Typecasting can limit an actor’s career by hiring them based on a previous role. It affected actors like George Reeves, Leonard Nimoy, and Henry Winkler. Some actors can avoid it by taking on edgier roles, but others are stuck playing the same character. Typecasting can benefit an actor, but also limit their creativity.
One word often strikes fear into the hearts of working actors everywhere, and that word is “typecasting.” While the actual practice of typecasting isn’t necessarily sinister, its effect on an actor’s career can be chilling. In essence, typecasting is the practice of hiring an actor based primarily on a specific or infamous role that he or she has previously played. Typecasting can provide certain character actors with stable work, but it can also prevent others from being considered for more demanding roles.
An early example of typecasting involved the late actor George Reeves. Reeves had arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s to pursue leading roles within the studio system, but was only moderately successful. However, his strong physique and all-American demeanor made Reeves an ideal candidate for the role of Superman in the new medium of television. Reeve’s portrayal of Superman made him famous, but when the series ended his hopes of reviving his film career faded along with it. Reeves was offered roles that were simply variations on his breakout Superman persona. This form of typecasting also affected a number of other early television stars.
Typecasting also had a profound effect on actors like Leonard Nimoy, whose portrayal of Spock in the original Star Trek television series made it difficult for him to find other film work in Hollywood. When actor Henry Winkler created the role of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the television series “Happy Days,” one of his greatest personal fears was typecasting. Winkler, and other character actors in equally popular roles, had to step out of the public spotlight to avoid typecasting. Winkler had to prove that he could play other characters that clearly weren’t variations of Fonzie.
Some in the entertainment community make a distinction between casting for a specific type and typecasting. There’s a reason the same character actors play the same roles in a number of movies and television shows. Type casting is a form of dramatic shorthand for the audience. The New York cab driver or the wise old man are often used as standard characters in scripts, which means that the experienced character actors themselves are usually cast. Typecasting usually involves a mainstream actor whose potential may be limited if he becomes too closely associated with a role.
Sometimes actors shed typecasting, but it often requires taking on an edgier dramatic role or a complete departure from type. Henry Winkler has found some success playing unsympathetic characters, such as a serial rapist. By demonstrating a wide range of acting skills and a willingness to work against type, some actors are able to avoid the pitfalls of typecasting. Others aren’t so lucky, playing the same type of character for the rest of their acting careers. Typecasting can be a double-edged sword, since the actor benefits from portraying a popular character, but often pays the price creatively after the role ends.
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