Top 20 Actors Who Broke Type-Casting.
Great setup! Here’s a countdown of famous actors who played against type and earned widespread acclaim for their performances:
### Top 10 Actors Who Played Against Type
**10. Adam Sandler – "Uncut Gems" (2019)**
- Known for his comedy roles, Sandler’s intense portrayal of a high-stakes jeweler in this crime thriller was a dramatic departure that earned critical acclaim.
**9. Tom Cruise – "Collateral" (2004)**
- Cruise, often seen as the heroic protagonist, surprised audiences with his role as a cold, calculating hitman in Michael Mann’s gripping thriller.
**8. Jonah Hill – "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)**
- Typically cast in comedic roles, Hill showcased his dramatic chops as Donnie Azoff, a sleazy stockbroker, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
**7. Heath Ledger – "The Dark Knight" (2008)**
- Ledger, known for his roles in romantic comedies and dramas, delivered a legendary performance as the anarchic and terrifying Joker, winning a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
**6. Bryan Cranston – "Breaking Bad" (2008-2013)**
- Best known as the goofy dad from "Malcolm in the Middle," Cranston’s transformation into Walter White, a high school teacher turned meth kingpin, is one of the most celebrated in television history.
**5. Steve Carell – "Foxcatcher" (2014)**
- The beloved comedy actor took a dark turn as the sinister and disturbed John du Pont, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
**4. Robin Williams – "One Hour Photo" (2002)**
- Known for his comedic and family-friendly roles, Williams delivered a chilling performance as a lonely and obsessive photo technician, showcasing his dramatic range.
**3. Charlize Theron – "Monster" (2003)**
- Theron, often cast as a glamorous leading lady, underwent a dramatic physical transformation to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos, earning an Oscar for Best Actress.
**2. Matthew McConaughey – "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)**
- McConaughey, previously typecast in romantic comedies, gave a powerful performance as AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
**1. Jim Carrey – "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)**
- The comedic actor took on a deeply emotional and nuanced role in this mind-bending drama, earning widespread praise for his portrayal of a man struggling to forget a painful relationship.
### Honorable Mentions
- **Chris Pratt – "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)**
- Pratt, known for his comedic role in "Parks and Recreation," successfully transitioned to an action star with his charismatic portrayal of Star-Lord.
- **Emma Stone – "Birdman" (2014)**
- Stone, often seen in lighthearted roles, delivered a gripping performance as a recovering addict and daughter of a washed-up actor.
- **Woody Harrelson – "True Detective" (2014)**
- Harrelson, who often plays quirky or comedic characters, impressed audiences with his serious and intense role as Detec
### Top 10 Actors Who Played Against Type
**10. Adam Sandler – "Uncut Gems" (2019)**
- Known for his comedy roles, Sandler’s intense portrayal of a high-stakes jeweler in this crime thriller was a dramatic departure that earned critical acclaim.
**9. Tom Cruise – "Collateral" (2004)**
- Cruise, often seen as the heroic protagonist, surprised audiences with his role as a cold, calculating hitman in Michael Mann’s gripping thriller.
**8. Jonah Hill – "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)**
- Typically cast in comedic roles, Hill showcased his dramatic chops as Donnie Azoff, a sleazy stockbroker, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
**7. Heath Ledger – "The Dark Knight" (2008)**
- Ledger, known for his roles in romantic comedies and dramas, delivered a legendary performance as the anarchic and terrifying Joker, winning a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
**6. Bryan Cranston – "Breaking Bad" (2008-2013)**
- Best known as the goofy dad from "Malcolm in the Middle," Cranston’s transformation into Walter White, a high school teacher turned meth kingpin, is one of the most celebrated in television history.
**5. Steve Carell – "Foxcatcher" (2014)**
- The beloved comedy actor took a dark turn as the sinister and disturbed John du Pont, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
**4. Robin Williams – "One Hour Photo" (2002)**
- Known for his comedic and family-friendly roles, Williams delivered a chilling performance as a lonely and obsessive photo technician, showcasing his dramatic range.
**3. Charlize Theron – "Monster" (2003)**
- Theron, often cast as a glamorous leading lady, underwent a dramatic physical transformation to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos, earning an Oscar for Best Actress.
**2. Matthew McConaughey – "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)**
- McConaughey, previously typecast in romantic comedies, gave a powerful performance as AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
**1. Jim Carrey – "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)**
- The comedic actor took on a deeply emotional and nuanced role in this mind-bending drama, earning widespread praise for his portrayal of a man struggling to forget a painful relationship.
### Honorable Mentions
- **Chris Pratt – "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)**
- Pratt, known for his comedic role in "Parks and Recreation," successfully transitioned to an action star with his charismatic portrayal of Star-Lord.
- **Emma Stone – "Birdman" (2014)**
- Stone, often seen in lighthearted roles, delivered a gripping performance as a recovering addict and daughter of a washed-up actor.
- **Woody Harrelson – "True Detective" (2014)**
- Harrelson, who often plays quirky or comedic characters, impressed audiences with his serious and intense role as Detec
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PeopleTranscript
00:00I think something very important is happening, and it's deeply connected to my purpose.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 actors who broke typecasting.
00:10Do you have a problem with me?
00:12John, don't, John.
00:13Uh, John, I don't have a problem.
00:15Sink this shot. Sink it. Sink it.
00:18Come on, feel it. Feel it. Feel it. Feel it.
00:21Come on. He's got the gem. He's got the gem.
00:24Well, if the kid's there, the parent's gotta be.
00:26He's home alone.
00:29For this list, we'll be looking at famous actors who played against type
00:32and earned widespread acclaim for their performance.
00:35Who's your favorite versatile actor? Let us know in the comments.
00:40Number 20, Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems.
00:48Adam Sandler is enormously popular for his immature brand of humor,
00:52marked by fart jokes, pee jokes, and those weird gibberish noises.
00:59Uh, please, Billy, please, no gibberish tonight, please, I beg you.
01:02That said, Sandler has played against type on numerous occasions,
01:06proving that he's an excellent dramatic actor.
01:15His first big, serious role was that of Barry Egan in Punch-Drunk Love,
01:19but he also proved astoundingly good in Uncut Gems.
01:23That's a million-dollar opal you're holding,
01:26straight from the Ethiopian Jewish tribe.
01:28I mean, this is old-school, middle-earth shit.
01:31Sandler's performance earned him universal praise.
01:34Some believed that he would be up for an Oscar.
01:37While he was awarded Best Actor by the National Board of Review,
01:40he was totally snubbed by the Academy.
01:43Still, he's come a long way from being peed on by a deer.
01:46Move your doll towards me.
01:48And back to you.
01:50Towards me.
01:52Back to you.
01:53Number 19.
01:55Will Ferrell.
01:55Stranger than fiction.
01:57It's amazing to consider how many comedians make a seamless transition to drama.
02:01Okay, people, tomorrow morning, 10 a.m., Santa's coming to town.
02:06Santa!
02:07Oh, my God!
02:09Will Ferrell really hit his film stride in the early 2000s
02:12with films like Old School, Elf, and Anchorman.
02:15If you want to throw down in fisticuffs, fine.
02:16I've got Jack Johnson and Tom O'Leary waiting for you.
02:19In all of them, he plays a man who's immature for his age.
02:22And then came Stranger than Fiction.
02:24So this woman, the voice, told you you're gonna die?
02:27Well, she didn't tell me.
02:28She doesn't know I can hear her.
02:30She said it?
02:31Yes.
02:32And you believed her?
02:34Well, she's been right about a few other things.
02:35This comedy-drama follows an IRS agent who learns that he's the subject of a novel in progress
02:41and that the ending dictates his death.
02:43You're asking me to knowingly face my death?
02:48Yes.
02:51Really?
02:52The movie was warmly received for its unique story and performances,
02:56which saw Ferrell delivering a confident performance
02:59alongside the likes of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson.
03:03Isn't there some very clear and established rule about fraternization?
03:13Auditor, auditee, protocol.
03:15Yeah.
03:15Yeah, but I don't care.
03:17And to think this came out three months after Talladega Nights.
03:21Number 18.
03:22Leslie Nielsen.
03:23Airplane.
03:24Engine room.
03:24Is the chief still there?
03:26Yes, sir.
03:26This is the captain.
03:27Put him on.
03:28For many of us, it's hard to imagine the late Mr. Nielsen
03:31as anything but an obvious choice for comedy casting directors.
03:34But that wasn't always the case.
03:36Running an unstable ship at full ahead is dangerous.
03:39I'm sure.
03:39Especially one as old as this.
03:41For about 25 years between the 1950s and 1970s,
03:45Leslie was a steady employed actor in serious films.
03:48These included well-known classics like films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure.
03:57However, the perception of this talented actor was forever altered
04:00with his hilariously deadpan performance as Dr. Rumac in Airplane.
04:04Can you fly this plane and land it?
04:07Surely you can't be serious.
04:09I am serious.
04:10And don't call me Shirley.
04:11This would also lead to one of his most memorable roles
04:14as Frank Drebin in the film series The Naked Gun.
04:17Number 17.
04:19Henry Fonda.
04:20Once upon a time in the West.
04:22The patriarch of the highly respected Fonda acting dynasty,
04:25Henry originally built his career as the heroic everyman,
04:29always primed to fight for what's right in the world.
04:31It's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.
04:36But that's why it took so many people by surprise
04:38when he took on the role of the hired gun Frank in Once Upon a Time in the West.
04:42He's sent to intimidate a local landowner, but instead slaughters the men and his kids.
04:48The image of the actor who played the lone holdout, heroic juror from 12 Angry Men,
04:53killing three children, forever altered the way he was seen by audiences everywhere.
04:57I mean, if I was on trial for my life,
05:00I'd want my lawyer to tear the prosecution witnesses to shreds or at least try to.
05:04Number 16.
05:05Melissa McCarthy.
05:06Can you ever forgive me?
05:08I'm life, huh?
05:09Life bothering you?
05:10Oh, I'm life, man.
05:11I'm life, man.
05:13This funny woman burst onto the scene with Bridesmaids,
05:16earning herself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress,
05:19a rare Academy acknowledgement of the comedy genre.
05:22This led to a long string of comedic roles.
05:25What are you staring at?
05:27Huh? I will destroy you.
05:28In 2018, however, McCarthy pivoted in a big way when she starred as Lee Israel
05:34in the acclaimed biographical comedy drama Can You Ever Forgive Me?
05:37This is very special.
05:39Why would you part with it?
05:41Clutter.
05:42You know, I'm not a very sentimental gal.
05:44The movie is based on Israel's criminal career and literary forgery,
05:48penning up to 400 fake letters from dead authors and actors.
05:52McCarthy's performance was widely praised,
05:54and she earned her second Academy Award nomination,
05:57this time in the lead actress category.
06:00She ended up losing to Olivia Colman for the favorite.
06:02I suppose you might be mad at me as well.
06:04Well, if you didn't look so decrepit, I might be.
06:08Number 15.
06:09Jeff Daniels, Dumb and Dumber.
06:11I'm starting to build a career.
06:13Is life up on the screen so terrible?
06:15In the 1980s, Jeff Daniels earned back-to-back Golden Globe nominations
06:19for his work in The Purple Rose of Cairo and Something Wild.
06:23What are you doing?
06:25I'm setting you free.
06:27Maybe I don't want to be free.
06:28In 1993, he played Colonel Joshua Chamberlain
06:32in the epic war film Gettysburg.
06:34And in June 1994, he played a SWAT officer in Speed.
06:38You can reach the circuit wire.
06:40No, no, no, no, don't, don't, don't, that's a decoy, classic.
06:43Six months later, he was enduring explosive diarrhea on a broken toilet
06:47and giving bottled pee to a police officer.
06:49Yep, Dumb and Dumber changed how we saw Jeff Daniels forever.
06:53Be right out!
06:55I hope you're not using the toilet, it's broken.
06:57We never expected such lowbrow comedy from an actor of Daniel's stature,
07:01but Daniel made it work thanks to his commitment and incredible chemistry with Jim Carrey.
07:15He wouldn't often return to comedy, but we all know that he can do it.
07:23If an actor is looking to break type, all they have to do is go to the Safdie brothers.
07:27It worked for Adam Sandler and it worked for Robert Pattinson.
07:30What if I'm not the hero?
07:32What if I'm the bad guy?
07:34After Twilight, many were willing to write off Pattinson
07:37as just another heartthrob flavor of the month,
07:39but maybe he just needed the right director and material.
07:42In the 2010s, he tackled roles in several dramas,
07:46but it was his performance as Connie Nikas in Good Time
07:49that really cemented his reputation as a serious actor.
07:51I think something very important is happening and it's deeply connected to my purpose.
07:56And I think that you are somehow connected to it as well.
08:01I mean, do you feel me at all?
08:02The role earned him widespread acclaim and best actor noms at various film festivals.
08:07Lose it like you're incapable of taking care of themselves.
08:09You're either leeching off mommy or leeching off welfare
08:12or living off the government in jail. That's you!
08:15He's since carried his newfound reputation into more stellar work
08:18like High Life and The Lighthouse.
08:2113. Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands
08:24Throughout the 1980s, Johnny Depp was perceived as something of a pretty boy
08:28and cast accordingly, not unlike Robert Pattinson.
08:31You dreamed about the same creep I did.
08:36That's impossible.
08:37He had a starring role in A Nightmare on Elm Street,
08:40appeared as Lerner in Oliver Stone's war drama Platoon,
08:43and later starred as the titular character in John Waters' Crybaby.
08:48And then came Edward Scissorhands.
08:50I'm not finished.
08:52Put those down. Don't come any closer.
08:54Directed by Tim Burton, the movie was positively received for its gothic fairy tale style,
08:59and Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe.
09:09That was the single most thrilling experience of my whole life.
09:13It was the first time he was recognized by a major institution
09:16and would prove the first of ten Golden Globe nominations.
09:23Funnily enough, the success of Edward Scissorhands resulted in a new typecasting
09:28as he became the go-to guy for Tim Burton and weird fantastical characters.
09:3312. Jamie Foxx – Ray and Collateral
09:41Before Ray, Jamie Foxx was known for his comedy.
09:44He performed on In Living Color and starred in his own WB sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show
09:49from 1996 to 2001.
09:58And when he ventured into film,
10:00he was given supporting roles in movies like Any Given Sunday and Ali.
10:04That changed in 2004 when Foxx starred in Ray and Collateral,
10:08which were released around three months apart.
10:11You killed him?
10:12No, I shot him.
10:14Bullets in the fall killed him.
10:15Both proved Foxx's capabilities as a leading dramatic actor
10:18and earned him widespread praise from critics and academy members.
10:27In fact, he received two Oscar nominations in the same year,
10:30making him just the third male actor in history to do so.
10:34Somebody had a gun to your head and said,
10:36you gotta tell me what's going on with this person over here or I'm gonna kill you.
10:40What is driving him?
10:4511. Jonah Hill – Moneyball
10:47Do you have any bigger clothes or do you only shop at Babygap?
10:50Once an actor who was more likely to be nominated for a Teen Choice
10:53or MTV Movie Award than an Oscar,
10:55Jonah Hill had his breakout role as the vulgar and funny Seth from Superbad.
10:59Dude, I don't wanna talk all that shit, okay?
11:02But she's gonna be at the party and she's gonna be drunk
11:04and she likes me at least a little enough to get with me.
11:06That is, until he was tapped for the role of Peter Brand
11:09in the 2011 biographical sports drama Moneyball.
11:13Our goal and our expectation is by mid-July to be within seven games at first.
11:19Cast as an economics expert who changes the way that baseball teams are put together
11:23through his expertise and knowledge,
11:25Moneyball depended on Hill's untested ability to be taken seriously.
11:29Okay, so Billy says he'll pay for Rincon himself,
11:33but when he sells him for more money next year, he's keeping the profit.
11:36Pulling it off to such a degree that it earned him an Oscar nomination,
11:39he turned out to be well worth the gamble.
11:42You've been a huge part of this team,
11:44but sometimes you have to make decisions that are best for the team.
11:46I'm sure you can understand that.
11:48Number 10.
11:49Will Smith.
11:49Ali.
11:50While Jamie Foxx was great in Ali, that movie belonged to Will Smith.
11:54Early in his career, Smith was widely known for his rapping and the fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
11:59I am Geoffrey, your uncle's butler.
12:01Oh, okay, well, uh, cheerio and all that, Walt.
12:04I think I have an opportunity.
12:06Bring the horses around, would you?
12:10When he ventured into film, he mostly stuck to fun,
12:13late-hearted movies like Men in Black, Independence Day, and Wild Wild West.
12:17First I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the street light,
12:19and then I realized, you know, he's just working out.
12:21Even Bad Boys, his most serious work at the time,
12:24had elements of camp and goofiness.
12:27Smith took on more prestigious work with Michael Mann's Ali,
12:30filling some massive shoes by portraying the titular boxing legend.
12:34While the movie earned a solid, if somewhat muted, reception,
12:37Smith's performance as Ali was singled out for praise,
12:40and he earned his first of two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
12:44He did three rounds, realized he was gonna lose to Muhammad Ali, and knocked himself out.
12:50And I predict that when the fighter said, he might not show.
12:53Number 9.
12:54Jim Carrey.
12:55The number 23.
12:58It's a lie!
13:00It's a lie!
13:01When Jim Carrey's first famous leading role involved a sequence
13:04where he literally talked out of his ass,
13:06it set a precedent for the types of roles he was offered and given thereafter.
13:10Excuse me, I'd like to ask you a few questions.
13:14In the years since then,
13:15he's attempted to fight that perception with more dramatic roles,
13:18including acclaimed performances in The Truman Show,
13:21Man on the Moon, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
13:24Remember me.
13:27Try your best.
13:31Maybe we can.
13:33Still, the idea that he was that guy who starred in outrageous comedies
13:36that took advantage of his rubber-faced antics persisted.
13:39For many, it took him starring in a psychological thriller
13:42as a man struggling with dreams of murder to truly break the mold he'd created.
13:46I want you to leave, Egg.
13:49You need to leave before...
13:52Before what?
13:59Before you kill me?
14:00Number 8.
14:01Michael Keaton.
14:02Batman.
14:03Many actors have broken type by playing Batman, including Christian Bale.
14:07So what do you think?
14:09Does it come in black?
14:11But none have shattered their type quite like Michael Keaton.
14:14Before 1989, Keaton was a comedic performer.
14:17Idea to eliminate garbage.
14:20Edible paper.
14:22See?
14:24Eat it.
14:25It's gone.
14:26Eat it.
14:26It's out of there.
14:27He was on the sitcoms All's Fair and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
14:31and starred in film comedies like Night Shift and Mr. Mom.
14:34In 1998, he worked with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice,
14:37which of course led to his starring role in Burton's Batman.
14:41Keaton's casting actually caused considerable controversy.
14:53Thousands of protest letters were sent to Warner Brothers,
14:56and even Batman creator Bob Kane voiced his reservations.
15:00What is all this?
15:01The police have got it wrong.
15:03They're looking for one product.
15:05The Joker's tainted hundreds of chemicals at the source.
15:08Luckily, it all worked out,
15:10and Batman became the fifth highest-grossing movie in history at the time.
15:14Number 7.
15:15Joe Pesci.
15:16Home Alone.
15:17Going on vacation?
15:19Where you going?
15:20In many of Joe Pesci's most famous film roles,
15:22he's the most dangerous and feared person on screen, despite his small stature.
15:27I'm funny how?
15:28I mean, funny like I'm a clown?
15:30It takes an actor who's capable of tapping into a raw anger and rage
15:33that few of us can understand to be able to pull that off successfully.
15:37Salud, Tommy.
15:38No more shines, Billy.
15:41What?
15:41I said no more shines.
15:42Maybe you didn't hear about it.
15:43You've been away a long time.
15:44They didn't go up there and tell you.
15:45I don't shine shoes anymore.
15:47For the same actor to be able to make a fool of himself
15:49for the delight and laughter of families worldwide
15:52without missing a beat is truly impressive.
15:55But that's just what Pesci did as Harry in 1990's Home Alone.
16:00Ah!
16:04Even more amazingly, this performance came right on the heels of his role
16:08as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas,
16:10showing just how easily Pesci was able to switch character types.
16:15Dead kid.
16:21Number six, Robin Williams.
16:23One hour photo.
16:24Hello!
16:27A lot of actors who've earned the respect of their peers
16:29spend the later years of their career coasting on fame
16:31and taking on easy roles that line their wallets.
16:40Fortunately for ardent film fans,
16:42Robin Williams was not one of those people.
16:44Look at me, son.
16:48It's not your fault.
16:49Choosing to stretch his acting muscles in dark new ways,
16:52his performance as a photo clinic employee with a dangerous obsession
16:55was so organic and real,
16:57we wish he'd given the genre a try much earlier.
17:00I never see you away from the store.
17:03After all these years, you'd think we'd run into each other at some point.
17:05The role won him universal acclaim from critics
17:07and a Saturn Award for Best Actor.
17:10You would never take disgusting,
17:13sick, degrading pictures of your children doing these things.
17:17Number five, Tom Cruise.
17:19Collateral.
17:20Tom Cruise has spent most of his career
17:22carefully cultivating a resume of respected performances
17:25and a squeaky clean image.
17:27I'll answer the question.
17:29You want answers?
17:30I think I'm entitled.
17:31You want answers!
17:32I want the truth!
17:34You can't handle the truth!
17:35He's played against that image at times.
17:37For example, as the villainous yet charming Lestat
17:40in Interview with the Vampire.
17:42I've come to answer your prayers.
17:44Then there was the vulgar and over-the-top
17:46Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder.
17:48But it's his Vincent and Michael Mann's
17:50neo-noir crime thriller Collateral
17:52that he truly sands out.
17:54As a remorseless contract killer
17:56who makes no attempt to be likable,
17:57this role had critics raving
17:59and moviegoers seeing him in an all-new light.
18:02We gotta make the best of it.
18:03Improvise, adapt to the environment,
18:05Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever, man.
18:07We gotta roll with it.
18:08Number four, Heath Ledger.
18:10The Dark Knight.
18:11Hi.
18:13The Joker is arguably one of the most recognizable
18:15and acclaimed villains in modern pop culture.
18:18What's with that stupid grin?
18:21Life's been good to me.
18:24Previously brought to the big screen
18:25by Hollywood heavyweight Jack Nicholson,
18:27anyone assigned to the challenging role
18:29certainly had big shoes to fill.
18:31So when they cast the guy who sang in the bleachers
18:33in a 90s teen comedy,
18:35a lot of fans were shocked and appalled.
18:37I mean, I can't be worried about
18:38what everyone else is doing, you know?
18:41I mean, I'm focused on what I'm doing
18:43and I'm gonna build hundreds of skateboards a month,
18:45all with your name, Stacey Peralta,
18:48right there next to Zephyr.
18:50Even though he'd given respected performances
18:52in films like Lords of Dogtown and Brokeback Mountain
18:55prior to The Dark Knight,
18:56few thought he'd be up to the task.
18:58Why so serious?
18:59Outperforming even the highest expectations,
19:02he gave one of the most legendary performances
19:04in film history
19:05and earned a posthumous Oscar to Boone.
19:08Where are they?
19:10Choose between one life or the other.
19:12Your friend the district attorney
19:14or his bushing bride to be.
19:20Number three, Steve Carell, Foxcatcher.
19:23Steve Carell is one of the most acclaimed
19:25and respected comedians working today.
19:27The worst thing about prison was the dementors.
19:30They were flying all over the place
19:33and they were scary and then they'd come down
19:34and they sucked the soul out of your body
19:36and it hurt.
19:36He received widespread recognition for his work
19:39as Michael Scott on The Office
19:41and supplemented this with hilarious work
19:43in Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin,
19:45among many other films.
19:53And while he demonstrated his dramatic chops
19:56in Little Miss Sunshine,
19:57that movie can still be considered a comedy,
19:59a word no one would use to describe Foxcatcher.
20:02I hope it's not too late.
20:04I just wanted to check in
20:06and make sure that everything was all right with you.
20:08Carell was barely recognizable as wrestling coach
20:10and convicted murderer, John DuPont.
20:13And he, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo
20:15all received praise from critics.
20:17David, you have a lot of work to do
20:19in the next couple of months
20:22and you're an integral part of that.
20:25Understand?
20:26I understand.
20:26I'm going to need you.
20:28Carell earned his seventh Golden Globe nomination,
20:30the first six being for The Office
20:32and his first Oscar nomination for the role.
20:35Whoa.
20:36Do you have a problem with me?
20:38John, don't, John.
20:39John, I don't have a problem.
20:43Philadelphia.
20:44I think I need to go to the hospital.
20:46In the 80s, Tom Hanks shot to fame
20:48thanks to his roles in comedies,
20:50including Splash and Big.
20:52However, his filmography took a very different turn
20:54in the next decade.
20:55What happened to your face?
20:57I have AIDS.
20:581993 saw him star as Andrew Beckett,
21:01a gay lawyer and AIDS patient
21:03in the legal drama, Philadelphia.
21:04Plan on bringing a wrongful termination suit
21:06against Charles Wheeler and his partners.
21:08At the time, the film was groundbreaking
21:10in mainstream cinema for addressing
21:12the HIV epidemic and homophobia.
21:15Is everything around you just the blood in the mud?
21:20I am divine.
21:24I am oblivion.
21:25Hanks' performance won him his first Oscar
21:27and led to a number of other dramatic roles
21:29in the 90s, such as Forrest Gump
21:31and Saving Private Ryan.
21:33Before we unveil our number one pick,
21:35here are a few honorable mentions.
21:37Ashton Kutcher, The Butterfly Effect.
21:40Talk about a tonal whiplash.
21:42I just thought you should know.
21:44Know what?
21:47That you were happy once.
21:48Robert De Niro, Stardust.
21:51From tough guy to Captain Shakespeare.
21:53A very long way down.
21:55Plenty of time to reminisce
21:56about your pitifully short lives.
21:58Please, we're just trying to make our way home.
22:01Mark Duplass, Creep.
22:03Those who haven't seen Duplass be funny
22:05might be convinced that he's actually psychotic.
22:08Okay, it was smart that you filmed it
22:10and it was smart that you put your phone
22:12on speed dial for the cops.
22:16But why didn't you at least look behind you?
22:19I mean, it just seemed dumb
22:22that you would just sit there.
22:23Arnold Schwarzenegger, Twins.
22:25The Terminator Does Comedy.
22:27Do I look cool now?
22:30Mr. Ice.
22:31Yeah, just please answer.
22:34Before we continue,
22:35be sure to subscribe to our channel
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22:49Number one, Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad.
22:52Are you familiar with my product?
22:56I've been told it's excellent.
22:59Few people can be both funny
23:00and utterly terrifying.
23:02Bryan Cranston is one of those people.
23:04Before Breaking Bad,
23:06Cranston was primarily known
23:07for his comedy work.
23:08He had a bit part on Seinfeld
23:10playing Tim Watley
23:11before hitting it big
23:12with Malcolm in the Middle.
23:13They take a sausage,
23:14stuff it with cheese,
23:15wrap it with bacon
23:16and shove it in a deep fat fryer
23:18full of lard.
23:19Before that glorious bald head
23:21and glasses look became iconic,
23:22all anyone could picture was Cranston
23:24doing a goofy dance on roller skates.
23:32But Breaking Bad proved Cranston
23:34to be an accomplished dramatic actor.
23:36You clearly don't know
23:38who you're talking to,
23:39so let me clue you in.
23:40I am not in danger, Skyler.
23:43I am the danger.
23:44He disappeared into Walter White,
23:46becoming another one of those
23:47brilliant casting decisions
23:49that make it impossible
23:50to imagine anyone else in the role.
23:52He won four Emmys,
23:53one Golden Globe
23:54and two SAG Awards
23:55for his performance,
23:56solidifying his place
23:58in television history.
23:59I just want you to know
24:01that no matter how it might look,
24:05I only had you in my heart.
24:07Do you agree with our picks?
24:08Check out this other recent clip
24:10from WatchMojo
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