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Brilliant Screwball/Slapstick Comedy Performances by Serious Dramatic Actors


Grandioso

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I fucking love it when award winning actors slum it, stop taking themselves so seriously, and take a totally lowbrow role in a trashy TV/movie comedy - especially when they kill it. 

 

Kathy Bates

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Robert DeNiro

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Christopher Meloni

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Gary Oldman

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Alec Baldwin

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Tom Cruise

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Cate Blanchett

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5 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Leap of Faith would be the inverse for Steve Martin. Razor’s Edge would be the same for Bill Murry.

Tom Cruise in Collateral was also very extreme with regard to his usual work.  It’s still hard to reconcile his being a cold blooded assassin.  Navy pilot? Of course, but not a fucking hit man.

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12 hours ago, Grandioso said:

2 for 1: Tom Hanks & Bruce Dern

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Hanks wasn't a serious actor yet though.  His breakout role was Bosom Buddies and The Burbs was a year after Big and the same year as Turner and Hooch.

Edited by WBT
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19 minutes ago, WBT said:

Hanks wasn't a serious actor yet though.  His breakout role was Bosom Buddies and The Burbs was a year after Big and the same year as Turner and Hooch.

True. I was kind of looking at their whole career. Hanks' entire early career was pretty comedic - also thinking of Bachelor Party. 

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23 minutes ago, WBT said:

Hanks wasn't a serious actor yet though.  His breakout role was Bosom Buddies and The Burbs was a year after Big and the same year as Turner and Hooch.

He had done Punchline and Nothing in Common, which I think started his transition from pure comedy to more dramatic roles.  But yeah, at the time of The 'Burbs, comedy was still his primary genre.

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1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Wow,  didn't know that.

Unlike Pickens, George C. Scott—who plays bombastic General Buck Turgidson—was well-aware that Dr. Strangelove was a comedy, but was nevertheless hesitant about playing his character too “big.” Kubrick coaxed Scott to deliver broad, animated performances as Buck, promising him that they were merely an exercise and would not be used in the final cut. Of course, the takes that went to print were among the actor’s wackiest. Scott felt terribly betrayed, and vowed never to work with Kubrick again. Although Dr. Strangelove remained their sole collaboration, Scott did eventually come to appreciate the film and his performance.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/63436/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-dr-strangelove

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Ralph Bellamy in Trading places, not a lowbrow role, but he was not a comic actor and he kills it with Ameche

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15 hours ago, Grandioso said:

I fucking love it when award winning actors slum it, stop taking themselves so seriously, and take a totally lowbrow role in a trashy TV/movie comedy - especially when they kill it. 

....

Christopher Meloni

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Not bad, but I pick Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

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1 minute ago, C-Man said:

His first main role was the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance.

I'm not sure if that is a point in my favor or not.  I know nothing about that musical, but either way, it doesn't sound like a role that would have prepared us for how amazing he was in Wanda.  At least I wasn't prepared for it.   I only knew him as the guy from Sophie's Choice, The Big Chill, and Silverado.  And Cry Freedom, which I never saw but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a comedy.   

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3 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

I'm not sure if that is a point in my favor or not.  I know nothing about that musical, but either way, it doesn't sound like a role that would have prepared us for how amazing he was in Wanda.  At least I wasn't prepared for it.   I only knew him as the guy from Sophie's Choice, The Big Chill, and Silverado.  And Cry Freedom, which I never saw but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a comedy.   

It's a musical comedy. And IIRC you can definitely see he would have the chops to play Otto down the road.

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