# Actors who are seen as often "playing themselves" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2021, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873 "2021-12-11T07:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/41 "2021-12-11T20:03:18Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > But I always thought Clint Eastwood was the archetype. Yea, Eastwood was the first actor I thought of. He has been in dozens of films, and plays the same character in each. And his “real” self closely mirrors that character. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/42 "2021-12-12T03:13:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yes, this thread seems to be more about actors who have been typecast. There are a couple of situations where an actor might accused of “playing themselves”. One is related to being typecast and/or choosing the same types of roles over and over again. The other would be someone who chooses a variety of roles but is very distinctive in terms of looks, voice, etc. For instance, Michael Caine has been in a wide variety of roles, but I don’t think there has ever been a movie of his where I didn’t say to myself “Hey look, it’s Michael Caine!” ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/43 "2021-12-12T04:12:14Z")
How has this thread gone so many posts without Will Smith being mentioned? He has no acting range at all, he is always Will Smith in every role he plays. And that is fine if that is the goal of the director, but damn, he can only act like Will Smith. I am pretty sure that I don’t even need to meet him to know what he is really like, he seems a lot like Will Smith. From the Fresh Prince to Independence Day to Hancock, to the Men in Black. When you are watching a Will Smith movie it is very hard to keep track of which movie you are watching. Knowing what to expect is probably a good thing sometimes, but when it is a Will Smith movie I know what to expect, Will Smith. He must have skipped drama class and never learned any method acting. But if you want a reasonably fine looking man who can say "Oh, hell no! " in your movie, he is your go to guy. “Read the scrip so you can say the lines, and just be yourself.” Says every one who has ever directed this guy. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/44 "2021-12-12T04:23:13Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Mark Wahlberg Did you see him in The Lovely Bones? That was a different Mark Wahlberg. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/45 "2021-12-12T04:24:35Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@Riemann](#): > > > > But I always thought Clint Eastwood was the archetype. > > Yea, Eastwood was the first actor I thought of. He has been in dozens of films, and plays the same character in each. And his “real” self closely mirrors that character. Same here — the first one I thought of too. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/46 "2021-12-12T04:51:58Z")
Will Smith has played a bunch of roles that sit outside the ‘Oh, hell no’ persona. Most recently King Richard. He was great. I think a big problem for him is his _voice_. No matter who or what he’s playing, there’s always that slightly goofy tenor about it. You often have to get past that to appreciate the performance. Like most recently in King Richard. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/47 "2021-12-12T05:39:01Z")
Stolen from somewhere else: The only reboot of _Fresh Prince_ I want to see is if the guys making trouble in his neighborhood were Mac, Charlie, and Dennis. ---
**Author:** ![BigDfromLA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@BigDfromLA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDfromLA)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/48 "2021-12-12T06:44:46Z")
Apparently, Robert Downey Jr. basically played himself in one movie…drug addict Julian in Less Than Zero early in his career. Yet, beyond that film, he has shown great range and has played a wide variety of characters. Intersting that he did it once, very early in his career, but really hasn’t done it since. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/49 "2021-12-12T07:32:44Z")
My mom and I were just talking about “Only Murders In the Building” and we agreed that Martin Short was playing himself. I’m not familiar with the full breadth of his work but everything I can think of he seems to be playing the same sort of character, who is akin to the guy Martin Short I see on talk shows. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/50 "2021-12-12T07:56:54Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Woody Allen. That’s who I first thought of but I also think his limiting acting repertoire leads people to underestimate how versatile and inventive he is as a director. Just to take some 80s films think how different Radio Days, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Purple Rose of Cairo are. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/51 "2021-12-12T08:39:49Z")
[Obligatory Martin Short/Tim Allen/Joel Osteen meme](https://i.imgur.com/AScNSWd.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/52 "2021-12-12T08:50:47Z")
The vast majority of roles Sterling Hayden played, along with a lot of his extracurricular IRL stuff, strongly overlap. Heh - Ken Offerman? ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/53 "2021-12-12T09:19:26Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@Riemann](#): > > > > But I always thought Clint Eastwood was the archetype. > > Yea, Eastwood was the first actor I thought of. He has been in dozens of films, and plays the same character in each. And his “real” self closely mirrors that character. Even in **Play Misty for Me**? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/54 "2021-12-12T09:32:09Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Michael Caine has been in a wide variety of roles, but I don’t think there has ever been a movie of his where I didn’t say to myself “Hey look, it’s Michael Caine!” I feel exactly the same way about Meryl Streep. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/55 "2021-12-12T09:37:04Z")
Most people don’t realize that was Meryl Streep playing Charlie Croker in _The Italian Job_. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/56 "2021-12-12T09:50:29Z")
Perhaps I should have phrased my comment differently… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/57 "2021-12-12T09:59:02Z")
…Rhys Darby plays Rhys Darby in everything he’s ever been in. He doesn’t even bother to switch up his accent. Here he is as HAZMAT #2 in Sweet Tooth. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sZE40A9ADtY/maxresdefault.jpg "Sweet Tooth | two NPC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZE40A9ADtY) And here he is as a Smartphone Sales Manager on the X-Files. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkp7vxPl-Js) Lost on an island: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/krXhIinLk-U/maxresdefault.jpg "Wrecked: Steve's Weird - Season 3 Ep. 5 [EXCLUSIVE] | TBS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krXhIinLk-U) Manager of New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uaaslC6UUWg/hqdefault.jpg "Rhys Darby (The Best Of Murray Hewitt season 1)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaslC6UUWg) Alyx’s helpful friend in Half Life: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PTBKGRKVBnE/maxresdefault.jpg "Half Life: Alyx | Walkthrough [No Commentary] Part #2 - Meeting with Russell.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTBKGRKVBnE) Psycho Sam: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JZmXxNI4FbE/hqdefault.jpg "Hunt for the Wilderpeople") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZmXxNI4FbE) As a Werewolf. (Not a Swearwolf) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wxt2DSWS_eI/maxresdefault.jpg "What We Do in the Shadows Werewolves Not Swearwolves Clip") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxt2DSWS_eI) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/58 "2021-12-12T11:39:10Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > > > . . . Robin Williams . . . > > And sometimes he’s a British woman! And sometimes he’s a talking cat and parakeet. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/59 "2021-12-12T12:07:01Z")
Diane Keaton - I feel like everything I see her do is the same, so I assume it’s because she’s playing herself. Granted, I haven’t seen a whole lot of her performances, but the ones I’ve seen struck me as interchangeable. Maybe I just saw the few that were similar?? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873/60 "2021-12-12T14:04:14Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Burt Mustin. Bravo. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-seen-as-often-playing-themselves/955873.md?page=4)