# How do movies cast ugly people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412 "2010-11-21T04:28:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/21 "2010-11-22T19:08:06Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Sorry to see he’s died, I enjoyed his appearance in _The Rocketeer_. > > [Danny Trejo](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1024&bih=591&q=danny+trejo&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=) is also well-known for portraying hideous bad guys. He’s also made appearances on _Pit Bulls & Parolees_ when he showed up as a working volunteer to shovel snow in a freak storm, and another time when he saved a dog being abused and brought it to the shelter. I just watched a documentary about Danny Trejo. He’s got some rugged features on him, to be sure, but either the make-up in his character roles accentuates that or the make-up for the documentary minimized it. Without a lot of gang-bagner drag, a straggly mustache, and unkempt hair, he’s actually rather normal looking. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/22 "2010-11-22T22:37:03Z")
The story goes that when Jackie Gleason was making movies, the studio convinced him that if he lost weight, he’d look good enough to be cast in leading man roles. He lost weight and was handsome enough, but never got above B-movie status, so he went back to being fat and succeeded as both a comedian and a dramatic actor. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/23 "2010-11-22T23:57:42Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I just watched a documentary about Danny Trejo. He’s got some rugged features on him, to be sure, but either the make-up in his character roles accentuates that or the make-up for the documentary minimized it. Without a lot of gang-bagner drag, a straggly mustache, and unkempt hair, he’s actually rather normal looking. And short. I loved that they didn’t try to hid it at all in Machete. He’s a short Mexican dude. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/24 "2010-11-23T00:15:58Z")
Yeah, short too. Dressed in regular guy clothes, shaved, and with a haircut, Danny Trejo looks like any short Mexican dude. He wouldn’t have stood out from the rest of the staff when I taught in Laredo TX. Okay, maybe you’d assume he was a gym teacher from his build. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/25 "2010-11-23T00:23:34Z")
Movie Ugly more or less = average attractiveness in RL. So they don’t have to look too far to find someone to fill the role. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/26 "2010-11-23T03:51:17Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Movie Ugly more or less = average attractiveness in RL. So they don’t have to look too far to find someone to fill the role. [Charlize Theron in _Monster_.](http://www.femail.com.au/anatomy_of_a_monster.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/27 "2010-11-23T04:01:42Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The King of the Ugly Actors was Rondo Hatton Since usurped by [Michael Berryman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Berryman), who’s made a rather impressive career out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/28 "2010-11-23T04:20:12Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Movie Ugly more or less = average attractiveness in RL. So they don’t have to look too far to find someone to fill the role. I totally disagree with this. I don’t think if a movie casting person needed to find someone who was specifically supposed to be physically ugly, they would just be able to pluck a random person of “average” looks and use that person. I think the proportion of attractive faces is the same in movies and in real life. What is different is the level of physical fitness and makeup, as well as posture. I think the majority of people, if they were physically fit and carried themselves well, would be “good-looking.” Jason Alexander isn’t “ugly” - he’s overweight, balding and has poor posture. I saw a picture of a young Jason Alexander somewhere once; he was pretty handsome. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/29 "2010-11-23T15:21:05Z")
I too had wondered about the OP’s question. One of the things that I love about the movie _O Brother Where Art Thou?_ is the casting: all those people (like the bank scene with Baby Face Nelson) look just like they had been plucked from a small town in Mississippi, and it goes way beyond makeup and dress. Another is the American _The Office_: there isn’t one homely person, there’s a crew (Stanley, Meredith, Phyllis, and probably Dwight and Darryl). ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/30 "2010-11-23T16:27:47Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I totally disagree with this. > > I don’t think if a movie casting person needed to find someone who was specifically supposed to be physically ugly, they would just be able to pluck a random person of “average” looks and use that person. > > I think the proportion of attractive faces is the same in movies and in real life. What is different is the level of physical fitness and makeup, as well as posture. I think the majority of people, if they were physically fit and carried themselves well, would be “good-looking.” Jason Alexander isn’t “ugly” - he’s overweight, balding and has poor posture. I saw a picture of a young Jason Alexander somewhere once; he was pretty handsome. Don’t forget plastic surgery. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/31 "2010-11-23T16:32:52Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > So, when the casting director for a movie sends out a casting call for “big ugly guys”, the talent agencies know who to send for auditions. OMG, I might have a future in the movies after all! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/32 "2010-11-23T16:39:23Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Shelly Winters was a beautiful actress when she was young. there were so many of them that she decided to gain weight. It kept her in character roles for many years. So gaining weight was a conscious decision she made? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/33 "2010-11-23T16:54:33Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > You might be familiar with Gainey as “Swamp Thing” from “Con Air” (the convict pilot). For all the many roles he’s done, I remember him mostly as a) the cop who interviews John Holmes in “Wonderland” and b) the guy in “Sideways” who goes running out of his house nekkid. ---
**Author:** ![FrigidLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/34 "2010-11-23T18:37:19Z")
There are some agencies that specialize in a broad range of unusual looking people such as very fat, tall, amputees, congenital deformities, dwarfs, ugly, etc. Colloquially known as “freak agencies.” ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/35 "2010-11-23T18:42:34Z")
It looks like there could be a career for me in movies. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/36 "2010-11-23T18:57:32Z")
[Prior Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533505) ---
**Author:** ![AutumnLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@AutumnLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnLeaves)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/37 "2010-11-23T22:53:36Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > Another is the American _The Office_: there isn’t one homely person, there’s a crew (Stanley, Meredith, Phyllis, and probably Dwight and Darryl). I always figured that was something brought over from the source. The original Office series (UK) went far to really make it feel like any old office - dingy building, poorly lit, completely average looking people, etc. At the beginning, the American Office series did seem to be attempting to parrot this, until it completely departed from reality. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/38 "2010-11-23T23:50:16Z")
It all falls under the umbrella of “character actor”. Not just any ugly person will do, character actors have to be great at acting, they have to pick a character archetype and be fantastic at representing it (and can never get work outside of their niche, usually and unfortunately). Steve Buscemi is a classic skinny/creepy looking guy who can act creepy. The fat coworker who got his neck broken from Office Space is a famous character actor for being fat, narcissistic and kinda twitchy (FWIW I’ve heard he’s a really great guy in person). And Milton from Office Space is also pretty famous, he was the short fat annoying guy with large glasses in Dodgeball as well. Pick an archetype and stick to it. That’s the only way fat or ugly people can get famous. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/39 "2010-11-24T00:08:13Z")
Related: I once met Gord Smith, a Hollywood special effects mastermind. He specialized in prosthetics and did some really gruesome effects for several films. I asked about one scene from _Jacob’s Ladder_ in which a U.S. soldier is hobbling/hopping around with the remnants of his leg hanging by a thread of flesh. “Was his leg tied back?” I asked, naively. “Oh, no.” He replied. “He doesn’t have one. He lost his leg from the knee down in a football accident. You wouldn’t believe the number of amputees we work with. They _love_ the work too!” Need only half a zombie? Need to rip off a mans arms? Need a guy with no arms and legs named Matt? Gord can get you in touch with an agent who will get you just the right individual with the appropriate lack of body parts. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412/40 "2010-11-24T00:16:42Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The King of the Ugly Actors was Rondo Hatton, who suffered from acromegaly. He got his start in movies while working as a reporter in Tampa in 1930 and Henry King noticed him while filming “Hell Harbor”. Eventually Hatton moved to Hollywood to play similar roles. Sadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondo\_Hattonly, the disease contributed to his early death at age 51. Wow, when I was a kid \*\*The Rocketeer \*\*was my favorite movie. I always thought the makeup for that character was really bad because it was so overdone. ☹ I had no idea that guy really looked like that! And now I see **GuanoLad** ’s response. Heh, so I \*was \*right all along. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-movies-cast-ugly-people/561412.md?page=3)