10 Unusual Film Roles That Helped Actors Avoid Being Typecast

9. Steve Carell - The Way Way Back

When you think of the types of roles that Steve Carell normally plays, you probably think of a well-meaning guy who has the potential to come off as a little bit of knob. Someone who just can't stop putting their foot into their mouth, but he's not unlikeable, because all of his little social faux pas are never intentional. Michael Scott is an idiot, of course, but he's not a bad person. So what's really odd is when you see Steve Carell in a role where he's asked to be just that -- a genuinely bad person. The Way Way Back is the story of a young man named Duncan, who's on summer holiday with his mother and the man she's dating, Trent, played by Steve Carell. He's just one of those men who has your teeth perpetually on edge, because he says and does things that are so tremendously hurtful and doesn't even seem to care. He's rude and dismissive to both the boy and his mother, in ways that make you wonder what the hell she's even doing with him. He goes so far as to tell Duncan that he's a three out of ten, which is of course the perfect thing to say to a self-conscious 15-year-old boy, and during an argument says that the only reason Duncan is with them is because his father doesn't want him. Charming. But in the end, his performance is jarring in a good way -- we learn that nice guy Steve Carell can actually play a macho jerk. Who knew?