9 actors who brilliantly played several roles in the same film
The work of an actor is ultimately to play someone else, so it’s not surprising for an actor to split roles in a movie. But when it comes to taking on the personalities of several individuals in the same film, in other words to switch off between the appearances, personalities, functions, and lines of several people, it’s true artistic talent and one has to really be a good actor to pull it off.
The nine following actors showed their versatility, and their art, and you can be sure that they have a true gift. Check out their performances...
1. Cate Blanchett in Manifesto
Cate Blanchett certainly knows how to divide herself up in the movies she plays! It may seem impossible, but in Manifesto, the actress took on the roles of no fewer than 13 characters! The pictures above show her as a news anchor, a rock girl, a hobo, and a ballet mistress, but she also played a housewife, a widow, and 7 other parts of the film. It’s enough to make your head spin. Certainly, in order to go from one character to another it took a lot of concentration and makeup. The 4 transformations above are amazing alone.
2. Tom Hanks in Cloud Atlas
The great Tom Hanks brilliantly took on 6 different characters in this film by David Mitchell, which takes place over 5 centuries, during which the individuals are reincarnated. Again, it’s the job of a top-rate actor, and there's no doubt that it took many many hours of make-up.
3. Hugo Weaving in Cloud Atlas
In the same movie, Hugo Weaving played all the bad guys, including the role of a woman.
4. Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember
(C) Warner Bros./ New Line Cinema
Everyone remembers the hilarious metamorphoses of Mike Myers in Goldmember. Perhaps they have exhausted all his talents as an actor, because since The Cat in the Hat, we’ve missed this wacky actor!
5. Cheech Marin in From Dusk till Dawn
In this Tarantino cult film, alongside George Clooney, Cheech Marin plays three distinct roles. This Mexican-American actor is not very well known in the rest of the world, because he specializes in Latin humor. He has played in many films in North America, which explains why Tarantino trusted him with these roles.
6. Eddie Murphy in Norbit
Eddie Murphy always has fun getting into new characters. Prior to this, he entertained us with his gift for playing multiple roles in The Nutty Professor and Coming to America. He continues the trend in Norbit, even going so far as to play a Chinese man and a fat lady! His specialty may not be subtlety – on the contrary, Eddie Murphy loves making funny characters, but the results speak for themselves!
7. Noomi Rapace in Seven Sisters
Here, the Swedish actress plays 7 sisters born the same day in a futuristic society that only allows one child per family. As their father decided to keep their births a secret, the girls have to limit going out to one day per week, the day they’re named after. The story gets complicated when Monday disappears... Since Noomi Rapace had to play septuplets, the hardest part wasn’t changing the physical appearances of the girls, but more on differentiating their personalities.
8. Ralph Fiennes in Sunshine
The actor, known worldwide for his role in Schindler's List, introduces us to the story of 4 generations of Hungarian Jews living through all the great historical moments of the 19th and 20th centuries, each in his own way. Ralph Fiennes plays the 4 main characters with brilliance.
9. James McAvoy in Split
This movie is about multiple personalities, and James McAvoy plays host to a lot of them. We only see seven of them in the film: Dennis, Patricia, Hedwig, Beast, Barry, Orwell, and Jade. It’s not easy to play the same person with so many personalities, but the actor got excellent reviews for his performance.
Photo credits: Bayerischer Rundfunk
Source: BrightSide
By Straker Julia
Writer
Passionate about writing, I write articles on the subjects that I love. Creativity and Animals themes are my favorites!
