Typecasting - Threat Or Menace?

[djdave]

Actors may gnash their teeth against being typecast in certain types of parts.



But sometimes it's the audience's fault....Clint Eastwood only died in one iof his films - The Beguiled - and the fans didn't like it. Their favourite actor dying? No way, Jose.



By the same token, I quite like John Wayne and his films. But the idea of him playing, say, a Quentin Crisp-type character is a bit offputting.

[D Cairns]

name='djdave']Actors may gnash their teeth against being typecast in certain types of parts.



But sometimes it's the audience's fault....Clint Eastwood only died in one iof his films - The Beguiled - and the fans didn't like it. Their favourite actor dying? No way, Jose.



He's dead all through HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, I think.



By the same token, I quite like John Wayne and his films. But the idea of him playing, say, a Quentin Crisp-type character is a bit offputting.

But perhaps not so far from the truth...

[Steve Crook]

name='D Cairns']But perhaps not so far from the truth...

Just because he was called Marion that's no reason to make assumptions



Steve

[Moor Larkin]

name='djdave'] Actors may gnash their teeth against being typecast in certain types of parts. But sometimes it's the audience's fault

It's that old chestnut isn't it. Are films intended to be Art or are they intended to make lots of money. People pay money to see certain actors be certain things and when you are successful and making lots of money, it must be very difficult to toss it all away for 'art'......... how many of us have stuck at careers because they became safe and we found a niche for ourselves that worked.....



Were old Brit-actors typed in this way though? Some surely were I would have thought. Would it be that the range of believable characters is limited for most actors. Are they typed by their audience or merely by their range of ability? And should they care?



I don't think the audience is to blame. I mean, they'll get their fix, regardless of the actor. If Clint doesn't want to do hero, they'll soon find someone who does.



Some 'stand-out' performances do seem to be those against 'type' however. I recall Reg Varney being incredible as that embittered old 'variety' performer, reduced to Holiday Camps. But I do wonder if his performance only seems so stunning now because it is the same face that launched a thousand appalling buses, and that if it had been Sir Larry thesping, I would just yawn.

[kelp]

Several actors (and I'm sure Aitch will bear me out on this) would rather have a secure income, than the usual...."What do I do now?" (been there done that, not funny.) My old Producer/Actor buddy Jack Woolgar used to tell me, "Sooner 52 weeks work in THIS(refering to CROSSROADS) than waiting for the phone to ring each day!"

[ChristineCB]

I can manufacture sympathy for the George Reeves types who wanted to do something else but felt or were restricted from it.



But for the Eastwoods and Dukes who had substantial control over many of their choices, well, if they couldn't find the script to do something, then they didn't look hard enough.



After all, Wesley Snipes did the American remake of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF DESERT role (called ?? uh - oh, TO JULIE NEWMAR or something like it).



I'm not sure that Duke would have been better in Maureen's roles than her, though.



She, however, did pretty well when she decided to wear the britches.

[ChristineCB]

name='Moor Larkin']I don't think the audience is to blame. I mean, they'll get their fix, regardless...

This is a point that is hardly mentioned. "They'll get their fix, regardless..." Indeed. And when I see 2 or 3 actors at the same age and similar appearance, I believe this point is well understood. Audiences will get their fix, regardless. "We'll just substitute Lolita Davidovich for Kyra Sedgwick for Julie Warner..."

[batman]

a great anecdote from the american actor jack elam....



the 4 stages of an actors career....





1. who's jack elam?

2. get me jack elam

3. get me a jack elam type

4. who's jack elam?

[ChristineCB]

Great, just great! I have an even more fond regard for him now.



He's the original Steve Buscemi looker. Odd looking, very distinctive but never a leading man type. But oh so useful. I think he was a variation on the Slim Pickens character - or vice versa.



In regard to our many other discussions about Charles Laughton and his 'Looks', I realized that Burgess Meredith could have been a younger version of Laughton. Odd looking, never handsome, short, not graceful. But unlike Laughton, the American films never found works that let Meredith be a leading or central character like Laughton delivered to us.



I really don't know if we'll ever be allowed a Laughton-esque character again.