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.
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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 .
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.
