23 Photos Of Actors In Wildly Different Roles That Show You Just How Much Range They Have

“I literally had chills watching Monster, she was sheer perfection.”

—Mizztina

“Adam Sandler’s serious stuff. He was great in Uncut Gems.”

—agreen1490

“Typically Steve Carell is the quirky, funny, all-around lovable guy, but in this movie his character is dark, intense, and unsettling. He absolutely nailed it.”

—mackir

“At the time The Pursuit of Happyness came out, Smith had played funny, heroic characters. His ability to make me ugly cry during the bathroom scene was incredible.”

—audras40ba7dcb9

“She had a lot of sidekick type roles that didn’t have too much to them in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, Daddy Day Care, and even Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. But Watchmen showed her range. It was such an adrenaline rush watching her perform in that show.”

—cocopa

“He’s normally in a lot of comedic or lighthearted roles like The Devil Wears Prada or Easy A. Even in The Hunger Games his role is eccentric and comedic, but seeing him in The Lovely Bones blew me away. His range from comedic and lovable to creepy, serious, and disgusting is 10 out of 10.”

—Amber R

“Not only is this movie beautiful (and highly underrated), but Ferrell’s portrayal of a buttoned-up IRS agent is so charming and believable that you can’t help but fall in love with him. It’s the first time I ever saw him in a more serious role and like many great comedians, he completely changed my view of him as an actor.”

—eliep2

“They were released in the SAME YEAR. Insane.”

—toiltroublex

“Heath Ledger as the Joker. Some thought it was a horrible casting choice. All it takes is watching the first five minutes of the movie to know that he was without a doubt the right choice.”

—pebbles88

“He’s totally different! He’s genuinely unsettling and scary in that role.”

—ericag476c06e05

“I’d really only seen her in comedies and this was far from that. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role.”

—brienj

“While he’s still funny, he is absolutely terrifying. He plays an ex-Marine who is now a hit man. The pure rage, pain, and agony his character feels is portrayed perfectly. And I know what you’re thinking: Bill Hader? Scary? No way. Oh my gosh, yes way. He keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

—ashtonh46c53b674

“He went from being a Disney kid to portraying one of the most prolific serial killers known to man, and he absolutely murdered the role (no pun intended).”

—emamunat98

“Her Precious performance was amazing.”

—PHM8

“He’d been in a lot of comedies (Neighbors) and family movies (High School Musical), but he crushed it as serial killer Ted Bundy.”

—meganf40b2221cd

“Watch Jason Bateman in Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses, The Change-Up, and other silly comedies, then watch him in Ozark…”

—king_of_the_rats

“He shows incredible range.”

—linzmc

“You know her iconic humorous role as Janis in Mean Girls, but have you seen her in Castle Rock? She plays the unstable and murderous Annie Wilkes and wow. She is unbelievable! Talk about range. From ‘I’ve got a big lesbian crush on you’ to a hallucinating psycho.”

—savannahg4e56476eb

“He was so scary — the best villain on Dexter. I had only known him in silly roles before this. All I could think while watching was, ‘This is the same guy from 3rd Rock from the Sun?!’”

—melp4c5d95b27

“Honestly, Jim Carrey as Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind always struck me as something so poignant and different from everything else he has done. Hard to believe it’s the same actor in Liar Liar.”

—idontknowwhatusernametouse