3 Actors Who Took Their Careers to the Next Level

By Brigid McCuen on September 17, 2014

As an avid fan of all things film and television-related, I’m familiar with how easy it is to typecast actors based on their previous work.  It makes sense to expect to see someone in a comedy if he or she has mainly been in comedies, or dramas if he or she is often in dramatic roles; however, after some research, I’ve realized there are exceptions to this Hollywood commonality.  Here are three actors who are changing their career paths and taking their work to the next level.

1. Steve Carell

image via thefilmstage.com

During his career, Steve Carell has transitioned from a comic to an Oscar-worthy actor, and in my eyes, his path has been one of the more notable ones.  Carell first made me laugh as the airheaded newscaster Brick Tamland in Anchorman.  He jumpstarted his acting career at the Second City Chicago in the 1990s and found minor success in the 2000s in other movies like Bruce Almighty, Get Smart, and Bewitched.  In 2005 he took on the role of Michael Scott in The Office, and the show was wildly successful.  Movies like The 40 Year Old Virgin, Date Night, and Despicable Me followed, and Steve Carell became a household name.

Though he is known most for his comic relief, Carell is starring in an upcoming critically acclaimed film called Foxcatcher.  He plays John Eleuthere du Pont, a schizophrenic Olympian who kills an Olympic wrestler’s brother. His performance has been highly praised, and there are rumors of a potential Oscar nomination coming his way.

 

2. Kristen Wiig

image via time.com

To me, Kristen Wiig will always first and foremost be a comedian, but some of her recent, more serious projects are pretty impressive. Wiig discovered her love for acting when she took a class at the University of Arizona, which inspired her to drop out of college, move to L.A. and join the Groundlings, an improvisational comedy troupe.  She earned a spot on Saturday Night Live in 2005, for which she was nominated for a primetime Emmy.

Wiig is starring in The Skeleton Twins, a newly released flick about twins who reunite after both “cheating death” on the same day.  It is a darker toned,  indie-esque film that goes beyond simple slapstick comedy. So far, Wiig’s work in Twins has received a substantial amount of praise from critics.

 

 

3. Matthew McConaughey

image via boomsbeat.com

Matthew McConaughey has gone from a chick-flick heartthrob to one of the best actors of our time.  McConaughey attended University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in Radio-Television-Film.  His big break came in 1996 when he was cast as a lawyer in A Time To Kill. Throughout the 2000s, McConaughey appeared mainly in romantic comedies like How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, The Wedding Planner, and Failure to Launch.

McConaughey began to realize he was being typecast into many roles because of the frequency of these “rom-coms,” in addition to his outdoorsy, athletic lifestyle.  He started turning down those roles and opted for serious parts in films and shows like Magic Mike, Bernie, and True Detective. He even won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.  Some of McConaughey’s noteworthy upcoming projects include Interstellar and The Sea of Trees.  His rise to acclaim has even been dubbed as “The McConaissance.” Now that he’s captivated critics everywhere, it’ll be interesting to watch his career continue to climb.

All three of these actors have projects that have just been released or that will be within the next year.  Keep an eye out for their work, and you’ll be impressed with their ability to master these atypical roles!

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