Typecast — and Lovin' It!
There are some actors (coughOrlando Bloomcough) who repeat the same role over and over again without realizing it. Then there are actors like Paul Giamatti, who's completely aware that his characters are often strikingly similar.
"I suppose I am [typecast] a little bit," muses the New York-born actor, whose latest film, Sideways, hits theaters today. "There's definitely a desperate quality to all of the guys I play. And in the studio films I do, I'm that guy, but a little goofier. I wear a funny hat or get turned blue or something.
"It's weird. I'm either depressed or I'm really aggressive. Some great actor once said that all actors really only have two characters that they play — two basic guys that you play variations on, and that's always what you do. I guess my two guys are Depressed Passive Guy or Psycho Aggressive Guy."
His Sideways character fits neatly into the former category. As Miles, the cynical wine aficionado
Fri, Oct 22, 2004