# How do actors feel about this knowing that they are typecast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713 "2013-01-10T03:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/1 "2013-01-10T03:43:55Z")
Whenever an actress is supposed to play “the fat ugly friend who can’t get a date” or an actor is supposed to play the “ugly dork that women only like as a friend” I have to wonder, if these people actually have that “perfect look” for the role, do their feelings ever get hurt? That is, if it’s not an “Ugly Duckling” type story then the characters written about in the script that are obviously physically unattractive are probably happy that they got the role, but it must grate on them to know that they are cast because they are considered ugly and unattractive (the sad fate of Rondo Hatton for example). Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/2 "2013-01-10T04:40:43Z")
I suspect there is consolation knowing that you have to be very attractive to be cast as an unattractive person in a Hollywood movie. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/3 "2013-01-10T05:08:43Z")
Does the check clear? Yes, they’re okay with it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/4 "2013-01-10T05:16:55Z")
I’m pretty sure they know already that they don’t look like Channing Tatum. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/5 "2013-01-10T05:53:39Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Does the check clear? Yes, they’re okay with it. Hattie McDaniel was said she was much happier to be payed $50 a week pretending to be a maid than actually being a maid for $5 a week. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/6 "2013-01-10T06:04:48Z")
George Reeves killed himself (maybe). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/7 "2013-01-10T06:27:31Z")
I’ve seen interviews with several who said things along the lines of: “Well, ok, so I look like John Spaniard. Great! Do you know how many John Spaniard roles there are in Spanish movies?” “I realized quite early I’d never be ‘the girl’, not with this nose. I like my nose more than I want to be ‘the girl’.” ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/8 "2013-01-10T06:51:57Z")
They write novels about it like “I am not Spock!” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/9 "2013-01-10T07:23:50Z")
Sometimes the character actors get the best lines and steal the scene. That counts for a lot, to actors. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2013, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/10 "2013-01-10T07:26:18Z")
Being typecast means that someone is casting you. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/11 "2013-01-10T13:28:10Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > They write novels about it like “I am not Spock!” Well, it wasn’t a novel, it was a long essay. And then he turned around and wrote another book titled _I Am Spock_\*. Make up your mind! My favorite coment on it was James Doohan saying that he would write a book entitled **I am not Spock, either**. Considering that it was his being Spock thatr eventually gave him a chance at the director’s reins, I suspect that Nimoy was Okay with the role, eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/12 "2013-01-10T13:44:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Well, it wasn’t a novel, it was a long essay. > And then he turned around and wrote another book titled _I Am Spock_\*. Make up your mind! > > My favorite coment on it was James Doohan saying that he would write a book entitled **I am not Spock, either**. I didn’t know that last part! It makes the Simpsons joke about it (“He wrote **I Am Not Spock** , **I Am Spock** and **I Am Also Scotty** ”) even funnier. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/13 "2013-01-10T13:50:14Z")
Even attractive actors get this. Brad Pitt may have played everything from romantic lead to beefy action hero to family man to psychotic murderer, but I bet that Angelina Jolie would love to be cast as something other then deadly, polished and perhaps slightly psychopathic action hero. But who would cast Anjelina Jolie for a role as a wise, down-to-earth, funny social worker? [Melissa Mcarthy gets this a lot](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565250/). She has played the funny, overweight BFF sidekick of the slender romantic lead female so often I lost count. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/14 "2013-01-10T13:57:58Z")
Some actors are happy just to get a paycheck, as others have said. Some worry that they’ll get stuck playing “the bad guy” or “the buddy”, or whatever, and deliberately choose roles that break away from that. I think Jim Carrey would be one example. I remember when he did roles like The Cable Guy and The Truman show, it was seen as an attempt to portray himself as a more “serious” actor instead of “that whacky guy who does those screwball comedies”. Some actors will do the “indie” film role to show they’re more than a one note actor (and/or because they really like the material), some will do Broadway plays as a lead even though they’ve never carried a feature film. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/15 "2013-01-10T14:01:21Z")
I saw William Shatner last night and he said that he became accepting of the fact that he was going to be Kirk his entire life during an interview with Patrick Stewart, when Stewart said that, despite all the Shakespeare, etc that _he’s_ done, he is proud to be remembered as Picard. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/16 "2013-01-10T14:28:37Z")
The thing you have to remember about “ugly” roles is that they’re largely self-selecting. It’s not like most casting directors go to Walmart and grab some poor fat ugly woman’s arm and say, “I’ve got the perfect role for you!” No. They contact agents and/or put an ad out for casting (used to be in newspapers, I’m betting now they’re on websites) describing the character, including physical type, and see who shows up. Anyone who gets insulted when she gets cast after answering a call for “Female, 40-45, 300+lbs, drug addict” has a whole other set of issues. Most of the actors in the truly ugly actor category don’t worry too much about typecasting, because it’s very very rare for them to break out of character acting\*. Character acting \*is \*typecasting, pretty much by definition. It’s the Brad Pitts and Jim Careys who worry about typecasting, because they \*are \*pretty enough to not do character acting and then get stuck in bigger, boring roles. \*Steve Buscemi being an obvious exception. I’m not sure I could come up with a list of 30 in the last 30 years, though. Even ugly people in Hollywood have gotten prettier. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/17 "2013-01-10T14:32:17Z")
I was thinking about this when I was Matilda and recognized (I think) the fat kid from Wedding Singers. So his role in movies basically is to play the fat kid that everyone picks on, feels sorry for, and eventually gets something good (in Matilda, it was the appreciation of his classmates, in Wedding Singers, a dance with the female lead). I guess he’s after all, getting to be in movies. But I can’t help but wonder about his health. He’s basically got a job because he’s fat and sweet looking. Maybe he could be like the kid who played Dudley in Harry Potter and eventually lose it. **Whynot** , what about Whoopi Goldberg? Of course she is basically of the same era as Steve-o. But even the ugly people in Hollywood generally have an interesting sort of ugliness. I feel British telly shows more ugly people on average. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/18 "2013-01-10T15:16:48Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Being typecast means that someone is casting you. Not really. You can be typecast into roles that aren’t available. Sometimes it only means you used to be cast. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/19 "2013-01-10T15:19:37Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I was thinking about this when I was Matilda and recognized (I think) the fat kid from Wedding Singers. So his role in movies basically is to play the fat kid that everyone picks on, feels sorry for, and eventually gets something good (in Matilda, it was the appreciation of his classmates, in Wedding Singers, a dance with the female lead). > > I guess he’s after all, getting to be in movies. But I can’t help but wonder about his health. He’s basically got a job because he’s fat and sweet looking. Maybe he could be like the kid who played Dudley in Harry Potter and eventually lose it. > > **Whynot** , what about Whoopi Goldberg? Of course she is basically of the same era as Steve-o. But even the ugly people in Hollywood generally have an interesting sort of ugliness. I feel British telly shows more ugly people on average. Um . . . Here’s a recent picture of Harry Melling that played Dudley Dursley. > **[US](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/)** > > From the US election and Biden's presidency, to gun control and abortion rights; stay up-to-date with the latest lines and comment with The Telegraph. And to hear him talk about it, he wasn’t “the fat kid” over there, he was Harry, playing Dudley. Here’s the article: [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/6262567/Harry-Potter-star-My-life-after-Dudley-Dursley.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/6262567/Harry-Potter-star-My-life-after-Dudley-Dursley.html) Now, having said that, he did realize if he wanted to keep acting, he would have to lose weight, so apparently it is the same in Britain as in the US about that. btw, I think I read that’s why the Dursley’s don’t appear much in Deathly Hallows, because Dudley didn’t look like Dudley anymore! But, I do understand the point and I certainly agree. vislor ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/20 "2013-01-10T15:21:21Z")
Isn’t that what I said? “He could be like Dudley and eventually lose it”. I mean, I am not sure whence the “um…” comes from as it seems I am agreeing with you on every point! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713.md?page=2)