Typecasting?...Where Do I Sign?!

Celebrities have their priorities all out of order. You can see it in their excessive spending, the crimes they get charged with, their alcohol and drug abuse, and whatever other random things that cause their bad publicity. These people are over-privileged, over-appreciated and over-rated by public standards; they know this and never hesitate to take full advantage. When it comes to the characters that actors and actresses portray, if they are successful enough in attracting fans from a previous role, they usually have no problem getting many more roles in the future.

They all like getting cast in many different films, usually so they can prove that they have some sort of flexibility and range in their acting capabilities. Some of these performers have less of an opportunity to show their range because they get typecasted. What exactly is typecasting? That's when an actor or actress is cast as the same character in several movies and spin offs in order to keep a consistent story going. Sometimes (more generally) it simply means that they are cast in different movies, yet they play a strikingly similar character in the majority or all of them. We hear all the time about how celebrities do not want to be typecasted. I'm here to tell you...they're insane.

Zack Morris...er...Mark Paul Gosselaar can tell you alllll about typecasting.

Here are the only reasons I can take away from this concept that they have for not wanting this to happen:

• They feel it limits their potential to be cast in other movies in that same time frame.
• They also argue it could cause them to be passed over for roles even after the movie series they were in has already run its course and finished.
• They will always/only be remembered as that character.

To be quite honest, I don't see a whole lot of negatives listed there. It's easy for me to rationalize these points because I'm not in that position, but I'll be glad to explain why I would love to be there.

Let's say an actor is chosen for a role that will be played in four films in succession. He knows at this point that he will have very little time for other filming opportunities. His life is then 'dedicated' to the making of these movies. When all is said and done, the four movies are all released, they make a huge profit, and all is well with the world. Well...except for this actor. Why? He feels like he missed chances to be in a great film here or an iconic role there because he was 'stuck' playing the same guy four times. Even though the movies are complete, this man is having a tough time getting picked up for more roles. Is it because the people casting are singling him out because they don't have a character that fits his assumed persona? It could be. So then he's left with limited roles and the realization that he will always be remembered as 'that guy'. Need some examples? You shouldn't, because some are pretty obvious, but:

• Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
• Matt Damon - Jason Bourne
• Mike Myers - Austin Powers
• Keanu Reeves - Neo (Thomas Anderson)
• Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones & Han Solo

There's something pretty significant to take from this brief list of actors who were 'typecasted': with the exception of Daniel Radcliffe, these actors didn't exactly fade off the face of the planet after their roles had finished, and he's only an exception because he's so young and he hasn't been away from the Harry Potter series long enough to make a (different) name for himself. Harrison Ford is actually quite an anomaly, considering he was typecasted twice (by the same writer, no less) and has gone on to have an extremely successful career beyond those two characters.

Try duplicating that feat. That's right...you can't.

There are many actors that don't end up faring as well as these men, failing to attain any sort of movie star status after typecasting. I believe it is not the fault of the character, but rather the fault of the actor. Why? Well that's simple...they suck at acting. They are not versatile enough to be cast as someone different. If an actor is so worried about being typecasted, it's probably because they know they can't pull it off. All of the men listed above could have stopped acting immediately after those series' ended and lived quite happily at that. They didn't do that because they know they are capable of broadening their horizons. Keanu isn't exactly what I would call a great actor, but that's beside the point. He has done well for himself outside of the Matrix movies, so typecasting is not entirely a bad thing.

Since when do you need a weapon like that when you're

ballroom dancing on a ledge? Give it up, Keanu.

Oh yea, and we all should be so lucky to have such job security. If someone came to me and offered me a role that would be cast in three movies in a row, you're basically telling me that I would only have myself to blame for pissing that opportunity away. I am guaranteed to be employed for those three films. That, plus getting paid millions of dollars for each movie made is pretty nice incentive. Job security, high pay and worldwide popularity: again, where are the negatives here? Not only would I gladly welcome being typecasted, I would be fine with that being the only role I ever play...ever. I would be remembered by many people and I'd be rich. Like I said in the title, "Where do I sign?!"

"By signing, you agree to be the actor in three..." blah blah blah...

Gimme a pen..."Signed 'Johnny Mullet'"...booyah!

These celebs need to get off their pedestals and accept the fact that they were, are now and will always be those characters, whether they like it or not. I just wish they'd embrace it. If not...I'm available for the job.

D.