In Hollywood , there’s a thing that certain actors and actresses have to deal with called “typecasting”.
Essentially, it’s when one person is put into the same type of role over and over again.
It may be because they have the right look or feel, but it’s not always a good thing.
Steve Carell
The Part: The goofy guy with girl troubles.
Examples: 40 Year Old Virgin , Crazy, Stupid, Love , and The Office .
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You’ll always find two key things in Steve Carell’s performances: goofy humor and issues with women.
Channing Tatum
The Part: Eye candy.
Examples: 21 Jump Street , Magic Mike , and Step Up .
It’s no secret that Channing Tatum is good looking. Hollywood producers seem to know that fact as well.
Samuel L. Jackson
The Part: Cool guy with a short temper.
Examples: Pulp Fiction , The Hitman’s Bodyguard , Snakes On A Plane , and The Marvel Universe.
If you don’t see Samuel L. Jackson scream (or at least speak harshly) in a movie, then you’re not watching a Samuel L. Jackson movie.
Tom Cruise
The Part: Something that will thrill Tom Cruise.
Examples: Mission Impossible , Edge of Tomorrow , Jack Reacher .
These days, as long as the movie is action-oriented and Tom Cruise can do his own stunts, then he’s game to star in it.
Hugh Grant
The Part: Adorable, a little confused, and undeniably British.
Examples: Love Actually , Bridget Jones’s Diary , and Notting Hill .
It would be strange to hear Hugh Grant do an American accent. Would he still be as charming and cute without it? Who knows.
Michael Cera
The Part: Awkward, dorky, and a soft-spoken guy.
Examples: Superbad , Scott Pilgrim vs The World , and Juno .
Michael Cera not only has the awkward demeanor, voice, and personality down, but he even has the look!
Jason Statham
The Part: British, very cool, and unbeatable.
Examples: Transporter , The Expendables , and Crank .
If there’s a Jason Statham movie out there where he’s been resoundingly beaten in the end, then I have not heard of it.
Ken Jeong
The Part: In the movie for 5 minutes (or a secondary character), usually a heel.
Examples: Hangover franchise and Role Models .
He’s usually unliked in the role he plays (by the main characters, certainly not the audience).
James Marsden
The Part: Sweet, supportive, and always handsome. But he tends to lose the girl.
Examples: X-Men franchise, Enchanted , and The Notebook .
When it comes to James Marsden, you end up feeling bad for him for most of the movie.
Bruce Willis
The Part: A tough guy stuck in some situation that he doesn’t want to be a part of.
Examples: Die Hard , Unbreakable , and The Fifth Element .
Bonus points if he joins the situation out of moral obligation.
Jason Bateman
The Part: Sarcastic, quippy, a grown man with responsibilities. Speaks quickly and softly.
Examples: Game Night , Arrested Development , and Hancock .
Fun fact: Jason Bateman uses the exact same voice for every role he’s in.
Megan Fox
The Part: Eye candy.
Examples: Transformers , Jennifer’s Body , and This Is 40 .
Megan Fox is one of the most beautiful people in Hollywood. But her looks actually get her typecast quite a bit.
Luckily Jennifer’s Body became a cult classic.
Michelle Rodriguez
The Part: The tough, street smart girl who kicks butt.
Examples: Fast and The Furious franchise, Resident Evil , and Avatar .
You’ll always find Michelle Rodriguez with a frown in her movies. She’s always ready to fight.
Adam Sandler
The Part: Funny or sarcastic, and often acts like a kid.
Examples: Happy Gilmore , 50 First Dates , and The Waterboy .
Whether he’s doing a drama, a romantic movie, or a comedy, you’ll always be laughing at Adam Sandler.
Kristen Stewart
The Part: A girl who finds feelings complicated.
Examples: Twilight franchise, Adventureland , and Welcome to the Rileys .
We all go through some tough and confusing times, especially when it comes to love. Stewart knows that best.
Katherine Heigl
The Part: High strung rom-com girl.
Examples: 27 Dresses , The Ugly Truth , and Knocked Up .
She’s kind of high strung in real life, so it makes sense that she plays these types of characters.
Christoph Waltz
The Part: The sly villain.
Examples: Green Hornet , Inglorious Basterds , Water for Elephants , and Big Eyes .
Unfortunately for Christoph Waltz, he was born with a German accent. And these days a lot of Americans equate Germans with villains.
Zooey Deschanel
The Part: Quirky.
Examples: 500 Days of Summer , Yes Man , and Our Idiot Brother .
Zooey Deschanel has made a career out of playing quirky and upbeat characters.
Her character can usually take another character out of their shell.
Jesse Eisenberg
The Part: Uncool and awkward.
Examples: Zombieland , Adventureland , and 30 Minutes or less .
No idea how he manages to be so uncool, but he pulls it off very well.
Seth Rogen
The Part: The stoner.
Examples: Pineapple Express , This Is The End , and Knocked Up .
Rogen may be the quintessential stoner guy, but make no mistake, he is a hilarious actor.
Helena Bonham Carter
The Part: Strange, odd, and usually has black hair.
Examples: Harry Potter franchise, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street , and Fight Club .
She often plays pretty crazy characters, and we love her for it.
Will Ferrell
The Part: A shouter.
Examples: Step Brothers , Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby , Kicking and Screaming , and Wedding Crashers .
There are differences between all the above characters, but they all have one thing in common: they like to shout for comedic effect.
Vin Diesel
The Part: Big action man.
Examples: Fast and Furious franchise, Chronicles of Riddick , and XXX .
Whenever you see Vin Diesel in a movie, you know you’re going to see some very unrealistic action sequences.
Owen Wilson
The Part: The soft-spoken, chilled out, and often successful romantic.
Examples: Meet The Parents , Wedding Crashers , and Midnight in Paris .
When Owen Wilson is on screen, you know he’s there to woo a woman.
Paul Rudd
The Part: He’s laid-back, he’s fun, and he’s usually married.
Examples: This Is 40 , Ant-Man , I Love You, Man , and Our Idiot Brother .
Paul Rudd is really good at playing the all-around nice guy who closely resembles someone you probably know in real life.
Drew Barrymore
The Part: She’s always endearing, but sometimes a little confused.
Examples: 50 First Dates , The Wedding Singer_, Never Been Kissed .
Drew Barrymore has done her part for the rom-com world, and she did it well.
Liam Neeson
The Part: The dad you do not mess with.
Examples: Taken franchise, Non-Stop , and Run All Night .
Seriously, bad guys, just stay away from Liam Neeson’s kids.
Jackie Chan
The Part: A guy who is really good at fighting, but doesn’t want to fight.
Examples: Rush Hour , Rumble in the Bronx , and Shanghai Noon .
He’s usually minding his own business before trouble comes his way. And trust him when he says he doesn’t want any trouble.
Vince Vaughan
The Part: Often an immature man, fast-talking, and has a lot of woman troubles.
Examples: Wedding Crashers , Swingers , and Old School .
He’s good at playing the immature man child, who is more concerned with getting laid than having adult responsibilities.
Bonus points if he’s paired with Owen Wilson.
Benedict Cumberbatch
The Part: He’s usually very intelligent, but kind of a jerk.
Examples: Dr. Strange , The Imitation Game , and The Fifth Estate .
This happened to be true even on his show Sherlock . But hey, he’s good at what he does.
Danny Trejo
The Part: The coolest guy in the movie who is ready for a fight.
Examples: Machete , Bad Ass , and From Dusk till Dawn .
Both in real life and on-screen, people love and adore Danny Trejo. On-screen, he’s constantly playing a tough guy who can overpower people in a fight.
