# Character chameleons: great acting **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510 "2011-10-04T02:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/1 "2011-10-04T02:12:02Z")
I’m making a video for my middle school drama students to help them understand character immersion. I need help coming up with examples of actors who during their career have convincingly played roles that are complete opposites of each other. It would be nice if you could tell me which roles too so I can try and clip some film. Many of these students have little exposure to film outside of summer blockbusters and Disney cartoons so it completely blows their mind to see Gary Oldman, Stephen Root, or Charlize Theron in clips juxtaposing opposite characters they have played. It is good for them to see that it can be done. Help me, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/2 "2011-10-04T02:16:56Z")
Gary Oldman is the guy who always gets cited in these threads. See him play very different roles in Sid and Nancy, True Romance, Dracula, The Fifth Element, and Batman Begins. If you just want two performances that are pretty close to opposites, try True Romance and Batman Begins. (Although, hmmm, not sure that True Romance performance would be right for middle schoolers. Maybe The Fifth Element instead.) ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/3 "2011-10-04T02:23:10Z")
Daniel Day-Lewis in **My Left Foot** and then his very next movie **The Last of the Mohicans** - you could hardly get two more different roles. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/4 "2011-10-04T02:24:54Z")
Billy Bob Thorton in **Sling Blade** and, well, pretty much anything else he’s been in. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/5 "2011-10-04T02:33:14Z")
Also maybe Charlize Theron in [Sweet November](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHmQPbJ09Wo&feature=related) versus Charlize Theron in [Monster](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq70brIQP40&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/6 "2011-10-04T02:41:08Z")
I think Edward Norton has a great range. Off the top of my head I’d compare his roles in “Keeping the Faith” and “American History X”. Actually, I guess he plays dark characters more often than not but KTF was a big departure. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/7 "2011-10-04T02:46:04Z")
Two of our best character actors in one scene: **Benicio del Toro** and **Jeffrey Wright** in [Basquiat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nMv3CUHIpE). You can find them both in very different roles, Benicio del Toro in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or The Pledge, or The Usual Suspects. Jeffrey Wright in Cadillac Records, or Broken Flowers, or Ride With the Devil, or Syriana. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/8 "2011-10-04T02:53:56Z")
Cate Blanchett plays a completely different character in every role. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/9 "2011-10-04T02:59:08Z")
Michael C. Hall in the series Six Feet Under versus Dexter. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/10 "2011-10-04T03:20:41Z")
Alan Rickman in **Truly Madly Deeply** vs. Alan Rickman in just about anything else. Any two Meryl Streep films. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/11 "2011-10-04T05:30:14Z")
Tom Hardy. I just provided a [trailer link to the insane-looking movie Bronson](http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1194066457/) in the **Drive** thread. Who would guess that madman is played by the same actor who is the debonair and elegant Eames (aka The Forger [in this trailer](http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4219471385/)) in **Inception**? He’s also [Tommy](http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi339320089/) in the new movie [Warrior](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291584/). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/12 "2011-10-04T06:28:26Z")
Linda Hunt in **The Year Of Living Dangerously** & **The Bostonians**. Mickey Rourke in **Angel Heart & Spun**. Brad Pitt in **Twelve Monkeys** & **Fight Club** & **Snatch**. Al Pacino in **Dog Day Afternoon** & **Author! Author!**. Dustin Hoffman in **Straw Dogs**. If you have to have multiple movies, go with **Lenny** & **Tootsie** & **Rain Main**. Cameron Diaz in **There’s Something About Mary** & **Being John Malkovich**. Eddie Murphy in **48 Hours** & **Bowfinger** (as Jiff). I’d post more but I’m sleepy. Okay, one more: Eric Bana in **Chopper** & **Black Hawk Down**. And a nod to **Equipoise** for mentioning Tom Hardy’s awesome performance in **Bronson**. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/13 "2011-10-04T07:13:20Z")
Arnold Schwarzennegar in **The Terminator** and **Kindergarten Cop**. Joe Pesci in **Goodfellas** and **Lethal Weapon 3**. Burgess Meredith in **Rocky** and **Clash of the Titans**. Paul Reubens in **Pee Wee’s Big Adventure** and **Mystery Men**. Clint Eastwood in **The Outlaw Josey Wales** and **Space Cowboys**. Robin Williams in **One Hour Photo** and **Hook**. Will Ferrell in **Anchorman** and **Lost in Translation**. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/14 "2011-10-04T08:14:15Z")
Just do a review of the acting career of [J.K. Simmons](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799777/). Most of your students will be surprised to learn that all of those parts were played by the same guy. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/15 "2011-10-04T10:59:44Z")
The example I always cite for this is Ben Kingley, who played Gandi in **Gandi** , and sociopath Don Logan in **Sexy Beast**. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/16 "2011-10-04T11:10:46Z")
**Johnny Depp** as **Capt Jack Sparrow** , **Willy Wonka** (two roles they will probably be familiar with), **James Barrie in Finding Neverland** and something older, maybe **Gilbert Grape**? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/17 "2011-10-04T11:13:46Z")
I go with Victor Garber: before he was a cold-blooded secret agent gunning people down in ALIAS or even a no-nonsense official in LEGALLY BLONDE, he was Jesus Christ as a face-painting song-and-dance man in floppy clown shoes and rainbow-colored suspenders in GODSPELL. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/18 "2011-10-04T12:18:05Z")
William H. Macy in Fargo and The Lincoln Lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/19 "2011-10-04T12:53:00Z")
> [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](#): > > Many of these students have little exposure to film outside of summer blockbusters You could show Robert Downey Jr in a quick clip as IRON MAN before showing his Oscar-nominated work in CHAPLIN and TROPIC THUNDER. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510/20 "2011-10-04T12:55:21Z")
Are TV actors included? [John Carroll Lynch](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002253/?licb=0.990124951264377) first hit my radar as Drew’s cross-dressing brother on _The Drew Carey_ show, but has played very different parts in _Carnivale_ and _Body of Proof_. (He’s also been in several very good movies: _Fargo, Zodiac_, etc.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/character-chameleons-great-acting/598510.md?page=2)