Which dramatic actors cannot be cast in a comedy and vice versa?
A lot of times (well at least once in a while) actors are praised for their diversity in being able to step into any type of role be it serious or whacky. Who can’t?
**Denzel Washington ** doesn’t strike me as one who could be cast in anything but a dramatic role. Incidentally this isn’t a criticism of these actors nor a suggestion that they should or why would you want to see Actor X in blah, blah, blah, it’s just an observation.
Denzel finishes just ahead of **Ralph Fiennes ** as someone who can’t hit both ways.
On the other side (I didn’t devote much thought to this one but included it in anticipation of someone starting the mirror thread) I can’t see **Jerry Seinfeld ** in anything but a comedic light. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.
After seeing “King Kong” I’d say Jack Black has to stay away from anything serious. Even when he’s trying to be sincere, he comes off as sarcastic simply because he’s Jack Black.
I don’t find Rob Schneider funny, but he’d be an even bigger disaster in a dramatic role.
Billy Crystal’s semi-autobiographical labor of love that nobody really liked Mr. Saturday Night has a number of poignant spots that he delivers well.
Clint’s done a number of comedies over the years (Any Which Way But Loose and its equally wretched sequel Any Which Way You Can -or is it the other way around?, Pink Cadillac, etc.) but he’s still riffing on the same tough-guy character that he holds near and dear. He does have good comic chops and timing though which he demonstrates throughout his entire body of work.
I think Robert De Niro is very limited with regard to comic roles. He’s only effective when he plays the uptight and/or “straight” foil to the “funny” co-star. But goofy roles? Forgetaboutit!
I actually like him better when there’s a serious component to his roles. Ignoring the overall quality of the movies, I liked him way better in High Fidelity, King Kong and even School of Rock than I do in things like Nacho Libre. He was great in High Fidelity.
I don’t think Leslie Nielsen could do drama anymore. He was a dramatic actor before Airplane, but since then his entire career has been based on playing a serious character who’s unaware he’s in a comedy.
Leslie Nielsen played the captain in the Poseidon Adventure. If you go back and watch it now, his scenes come off just like Airplane on a boat. Hi-larious.
Oh, medstar check out this review of Behind Enemy Lines.
Dude, haven’t you seen The King Of Comedy? He was…okay, your point is well taken. DeNiro is just…disturbing when he does comedy. (Don’t even get me started on the Meet the ______ movies. Disturbing doesn’t even begin to cover it.)
How about actors who are extemely funny in dramatic roles? I’m thinking of Al Pacino (a great dramatic actor when he tones it down) in Heat:
C’ause she’s got a GREAT ASS, and you’ve got your head all the way up it! Ferocious, ain’t I? When I think of asses, a woman’s ass, something comes out of me.That line, and his delivery of it, always cracks me up.
Which proves my point because De Niro in Midnight Run was the no-nonsense comic foil to Grodin’s character. I also thought De Niro was effective in King of Comedy since it was a dark comedy where the disturbing aspects of his character (Rupert Pupkin) were appropriate. What I have a problem with is when De Niro’s attempted to do something silly (e.g., Rocky and Bullwinkle). The results are just painful to watch.
Owen Wilson was pretty good as a serial killer in Minus Man. True, he was an amiable serial killer, but he was scary when the script called for it, and believable nonetheless.
Wow. Says you. I guess those folks who gave him an Academy Award for a serious role thought differently. I tend to like him better in more serious roles. I thought he was very good in The Fisher King, One Hour Photo, Insomnia, Good Will Hunting, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, What Dreams May Come and The World According to Garp. The movies themselves ranged in quality, but I thought he was good in them all. Some of those roles had comedic elements, but most showed his character as either scary or poignant. I haven’t seen The Final Cut or The Night Listener yet. I can’t think of an all-out comedy he did that I really liked. Of course, I haven’t seen most of them.
