Playing Against Type The Formative Films Project

There’s an interesting prism through which we view comedians and/or comedic actors. At times, it feels like they aren’t viewed as “real actors” with range or that comedy is somehow easy, when that’s certainly not the case. And while some still can’t make the transition, there are many notable examples of comedians giving astounding “serious” performances.

And that’s where we’ll go next for this episode. It’s easy to think of Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, and Sandler as goofballs, yet they found it within themselves to give melancholic, contemplative and nuanced performances throughout their career. In Sandler’s case, he uses his anger as a weapon, unleashing it in key spots in his work with the Safdie Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson.

There’s also Will Smith, who has made a name in the comedy and action lanes, yet every few years makes an Oscar play in a “serious” drama. Chris Evans is best known as Captain America, yet he's also gone heel on occasion. And Daniel Craig has effortlessly gone from the debonair James Bond to a detective version of Colonel Sanders, setting up a whole franchise in the process.

Basically, there's a pretty good track record of actors "playing against type."

2:55 - 28:08: Good Will Hunting (Spencer Butterfield)

28:09 - 52:27: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Trey Brillhart)

52:28 - 1:18:00: The Pursuit of Happyness (Marco Marquez)

1:18:22 - 1:38:22: Stranger Than Fiction (Carlos Peterson)

1:38:23 - 2:07:27: Uncut Gems (Tatum Goetting)

2:07:28 - 2:36:21: Knives Out (Rachel Gaylor)