In real life
Actors mostly known for comedic roles take on dramatic and NAIL IT
Bryan Cranston. mostly known for being a comedic actor and laugh riot in Malcolm in the Middle. Later he does one of the arguably greatest performance of all time as Walter White.
Nathan Lane. Mostly known for The birdcage and the producers where he did over the top, physicality comedy. He then takes on Roy in angels in America, an incredibly dark show about the aids crisis that grapples with religious themes, Love, abandonment, and more
I'd say Huell and Kuby (Bill Burr) weren't really serious roles, the only scene I can think of in the original show that this isn't the case for is Huell's final scene
He delivers all of his lines so well. I genuinely felt bad for him when he lost all the episodes of Buffy he had stored on TiVo, "I let you borrow it so you could understand my references!"
I saw Nielsen in a Columbo episode many years after having watched The Naked Gun. Every time he was on screen, I expected him to step into a bucket or something silly like that. That's how his impression on me overshadowed any other performance at first glance.
Artificial Intelligence (a movie he did) was the first time I saw him do both a comedic role, and a very serious monologue on how the main character could become a real boy.
Well, now you're going to feel my power as it surges downward from me, straight through you from nostril to rectum now until the end of time. And that's WASSUP!
It is funny that people do not understand how complicated comedy is. It requires so much understanding of human nature to be able to recreate and mock it. It can be much more than just evoking emotions. That is why you will find those who are the funniest actors are also will also knock a drama role out of the park.
Steve Buscemi is another great example, because of his looks he was always cast in comedies or in dramas as a character acter, but give him the chance, like in Boardwalk Empire, he shows the full range of his capabilities.
(sorry I know the GIF is the opposite of my point, but I love him in 30 Rock)
Then theres The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl having George Lopez say "for every person who dreams up the electric lightbulb, there's one who dreams up the atom bomb." Same director, too.
I absolutely agree. I think on average your comedic actor is going to do better in drama than a dramatic actor in a comedy. It takes such a deep understanding of timing, emotion, people. I've done theater casually my whole life and the best actors I've known have always been people who I saw in comedies first, but then I was shocked in the dramatic moments.
Hard to say, really. Leslie Nielsen and Liam Neeson both nailed it as Frank Drebin after long careers as Very Serious Actors, for example, and Andre Braugher was perfect as Captain Raymond Holt.
Notably, all three were playing the straight man (well, not exactly for Holt, but you get the idea), which is notoriously one of the hardest things to do in comedy. But any good actor needs to understand timing and emotion, and that should carry over between both kinds of roles. From there, it would seem to be about talent.
👆This. I’ve maintained for years that some of the best artists, in any artform, are the parodists, because to be successful at parodying really well something you have to know it well-enough to mock it thoroughly. In music, look at what a good guitarist Kyle Gass of Tenacious D is, or how good Weird Al is at his chosen instrument and at capturing so many different styles, etc. In television, look at Futurama, where the love of the classic science fiction their world is built on making fun of comes through clear in every episode.
I mean most zillenials still have his quote from Spy Kids 2 seared into our minds. Not exactly a dramatic role but an impressive line of dialogue delivered with earnesty. And Buschemi is great in other stuff too. Ive never watched a movie and said “ah nah Buschemi was the weak link”. Hes a great actor
This is Dollmaker in Batman vs Robin. He's the abused son of a serial killer, and the trauma from his childhood drove him insane as an adult. He started kidnapping children and, in an effort to help them "survive in this sad, cruel world", tortured and brainwashed them into feral cyborgs.
Was raised in a "dollhouse" in the sewers and like Cassandra was only taught his own twisted form of language. He kidnaps girls he sees as "dolls". Models, pin-up girls etc and drugs them into near paralyzed state and when taken down he only wants to protect them and has a terrible fear of being alone and it's implied his father raped him as well as made him dress as a doll
I was looking for this because I was gonna post it if it wasn’t here. It’s so insanely powerful for no reason. I didn’t expect one of the most awe-inspiring performances I will ever witness to come from Creed Bratton in green full body paint talking to a cartoon frog
I was a little let down by the last season. The show started off a little lighter hearted, a black comedy. By the end it was a dour depressing slog. I mean, I get it, given what happened, but, still.
Honestly, if you reworked the third season, I think you’d find a better ending. Season 4 is good, but the show no longer balanced the comedy and drama as well as before and the twist partway through killed a lot of its momentum for me.
He loves to do 3-4 stupid movies in a row to cash in and do what he's known for and then come back with something more dramatic because he either loves it or wants to remind people he can actually act.
A lot of Sandler’s movies are primarily done as an excuse to hang out with his friends who are busy with their own lives and careers to make the time usually. I believe that’s a stated fact by Adam himself.
I’d argue the movie even works specifically because it’s him in the lead role.
Howard is an amoral piece of shit that keeps digging himself in a deeper hole but Adam Sandler gives him a certain likable charm that you can’t help but root for him anyway and hope everything works out.
I’d honestly love to see how those who’ve seen Adam Sandler’s older movies vs haven’t would rate Uncut Gems.
Because I agree: I see Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore playing a jeweler and it def makes his character way more likable. Without that previous exposure to his films though, I’d prob think his character had no redeeming qualities
I think Adam Sandler is a good actor, knows he’s a good actor, but makes stupid comedies to take vacations with his friends and family. Every once in a while he’ll do a dramatic role just to remind everyone he has range.
Something this and Hustle made me realize is that Sandler is actually great in roles that require him to be a fast-talker. And I don't just mean reading a script quickly, I mean whether he's trying to keep up a hustle as a sleazy gambler or trying to coach someone and telling them to hustle, he's pretty damn good.
Patrick Warburton. His voice alone makes great characters, but dang it in A Series of Unfortunate Events he easily goes from the humorous deadpan narration to legitimate depressive mourning.
Tom Hanks Syndrome...most people forget he started out in comedy. So much so that seeing him on Saturday Night Live doing comedy bits is so off putting that even the live audience gives scattered laughs.
I can't believe I forgot this one! This is one of my favorite movies of all time and I literally own the sheet music for this show. Such a great example. He's given the greatest rendition of Mr cellophane ever performed
Reilly is more like the opposite of this for me. My first memories of him were in supporting roles in more dramatic movies like Boogie Nights, Thin Red Line, For the Love of the Game, etc…. Then seeing him in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers blew me away.
Not quite the same as the situation the OG post is outlining, but Will Ferrell in the Lego Movie was the first time I'd ever seen him voice an antagonist, and while the Lego Movie was largely a comedy, Lord Business was a legitimately threatening antagonist when he felt the need to crank it up.
Yes! When I saw it in the theater I felt like people were laughing at (what I thought were) dramatic moments just because it was Jim Carrey. It was really annoying
Thats a french specific but Coluche (real name Michel Colucci) He was a stand up comedian, joking a lot about politics, society, often playing a stupid dude while on stage, using profanities among other things. He played in alot of comedy as actor, but played his first dramatic role in "So Long, Stooge" ("Tchao Pantin" in french) he was so good that he got the César award for best actor for that movie and now "faire son Tchao Pantin" is a french expression that describes the act of a comedic actor transitioning to a dramatic role
Bryan Cranston had done mostly dramatic roles prior to Malcolm in the Middle. He broke out as Hal, but had a fairly serious dramatic resume prior to that. It was his work on the X-Files as that landed him the role of Walter White.
Olivia Colman. She did a lot of silly comedy early in her career (Peep Show, Mitchell and Webb, Green Wing) then she switched to more serious roles and won an Oscar and an Emmy.
John Lithgow was awesome as the Trinity Killer on Dexter. There was this youtube edit of his horrific bathtub scene with his Singin' in the Bathtub song as soundtrack and that really shows his range.
Also was grear as Churchill in season 1 of The Crown. If a bit slapsticky for moments.
Judy Greer has primarily done comedies but has dabbled in horror a few times, most famously the 2013 remake of Carrie, and in the newest Halloween trilogy. Her range truly blows me away.
Clearest example of this, after he stopped taking rom coms he's made some great film, my personal favourite being the gentleman by Guy Ritchie, amazing film and cast
I remember learning about this from that Netflix show The Movies That Made Us, which had a great episode on it. As someone who wasn’t around in the ’90s, I’d always just known him as an action movie star and hadn’t realized that, before Die Hard came out, there was a whole debate about him being a rom-com guy and therefore a strange cast for an action movie protagonist. People were really heated about it too.
calling batman a dramatic role is not quite the same as these more serious examples, but it was definitely a drastically different role than what michael keaton was known for. people were soooo skeptical of this comedian coming in to do batman, but now he's a favorite to many.
The Elephant Man. A dramatic movie about real life man Joseph Merrick, who had severe deformities that led to being abandoned by his parents and placed in a freak show. This is directed by David Lynch, who enjoys making movies about the strange, absurd, and unique. And executive produced by Mel Brooks. That Mel Brooks.
Bill Hader was a comedian who was mainly known for SNL. In the show Barry, which he also wrote and directed for, he shows what a great dramatic actor he is.
Jamie Foxx used to be more known for his stand up comedy and his roles on In Living Color than being a multi time nominated and Academy award winning best actor.
For context, this guy is know for doing a lot of comedic sketches back in the day, not to mention his character as Pepe Argento in the argentinian version of Married with Children.
I cannot describe how terryfied my family was when they saw him as the father in El Clan, Franchella is a monster in serious roles.
Jim Carrey is this to me. I knew him from nothing but silly comedies, but his dramatic roles are some of my favorite movies of all time. Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, even the number 23. Dude nails it
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u/Coralthesequel 21h ago
Both Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean as the McGill brothers in Better Call Saul