10 Amazing Roles That Saved Typecast Actors

2. Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwQ0IL2_UIQ By 2008, I had pretty much given up on Matthew McConaughey to do anything good; the guy seemed perfectly content playing the chilled out, laid back guy in just about everything, and then he finally seemed to decide that he wanted to make good movies, and has been on a roll ever since. There's one performance above all else that made people sit up and pay attention, though, and that's his sublimely creepy role as Killer Joe Cooper in William Friedkin's superbly disturbing southern film noir. It's a genius bit of casting, because it takes that suave, romantic quality McConaughey is known for, and turns it on his head; he uses it to become a pervasive sexual deviant, getting his hooks into young Dottie (Juno Temple). If you ever thought McConaughey didn't have range, check out the infamous fried chicken scene from the film above, where Joe forces a bloodied Gina Gershon to...you'll see... Needless to say, McConaughey's been on a career high ever since, with films like Magic Mike and Bernie bringing him huge acclaim. Plus, he's just finished wrapping AIDS drama Dallas Buyers' Club, and is working on Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street.