14 Actors Who Look Convincing in Every Role They Play

All of us have probably come across movie characters who looked very familiar, but we couldn’t recall where we knew them from. This usually happens when an actor literally lives their part. And if this is the case, you can recognize them only by some of their facial features or their voice, for example.

At Bright Side, we know and love the actors whose acting skills even allow them to turn into contrasting characters and be truthful playing them.

Gary Oldman

Probably very few people remember Gary Oldman at the beginning of his career. In 1986, he appeared in the role of iconic punk rock musician Sid Vicious in the biopic Sid and Nancy.

6 years later, he tried himself in the role of a charming vampire in the horror movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

In 1994, the biographical movie Immortal Beloved was released, where Oldman portrayed composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Meryl Streep

In the 1987 drama Ironweed, Meryl Streep starred alongside Jack Nicholson and played a former singer.

Fans of 1990s movies definitely know the slightly frightening but funny fantasy movie Death Becomes Her. Here, Meryl Streep plays a beautiful woman who finds a way to stay forever young and also immortal.

In 2014, the musical fantasy movie Into the Woods was released, where the actress played a witch.

Tom Hanks

Perhaps, kind-hearted Forrest Gump is the first character that comes to mind when Tom Hanks is mentioned.

The movie Cast Away is a story about a man who found himself on an uninhabited island and had to survive there. In general, this is the story of a modern Robinson Crusoe.

One of his recent movies is the biographical drama Sully. Here, Hanks plays a pilot who carries out the emergency landing of a plane and becomes a hero, but not for long.

Johnny Depp

Almost every one of Depp’s roles is different from the other. In the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we can see Willy Wonka, the extravagant and sometimes childish owner of the chocolate factory.

Depp appears as dark wizard Grindelwald in the prequel of the Harry Potter film series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

In the drama Minamata, his character is unusually calm and balanced. The movie is based on real events and tells the story of photographer W. Eugene Smith.

Margot Robbie

It’s a rare thing to see the beautiful Margot Robbie with dark hair, but this is exactly what she looks like in the drama Suite Française.

In Tarantino’s movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it’s impossible to take your eyes off of the playful Sharon Tate. The actress literally radiated charm in this role.

Now, Margot Robbie is associated by many people with the comic character Harley Quinn from the movie Birds of Prey.

Jim Carrey

It’s easy to recognize the familiar movements and facial gestures of the infamous green creature in The Grinch from the fantasy comedy released in 2000, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey.

In the movie Me, Myself & Irene, Carrey portrays a person with a split personality.

Another wonderful example of Jim’s unique acting was greedy old Count Olaf in the movie Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Colin Firth

Colin Firth is a real English gentleman full of refinement and charm. He is great in the roles of both good people and villains.

His Mr. Darcy from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries was probably the hero of many girls’ dreams. This role even inspired the author of the novel Bridget Jones’s Diary to create Mr. Darcy’s prototype in her story and give him the same surname.

In the musical comedy Mamma Mia!, he played a British banker who had to try on a bright costume and perform on stage.

In 2018, the screen adaptation of the Mary Poppins book series Mary Poppins Returns was released. This time, Firth played the antagonist, and his acting was brilliant.

Andrew Garfield

Perhaps many people know Garfield by his starring role in The Amazing Spider-Man. But this is definitely not his only successful role.

In the drama Silence, the events take place in 17th-century Japan. The actor portrays a young Italian man who sets out to find his friend who is lost in Japan.

In the comedy-drama Mainstream, Garfield stars alongside Uma Thurman’s daughter Maya Hawke. The main characters create a video blog that becomes very popular.

Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks can often be seen in supporting roles, but this doesn’t mean she doesn’t play various types of characters.

The historical movie Seabiscuit tells us the story of a horse and horse racing. Banks’ character wears beautiful outfits from 1930s America and plays the wife of the main character whose horse participates in the race.

In 2017, the movie Power Rangers, based on the franchise of the same name, was released. The actress appeared in the role of the main villain.

In the series Mrs. America, Banks portrayed a much more modest character, appearing as a feminist activist.

David Tennant

Tennant is famous for his role as the alien Doctor Who in the series of the same name. But, of course, this is not his only successful acting experience.

In the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, the actor appeared as the 16th-century Scottish writer John Knox.

In 2019, Tennant starred alongside Michael Sheen in the series Good Omens and played the charming demon Crawly.

His most frightening role in this selection is dangerous criminal Dennis Nilsen in the series Des.

Benicio del Toro

Young del Toro played a supporting role in the biographical drama Basquiat based on the life of the artist. The actor appeared as the main character’s friend — basketball player Benny Dalmau.

In the superhero movie Guardians of the Galaxy, there are a lot of colorful characters like Groot and a talking raccoon. But even supporting roles were played by famous actors. Benicio del Toro was among them and appeared as the keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species in the galaxy.

The French Dispatch is another visual masterpiece from the movie director Wes Anderson. Benicio del Toro gained some weight and grew a beard to portray an incarcerated artist.

Karen Gillan

Many people may know her by her role as Amy Pond in the series Doctor Who and Ruby Roundhouse in the remake of Jumanji. But she has also demonstrated her transformation skills in other roles.

In the Doctor Who series, she appeared even before she became the doctor’s full-time companion. In the episode The Fires of Pompeii, she played one of the soothsayers.

In Guardians of the Galaxy, mentioned above, the actress played the antagonist Nebula.

The Call of the Wild is an adventure movie about a dog that had to survive the cold of Alaska. The dog’s companion was portrayed by Harrison Ford, and Karen Gillan played a villain.

Karl Urban

Karl Urban’s acting career began in the series Xena: Warrior Princess, where he played 4 roles in different seasons. One of his brightest characters was Xena’s opponent Caesar.

In The Lord of the Rings film series, Urban appeared with light hair as the Rider of Rohan Éomer.

In the 2009 science fiction movie Star Trek, this New Zealand actor played Dr. Leonard McCoy.

Helena Bonham Carter

In the drama The Theory of Flight, Carter played the unusual role of a girl with a physical condition.

Big Fish is a fantasy drama by Tim Burton. Here, the actress plays a nice girl who later becomes a witch.

In the dark musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Helena starred alongside Johnny Depp, in the role of the bakehouse owner — Mrs. Lovett.

Have you seen these movies? Which of these roles impressed you the most?