There are certain actors and actresses that seem to have a certain fit when it comes to movies they star in. for example Katherine Heigl is very at home in romantic comedy movies, but at the same time she would not surprise you if she showed up in some kind of thriller. Arnold Schwarzenegger is always a hit with a machine gun in his hand, but again he can go make a comedy movie and it works. Today I am looking at a few actors who have played these very odd roles that really may surprise you when you see them. I am not saying these are all amazing and memorable roles, but they are still kind of odd.
Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates in Psycho (1998)
First of all did Psycho even need a shot by shot remake? Anyway this weird remake of Psycho is not particularly well thought of, but one thing that does make this worth watching is the performance of Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates. Now back in 1998 he was not the star of pretty much every summer buddy comedy that was released. He was an actor trying to find his niche, but before he made us laugh in movies such as Dodgeball, Wedding Crashers, Old School and The Break Up, he played this very odd role. Surprisingly, he fits this role really well and he does make you feel very uneasy the whole time you are watching him.
Betty White as Mrs. Delores Bickerman in Lake Placid (1999)
The Lake Placid series is a huge guilty pleasure of mine and the first movie in the series about a large prehistoric crocodile that is terrorizing a small lake town is a riot from start to finish. The movie has memorable roles from the likes of Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman and Oliver Platt, but its Betty White’s role that is very surprising. These days, Betty White is seen as cool again thanks to people being on a nostalgia kick, but back in 1999 casting her as what really, now some spoilers here people! as pretty much the villain of the movie was really surprising. How can lovely Betty White be a woman who killed her husband and has been looking after a killer crocodile? It actually works and she is just fantastic in the role.
Michael Madsen as Glen Greenwood in Free Willy (1993)
These days if you want an actor to play a deranged killer who can terrorize victims with his gravelly voice then you go for Michael Madsen. Or if you want a hard as nails cop with a chip on his shoulder then you hire Michael Madsen. You want a tough guy with an intimidating voice you hire Michael Madsen. You get the point I am trying to make here? Michael Madsen is a tough looking guy with a tough guy voice. But in 1993 he plays the role of loving and supportive father in the movieFree Willy. A movie about a young boy wanting to save a whale from being killed. You keep expecting Michael Madsen to turn and be the guy who wants to kill the whale, but nope, he is just an all-round great guy in this movie!
Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris in Horrible Bosses (2011)
Horrible Bosses is a riot of a comedy movie about a group of three guys who are sick of being abused by their bosses. The Horrible Bosses in the movie are Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and surprisingly Jennifer Aniston. Now before the movie you totally buy Spacey and Farrell as two jerk bosses, but Jennifer Aniston really is the star of the show here. She plays a mean, sex hungry boss who sexually abuses her assistant Dale and makes his life very uncomfortable. It’s a far cry from the rom coms that she is normally in and she plays the role of Horrible Boss very well.