Type-Casting

When I was little, I remember watching afternoon cartoons on TV (probably Animaniacs) and seeing a commercial for a local science fiction convention. One of the main attractions of the convention, according to the voice on the advertisement would be a visit by John de Lancie from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Then, probably as a somewhat necessary addendum, the voice continued, "You know, Q."

Yes, we know Q. We don't know John de Lancie. And that, my friends, is an illustration of the danger of type-casting.

Many great actors, including Sylvester Stallone and Matt Damon (among others), have managed to escape this snare by taking on diverse roles and doing well in them. Sure, we remember Sylvester mostly for being a tough guy from roles in Rocky, Rambo, Demolition Man, The Expendables, and Judge Dredd (not that we want to remember that one), but then there are the other lead roles in movies such as Oscar, F.I.S.T., Victory, and Rhinestone Cowboy (another one we'd rather not remember) in which he had to find another dimension in his acting because he couldn't just pass the hour and a half or two hours by hitting people with his fists or blowing them with grenade-tipped arrows.

However, they are the lucky few. They have had enough skill and good sense to find roles which pushed them as actors and not to settle into a certain type of role or allow themselves to be remember for a playing only a single character. Unfortunately, many have not followed suit, including:

Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker in Star Wars
Sean Astin: Rudy in Rudy, Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings
Dolph Lundgren: The Russian in Rocky IV
Billy Boyd: Pippin in Lord of the Rings (people don't realize he plaed a midshipman in Master and Commander)
Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter in Harry Potter
The kid who played Simon Birch: Simon Birch in Simon Birch
Macaulay Culkin: Kevin in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City
Leonard Nimoy: Spock in Star Trek

For these people, as well as many others, they will always be identified more easily by the role they played than by their actual names. Their being cast in a certain type of role, though giving them a name (though the name is that of a character and not their own), has probably served as something of a hindrance and lessened their credibility as actors because the audience sees them not as Rupert Grint and Lacey Chabert but rather as Ron Weasley (Harry Potter) and Gretchen Wieners (Mean Girls). It's unfortunate, but it's true.

So, what separates certain actors from others when it comes type-casting? How do some actors, i.e. Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, William Shatner, on Star Trek escape the type-casting, while other Star Trek actors, i.e. Jordy, Counselor Troi, and Commander Riker (who's only memorable line is "Red alert!"), are doomed to remain forever as characters rather than actual people? Some of it, I'm sure has to do with level of ability; some of it, as in the case of William Shatner, is probably a matter of luck.

But don't worry, kid who played Simon Birch on Simon Birch; even if we can't remember your name, at least you know you won't forgotten. That is, your character won't be forgotten. Of course, I can't forget your name either because I never knew it in the first place. Sorry.