# Actors range in Sci Fi **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [August 25, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270 "2022-08-25T01:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oxido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9adbd/32.png) [@Oxido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oxido)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/1 "2022-08-25T01:38:22Z")
I’m not sure if this is the right place for thice but here goes. Actors with the widest range of character in somewhat recent film, and actors with a narrow range? I bring this up after watching Tombstone, loving the performance of the actor (Stephen Lang) that plays Ike Clampett, finding out he played a completely different character in Avatar. Another one, watching Aliens, I thought the character Vasquez (Jennette Goldstein) was well played, turns out, Shes John Connor’s Mom in T2 (OK, borh scifi movies, but very different characters). Opinions? Any other completely different characters in recent Scifi? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/2 "2022-08-25T02:17:11Z")
> [@Oxido](#): > > not sure if this is the right place Cafe Society is the best place to discuss artists (of all types) and their art. Moved from MPSIMS to CS. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/3 "2022-08-25T02:28:17Z")
Sam Rockwell has range, both in and out of Sci-Fi. He played Guy in Galaxy Quest, Sam Bell in Moon, Captain K in Jojo Rabbit, and Wild Bill in the Green Mile. > [@Oxido](#): > > I thought the character Vasquez (Jennette Goldstein) was well played She thought the part was for an illegal alien, and was the only one to show up for the audition in a dress while all of the other actors showed up in camo outfits. She still got the part, and they added the “illegal alien” line into the script. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/4 "2022-08-25T03:03:59Z")
If superhero movies count as science fiction, then I give you Chris Evans: - In 2005 and 2007, he played Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) in two _Fantastic Four_ movies. Johnny Storm is reckless, impulsive, egotistical, and immature. - From 2011 to 2019, Evans played Steve Rogers (Captain America) in a bunch of Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Steve Rogers is the polar opposite of Johnny Storm: he’s loyal, thoughtful, kind, and selfless. If you were the parent of a child, Steve Rogers is the kind of guy who you’d want your child to marry. Johnny Storm is the kind of guy whom you dread your child will fall in love with. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/5 "2022-08-25T03:08:55Z")
I think you are really overstating Johnny Storm as an opposite of Steve Rogers–I admit Johnny Storm is can be reckless and impulsive but Storm as loyal and selfless to his friends as Captain America is to his. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/6 "2022-08-25T03:12:38Z")
Yes, Johnny is, ultimately, loyal to his family and friends, but he frequently does thoughtless, rash crap that gets all of them into trouble and angry with him, before he ultimately makes things right. Cap would never put himself or his friends in that kind of position in the first place. Johnny has matured, to an extent, over the 60 years of the Fantastic Four, but he is still, at heart, an impulsive and unwise person. When Evans was cast as Cap, I admit, I was very skeptical; my only real knowledge of him, as an actor, was as Johnny Storm, and I wasn’t convinced that he would do well playing an extremely different type of character. Happily, I was wrong, and Evans was, in fact, perfectly cast as Cap. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/7 "2022-08-25T04:24:06Z")
Christian Bale starred in the Nolan Batman movies and Terminator Salvation, but he also was in The Machinist, Empire of the Sun and The Fighter (among many other movies). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/8 "2022-08-25T04:31:50Z")
Christopher Eccleston played an Army colonel turned murderous sexual predator in 28 Days Later, and the king of the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World. He also played the Doctor in the first season after _Doctor Who_ returned from its 16-year hiatus. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/9 "2022-08-25T04:35:31Z")
Gary Oldman has played pretty wild range of characters over the years from Commissioner Gordon in Nolan Batman movies to Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Also Winston Churchill in _The Darkest Hour_, Mason Verger in _Hannibal,_ Dr Smith in _Lost in Space_, Zorg in _The Fifth Element_, Beethoven in _Immortal beloved_, Lee Harvey Oswald in _JFK_, Dracula in _Bram Stoker’s Dracula_ and Agent Stansfield in _Leon: The Professional_ among others. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/10 "2022-08-25T04:40:07Z")
Oldman is a good choice; he really is versatile, and great in all of those roles. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/11 "2022-08-25T13:01:49Z")
His career was a long time ago, but [Sir Alec Guinness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Guinness) had a truly astonishing range. - Shakespearean roles - nine different characters in the comedy ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ - criminal (‘Lavender Hill Mob’ (Academy Award nomination), ‘The Ladykillers’ - Charles Dickens characters - Army officer in the war film ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’ (Best Actor Academy Award) - Obi-Wan Kenobi - spy in both ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and ‘Smiley’s people’ Personally I thought his two spy roles were his best work, but an amazing actor. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/12 "2022-08-25T14:32:16Z")
With Gary Oldman, I have more than once had this experience: I’m watching a movie, notice a particular character, and say to myself, “That guy’s really good! I wonder why I’ve never seen him in anything before. I’ll have to watch for his name in the end credits, so I can keep an eye out for him in other stuff.” And then, when I find his name in the credits, I realize it was Gary Oldman all along. He was so deeply immersed in the role that I didn’t even recognize him. ---
**Author:** ![Oxido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9adbd/32.png) [@Oxido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oxido)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/13 "2022-08-25T14:40:16Z")
Right! From Zorg in The Fifth Element to Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/14 "2022-08-25T14:48:46Z")
Plus Dracula, Winston Churchill, Sirius Black, Commissioner Gordon, and Harry Truman in Christopher Nolan’s _Oppenheimer,_ currently in production. ---
**Author:** ![Oxido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9adbd/32.png) [@Oxido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oxido)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/15 "2022-08-25T15:28:26Z")
Sam Rockwell, good one. From the “Galaxy” to the “Moon”. Two of my favorite Sci-Fi movies for sure. Interesting about Ms. Goldstein’s audition, thanks for that! ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/16 "2022-08-25T15:57:41Z")
I was going to say exactly the same thing. There have been numerous movies I’ve seen and then watched the credits and went “_that_ was Gary Oldman?!” He has this uncanny ability, even without makeup and prosthetics, to look like a totally different person depending on the role. It’s the reason he’s one of my favorite actors. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/17 "2022-08-25T16:07:59Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Christian Bale starred in the Nolan Batman movies and Terminator Salvation, but he also was in The Machinist, Empire of the Sun and The Fighter (among many other movies). And was unrecognizable (to me, anyhow) as [the Big Baddie](https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/pjimage-2022-05-25T143312.232.jpg?impolicy=website&width=1200&height=800) in the latest Thor movie. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/18 "2022-08-25T16:27:46Z")
Brian Thompson is one of those guys that’s in everything and everyone recognizes but nobody really knows his name. He’s been in _Star Trek: TNG, ST: Enterprise, ST: DS9, ST: Generations, The X-Files, The Orville, Buffy, Alien Nation_ (both the movie and the series), _Werewolf_, and a ton of movies and other non-sci-fi shows. He’s just got that “bad guy” face and body. [![](https://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ3MTY4ODQyMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTcyNDky._V1_UY1200_CR110,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg) ](https://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ3MTY4ODQyMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTcyNDky._V1_UY1200_CR110,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/19 "2022-08-27T00:48:08Z")
Liberally abusing the word “recent,” I offer Christopher Plummer. Star Trek VI, The Sound of Music, Murder By Decree, Oedipus the King. The man had range. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270/20 "2022-08-27T13:37:01Z")
I saw one of the Star Trek reboot movies, and assumed that Chris Pine was just always a shallow unlikeable jerk who was playing himself. Then I saw him in Wonder Woman, and realized that he was just doing a really good job of playing a shallow unlikeable jerk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-range-in-sci-fi/970270.md?page=2)