# Which charcter will always come to mind when you see an actor/actress? \*spoilers?\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082 "2003-07-08T20:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/41 "2003-07-11T19:36:53Z")
To me, Matthew McConaughey will always be Wooderson from **Dazed and Confused**. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/42 "2003-07-11T20:18:14Z")
Keanu Reeves is still the dumbass kid from Bill & Ted’s… In Pulp Fiction, I saw Travolta’s character as Vinny Barbarino age 40. I was a little conflicted during episodes 1 &2 of the sta wars saga…Mace Windu was a gangster and Qui Gon Jin was a Nazi ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/43 "2003-07-11T20:31:20Z")
Oddly for me, Michael York will always be J. Saint Gideon, only because I’ve never seen _Phantom of the Opera_ and I first saw _Logan’s Run_ after I played _Overseer_. Got that? And I have this really odd problem with Hugo Weaving. There wasn’t anything wrong when I saw him in _Priscilla_, but it made me start to giggle when, after I saw him in drag in that movie, I saw him in full-blown Agent mode in _The Matrix_. And then I saw him in _Fellowship_, which blew my mind. "Mr…Underhill. It seems…you have been living…two lives. In one of these lives, you are a well-respected gentlehobbit, living the high life in Bag End… “Hobbits…are a virus.” And then came _Matrix Reloaded_, where Elrond the Elf-Lord starts screwing with Neo again… ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/44 "2003-07-11T20:55:36Z")
I don’t agree with **green\_bladder** about Spacey. [sorry] He’s one of the actors that slips into any role. Remember Keyser Soze? Agreeing with \*\* bordelond\*\* Mr. Blonde, forever. To me - no matter how many beautiful roles she played - Frances McDormand will always be Marge Gunderson. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/45 "2003-07-11T21:34:25Z")
This happens more with older movies for me. Try and watch _Rear Window_ without quoting Perry Mason every time Mr. Thorwald comes on the screen. The kid from _Witness_, Lukas Haas, has been in some other movies as an adult. (_Rambling Rose_, _Mars Attacks!_). It freaked me out. Hillary Swank will always be Teena Brandon, unfortunately. Speaking of _Bill & Ted’s_ - the guy that played Bill was in some British period piece movie, talking in a British accent. Adding “Dude” before every line he spoke never got old. As for Hugo Weaving, I think of _Babe_ every time I hear him speak. Speaking of _Babe_, James Cromwell will always be Hoggett. ---
**Author:** ![jennalynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@jennalynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jennalynn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/46 "2003-07-11T23:03:15Z")
Linda Hamilton = Sarah Connor Keanu = Neo ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/47 "2003-07-11T23:48:46Z")
Sam Neil, for me, is Merlin, from the TV miniseries, which I loved. And I’d been watching _NewsRadio_ for years before seeing **Office Space** , so Stephen Root is far more Jimmy James than Milton. ---
**Author:** ![the\_terminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@the\_terminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_terminator)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/48 "2003-07-12T03:57:37Z")
Whenever i see Ed o’Neill, i always think Al Bundy. Not that you see him much anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/49 "2003-07-12T13:05:05Z")
All the James Bond actors, even Timothy Dalton, but especially Roger Moore. Matt Dillon is still Mooney from_My Bodyguard_. Morgan Freeman is still Easy Reader. And of course, Mark Metcalf will _always_ be Neidermeyer. ---
**Author:** ![greenphan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@greenphan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenphan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/50 "2003-07-12T14:22:58Z")
Even though he’s very talented and hilarious, Roberto Benigni will always be Guido from **Life is Beautiful**. Now, anytime I see him in a movie, I"m afraid he’ll walk off-screen… Bruce Campbell will ALWAYS be Ash. I second the Audrey Toutou (spelling?) as Amelie. In every movie since **Fear and Loathing…** , Johnny Deep has been Hunter S. Thompson to me. Which isn’t too bad at all. Any member of Monty Python will always be a member of Monty Python in my mind. I watched **Brazil** a few nights ago and waited for Michael Palin to break into “the Lumberjack Song”. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/51 "2003-07-12T14:56:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by the terminator \* > \*\*Whenever i see Ed o’Neill, i always think Al Bundy. Not that you see him much anywhere else. \*\* In all fairness to him, he seems to have a pretty good gig with _Dragnet_. Although I give it 1 more season before its cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/52 "2006-04-26T13:24:37Z")
The first time I saw John Malkvovich was in Of Mice and Men, in which he played a retard. I have trouble taking him seriously. I don’t know if I actually knew he wasn’t retarded at first. Every movie I’m waiting for him to try to say “George.” Also the boss, Lumberg from Office Space didn’t convince me in Excalibur. Brent Spiner as Data, Lore and Dr. Soong. It’s like Data is hamming it up or has his chip in. Sad to see him age though. It’s weird seeing people out of heavy makeup. This goes for Michael Dorn, Andreas Katsulas and a few others. Not Armin Shimmerman, though, as the Mayor from Buffy. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/53 "2006-04-26T13:29:46Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > The kid from _Witness_, Lukas Haas, has been in some other movies as an adult. (_Rambling Rose_, _Mars Attacks!_). It freaked me out. He wasn’t an adult in Rambling Rose. 14 or 15 according to IMDB. Laura Dern did almost make him a man though I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/54 "2006-04-26T13:38:52Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > To me, Matthew McConaughey will always be Wooderson from **Dazed and Confused**. I came in to post this same thing. Another one that I mentioned in the Tom Hanks thread is that to me, Tom Hanks is the guy from Bosom Buddies. That’s the extent of his range. Oh, and Bronson Pinchot will always, always be Balki. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/55 "2006-04-26T13:58:33Z")
**1776** , both play and movie, did it to two of its stars. **William Daniels** has had a varied career, playing a doctor, a talking car, a superhero, and God knows what else. But I always think of him as Joh Adams. apparently a lot of people couldn’t help idenmtifying him with the role, because he played Adams or a relation at least three more times in various TV series and movies. Similarly, **Howard da Silva** _was_ Ben Franklin, and I always see him that way. He ended up playing him in at least one other place that I can’t recall, in addition to a series of TV commercals for GE. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/56 "2006-04-26T14:02:48Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > …Tom Hanks is the guy from Bosom Buddies. That’s the extent of his range… Which is quite funny when you think about it. Kip Wilson just started out life as an ordinary guy in New York when his apartment building got condemned. There was that little situation when he was in college and got a little too addicted to [D&D](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084314/). Advertising (that’s what he did on Bosom Buddies, right?) palled for Kip after a wile, and so he decided to quit his job and become a dockhand. Unfortunately, the [excitement just didn’t end there.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088161/) His wedding to the fish went a little sour, that charming brainless qualitly starting to get on his nerves after a while. Escaping to the [military](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090274/) seemed viable for a time, but in the end he really wanted to just settle down with a nice lady in a lovely house. Even if it was a bit of a [fixer-upper](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091541/). And it just gets better… ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/57 "2006-04-26T14:03:24Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > Speaking of _Babe_, James Cromwell will always be Hoggett. No way. That’s Stretch Cunningham, even whenhe was inventing the Warp Drive. As for me, it’s Mandy Patankin. Every time I see him, especially on that cammercial he’s been in, I go into his _Princess Bride_ revenge spiel. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/58 "2006-04-26T14:11:34Z")
Sean Astin will always be Samwise Gamgee to me. When I see him in something else, I don’t think ‘oh, Sean Astin is in this’. I think ‘Oh, it’s SAM!’ Same with Elijah Wood=Frodo. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/59 "2006-04-26T14:19:01Z")
Matthew McConaughey will always be Wooderson to me as well. Michael Keaton is ONLY Batman, Johnny Dangerously, Mr. Mom, and Beetlejuice. Any other roles he is in is one of those doubles from Multiplicity. I will not argue this point. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082/60 "2006-04-26T14:30:06Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Have you seen him on _Spin City_? A complete 180 from Cameron, and totally hysterical in the role. Oh. My. God. I’ve never missed an episode of Spin City - NOW I KNOW WHERE I REMEMBER HIM FROM! I NEVER KNEW THIS!!! Thank you thank you thank you! Yes, I am an idiot. A quite large idiot. For example, it had not occurred to me until very very recently that Keifer and Donald Sutherland were related. My husband mocks me endlessly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-charcter-will-always-come-to-mind-when-you-see-an-actor-actress-spoilers/187082.md?page=4)