Unrecognizable actors in certain roles?

clusk007

This has happened to me a few times in the last few days- maybe I'm getting old! Did you ever watch a film and not realize until the credits at the end an actor you should recognize?
I will give you a few examples. I watched 'milk' a day before yesterday and didn't cop Emile Hirsch was in the film. Funny thing was I had only watched 'into the wild' a day before this! I watched 'inside I'm dancing' last night and again as the credits came up I was surprised to see James MacEvoy was the lead role. Didn't recognize him! Finally and probably the worst one, Gary Oldman in the dark Knight and Batman begins! Only tuned into that one in the last few weeks. Is it just me?

Auvers

clusk007 wrote: »

Is it just me?

yep it just you

I can only think of one that I have seen lately, Tom Cruises brilliant performance in Tropic Thunder hadn't a clue it was him until the end of the movie but looking back its completely obvious.

shenanigans1982

First time I seen Juno I didn't realise the father was J.K Simmons, spent the whole movie thinking to myself "I recognise that voice". Wasn't till after the movie my OH told me it was J Jonah Jameson.

Alicat

For YEARS I didn't realise Dustin Hoffman was Hook :pac:

eagle eye

Cameron Diaz as Lotte in one of my favs 'Being John Malkovich'

Sanjuro

John Malkovich as John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich. I was like 'Jesus, John Malkovich was in that?' Malkovich.

ziedth

When I watched that awful heap of crap PS I Love you I didn't realise James Masters of Buffy Fame was in it.

I really liked that show when it was on, Apart from that I would usually pick up on actors ya.

bikki

If they hadnt listed Heath Ledger in the Joker role u wouldnt of known it was him.

I think Micky Rouke did i brillaint job with the wrestler and his role in sin city. U also wouldnt recognize frodo (cant remember his name) in sin city either.

grames_bond

bikki wrote: »

If they hadnt listed Heath Ledger in the Joker role u wouldnt of known it was him.

you would have if you had seen one of his earlier movies lords of dogtown great movie! and you definatley see glimpses of the joker in him!

sticking with lords of dogtown it took me ages to realise that it was emile Hirsch playing jay adams!

Gauge

Gary Oldman in pretty much every film he's been in. The man is a chameleon.

Goodshape

Gauge wrote: »

Gary Oldman in pretty much every film he's been in. The man is a chameleon.

+1. I'd usually know he's in a film before I sit down to watch it but his ability to disappear into a role is uncanny.

He was in an ad recently and I actually barely recognised him there ..I'd never seen him play 'himself' before. Looks, acts and talks almost completely unlike any of the characters I've seen him play.


Didn't peg Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder until he took his sunglasses off in the last 10 minutes or so. I was fairly sure it was somebody in heavy make-up but it threw me for six when I realised who.

LeoGilly

Gauge wrote: »

Gary Oldman in pretty much every film he's been in. The man is a chameleon.

He's amazing in Leon.

boredatwork82

Beat me to it Goodshape, Yeah Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder threw me off too.

Rabies

Gauge wrote: »

Gary Oldman in pretty much every film he's been in. The man is a chameleon.

Same in Hannibal.

Das Kitty

Alicat wrote: »

For YEARS I didn't realise Dustin Hoffman was Hook :pac:

Glenn Close is in that too, totally unrecognisable!

Naos

Tom Cruise threw me in Tropic Thunder, didn't know it was him until a good bit into the film.

As for Inside I'm Dancing, James McEvoy of Last King of Scotland fame, didn't know that! Genuinely thought it was a Dub.

ziedth

Naos wrote: »

Tom Cruise threw me in Tropic Thunder, didn't know it was him until a good bit into the film.

As for Inside I'm Dancing, James McEvoy of Last King of Scotland fame, didn't know that! Genuinely thought it was a Dub.

It was a good bit before Last king of scotland though wasn't it?

JP Liz

Auvers wrote: »

yep it just you

I can only think of one that I have seen lately, Tom Cruises brilliant performance in Tropic Thunder hadn't a clue it was him until the end of the movie but looking back its completely obvious.

Yes definitely Cruise in TT - btw great performance

John Travolta looks so different in A Love Song for Bobby Long and also Charlize Theron in Monster

Eric Stoltz in Mask

Pigman II

Dan Aykroyd in the Blues Brothers.

All I'll say is he must have done a lot of eating between the years 1980-84!

X-Calibre

Laurance Fishbourne in Apocalypse Now the first time I saw it. Was like, "Hmm, I know that face..." for ages

GhostInTheRuins

Alicat wrote: »

For YEARS I didn't realise Dustin Hoffman was Hook :pac:

I didn't know that until right now

irish_bob

sean penn in carlitos way

Exocet

dustin hoffman in joan of arc

Crash

To be honest, I think a number of Daniel Day Lewis' performances would be the same if you didn't know it was a Day Lewis film. He tends to disappear as an actor far into the background and the character itself is what shines through, which is great to see

Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder, definitely. was only when my girlfriend whispered it to me that I noticed, and couldnt stop laughing.

eagle eye

Going Waterforward wrote: »

To be honest, I think a number of Daniel Day Lewis' performances would be the same if you didn't know it was a Day Lewis film. He tends to disappear as an actor far into the background and the character itself is what shines through, which is great to see

Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder, definitely. was only when my girlfriend whispered it to me that I noticed, and couldnt stop laughing.

Very true, but thats more about acting than whats being discussed here.

You can walk into any Day Lewis movie and try and remember its him for duration of the movie and you will not, or else you didn't watch the movie.

But personally I thought this thead was about plain not recognising somebody in plain sight to you and although Day Lewis is immense he is recognisable for somebody who just walked in the room.

But the best actor I've ever seen, well DeNiro is the only one who was close to his level imo.

L'prof

javaboy

Naos wrote: »

As for Inside I'm Dancing, James McEvoy of Last King of Scotland fame, didn't know that! Genuinely thought it was a Dub.

That reminds me. I didn't cop on that was Gillian Anderson in Last King of Scotland until well into the film:


And I'm ashamed to say I didn't know Peter Fonda was in the new 3:10 to Yuma until after I had watched the entire film:
http://www.mtv.com/movies/photos/123/301_toyuma_08212007/peter_fonda.jpg

Pigman II

Naos wrote: »

As for Inside I'm Dancing, James McEvoy of Last King of Scotland fame, didn't know that! Genuinely thought it was a Dub.

Yeah, despite being a Scot his Irish accent was a spot on in that one. The co-stars (also a Scot) was a bi-bi-bi-bit ropey tho.

ziedth

Pigman II wrote: »

Yeah, despite being a Scot his Irish accent was a spot on in that one. The co-stars (also a Scot) was a bi-bi-bi-bit ropey tho.

Ya come to think of it i'm surprised he wasn't mentioned in the best accents thread. I only knew who he was cause i'm a fan of shameless.

JP Liz

irish_bob wrote: »

sean penn in carlitos way

+ 1

The Don

javaboy wrote: »

And I'm ashamed to say I didn't know Peter Fonda was in the new 3:10 to Yuma until after I had watched the entire film:
http://www.mtv.com/movies/photos/123/301_toyuma_08212007/peter_fonda.jpg

I didn't cop that until now. I've only got to see a lot of his films since then but I still should have recognised him.

I would not have recognised Eric Bana in Chopper if I didn't know that he was in it.

Naos

ziedth wrote: »

It was a good bit before Last king of scotland though wasn't it?

Yeah, according to IMDB, Inside I'm Dancing was 2004 and LKS was 2006. I had actually seen LKS first.

The Don wrote: »

I didn't cop that until now. I've only got to see a lot of his films since then but I still should have recognised him.

I would not have recognised Eric Bana in Chopper if I didn't know that he was in it.

I think you'd be able to cop fairly sharply at the start of the film when he has no moustache though? As for being lookalike, it's scary.

ben bedlam

gary oldman in hannibal. My question: why did they spend probably over a million on him to play that role, when any actor would have done?

faceman

Charlton Heston's cameo in the Planet of the apes remake wouldnt have been obvious unless you were knew he was in it.

Brad Pitt had a part in the first Jackass movie. He was deffo unrecognisable in it!

Brendan Gleeson in the upcoming Into the Storm

senordingdong

David Bowie in The Prestige.

If that counts.

ziedth

faceman wrote: »

Brendan Gleeson in the upcoming Into the Storm

God ya, Wasn't there even a bit of an argument about a pic of him in this fourm at one stage with people not believing it was him.

EDIT:

Here it is

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055420177&highlight=brendan+gleeson+churchill

krudler

Hardly any of the people mentioned are in heavy makeup aside from Gary Oldman in Hannibal and Charlize Theron in Monster they're just playing roles

the not knowing Dustin Hoffman was in Hook is laughable, hes on the poster! and the dvd cover, and its clearly him, Glenn Close is one thing as shes playing a man but Hoffman?! and not to mention hes the bloody star of the thing

Alicat

krudler wrote: »

the not knowing Dustin Hoffman was in Hook is laughable, hes on the poster! and the dvd cover, and its clearly him, Glenn Close is one thing as shes playing a man but Hoffman?! and not to mention hes the bloody star of the thing

Ok I was about eight so I think it's perfectly reasonable that my eight-year old self did not recognise an actor who I'd never seen before :rolleyes:

I saw it a few times as a kid and then did not see it again for many years to come. And at eight years old did certainly not scrutinize the dvd cover and poster :rolleyes: So in my head, Hook was just...Hook. He wasn't an 'actor' to me, he was just a character from my childhood! Only in my late teens did I finally see it again on the television and cop it (instantly at that stage).

Soooooooooo....screw you and your laughing, oh highly intelligent and knowledgeable adult person! :pac:

starn

Ed Norton in Kingdom of Heaven

Sam Vimes

the fat kid in stand by me
didn't cop that the second kid from the top in this pic:



is this guy:


someone even told me he was in the film and i said they were wrong until i checked the credits. you can see it once it's pointed out to you but i would never have spotted it. certainly thinned out didn't he?

Sam Vimes

oh and hugo weaving in v for vendetta. don't know how i missed that one

dblennon

I know everyone has said him but Gary oldman in true romance is ridiculous,

I only found out after reading an interview with him, couldn't believe it so went back and checked it out again.
http://gary-oldman.navajo.cz/gary-oldman-4.jpg

Futurism

Gauge wrote: »

Gary Oldman in pretty much every film he's been in. The man is a chameleon.

I agree! Was about to post that when I read the title of the thread. Sean Penn would be another from me. Both just disappear into roles.

eightcell

Al Pacino in the Dick Tracy movie!

FearDark

How did ye not realise it was Dustin Hoffman in Hook, seriously???????

JP Liz

Alicat

FearDark wrote: »

How did ye not realise it was Dustin Hoffman in Hook, seriously???????

Eight! I was eight!!!

Sam Vimes

i read an interview with him in the metro and i was wondering why he kept going on about a clockwork orange

Pigman II

The one that's always perplexed me (wrt to aging) is the maturity of the late David Hemmings. Check him out in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup from 1966 and then again in something like Mean Machine 2001 and it's not that he's looks 30+ years older but that he seems to have morphed into a completely different person.




(some eyebrows!)

byte

JP Liz wrote: »

Heh, funny, I noticed that film on Sky Movies at work, and thought that "she" looked a lot like Travolta. Argument at work with a workmate ensued,but I was right!

ziedth

ziedth wrote: »

Ya come to think of it i'm surprised he wasn't mentioned in the best accents thread. I only knew who he was cause i'm a fan of shameless.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=58742481&postcount=45