For a dramatic actor, the hardest challenge is not an emotional, intense scene filled with drama and passion. No, the hardest challenge for a dramatic actor is making an audience laugh. It has always been an easier transition for an actor to go from comedy to drama because of how thin the line is between comedy and tragedy. For a dramatic actor however, comedic timing is a skill that takes time and effort to perfect which can be a daunting task for any actor. There is a commonality between all the performances on this list. Each actor on this list seemingly approached their roles as if performing in a drama and thus drawing much comedic fodder for the material. Without further ado, here are the top ten comedic performances by serious actors.
10. Christian Bale - American Psycho
There is going to be a debate about whether or not American Psycho should even be considered a comedy. But coming from the mind of Bret Easton Ellis, who was able to bring stark satire in his tales of 80s Yuppie drug culture, the script was the perfect fodder for Bale to give a breakout performance during his transition from child star to adult actor. His performance as Patrick Bateman is the perfect construct of humor within sadism. Bateman was a character indicative of the Yuppie mindset and the undercurrent of anger underneath. It takes a perverse person to work in that culture and Bale provides that bubbling fear, anger, and jealousy. And from there brings a darkly comic character. Before he brutally mutilates his victims, he gives a monologue about how underrated Huey Lewis and the New are, which also provided for the best comic improvisation of the film in which Bale moonwalks across the room with an axe. Take a look at the best scene of the film in which his character receives some business cards. American Psycho is indeed a black comedy.