From Matthew McConaughey to Michelle Rodriguez, Hollywood is full of actors who – like it or not – have experienced being typecast. But what is typecasting in acting? Is it a good thing? And how do you determine what your own casting type is? We’ve got the answers.
JUMP TO
Before we can discuss typecasting, it’s important to understand what “type” means when it comes to acting. An actor’s type is a common industry term used in casting breakdowns to help narrow down the pool of actors applying for a job. It is determined by three things: “your look, your sound, and your attitude,” says casting director Kate McClanaghan. Your type will impact the kind of parts you audition for and play as an actor, especially early on in your career.
“Typecasting” refers to when an actor is repeatedly cast in the same type of role due to their past success portraying similar characters. It can be beneficial if it leads to consistently booking work, but actors who are typecast may also feel creatively stifled.
There isn’t an exhaustive list of casting types, since a character breakdown could cover almost any combination of age range, job title, and personality traits. Being familiar with some of these common archetypes, however, can help give you a better understanding of the types of roles available.
The action hero: Solid, confident, and strong, the action hero is physically fit and extremely proficient at what they do. Think Michael B. Jordan and Charlize Theron.
The villain: The antagonist of the story, these characters tend to have an intensity or edge to them. Actors such as Helena Bonham Carter, Willem Dafoe, Glenn Close, and Mads Mikkelsen have all played their fair share of villains.
The romantic lead: Gorgeous, charming, and, at some point, emotionally vulnerable, actors who play romantic leads have to be compelling enough to make audiences fall in love with them too. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, and Channing Tatum comfortably play these roles.
The comic sidekick: Usually a little quirky, this type of character offers comic relief and a different perspective from the hero of the story. Melissa McCarthy, Rebel Wilson, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill built their reputations as brilliantly funny sidekicks.
The mentor: Wise and grounded, the mentor is generally an old soul who teaches the protagonist important lessons to help them overcome their challenges. Julie Andrews, Ian McKellen, Morgan Freeman, and Tom Hanks have all portrayed this type of guiding figure, offering advice, support, and protection.
The queen bee: Attractive, high status, and often mean, queen bees are usually hiding deep insecurities. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel McAdams, and Blake Lively have all pulled this off in their time.
The nerd: There are many versions of this geeky type, but they tend to be smart (or at least think they are), socially awkward outsiders with a passion for a niche interest or hobby. Think Alyson Hannigan, Michael Cera, and Jesse Eisenberg.
The girl next door: She’s wholesome and pure, often a bit of a tomboy, and always a natural beauty. Actors such as Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and Kirsten Dunst have all embodied the girl-next-door archetype at points in their careers.
It’s worth noting that these archetypes are also not exclusive; they can bleed into one another. You could, for example, be a queen bee villain, a nerdy sidekick, or a girl-next-door mentor. They’re also not necessarily stereotypes, and they’re becoming less rigid in form as writers and directors try to challenge traditional ideas of who gets to play the parts.
Determining your casting type comes down to understanding how others perceive you, as well as knowing what sort of roles best align with your natural persona. Here are five tips to help you nail it down:
1. Do an honest self-assessment of who you are. “Write down some facts about yourself” to establish, as honestly as you can, “who you are,” actor Patrick Cullen writes in StageMilk. Your age, gender, ethnicity, social class, the sound of your voice, the way you style your hair, the clothes you wear, and the vibe you give off will all influence your casting type. Forming a self-aware picture of yourself will help you determine the types of roles you are likely to feel most comfortable playing.
2. Work out what roles you most enjoy playing. Film director Daniel Johnson tells actors to ask themselves: “What can you do well? What types of roles do you excel in?” They may be roles that closely mirror how you present to the world, or they may be more reflective of your shadow side.
3. Ask others for their opinions. Get friends of friends, classmates, colleagues, or even fellow actors on social media – anyone who doesn’t know you intimately – to give you three adjectives to describe their first impression of you.
4. Make an inventory of roles you’ve auditioned for and booked. Go through all of the roles you have auditioned for and pick out any job titles, personality traits, or archetypal references that crop up frequently. Pay special attention to the roles that you have successfully booked.
5. Compare yourself to other actors. As you watch films and TV shows, think about which characters you could most easily play. Which actors play those roles? What other roles have they played? Look for patterns that emerge in the type of roles they play. You may be suited to playing similar roles.
Matthew McConaughey: McConaughey became known as the “rom-com dude,” consistently – and very successfully – playing the ripped lead who gets the girl.
Kate Hudson: The queen to McConaughey’s dude, Hudson became known for playing the lead love interest in romantic comedies, telling the Hollywood Reporter that Hollywood “loves to put you in a box.”
Javier Bardem: From ice-cold hitman to gangster drug lord, Bardem is renowned for playing the villainous bad guy.
Hugh Grant: In his early career, Grant became famous for playing the bumbling yet charming floppy-haired romantic lead, but now he’s breaking free from his original typecasting to play far quirkier characters.
Jason Statham: Statham has repeatedly played action heroes, and he believes there’s often a stigma attached when trying to leave that kind of typecasting behind.
Michelle Rodriguez: She’s played the tough girl almost exclusively, but she wholeheartedly embraces the typecasting, telling the Playlist that “I put myself in that box.”
Michael Cera: His character on Arrested Development, George Michael, set Cera up to be cast as an awkward yet lovable dweeb in multiple movies that followed.
Morgan Freeman: His skill and time in the biz mean he’s played a whole range of roles, but Freeman is the go-to calm, wise mentor in many movies, from The Shawshank Redemption to Bruce Almighty.
Typecasting can be a contentious topic. Should actors be restricted by the surface-level perceptions of others? “I don’t believe in casting types, and actors shouldn’t limit themselves by categorising their talent in that way,” says casting director Jane Anderson.
Director Anthony Meindl, on the other hand, says “the business is built on types and you’re going to get work according to your type.”
“Once you understand and accept your type, you can carve yourself a nice niche of work,” actor Rhys Jones writes for Spotlight. Particularly when you’re starting out, playing to type may prove the quickest way to book work. Meindl also reassures actors that a type “doesn’t have to limit you.… It merely indicates the kinds of parts we can play because the medium doesn’t see beyond the physical.”
Although it’s important to have a sense of how the industry perceives you, Johnson advises actors to “look inward and see what resonates with you, all the while being humble enough to know you probably can’t do everything.”
Leaning into the type of roles you know you play well can help your career take off. If you’re not happy with your casting type, there are things you can do to break free from it, such as changing your look and investing in new headshots.
Remember: Actors change as they age and grow, and your casting type will develop to reflect that too. With any luck, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to play all sorts of roles over the course of your career.