In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups. There have been instances in which an actor has been so strongly identified with a role as to make it difficult for him or her to find work playing other characters. Some actors attempt to escape typecasting by choosing roles that are opposite the types of roles that they are known for; alternatively, a director may choose to cast an actor in a role that would be unusual for them to create a dramatic (or sometimes comedic) effect, such as John Wayne, who was usually cast in leading hero-type roles. Typecasting also occurs in other performing arts. An opera singer who has a great deal of success in one role, such as Denyce Graves as Carmen, may become typecast in that role.
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Actors are selected for their roles either by a casting director, typically found in small productions, or, in larger productions such as motion pictures, through casting agencies. Extras and stand-ins are often drawn from the company Central Casting, a company so influential since its 1925 start, that some people refer to all cast as coming from "central casting". The concept of "central" casting was also widespread during the studio-dominated era (from the 1920s through the 1940s) when each studio had a larger number of actors on contract who were assigned to whatever films were being made at the time by that studio. Such centralized casting was made more efficient by placing an actor in subsequent similar character roles after his or her first success, especially if an actor was particularly well-received in that role by the audience or by critics.
Typecasting happens to actors of both great and modest ability: an actor may become typecast either because of a strong identification with a particular role or because he or she lacks the versatility or talent to move on to other roles. Some actors welcome the steady work that typecasting brings, but in general it is seen as undesirable for actors in leading roles.
An actor is sometimes so strongly identified with a role as to make it difficult for him or her to find work playing other characters. It is especially common among leading actors in popular TV series and films.
An example is the cast of the original Star Trek:
[They] lost control of their destinies the minute they stepped on the bridge of the make-believe Enterprise in 1966.[1]
and
| “ | Doohan regrets that Star Trek will not be renewed for next year, but he considers the exposure the show has given [his acting career] invaluable. | ” |
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—United Press International, 1969[3] |
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During Star Trek's original run from 1966 to 1969, William Shatner was the highest paid cast member at $5,000 per episode ($34,000 today), with Leonard Nimoy and the other actors paid much less.[4]:166-167,297 The press predicted that Nimoy would be a star after the show ended,[5] however, and James Doohan expected that appearing on an NBC series would help his post-Star Trek career.[3] The show so typecast the actors, however—as early as March 1970, Nichelle Nichols complained of Star Trek having "defined [her] so narrowly as an actress"[6]—that only Shatner and Nimoy continued working steadily during the 1970s, and even their work received little attention unless it was Star Trek-related. The others' income came mostly from personal appearances at Star Trek conventions attended by Trekkies; by 1978 DeForest Kelley, for example, earned up to $50,000 ($168,000 today) annually.[1] In 1979 the first of six films starring the cast appeared; Kelley earned $1 million for the final film, Star Trek VI (1991).[4]:297 Being identified so closely with one role[2] left the show's cast with mixed emotions; Shatner called it "awesome and irksome", and Walter Koenig called it "bittersweet" but admitted that there was "a certain immortality in being associated with Star Trek".[1]
| “ | If what happened to the first cast is called being typecast, then I want to be typecast. Of course, they didn't get the jobs after 'Trek.' But they are making their sixth movie. Name me someone else in television who has made six movies! | ” |
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—Michael Dorn, 1991[7] |
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The Next Generation actors also become typecast. Patrick Stewart's most prominent non-Star Trek film or television role, for example, is Professor X—like Jean-Luc Picard, a science fiction "grand, deep-voiced, bald English guy"—and he has stated "I don't have a film career. I have a franchise career."[8] Jonathan Frakes has stated that "it’s better to be type-cast than not to be cast at all."[9] The Next Generation had one of the largest budgets of its time, however,[10] and its cast became very wealthy during its filming.[11][8]
Clayton Moore and George Reeves, who played The Lone Ranger and Superman, respectively, in the Golden Age of Television, were also victims of typecasting. Reeves' typecasting was so pervasive that an urban legend grew around his role in From Here to Eternity, which claimed that his major role was practically removed from the film after test audiences shouted "There's Superman!" whenever he appeared. (In reality, there were no test screenings, and no scenes from Reeves' minor role were cut from the final version. The article on Hollywoodland, a fictionalized account of Reeves' death, includes a discussion of this issue, with references.)
Additionally, examples of typecasting are prominent in other prime-time TV series, such as M*A*S*H and Little House on the Prairie.
Soviet actor Mikheil Gelovani depicted Joseph Stalin in twelve films made during the leader's lifetime - among them The Great Dawn (1938), Lenin in 1918 (1939), The Vow (1946), The Fall of Berlin (1950) and The Unforgettable Year 1919 (1952) - which reflected his cult of personality; those films were either banned or had the scenes featuring Stalin removed after the 1956 Secret Speech. Following Stalin's death, Gelovani was denied new roles, since he was identified with the dead premier.[12] According to the The Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats, Gelovani had probably portrayed the same historical figure more than any other actor.[13] Die Zeit columnist Andreas Kilb wrote that he ended his life "a pitiful Kagemusha" of Stalin's image.[14]
Some actors attempt to escape typecasting by choosing roles that are opposite the types of roles that they are known for; alternatively, a director may choose to cast an actor in a role that would be unusual for them to create a dramatic effect. This is called "playing against type" or "casting against type". An example of playing against type is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, thanks to his role as The Terminator, has been frequently typecast in action films as a brute force tough guy, whether good or bad, who has an incredible physique and a knack for evading death. However, in the comedy Twins, he plays the gentle giant behemoth Austrian twin of the much shorter, portly Danny DeVito. Bill Murray also was cast against character, as in his role in Lost In Translation he plays a more serious-dramatic role compared to his popular comedic parts. In Tropic Thunder, Tom Cruise plays an arrogant, fat, bald, and selfish corporation manager, to create a comedic juxtaposition of his usual immortal and overcoming cliche action hero. Another method in which actors avoid typecasting is by acting or promoting themselves in a way that is the complete antithesis of their best known role; comedian Bob Saget is a good example of this, playing wholesome characters in sitcoms and performing foul-mouthed stand-up routines, as is Robin Williams' performances in Insomnia and One Hour Photo in which he abandoned the charming and lovable persona he projected for most of his career in favour of playing dangerous, troubled individuals. Another example is Elijah Wood (Frodo in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy) as Kevin, a cannibalistic serial killer in the movie Sin City, and other roles. In addition, Emma Roberts, best known for her credits in good-natured roles in family films such as Hotel for Dogs, Aquamarine and Nancy Drew as well as the Nickelodeon TV series Unfabulous, plays Jill Roberts, the psychotic serial killing cousin of Neve Campbell's character in the Wes Craven horror film Scream 4.
Some actors embrace typecasting. Fans often expect a particular actor to play a "type", and roles which deviate from what is expected can be commercial failures. This beneficial typecasting is particularly common in action movies (e.g., Jackie Chan) and comedies (Adam Sandler) but much less common in drama, although many B-list character actors make careers out of playing a particular dramatic type, and it is often suggested to would-be actors that they audition for roles that fit their type.