Some actors are known for their range – chameleons who can play anything. Your Oldmans, your Streeps, your Day-Lewises.
Others somehow ended up stuck in a niche. Hey, it's work. And some examples of typecasting are so strange and specific that you can trace their origin right back to the source.
Here are the moments – on TV and in movies – that locked actors into very specific career paths.
1. Michael Cera is typecast as: awkward nerd boy
As seen on: Superbad, Juno, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Look up the dictionary definition of "awkward" and you'll find footage of Cera's star-making turn in Arrested Development (yeah, we don't know how they got video playback into your dictionary either).
The above scene is our favourite example, but we could have picked any sequence featuring George Michael Bluth, a character that allowed Cera to springboard into big screen roles – even if he did have to play the same character each time.
2. Beth Grant is typecast as: the uptight and creepy lady
As seen on: The Mindy Project, Pushing Daisies, Jericho
Donnie Darko might not have been a blockbuster hit on its initial release, but the film has accrued a major cult following in the years since, and it's certainly been seen by plenty of casting directors, with each of Beth Grant's subsequent roles feeling like a riff on her Darko character Kitty Farmer.
Arguably the most iconic moment comes in the above clip with Farmer doubting Donnie's mum's commitment to Sparkle Motion. Grant's certainly committed to playing tenacious, irritating characters with a sinister edge ever since.
3. Sam Elliott is typecast as: funny / wise guy with a big moustache
As seen on: Parks & Recreation, Grace & Frankie, The Ranch
Elliott had previously been typecast as a lawman (frequently a cowboy) before his laconic turn in The Big Lebowski, but this rolea dded a comedic / philosophical bow to his CV that he's found it impossible to step away from. Now you're more likely to see him firing off wisdom and slow-burn gags as you are bullets. The Elliott abides via this new twist on his previous roles.
4. Richard Kind is typecast as: well-intentioned idiot
As seen on: Spin City, Mad About You, Scrubs
Richard Kind is some people's favourite actor, without them actually knowing what he looks like (he played Pixar fan-favourite character Bing Bong from Inside Out). Bing Bong is actually a good route into understanding his typecasting – he generally plays slightly eccentric, relatively well-intentioned, and fairly pretty stupid characters, a type he most famously played on Spin City for the first time. See the magic happen above.
5. Peter Stormare is typecast as: creepy, crazy dude
As seen on: Prison Break, Arrow, American Gods, The Blacklist
Perhaps because they like to play around with extreme archetypes – or perhaps just because they're such good writers – the Coen brothers are responsible for not one but two roles leading to typecasting on this list.
Peter Stormare could have been anything he wanted when he moved from performing in Sweden to a career in America. Initially, he was cast as a scientist, even as a love interest.
Then Fargo came along, and his astonishingly creepy performance as a bungling kidnapper almost stole the movie. He's been cast as the eerie / disturbing dude ever since. Watch him obsess over pancakes in very few words above.
6. Kate Micucci is typecast as: quirky nerd girl
As seen on: Scrubs, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Psych
Kate Micucci's very first role, as quirky nerd Heather in Malcolm In The Middle solidified her brand so solidly she's basically played a variation of the same character ever since.
If Malcolm had chucked in a ukulele (Micucci is also musically gifted), you'd basically get everything you need to know about the actress from that first ever appearance. Watch her display her initial nerd qualities above.
