Some actors for life become hostages to their comedic talent. For example, Alexander Demyanenko, known from the films “The Prisoner of the Caucasus”, “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes the Profession”, “Operation“ Y ”and other adventures of Shurik”, forever remained in the memory of the audience as an intelligent, funny and charming student Shurik.
In order to break out of such a “comedy lasso” and try themselves in a different role, many famous actors starred in dramatic films. Here is a selection after which you take a different look at the famous film comics.
10. Yuri Nikulin
Viewers know and love Nikulin as a merry slacker, Dunce, a member of the famous comedy trinity “Coward, Dunce and Experienced”, Semyon Semyonovich Gorbunkov, the protagonist of “Diamond Arm” and investigator Myachikov from “Old Man-Robbers”. But in his acting piggy bank there are many serious roles:
- police lieutenant Nikolai Glazyev from "To Me, Mukhtar",
- Private Nekrasov from "They Fought for the Motherland",
- front-line journalist Vasily Lopatin from "Twenty Days Without a War",
- front-line mechanic Kuzma Iordanov from "When the Trees were Big",
- grandfathers of Lena Bessoltseva from the movie "Scarecrow" and others.
An interesting fact, Nikulin was approved for the role of Nekrasov without film screening. He, having gone through the entire Great Patriotic War, like no one could convey to the audience the emotions and experiences of a front-line soldier.
9. Anatoly Papanov
“Let's sit down with a mustache!” - Papanov shouted excitedly in the “Diamond Hand”. And in the next picture, he was already an ex-engineer and former political prisoner Kopalych from “Cold Summer Fifty-third ...”. Or Nikolai Dubinsky in the drama about the front-line friendship Belorussky Train Station. Or Old Man Angel from the series "Adjutant of His Excellency." It is curious that at the time of filming, Papanov was already 47 years old, while his character was only 22.
This is only a small part of his rich filmography, which lacks both tragic and funny roles. But filming in “Cold Summer of the Fifty-third ...” became the last for Anatoly Dmitrievich. He died at the age of 65 due to a heart attack.
8. Robin Williams
While “Good Will Hunting” is the most famous film with the dramatic role of Robin Williams, “Photo in an Hour” is his best serious role as a lead actor.
Williams plays Sai Perrish, an older darkroom employee. Lonely, devoid of friends and socially clumsy, Sai becomes an obsessed family, which he idolized as a perfect picture. This topic, viewed through the prism of today's filters on social networks, has a terrible resemblance to the alienation that people can experience by scrolling through the tape on a social network and observing the successes of other people.
7. Bill Murray
- We have four million dollars to shoot in Tokyo. Who should we invite so that he basically walks around the hotel and creates sexual chemistry with a young, relatively unknown actress?
“How about Peter Wenkman from Ghostbusters?”
“Good, call his agent!”
Probably, this is exactly what the creators of Translation Difficulties reasoned about. And they were not mistaken. The film "Translation Difficulties" was successful at the box office and became one of Bill Murray's best dramatic roles. He played an American actor filming a commercial in Japan, and his partner Scarlett Johansson - a young woman who accompanies her famous husband-photographer on a business trip.
Hiding in the same luxury hotel, they experience loneliness, insomnia, boredom and cultural shock, having lost their native English speakers. And sexual tension between representatives of two generations is the most exciting quality of the film. The hero of Murray is unhappily married, the heroine Johansson casts doubt on his conjugal oath.
The audience remains to wonder whether the attractiveness of the characters is rooted in the wrong choice of partners, their current circumstances or in themselves. The film was nominated for four Academy Award, including for Best Actor.
6. Jim Carrey
One of the most popular comedians in the world has always been risky. In 1994, he left the insanely successful television show “In Bright Colors” for the project “Ace Ventura: Pet Search” and earned more than $ 100 million.
In 1998, in the movie drama The Truman Show, Kerry brilliantly portrayed an ordinary person whose life was watched by viewers around the world. Then came 1999's Man on the Moon, in which Kerry portrayed the controversial comedian Andy Kaufman. In both films there were comedic elements that did not allow Kerry to plunge into the waters of a movie drama with his head.
But that all changed with 2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in which Kerry plays the depressed introvert Joel Barish. Together with an eccentric ex-girlfriend Clementina (Kate Winslet), he undergoes a procedure that erases their memories of each other.
After the release of the film, critic Andrew Sarris spoke out that this time, Kerry played a role that would be more suitable for Winslet, who copes well with the role of a touch. Conversely, a lively character, similar to what Clementine got, is usually “reserved” for Kerry.
5. Will Ferrell
The first five dramatic roles of famous comedians of world cinema opens the film "All the Way!" with Will Ferrell in the title role.
Given this actor’s craving exclusively for comedies, it’s even strange that he agreed to play the part of an alcoholic-loser, exiled from his wife’s house, and trying to sell his property in four days.
The 20% gap between the praise of critics (73%) and the enthusiasm with which this movie was received by the audience (53%) reflects a well-made film that was difficult for an ordinary movie fan to accept due to Ferrell's comedic reputation.
4. Steve Carell
In The Short Game, Steve Carell sharply departed from his typical roles as a "friendly idiot", brilliantly portraying an ambitious and intelligent person who was able to predict in advance the 2008 global economic crisis.
The Slide Game is a sophisticated film on a complex subject, featuring the intricate and largely unregulated world of Wall Street. And in many ways, he owes his success to the game of Karella, whose hero goes from an irritable and nervous skeptic to a melancholy winner. Only his stunned look of “deer in the headlights” already demonstrates the actor’s versatility not previously seen from this guru of the comedy genre.
3. Adam Sandler
Another well-known comedian who can have two films on this list: the romantic Love Knocking Down 2002, for which Sandler received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and the second thriller 2019 jewels ”, which earned higher audience ratings.
Given that Sandler starred in many terrible comedies between 2002 and 2019, his resurgence in a serious role is particularly surprising.
Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler and a gambler, in possession of a very expensive black opal. He liked the player of the Boston Celtics basketball team Kevin Garnett so much that he persuades Howard to give him a gem, but only for a while. As a guarantee, Garnett leaves his championship ring, which the enterprising Ratner immediately surrenders to a pawnshop to make another bet.
The film stands out for its twisty plot, during which Ratner tries to restore an unsuccessful marriage and avoid the intentions of the bookmakers to return their money, harm him or do both.
2. Whoopi Goldberg
The black-skinned actress is one of the few stars to have won four prestigious American awards at once: an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy and a Tony. For the audience, she was mostly remembered for her comedic roles (“Act, sister”, “Made in America”, “Loaded weapon”, etc.)
Even the story of the appearance of the creative pseudonym Whoopi Goldberg (the real name of actress Karin Elaine Johnson) sounds funny.
“If you get pissed, you need to let out the gases. Therefore, people told me: “You are like a pillow-fart” (from English whoopee cushion). So my name appeared ”- said the actress.
And she took the surname Goldberg, because Johnson is "not Jewish enough to make her a star."
However, not everyone knows that Whoopi Goldberg began her career in the movie with a dramatic role in the film "Purple Field Flowers", shot by Stephen Spielberg. By that time, Goldberg had already successfully made her debut in the theater, so the director did not take the "pig in the poke" for the lead role. The role of housewife Celia Johnson brought the actress fame, the Golden Globe and the Oscar nomination.
1. Steve Martin
“Father of the Bride”, “Sergeant Bilko”, “Parents” and other comedic roles brought Martin worldwide popularity and love of the audience. But there were among his films and dramas, such as The Spanish Prisoner of 1997.
In this picture, the director David Mamet tells the story of the inventor Joe Ross, one of whose inventions a large corporation wants to use. In the pursuit of profit, which is the brainchild of Ross, corporate bosses will not stop at nothing.
