"I’d Always Thought He Was Just A Rubber-Faced Clown" – 17 Actors That Completely Changed How We See Them With Just One Performance

"I purged my mind of any prior bias about his acting ability."

We can be fairly quick to make our minds up about actors or put them in a specific genre box. However, sometimes, they give us a performance that makes us see them in a completely different light.

HBO

Well, I recently asked the BuzzFeed Community for the role an actor played that changed how we saw them and here are the best responses:

1. Catherine Tate in Doctor Who

BBC One

"I was super against her joining the cast. The last thing I wanted was for her to mimic her character Lauren in The Tardis. But Donna became my favourite companion and was the only reason I could enjoy David Tennant for a whole season."

—matdyjames

Have a look at her performance here:

youtube.com

2. Robin Williams in One Hour Photo

Searchlight Pictures

"Obviously I knew he was great at comedy, but had no idea he could be so sinister! I realised at that moment just how terrific an actor he was. I felt so disturbed after coming out from watching it in the cinema."

—spiffinemz

Have a look here:

youtube.com

3. Chris Evans in Knives Out

Netflix

"Honestly, I just thought he was a superhero actor. I'd seen him in Fantastic Four and then obviously he fronted the MCU as Captain America. But his performance in Knives Out was amazing! The conniving villain was so refreshing to see and it completely changed my mind about him!"

–bendzialdowski  

Watch some of him here:

youtube.com

4. Salma Hayek in Black Mirror

Netflix

"I usually can't stand Salma Hayek. However, she was bloody brilliant in her episode of Black Mirror, 'Joan is Awful'."

—d4979c4387

Take a look here:

youtube.com

5. Tom Hanks in A Man Called Otto

Sony Pictures Releasing

"I always knew Tom Hanks was a terrific actor (duhhh), but personally never liked him until I watched A Man Called Otto. I now love him and am ready to watch his previous movies!"

—arjunvw06

Have a look at him here:

youtube.com

6. Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me

Columbia Pictures

"Reign Over Me was incredibly moving and was brilliantly acted by Adam. It seems to be quite an unknown movie but more people should watch it."

—sajayne

Have a look here:

youtube.com

7. Viggo Mortensen in Green Book

Universal Pictures

"I was always a fan of him in The Lord of the Rings but I was absolutely blown away by his performance in Green Book – I didn't even recognize him! That role really showed his versatility and was just an amazing transformation overall."

—ajb98

Have a look here:

youtube.com

8. Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction

Sony Pictures Releasing

"So many people refuse to watch it the moment they hear his name, but I have to talk them into it. Then they watch it and love it. I genuinely wish he did more films like that, he's actually quite talented."

—matdyjames

Watch the trailer here:

youtube.com

9. Mo’Nique in Precious

Lionsgate

"I'd seen her stand-up, and, while I thought it was good, I never really considered the possibility of her being a good serious actor. Well, I was proved SO wrong by her performance in Precious. The way she portrayed the abusive mother was so real, and she totally deserved her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress!" 

–casualgem30

Watch her performance here:

youtube.com

10. Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine

Searchlight Pictures

"It totally changed my perception of him as an actor."

–ej16

Have a look here:

youtube.com

11. Robert Pattinson in The Batman

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I was completely shocked at how well he played Batman and Bruce Wayne. I used to cringe at the thought of him because I watched 10 minutes of Twilight and he was awful in that movie. Everyone was, really. It's an awful movie franchise."

—harleyq45c312b18

Have a peek here:

youtube.com

12. Ryan Gosling in La La Land

Lionsgate

"One actor who really changed my perspective on movies was Ryan Gosling. Don't get me wrong, I've always loved him but I'd only seen him as a serious and stoic guy after watching Drive but then along came La La Land. 

That instantly changed my mind – I saw a different and more fun-loving side to him. I honestly loved it and it very swiftly bumped him up to one of my favourite actors!!"

—chloexshikamaru

Check him out here:

youtube.com

13. Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Universal Pictures

"I’d always thought he was just a rubber-faced clown until I saw his astonishingly tender, touching performance as Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He finds a sincerity and also an edginess/oddness in his portrayal which is just mesmerising."

—eststar

Have a look here:

youtube.com

14. Robert Pattinson in Good Times

A24

"When he was Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, I was like 'meh, I'm not so sure about this guy'. And then came Twilight, and it's safe to say that didn't do much for my opinion of him.

But the next thing I saw him in was Good Times, and he was so wonderfully raw and gritty, I was honestly taken aback. I purged my mind of any prior bias about his acting ability, and he's gone on to give some amazing performances, particularly in The Lighthouse!"

–bendzialdowski

Watch him here:

youtube.com

15. Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained

Sony Pictures Releasing

"I knew he was a great actor, but he also had his own niche – the pretty, charming, attractive man/boy who's usually the protagonist. Yes, he played it well, but it seemed to be most of his roles once he became an established actor. 

That's why I loved his performance in Django – purely villainous, frightfully evil, and very refreshing from his other roles!"

–casualgem30

Have a look here:

youtube.com

16. Melissa Rauch in The Bronze

Sont Pictures Classics

"I can't stand her character on Big Bang Theory and I didn't like her on True Blood but she is absolutely fantastic in The Bronze. Totally changed my opinion of her."

—harleyq45c312b18

Here's the trailer:

youtube.com

17. Lee Je Hoon in Taxi Driver

SBS TV

"I watched some clips of his previous work like Signal, Time To Hunt, and Move to Heaven and got myself drawn to him slowly and became more curious. So I first started with Taxi Driver and my god he did such an amazing job as Kim Do-Ki! 

His way of going from one persona to another, his compassion and kindness, and his flawless ballerina/gymnast-level fighting skills made me a fan of him even more. Plus, his character Kim Do-Ki is a huge departure from his characters such as Park Hae Young, Jun Seok, or Cho Sang Gu. I don't think anyone else would've portrayed him well other than Je Hoon."

—tanyam44ab2253d

Here's the trailer:

youtube.com

When has an actor completely changed your opinion of them? Let us know in the comments below!