Are there some actors who just don't fit in superhero movies?

[Mister Mets]

In a spotlight for Bustle, Dakota Johnson said that she'll never do anything like Madame Web again, because she doesn't fit in that world.

But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now.

Some actors seem to fit different modes. I recall a critic noting that Kirk Douglas was excellent in period pieces (Spartacus, Paths of Glory, Lonely are the Brave, Vincent Van Goth and Ulyssess S Grant biopics), while his son Michael Douglas was better in contemporary dramas (Wall Street, Traffic, Fatal Attraction, Wonder Boys.) And I remember some tweet about how a person had a hard time accepting Jessica Biel in period films because it's so obvious her face knows what text messages look like.

Obviously, some actors aren't appropriate for every role (IE- the person you hire for Lex Luthor may not be the person you'd consider for Perry White) and some actors have range (Bryan Cranson could've done both) but are there some actors who generally just don't fit in superhero movies?

And if so, who?

[JBatmanFan05]

are there some actors who generally just don't fit in superhero movies?

And if so, who?

Difficult question. I tend to take the view that a high bar should be set for deeming an actor unfit or ill-suited for this (or any) genre really.

Maybe Crispin Glover. Maybe DiCaprio. Maybe Matthew McConaughey. Maybe Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Maybe Eastwood and Hanks. Maybe Richard Dreyfuss.


(I try some to not factor in, too much, whether or not they like the superhero genre or not, I think you can like superhero films and still not be well suited for one)
(almost any actor can play like an Alexander Pierce like Redford did i.e. an nonsuperhero/villain-like character in a superhero film)

[Jokerz79]

Difficult question. I tend to take the view that a high bar should be set for deeming an actor unfit or ill-suited for this (or any) genre really.

Maybe Crispin Glover. Maybe DiCaprio. Maybe Matthew McConaughey. Maybe Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Maybe Eastwood and Hanks. Maybe Richard Dreyfuss.


(I try some to not factor in, too much, whether or not they like the superhero genre or not, I think you can like superhero films and still not be well suited for one)
(almost any actor can play like an Alexander Pierce like Redford did i.e. an nonsuperhero/villain-like character in a superhero film)

Save to say we're not going to get a Martin Scorsese cameo anytime soon in a Superhero movie.

[CliffHanger2]

I hear Jack Black is up to play Booster Gold. Should be okay.

[Mister Mets]

Difficult question. I tend to take the view that a high bar should be set for deeming an actor unfit or ill-suited for this (or any) genre really.

Maybe Crispin Glover. Maybe DiCaprio. Maybe Matthew McConaughey. Maybe Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Maybe Eastwood and Hanks. Maybe Richard Dreyfuss.


(I try some to not factor in, too much, whether or not they like the superhero genre or not, I think you can like superhero films and still not be well suited for one)
(almost any actor can play like an Alexander Pierce like Redford did i.e. an nonsuperhero/villain-like character in a superhero film)

In this case, I'm thinking about actors who you wouldn't trust to play an Alexander Pierce.

An example for me would be Sean Penn. He seems to take himself so seriously, I don't think he really works in a film that isn't grounded in reality.

With your examples, Clint Eastwood doesn't seem to fit in a world with aliens. Pesci also seems out of place there.

The others don't have that vibe for me. McConaughey was in Interstellar and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. DiCaprio had Inception, Shutter Island and Don't Look Up. Pacino has an Oscar nomination for Dick Tracy. Crispin Glover was the monster in Beowulf. Hanks was excellent in Cloud Atlas, which is one of his favorite films and does some genre stuff. He'd be my top choice for Phil Sheldon, but he would also be more than competent as the mayor of Gotham City or something like that.

[j9ac9k]

... Pesci also seems out of place there..

I dunno - if you think about him in the "Lethal Weapon" movies, that's not so different from Michael Pena as comic relief in the Ant-Man movies.

"Superhero movies" can be a lot of things and touch different genres so I tend to think that for any actor there's a type of SH movie that would fit them.

[Zauriel]

When I watched George Reeves in an old Superman show, I thought he never seemed to fit in that show.

[Tuck]

Save to say we're not going to get a Martin Scorsese cameo anytime soon in a Superhero movie.

Speaking of Scorcese, he did cast Harvey Keitel to play Judas . . . which will never not be bizarre.

[Wildling]

Jason Statham said he's not interested in the tights and masks genre because he's more of an old-school action guy. Now he's fought giant sharks and co-starred with Rock in what could be called a superhero movie, the Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, where Rock ridiculously kept a chained helicopter in place for seconds with his bare hands, though that movie could maybe also be called a Fast and Furious hybrid with Metal Gear Solid or GI Joe, with Hobbs and Shaw fighting a super soldier created by a shadowy organization with a mystery villain.

Maybe he could accept a role in a movie that doesn't include superheroes in at least cameos, but I can't think of one. Could be a British bad ass, or a gritty street level one man army in general.

[Scott Taylor]

Dakota Johnson fit in just fine, she just hates that the movie wasn't a big hit and is backing away. Not really her fault that the studio picked a z-list character to do a movie about, didn't market it well and then wrote a kind of boring plot.

[Wildling]

Dakota Johnson fit in just fine, she just hates that the movie wasn't a big hit and is backing away. Not really her fault that the studio picked a z-list character to do a movie about, didn't market it well and then wrote a kind of boring plot.

People were more excited (...) about Sydney Sweeney being in Anyone But You than in Madame Web. Maybe they should just be offered better projects.

[ChrisIII]

Crispin Glover I can see as a henchman type similar to his role in CHARLIE'S ANGELS.

[JBatmanFan05]

In this case, I'm thinking about actors who you wouldn't trust to play an Alexander Pierce.

An example for me would be Sean Penn. He seems to take himself so seriously, I don't think he really works in a film that isn't grounded in reality.

. . .

The others don't have that vibe for me. McConaughey was in Interstellar and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. DiCaprio had Inception, Shutter Island and Don't Look Up. Pacino has an Oscar nomination for Dick Tracy.

I definitely disagree with your seeming fundamental presumption that just because an actor has done some sci-fi films they could do "superhero" films just as easily. DiCaprio is selective and takes himself and his roles fairly seriously and you half cited that as an issue with Penn (and Penn has done some unreal action flicks, so I think Penn's "reality" thing can be overstated). Pacino did do a colorful villain in a comic strip film, but outside of that film, I could see an issue with casting him in a superhero film for various reasons, Pacino is very ...Pacino being one of them, etc...I think a director might struggle trying to fit Pacino even into an Alexander Pierce-esque role.

McConaughey is probably more amenable than I thought initially. If he could play Flagg easily enough in Dark Tower (which I have not seen mind you), then he could probably fit in well enough in a superhero film.

[j9ac9k]

Crispin Glover I can see as a henchman type similar to his role in CHARLIE'S ANGELS.

That guy was born an ali-- I mean, born to play an alien.

[useridgoeshere]

Dakota was saying she didn't fit because she didn't like the process of making a blockbuster. Seems like she was challenging the way any large movie is made, not just superhero ones.

Overall, I don't think that any actor doesn't 'fit' in terms of acting in superhero movies. Actors act. Superhero films span genre. Roles are wide varied. Even if someone is a one-note actor with no range, there's probably a place for them somewhere.