Typecast

I imagine its tough to be a professional film actor. If you star in a very successful film, you run the risk of being typecast as that character, forever doomed to repeat the role. Of course an actor doesn’t want their film to flop, either.

Ever since I first the first time I watched The Big Lebowski, I have been unable to watch Jeff Bridges in any movie without saying ‘Dude’ at the end of each of his lines. Jeff Bridges is the Big Lebowski, and it’s nigh impossible for me to see him as any other role. I couldn’t watch Seabiscuit as a result.

To my surprise, though, I was able to watch Starman with the twins without uttering a single ‘Dude’. I had nearly forgotten what a fun movie it was, and I had completely forgotten how good of an actor Jeff Bridges was. His performance was strong enough to make me forget all about the Big Lebowski.

In a similar vein it’s very hard for me to watch anything with Will Ferrell without wanting more cowbell. Last night, though, Carina and I watched Stranger than Fiction. The movie is absolutely delightful. I don’t know why it has a PG-13 rating: I observed to Carina as the credits rolled that the twins would really enjoy the movie. It was wonderful to see Will Ferrell in a dramatic role. His performance was great, and the story was a a lot of fun. I hope he gets more roles of this sort.