Humor is a delicate art which imposes on actors a tempo that is sometimes difficult to follow. We don’t all laugh at the same films and we can sometimes remain unmoved by this or that great comedy success. There is, however, one category that always pleases: it is when an actor who is known for his seriousness throws the prejudices that we may have about him into the fire and dares to laugh at his image. So here we come back to X dramatic actors who were able to successfully get rid of their label.
#7 Robert De Niro: Mafia Blues / My stepfather and me
When Robert De Niro launches into Mafia Blues, it’s a small event. The Godfather actor had of course already tried his hand at comedy a little in the past but without much success. To give you an idea, one of the films where he tackled the genre most head-on is King of Comedy by Martin Scorsese and the film is so dark that it ended up being the original inspiration for the film Joker with Joaquin Phoenix. But with Mafia Blues, De Niro finds the key to finally laughing and making people laugh.
By assuming his gangster image anchored in the collective imagination since the 70s, the actor decides to laugh about it. Seeing this tough guy and bloodthirsty gangster let go, cry and get depressed allows the audience to laugh at the flaws not only of the character but also of this legendary actor. From there, De Niro will exploit the vein of the ridiculous tough guy in several dozen films ; best known after Mafia Blues obviously remains My step-dad and me and its very (too many?) many sequels.
#6 Alan Rickman – Galaxy Quest
Since his death in 2016, Alan Rickman has been sorely missed in the cinema. Today he is mainly known for his role as Severus Snape in the saga Harry Potter. But above all, this gentleman was a genius actor who had shone in numerous English films and tragedies. In the USA, he was regularly asked to play implacable and cruel villains. The two perfect examples of his talent in this register are found in the first Die Hard And Robin Hood, prince of thieves with Kevin Costner. But one of his best roles was certainly in the little-known and underrated sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest.
The film follows the troupe of actors from a canceled science fiction series, plunged against their will into an intergalactic adventure. The series was apparently a copy of Star Trek with its crew mixing various personalities from the four corners of an imaginary galaxy. Rickman plays a Shakespearean-trained actor who laments that he is only remembered for his role as an alien doctor. taciturn. With hindsight, it is difficult not to see in advance the destiny of the actor of whom we only spoke ofHarry Potter At the end of his career. At any rate, Rickman is as surprising as he is brilliant here in this role of “white clown” of the team.
#5 George Clooney – O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Intolerable Cruelty
Before seeing his career finally explode thanks to the series Urgences, George Clooney has dragged his gaiters into dozens of films with more than questionable qualities. So, even if it is very present in a film like The Return of the Killer Tomatoesdifficult to speak of a successful comedy for the hero ofOcean’s Eleven. Subsequently, George Clooney has always been able to bring a certain charm to his cinema roles, often imbued with a real comic dimension. VSHowever, it was in dramatic films that Clooney first really shone, and he even won an Oscar for the very dark Syriana. However, the one who was Doctor Ross from the series EMERGENCIES also has an entire parallel but no less prestigious career in comedy.
These are first and foremost the Coen brothers who, through their films, were able to bring out all the madness and comic dimension of George Clooney. In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Clooney plays the leader of a trio of escaped convicts. With his role as a talkative criminal, who has a certain talent for getting into ever crazier situationsthe actor lets go and shows real comic talent. Later, In Intolerable Crueltyanother collaboration with the Coen brothers, Clooney plays a divorce lawyer who finds himself caught in his own game.
His interpretation of this charming but vulnerable character adds another dimension to his obvious talent for comedy. These two films show the extent to which Clooney is able to vary his acting, moving from intense dramatic roles to crazy comedic roles with remarkable ease. In a slightly different genre but just as funny, we can only recommend the little-known but brilliant one Welcome to Collinwood directed by the Russo brothers.
#4 Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys
Since a few months, Ryan Gosling shattered his image as a half-tortured, half-moonish hunk yet implemented after many years of work. Indeed, the one whose career really exploded after the chilling Drive And Only God Forgives by director Nicolas Winding Refn now shines through sketches in which he enjoys breaking his image, like the one paying homage to Beavis and Butthead (which we told you about here) or his brilliant live performance during the Oscars. But long before playing the candid Ken in Barbie, it’s a completely different film which allowed the actor to move more directly towards comedy.
It is first and foremost The Nice Guys, written and directed by the brilliant Shane Black (the author of The lethal Weapon And Predator), which really allowed Gosling to show how funny he could be. This crime comedy stars Gosling and Russell Crowe as two detectives who team up to solve a missing persons case. Gosling dares to break his image of a confident, handsome guy and here he shows himself as perfectly clumsy as he is pathetic the time of a performance which alone is worth watching this excellent film.
#3 Channing Tatum – 21 Jump Street
Although Channing Tatum’s career is not necessarily filled ONLY with dramatic roles, he is still mainly known for his action films and a whole bunch of films in which he moves by showing off his muscles logically forged in the many Basic Fit in Los Angeles. Thereforehe first appeared as a real gamble on the part of directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Spiderverse) when he was cast to play opposite Jonah Hill in the cinematographic (and humorous) adaptation of 21 Jump Street.
To everyone’s surprise, Tatum showed some talent in the field. Often even funnier than Jonah Hill, Tatum easily wins. Since then, the actor has largely shifted his career to comedies.. We were able to see him in the sequel 21 Jump Street but also The Secret of the Lost City and especially Hail Cesar by the Coen brothers where he lets off steam in a surreal musical comedy scene in a sailor’s uniform.
#2 Brad Pitt – Burn After Reading
Clearly, the Coen brothers seem to have a talent for uncovering the clown that hides deep within the most serious actors in Hollywood. After having fun breaking the slightly too serious image of George Clooney and before having fun with Channing Tatum (who are both reunited in Ave Cesar)the Coens had proposed to film one of the very rare comic performances of the very serious Brad Pitt.
So obviously, we can detect a greatly ironic and sarcastic tone in Fight Club by David Fincher, but the fact is that Brad Pitt is much more casual than really comical. On the other hand, the actor’s comedic abilities are on full display during his hilariously unconventional performance in Burn After Reading from the Coen brothers. Pitt plays an enthusiastic but incredibly dim-witted gym employee who becomes embroiled in a supposed espionage plot. To be honest, Pitt is what we mainly remember in this film who is not necessarily the best director of No Country for Old Men.
Since then, Brad Pitt has remained very discreet in comedy. We were able to hear him in MetroMan from Megamindand seeing him make quick cameos in Deadpool 2 Or The Secret of the Lost City with Channing Tatum who we were talking to you about just above (everything overlaps…).
#1 Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder
It is clearly the most surprising of all comic performances of the last 25 years, if not the most surprising in the entire history of cinema. Tom Cruise, the untouchable hero, the one who even when he plays the bad guy always keeps a perfect smile with white teeth (we talk about it in detail right here), agreed to play an obese, bald and perfectly repulsive character comedy time Tropic Thunder.
In this film about how the production of a Hollywood war film goes particularly wrong, Cruise plays the producer and studio boss behind the film. Gross, dirty and constantly enraged, Les Grossman is a vile and cruel character from whom there is nothing to save. Covered in heavy prosthetic makeup and almost unrecognizable in the role, Cruise fully invests in the character’s madness and delivers some of the film’s best sequences. To be honest, it was even planned to make a spin-off entirely dedicated to the character, but unfortunately, Tropic Thunder not having been a huge success, this comedy project entirely designed for Tom Cruise was abandoned.
And if you liked this article, don’t hesitate to discover our file on 6 scenes from cult films that their actors regret or these 6 actors are just perfect as villains
Keywords :
tom cruise brad pittchanning tatumRyan GoslingGeorge ClooneyAlan RickmanRobert DeNiromartin scorsese
