There’s pretty much two reasons for any actor to be typecast; either you’re clever at leveraging their own unique style to make loads of money off it (e.g. Eddie Murphy), or they’ve just got very limited acting skills and stuck playing the same old character year in year out (e.g. Eugene Levy, the dad in American pie).
My list is focused on British actors that I think are particularly typecast, and is excluding the most obvious ones due to film series, e.g. Sean Connery et al, and Patrick Stewart.
6) Kenneth Branagh - thou art mighty yet - Perhaps not so much type cast, as “genre cast” by own choice for a couple of years
Movies: Speaking funny in Henry V, Hamlet, and Othello
5) Jude Law - The Lothario. Although he would hate it and has made a real effort not to be typecast, I can’t avoid thinking of Jude Law as a babyfaced ladies man.
Movies: Sweet talking his way through I love you I love you not, Alfie, and Sleuth
4) Clive Owen - The Testosterone High Tough Guy. A proper man’s man.
Films: Being a bad-ass in Croupier, Bourne Identity, King Arthur, Closer, Sin City, and Children of Men to mention a few
3) Gary Oldman – The Villain. Gary has been doing this role since 1991 as he played (supposedly) super villain Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK.
Movies: In addition to JFK, he has played Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a pimp in True Romance, corrupt cop in the Professional, an evil warden in Murder in the First, evil Zorg in Fifth Element, Russian bad guy in Air Force One, and Verger in Hannibal to mention af few.
2) Keira Knightley - Like Branagh, Kiera is enjoying her period pieces where she doesn’t have to wear jeans but instead big fantasy dresses.
Movies: Princess of Thieves, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Silk, The Duchess
1) Hugh Grant - The lazy middle aged womanizer. My definite top choice for most typecast British current actor.
Movies: Music and Lyrics, American Dreamz, Bridget Jones movies, Love actually, Nothing Hill, Four Weddings…
So that’s my list, please share your thoughts and own list in the comments below.
