Actors who you struggle to dissociate with one character
Actors who you struggle to dissociate with one character
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donkmeister

Original Poster:

11,460 posts

122 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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The Paramount+ thread got me thinking about this topic...

Actors play characters; it's the whole point of an actor. However, some actors become so renowned for one particular character either in your own mind or the collective mind, that it's hard to see them in a different role without constantly thinking of that earlier character. I'm not talking about situations such as Arnold Schwarzenegger playing cigar-smoking tough military/former military guys and kicks bottom in an action movie, that's simple type-casting. I mean the situation where you associate an actor with a particular character, and then they are cast as someone so wildly different, or in something so wildly different, that you struggle to think of them as the new character when you watch the new programme/film.

For me, the one I'm finding bemusing at the moment is Melanie Scrofano. She plays the hard-drinking swinging Mrs McMurray on the Canadian classic "Letterkenny"...


...and I'm now trying to see her as the serious, sober Starfleet Captain-cum-Public-Prosecutor Captain Batel...



Her acting is fine, she's clearly skilled and versatile, but I struggle to dissociate her from Mrs McMurray.

Anyone else have any actor/character combos they find this with?

anonymous-user

76 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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donkmeister said:
The Paramount+ thread got me thinking about this topic...

Actors play characters; it's the whole point of an actor. However, some actors become so renowned for one particular character either in your own mind or the collective mind, that it's hard to see them in a different role without constantly thinking of that earlier character. I'm not talking about situations such as Arnold Schwarzenegger playing cigar-smoking tough military/former military guys and kicks bottom in an action movie, that's simple type-casting. I mean the situation where you associate an actor with a particular character, and then they are cast as someone so wildly different, or in something so wildly different, that you struggle to think of them as the new character when you watch the new programme/film.

For me, the one I'm finding bemusing at the moment is Melanie Scrofano. She plays the hard-drinking swinging Mrs McMurray on the Canadian classic "Letterkenny"...


...and I'm now trying to see her as the serious, sober Starfleet Captain-cum-Public-Prosecutor Captain Batel...



Her acting is fine, she's clearly skilled and versatile, but I struggle to dissociate her from Mrs McMurray.

Anyone else have any actor/character combos they find this with?
Arnie when he went from serious action actor to doing comedy crap.

Macneil

1,054 posts

102 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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James Gandolfini

Cotty

41,772 posts

306 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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I always associated Scott Bakula with Dr. Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap so it was a struggle to accept him as Captain Archer in Star Trek Enterprise.
Very very differnt roles.

dundarach

5,935 posts

250 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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- every character except Deliverance
- every character I've ever seen him in
- all of these

Edited by dundarach on Sunday 30th July 12:37

robemcdonald

9,690 posts

218 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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The bloke who played Chris Finch in the office.

I can’t watch anything else with him in, which is a shame because he’s been in some decent stuff.

Basically his portrayal of the aforementioned Mr Finch was so accurate haring his voice or seeing his face is enough to cause me PTSD due to the characters similarities to tts I have worked with.

generationx

8,787 posts

127 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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anonymous-user

76 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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generationx said:
Mike Brewer has let himself go.

donkmeister

Original Poster:

11,460 posts

122 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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robemcdonald said:
The bloke who played Chris Finch in the office.

I can’t watch anything else with him in, which is a shame because he’s been in some decent stuff.

Basically his portrayal of the aforementioned Mr Finch was so accurate haring his voice or seeing his face is enough to cause me PTSD due to the characters similarities to tts I have worked with.
Me too - he has such a distinctive face and voice that I can't see him in anything without expecting him to start throwing shoes over buildings.

WY86

1,555 posts

49 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Pretty much any of the cast of American pie.

Teflon Jon

4,875 posts

101 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Jim Parsons , Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory .

The character he played in the wonderful film Hidden Figures about NASA ,he was still Sheldon ,just a bit less nuts .

Inspire

376 posts

201 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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pocketspring said:
Mike Brewer has let himself go.
biggrinbiglaugh

WrekinCrew

5,427 posts

172 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Teflon Jon

4,875 posts

101 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Shatner was quite convincing as a copper in TJ Hooker

Skeptisk

8,897 posts

131 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Teflon Jon said:
Shatner was quite convincing as a copper in TJ Hooker
I would say pretty much all the original ST cast except Shatner who did have TJ Hooker.


TRIUMPHBULLET

711 posts

135 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, whenever i've seen him in anything else I just see the man who played Poirot.

MBVitoria

2,533 posts

245 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Lisa Kudrow - whenever I've seen her in anything other than Friends she seems to be a "kooky" character.


NelsonM3

1,777 posts

193 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Damien Lewis - Band of Brothers

BobToc

1,927 posts

139 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Bob Odenkirk, Kyle Chandler and Claes Bang. I think everyone who’s seen their respective shows should know which character. Claes Bang’s turn is just superb, one of the most obnoxious character I can think of.

Haltamer

2,617 posts

102 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Sean Bean as Sharpe smile