To pull a Bruce Willis: Other comedic actors become action heroes
- Thread starter MrP
- Start date
Idk about action, but I have always had this fantasy of Groucho Marx replacing Frederic March in Seven days in May.
Maybe have Ahnold's first break as a goofy Austrian-foreign exchange student on Happy Days?
John Belushi doesn't overdose, gets healthy and fit, gets a part in Aliens or something?
Maybe have Ahnold's first break as a goofy Austrian-foreign exchange student on Happy Days?
John Belushi doesn't overdose, gets healthy and fit, gets a part in Aliens or something?
He did play a part called Handsome Stranger in a comedy western called Cactus Jack. If he had been funnier in that film and it had been more successful.
There have been quite a few actually - Eddie Murphy and Terry Crews being two I can think of.
The key to a good action hero and a good comedian are the same - they gotta have charisma/ personality or/and screen presence. As long as an actor has one or both, they got a shot.
It's why those action movies staring some dull as dishwater 20-something Tiger Beat model usually tank, while Liam Neeson or Colin Firth can credibly sell themselves as action heroes.
The key to a good action hero and a good comedian are the same - they gotta have charisma/ personality or/and screen presence. As long as an actor has one or both, they got a shot.
It's why those action movies staring some dull as dishwater 20-something Tiger Beat model usually tank, while Liam Neeson or Colin Firth can credibly sell themselves as action heroes.
No that's the other way round. With the Batman franchise, he actually went from action movies to comedy.
Tom Hanks kind of did it with Private Ryan. Although I put him in the category below.
Usually the comedians go for the drama. Jim Carey - Truman Show, Bill Murry - Lost in Translation, Steve Martin a few times that I am now forgetting, Adam Sandler in a few movies, Ben Stiller in Permanent Midnight and others, Robin Williams on multiple occasions, and Hanks as said above.
My pet theory is comedians start out as people who want attention (middle child syndrome?) and get it from being funny. Then they reach a point in life where they want to be taken seriously so they go for Oscars etc. The serious actors already were taken seriously so they go for fun, relatively easy work of action or comedy - DeNiro (analyze this), Nielson, Bridges, Neeson, etc.
Usually the comedians go for the drama. Jim Carey - Truman Show, Bill Murry - Lost in Translation, Steve Martin a few times that I am now forgetting, Adam Sandler in a few movies, Ben Stiller in Permanent Midnight and others, Robin Williams on multiple occasions, and Hanks as said above.
My pet theory is comedians start out as people who want attention (middle child syndrome?) and get it from being funny. Then they reach a point in life where they want to be taken seriously so they go for Oscars etc. The serious actors already were taken seriously so they go for fun, relatively easy work of action or comedy - DeNiro (analyze this), Nielson, Bridges, Neeson, etc.
Keaton started out in comedy. It was a big surprise when he was selected to play batman because of that.
Unless he was making a comment about the tone of the Burton Batman films...