Has Steve Buscemi ever not been Steve Buscemi? Even as a hitman, he's Steve Buscemi.

[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 56 points 3 weeks ago

Watch The Death of Stalin and then Fargo and then The Big Lebowski. Dude has range.

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[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 30 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

nobody mentioned, but Chris pratt, originally he was being casted in EVERYTHING. after parks and recs he has no range, hes just a sad moody pos irl too, supporting a alt-right church, and his sudden switch to evangelicalism. anne farris in an interview said he changed to a gymbo the moment he got buff for marvel/JP movies.

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[-] Miller@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago

What about actors who can't play themselves like Peter Sellers.

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[-] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago

Ryan Reynolds.

[-] Foreigner@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago

Jennifer Coolidge, and I love her for it.

[-] BandanaBug@piefed.social 25 points 3 weeks ago

Will Ferrell. Adam Sandler. Kevin James.

[-] Elextra@literature.cafe 26 points 3 weeks ago

Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Will Farrell in Everything Must Go+Stranger Than Fiction were different performances than their usual and really well acted.

Kevin James... I don't think I've yet to see him in any different role

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[-] Elextra@literature.cafe 21 points 3 weeks ago

Kevin Hart.

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[-] daggermoon@piefed.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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[-] niktemadur@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

I scrolled through the entire thread down and back up, it's a bit of a shock that John Wayne was not mentioned even once... until now.

[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

"Howdy, partner, I'm Genghis Khan."

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[-] kip@piefed.zip 17 points 3 weeks ago

Eva Green's range includes smoking fags or not and getting up to sexual misadventures or not

Ricky Gervais is only ever Ricky Gervais

[-] chunes@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

Eva Green

Sexual misadventures

Yeah I'm okay with this

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[-] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago

Tom Cruise

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[-] frankenswine@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago

Steven Seagal

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 weeks ago

OP's question was about actors though

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[-] PoscoBumbleroot@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago

Michael Cera

[-] TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today 14 points 3 weeks ago

Richard Ayoade, his entire role in IT crowd was just him being him in whatever scenario he's in.

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[-] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 weeks ago

For the most part, Jason Momoa

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[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Fining out Joe Pesci plays Joe Pesci in real life because he was originally a tough guy, not the usual NY Juliard alumni, made his movies pretty annoying for me. Highlight: him hosting SNL and threatening to smack Sinead O'Connor for her anti-pope statement made that obvious

Sucks that it's too late to stop quoting My Cousin Vinny

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this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2026

135 points (98.6% liked)

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