8 Actors Who Unexpectedly And Brilliantly Played Against Type
6. Robin Williams As Sy Parrish (One Hour Photo)
Its nigh on impossible to talk about actors playing against type without mentioning the late, great Robin Williams. Having built a career on playing affable, if slightly odd characters, many of us grew up seeing him as a sort of wacky but kindly uncle. Sure, when he was firing on all cylinders, his manic side could be a little overwhelming, but the man could never really be actively scary. He was the Genie of the lamp, for goodness sake! And then along came Sy Parrish in One Hour Photo. At first, this mild-mannered technician, working diligently in his photo lab, seems like a sympathetic character tragically lonely and obsessed with his job perfectly. However, what seems like a deep love for his trade and a desire only to please his customers turns into an obsession with a young family, whom he imagines himself as part of. When he discovers that their life is far from picture perfect, something fundamental in Sy breaks and his affection for the family patriarch quickly turns to hatred. The fire that Williams was so well known for is still there in this role, only now its reined in, burning behind his eyes instead of blasting out in all directions. Its been said that natural comedic actors often make for the best dramatic actors; this performance would seem to suggest theres a lot of truth in that.
