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What are some actors that can only play themselves? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 1 week ago by Maven@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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[-] boletus@sh.itjust.works 87 points 1 week ago

Jeff Goldblum

[-] M137@lemmy.today 26 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

This is one of the few that's correct but also completely fine, IMO.

[-] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 70 points 1 week ago

The Rock

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 30 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

hes too lazy to act in anything else. he just wants to be a movie star. bautista and cena is trying to become an actor. apparently DWAYNE behind the scences thats his contracts and it rubbed people the wrong way.

[-] galaxy_nova@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

I honestly really enjoy cena in the stuff he’s in

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[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 52 points 1 week ago

How do we even tell between actors that only get casted for one type of role, actors who only apply for one type of role, and actors who just can't play anything else well?

[-] Maven@lemmy.zip 44 points 1 week ago

Thats kinda hard to say tbh...

I think Adam Sandler is a good example of an actor who CAN play more than one role (Uncut Gems as an example) but mostly only does movies that are all the same role.

[-] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe 21 points 1 week ago

Yeah, that's the other-side-of-the-coin of your question but much more interesting. For instance, there's a list of examples on the wiki page for typecast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typecasting#Playing_against_type

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[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

When you see them as themselves, then you know.

Tom cruise for example, he isn't any superhero at all but he always wants to play that role (and probably always wanted ever since he was that kid who was always much smaller than the others).

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[-] SkaraBrae@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago

Jack Black.

[-] Killer57@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I didn't know, he did a really good job as playing a teenage girl in Jumanji.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 17 points 1 week ago

And as a nervous high school student in Northern Exposure. Or in high fidelity.

I think his problem is that overwhelmingly people cast him because they want the bombastic hairball. It's not lack of skill, it's typecasting

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[-] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 43 points 1 week ago

Owen "Wow" Wilson

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[-] a_person@piefed.social 39 points 1 week ago

The rock "the rock" the rock johnson

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[-] MyBrainHurts@piefed.ca 38 points 1 week ago

Has Steve Buscemi ever not been Steve Buscemi? Even as a hitman, he's Steve Buscemi.

[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 50 points 1 week ago

Watch The Death of Stalin and then Fargo and then The Big Lebowski. Dude has range.

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[-] KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de 36 points 1 week ago

Ryan Reynolds. There were some other movies but once he was in Deadpool, I feel like his whole personality was sarcastic mean funny guy

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[-] Epp@lemmus.org 34 points 1 week ago

Seth Rogan. Worst Donkey Kong possible.

[-] FatVegan@leminal.space 1 points 6 days ago

Is it? I mean who even would be a good donkey kong?

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[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

nobody mentioned, but Chris pratt, originally he was being casted in EVERYTHING. after parks and recs he has no range, hes just a sad moody pos irl too, supporting a alt-right church, and his sudden switch to evangelicalism. anne farris in an interview said he changed to a gymbo the moment he got buff for marvel/JP movies.

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[-] Miller@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago

What about actors who can't play themselves like Peter Sellers.

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[-] BandanaBug@piefed.social 26 points 1 week ago

Will Ferrell. Adam Sandler. Kevin James.

[-] Elextra@literature.cafe 25 points 1 week ago

Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Will Farrell in Everything Must Go+Stranger Than Fiction were different performances than their usual and really well acted.

Kevin James... I don't think I've yet to see him in any different role

[-] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago

Ryan Reynolds.

[-] Foreigner@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago

Jennifer Coolidge, and I love her for it.

[-] Elextra@literature.cafe 21 points 1 week ago

Kevin Hart.

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[-] niktemadur@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

I scrolled through the entire thread down and back up, it's a bit of a shock that John Wayne was not mentioned even once... until now.

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[-] daggermoon@piefed.world 19 points 1 week ago

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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[-] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Tom Cruise

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[-] kip@piefed.zip 17 points 1 week ago

Eva Green's range includes smoking fags or not and getting up to sexual misadventures or not

Ricky Gervais is only ever Ricky Gervais

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[-] TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today 15 points 1 week ago

Richard Ayoade, his entire role in IT crowd was just him being him in whatever scenario he's in.

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[-] frankenswine@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Steven Seagal

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 19 points 1 week ago

OP's question was about actors though

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[-] PoscoBumbleroot@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Michael Cera

[-] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago

For the most part, Jason Momoa

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this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2026

133 points (100.0% liked)

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