Actors who have suffered due to playing a role too well?

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

Tony, from Eastenders, who abused Whitney, for me.

He is Kev in Emmerdale now. No idea if he is a neerdowell there as well, but I cant see past my hatred for him for Whitney 🤷‍♀️

See also: Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince - he will forever be associated with the Tom Jones dance.

Kevin Bacon - after how well he played a rapist in Sleepers. I watched Taking Chance at the weekend and he was so good in that, that it has begun to remove the idea from my head.

The actor who played Silas in Hollyoaks. Whenever I see him, he becomes that sly murderer again.

I came to say this! It was an unforgettable performance, he frightened the shit out of me.

Absolutely have to differ with Brian Cranston. Hal in Malcolm in the Middle is a genius character and 1000 miles away from Walter White. Even in interviews his demeanor changes when he talks about different roles he's played. He's very diverse.

Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock in Star Trek. (I am old.)

If you are the perfect embodiment of a pointy-eared, green, logical alien in a much loved and uniquely innovative television series, you're pretty much stuffed. He carried on playing Spock on and off for almost 50 years, and did other stuff, including directing films etc. There are probably worse career paths.

Jennifer Coolidge will forever be Stifler's Mom

Agree with this, Bryan Cranston is a chameleon and can be unrecognisable in different roles. Gary Oldman is the same, I don't think I'd recognise him if he walked down the street!

The actor who played Grumio in ‘Plebs’ -sheer comic genius but can’t imaging watching him on a serious role.

Ian actor was brilliant in the theatre production of My Fair Lady a couple or so years ago but I haven’t watched EE for 30 odd years so I didn’t really see him as Ian. He played Eliza Doolittles dad.

James Norton in Happy Valley!

Showing my age here but William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek. Even when he became police officer T.J. Hooker in the series of the same name, it just looked like Captain Kirk was on earth in a police uniform running around after more mundane baddies.

Joe and James have spoke about it on their podcast saying how they achieved something probably h
bigger than they deserved and very early on on their career and they recognise they probably can’t match that again. .

It took me a long time to get over Gary Oldman in 'Leon'. Couldn't watch him in anything else for ages, probably until he started showing his age more!

Simon Bird seems to have done ok - Friday night dinner, everyone else burns etc. he also directs doesn’t he?

Ha! I agree. He plays the scrote so very well that I have to remind myself he’s an actor.

Kudos to the actors who left a role while they were ahead. Tim
McKinnerny didn’t want to be typecast as Lord Percy.

And Dame Patricia did not want to be Hyacinth for ever.

Kevin Whateley will always be Neville from Auf Weidersehn Pet to me.
In the case of soap opera stars some of them leave so as not to be typecast, for others its a long term career. Imagine Ken Barlow trying to get another acting job after 65 years 😅
For some actors though, it doesnt really work out too well, think Brian Tyldesley formerly of Corrie 🤣

All Jennifer Coolidges roles are very type-casted.

But that's a massive shame because anyone who has met her in person will tell you she is sharp as a tack, so witty and funny in her own right, and can be an extremely serious and business minded person, who doesn't accept being objectified.

She's the complete opposite of her roles, and she's an amazing actress.

Haha. Classic. Yeah he's such a knobber. 🤣

John Nettles is an interesting one because I guess it shows your age if you remember him best for Bergerac or Barnaby!

Alex Jennings is a wonderful actor but for me is always an utter murdering, raping psychopath in Unforgotten. I saw The Lady in the Van recently but couldn't accept him as Alan Bennett, even though he gave a phenomenal performance.

James Fleet and the late Emma Chambers will always be Alice and Hugo from Dibley. And Joanna Page will never not be Stacey. I read recently that she's had to stop acting because of the strong link to G&S and wants to retrain as a sex therapist instead!

John Nettles is an interesting one because I guess it shows your age if you remember him best for Bergerac or Barnaby!

Like Denis Waterman. George Carter, Terry McCann or Gerry Standing.

Wikipedia agrees with me that John Nettles is best known as Bergerac and Barnaby so I guess it's not just us 50-somethings 😁. Looks like Poldark didn't do much to change those years as a policeman.

I dont know who John nettles is at all, which clearly makes me young and hip 🤭😌

Haha, yes, you spring chicken, you! It's true though, that one can show one's age with actors you like. My mum loved Vanessa Redgrave and Clive Swift from the 1960s.

I was once with a group of ladies of different ages who were discussing who was 'their' Robin Hood. One of two were old enough to say Errol Flynn. (It's Richard Greene, of course.)