Embrace your Type!

After watching the brazen comedy Sex Drive last night my friend said to me, “You know, I think my favorite actor in the film is that odd guy who plays Lance. But I don’t know why. He’s just got It.” And I definitely agree. Clark Duke, the actor who plays Lance in Sex Drive, has got It. But what is "It"? What makes us like the slightly pudgy, quirky, smarmy, weird guy over the cute and sweet Josh Zuckerman who plays Ian our hero in the film, or even the steamy James Marsden who plays Ian’s crazy yet cool brother Rex? I think part of the reason is that unnamable je ne sais quoi about a person that Duke definitely carries. Some might call it charisma or charm, some might call it the X factor or karma, but whatever it is, it’s undeniably there. But another very important reason I think Clark Duke seems to have the It is because he embraces his TYPE. Duke’s other notable roles include Dale the dorky religious zealot in the television series Greek, and a fictionalized version of himself in the CBS internet mockumentray Clark & Michael costarring the equally It-endowed actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad , Juno). In all of Duke's roles he doesn’t fight his unconventional look or naturally idiosyncratic qualities, he accepts them and uses them to his advantage. And with this he comes across more real and lovable on camera. We are just drawn to him. Some actors try to deny their type or try to escape it so that they can be what they believe to be a versatile actor. And that's fine, but it does often lead to performances that feel fake and untrue. I understand that actors don't want to play the same role over and over and over. But just look at Duke - while he does embrace his type, he definitely doesn't play the same role over and over. In Greek his plays an uptight, moral Christian, while in Sex Drive we see him as an eccentric and sexy lothario. As in Duke's case, this kind of type-casting can be a wonderful thing. I repeatedly tell my students, "It's great to be type-cast because that means you're being cast!" We'll see if Duke continues to embrace his type in his two upcoming films A Thousand Words starring Eddie Murphy and Kick Ass starring Nicolas Cage... I certainly hope so!
Now check out the poll to the right to let us know what you think about type-casting! For more info on Elisa Eliot and Elisa Eliot's Acting Studio please visit www.elisaeliot.com.