Typecasting (acting)
:
For other meanings, see typecasting.Typecasting is the process by which an
actor is strongly identified with a
role, several similar roles, or a particular
genre.
Actors (for the purposes of this article, the term "actors" includes "actresses") are selected for their roles by either a "Casting Director" (typically found in small productions), or (in larger productions, such as
motion pictures) this task is delegated to group referred to as "
Central casting." Central casting often exhibits a pattern of placing the actor in subsequent similar character roles after his or her first success (especially if an actor is particularly well-received in that role by the audience or by critics). Typecasting happens to both actors of great and modest ability: an actor may become typecast either because of a strong identification with a particular role or because he or she doesn't have the versatility or talent to move on to other roles. Some actors welcome the steady work that typecasting brings, but in general it is seen as a negative.
There have been instances in which an actor has been so strongly identified with a role as to make it impossible for him or her to find work portraying other
characters. This is particularly common among
leading actors in popular
TV series and
films, such as
William Shatner and
Leonard Nimoy of
Star Trek fame,
Elijah Wood of
The Lord of the Rings,
Tom Baker of
Doctor Who,
Alec Guinness of
Star Wars,
Burt Ward and
Adam West of
Batman and
Julie Andrews (as a nanny for children) from her roles in
Mary Poppins and
The Sound of Music.
Typecasting is also a particular problem for
character actors.
Clayton Moore and
George Reeves, who played the
Lone Ranger and
Superman (respectively) in the
Golden Age of television, were also a victim of typecasting to the extent that Reeves' role in the feature film '
From Here to Eternity' was allegedly removed from the film after test audiences ended up shouting 'There's Superman!' whenever he appeared.
Child actors may also suffer from typecasting. The appearance of the adult actor may differ so much from their childhood persona to make them less marketable. Some actors successfully overcome this.
(See a more complete discussion at child actor.)In rare cases, it is
medical conditions that give a character a distinct appearance and contribute to typecasting.
Michael Berryman, whose
hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia caused him to fail to develop
hair,
sweat glands,
fingernails or teeth, has been typecast as disturbing characters, mostly in horror films.
Michael J. Anderson's case was parodied in an episode of
The X-Files in which the three-foot tall actor balked at being mistaken for a former
circus freak.
Many actors attempt to escape typecasting by choosing opposite, unconventional, or simply unexpected roles. This is called "playing against type." For example
Tom Hanks eschewed his "nice guy" image by playing a gangster in
Road to Perdition.
Dustin Hoffman's choice to play the disreputable Ratso in
Midnight Cowboy after playing the naive Benjamin in
The Graduate is a famous instance of an actor avoiding typecasting.
Elijah Wood attempted to escape typecasting after his portrayal of
Frodo in
The Lord of the Rings by playing a trio of undesirables - a
football hooligan in
Green Street, a
cannibalistic serial killer in
Sin City and a dishonest employee in
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Some actors may turn down otherwise desirable roles for fear of typecasting.
Denzel Washington declined to portray
Martin Luther King Jr. after playing two
civil rights leaders,
Malcolm X and
Steve Biko.
Some actors embrace typecasting, however. Actor/
martial artist Chuck Norris usually portrays heroic characters (at least after his first two roles, in which he was a
hitman in
Way of the Dragon and a crime boss in the
Hong Kong-produced
Slaughter in San Francisco). Later, Norris turned down the role of Sensei Kreese in
The Karate Kid because, as a martial arts champion, he felt he should not be connected to an evil character. Embracing typecasting is sometimes referred to as
Seagalism (named for the often typecast actor
Steven Seagal).
Typecasting also occurs in other
performing arts. An
opera singer may be limited because of voice range or prior success in one role, such as
Denyce Graves as
Carmen.
*
List of typecast actors for actors who have been typecast.
*
child actor
