this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2026

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104

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 66 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Jeff Goldblum

[–] M137@lemmy.today 20 points 1 week ago

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

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 44 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Sean Connery is not an actor, he's a movie star.

Yesh, I am a British shecret agent. Bond, Jamesh Bond.

Yesh, I am a Shoviet Shubmarine captain. my name is Ramiush. Marco Ramiush.

[–] harmbugler@piefed.social 26 points 1 week ago

I mustache you a question but I'm shaving it for later

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 9 points 1 week ago

I'm not shpanish i'm egyptian

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[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 41 points 1 week ago (6 children)

The Rock

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

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 17 points 1 week ago (7 children)

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

[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Peacemaker had no right to be as good as it was.

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[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 40 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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 33 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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 16 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 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

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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[–] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Owen "Wow" Wilson

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[–] SkaraBrae@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Jack Black.

[–] Killer57@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

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

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 12 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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[–] KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de 28 points 1 week ago (8 children)

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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[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 28 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Christopher Walken. The exception would be maybe Sleepy Hollow, but only because he didn't have any lines.

[–] Epp@lemmus.org 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Watch Severance. He's a very different Christopher Walken.

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[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 28 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

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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[–] a_person@piefed.social 27 points 1 week ago (4 children)

The rock "the rock" the rock johnson

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[–] Epp@lemmus.org 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Seth Rogan. Worst Donkey Kong possible.

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[–] Miller@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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

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[–] MyBrainHurts@piefed.ca 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 45 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

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[–] BandanaBug@piefed.social 23 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Will Ferrell. Adam Sandler. Kevin James.

[–] Elextra@literature.cafe 20 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

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[–] Foreigner@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

Jennifer Coolidge, and I love her for it.

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

Ryan Reynolds.

[–] daggermoon@piefed.world 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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[–] niktemadur@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

[–] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

"Howdy, partner, I'm Genghis Khan."

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[–] TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

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[–] Elextra@literature.cafe 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Kevin Hart.

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[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

For the most part, Jason Momoa

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[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Fining out Joe Pesci plays Joe Pesci in real life because he was originally a tough guy, not the usual NY Juliard alumni, made his movies pretty annoying for me. Highlight: him hosting SNL and threatening to smack Sinead O'Connor for her anti-pope statement made that obvious

Sucks that it's too late to stop quoting My Cousin Vinny

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[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Tom Cruise

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[–] kip@piefed.zip 11 points 1 week ago (14 children)

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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[–] flubba86@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Aziz Ansari

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Keanu.

The Roc

Kevin bacon

Nick cage.

Ted Dansen.

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[–] frankenswine@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Steven Seagal

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

OP's question was about actors though

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