When performers are "known" for a particular performance or type of character, it's easy to brush them off as someone whose work you don't like. So you just don't watch most of the rest of their stuff, going about your life not even thinking about them.
Sometimes, that same actor turns out a performance that shakes up everything you thought you thought about them - and honestly it's one of my favorite things to happen. Having a performance show you someone in a totally different light opens up whole new worlds for you!
Reddit user HollynMagruder asked:
What role caused you to sit up and realize you underestimated an actor? And why?
So let's talk about those performances - the ones that shake up preconceptions, shake off old reputations, and flat out change people's minds.
Not Edward
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"Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse. Going toe to toe with Willem Defoe is no small feat. Especially with no other supporting cast." - Justice-Gorsch
"Robert Pattinson is a treasure of an actor. Ignore the Twilight sh*t (or not if that's your thing) but what really turned me over to his work was Lost City of Z. I know it wasn't a huge part but it was that moment that I saw him and said 'That's the dude from Twilight?' " - NyetRifleIsFine47
"Came to say Robert as well, for me it was "Remember Me". I never saw Twilight but thought the role reflected his skill so wrote him off. I'm really excited for the new Batman." - Bolteus
"Aw, yeh...totally. Check out "The Devil All the Time". He was postively Earth shattering in that." - planetstarbux
"Just" Sketch Show Comedians
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"Bryan Cranston and Bob Odenkirk both blew me away in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, I previously thought of them as "just" sitcom/sketch show comedians but they did an amazing job there" - cunacademy
"I think it's a lot easier to go from comedy to drama than vice versa. A good comedian is usually trying to make light of some great pains." - tmmzc85
"I saw Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul and then I saw him in the Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job. I was both in belief and disbelief. Just an astounding actor." - spicedshrub
Scared Of Her
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"Mo'Nique in Precious. I always loved her comedy and was curious to see her to a serious role. After watching it, I was actually afraid of her, not just the character." - xandrenia
Well Alright
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"Matthew McConaughey in True Detective. He was always in such lame romcoms, I didn't think he had it in him." - parodyofsincerity
"I thought his performance in Interstellar was absolutely amazing and heartbreaking." - jokiccheeseburgerclub
"Dallas Buyer's Club was even more of a revelation. Such a complex and conflicted character." - Robmox
"Do yourself a favor and watch his closing argument in A Time to Kill. He's incredible there." - AnnieAbattoir
"That Guy Can Really Act"
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"Bill Hader in Barry (the TV series). I was just used to seeing him as a funny man on SNL but damn that guy can really act." - greentofu402
"This was my answer too! Also, if you haven't seen Skeleton Twins, he's great in that as well. And Kirsten Wiig is amazing in it."
"I feel like comedians usually get underestimated, but honestly I think being genuinely funny and good at comedy (especially sketch comedy) is really difficult and it's probably easier for an actor who can do that well to also do drama well, whereas I feel like dramatic actors might have a harder time nailing comedy." - knm20
"The thing is that I didn't even think he was funny before! Barry was a real surprise." - SeniorBeing
Steve
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"Steve Carrel in Fox Catcher and the Big Short, never knew he could make anything other than comedy (which he did pretty well)" - MuchCommittee_9355
"The Way Way Back made me really fall in love with Steve as an actor, because of how much I despised him in that movie."
"He plays that role with perfection. It's a movie that stays with you a long time after watching it." - thenutcracker_78
"I didn't even realize it was Steve Carrel in Fox Catcher until like halfway through the movie, because he walked, talked, and just overall acted different than other roles."
"I just thought 'huh, I wonder who that actor is, he looks so much like Steve Carrel! Wait... Man the resemblance is uncanny... Oh sh*t hold up thats him!' " - sSommy
Heath's Joker
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"Heath Ledger as the Joker. I really didn't enjoy his previous rom coms and I didn't find anything particularly amazing about his performances in them."
"So I was completely blown away by him in the dark knight (?). Like glued to the screen, utterly mesmerized by how compelling he made that character." - AnnieAbattoir
"Came to post this. He was a b-class pretty boy, although I did enjoy A Knights Tale."
"But specifically because of his casting as the joker, I had super low expectations for the Dark Knight and then HOLY F*CK IT WAS THE BEST BATMAN MOVIE EVER MADE and a huge part of that was Heath Ledger absolutely stunting the role in a way we'd never seen on the screen before" - Method8888
Split
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"James McAvoy, Split. I liked him but didn't know how brilliant he was until Split." - charlie_wonka
"My wife and I have always enjoyed movies with him, but when we saw Split, we were both just slack jawed the entire time. He should have won an Oscar for that role." - Frankensteins_Friend
A Strawberry In A Bald Cap
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"Elizabeth Olson in Marvel movies because she really had to look tenderly and cry over a man who, behind the scenes, was dressed like a strawberry in a bald cap without laughing." - Loaf-Memes
"Oh yes, she totally knocked out out of the park in Wandavision. Not only in the early episodes, playing the perfect 50s/onwards housewife, but then all the later episodes as the reality and reasons for it all become clear." - Suisanahta
Mayfield
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"Bill Burr in his second appearance as Mayfeld on the Mandalorian. Motherf*cker can act."
"Mayfeld's initial nonchalance and flippancy towards his situation, the Empire, everything, shown to be nothing more than his shield against the trauma he endured, the PTSD he still suffers from, thanks to Operation Cinder."
"And that moment where the facade cracks in the face of the stark reality that it could happen again, confronted by a man who is the personification of everything Mayfeld thought he was too jaded to hate. And all conveyed with tone of voice and mannerisms. F*cking blew me away." - Peregrine2976
Tombstone Should Have Been Called Doc Holiday
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"While Val Kilmer was a 'good' actor, when I went to watch Tombstone and saw he was playing Doc Holiday, I almost turned it off."
"I told myself 'he can't play Doc!' I thought for sure he didn't have the chops. By the time the movie was over I was screaming that they should have called it Doc Holiday!" - ecdolphins
Generic White Actress
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"Emma Stone in Cruella. I've disliked her for so many years (always thought she was just kind of a generic white actress) but she was absolutely incredible in Cruella" - EssenceOfEspresso
Now that you've seen what Reddit has to say, it's your turn. What performances absolutely blew your mind and changed how you saw someone?
The dogs owner shared the video along with a post asking professionals to shed some light on why he does what he does.
Owner-obliviousness as they gushed about how adorable it was made the awkward even better.
The owner explained the Frenchie often makes aggressive eye contact and licks his lips while he "plays air guitar"—which is what the family calls it—and how cute & funny they all find the behavior.
GiphyThe video was the dog, casually chilling, using his paw to rub the tip of his penis while staring awkwardly at the camera and licking his lips like a pup possessed.
Three hundred and fifteen laugh-reacts—at the time that I saw it—and only three comments:
1. a vet explaining that the behavior showed in the video was the dog masturbating while making direct eye contact
2. the owner giving a simple "thank you" and
3. the admins of the group closing the comments.
So, why am I sharing this with you?
Because Reddit user Drakmamman asked:
"Dog owners of reddit, what the dog doin?"
... and so now you get this whole article just so I had an excuse to tell y'all about a furiously fapping Frenchie, 'cause somebody else needed to know about him.
I cackled for a good 20 minutes imagining the family getting all giddy about their dog "playing air guitar"—making the little air guitar meedly squeedly noises while he played, maybe even playing along thinking they're enjoying a fun little game—but they're really just been giving a hair metal soundtrack to their dogs stroke sesh.
Something tells me now the owner knows what "air guitar" really is, they're not likely to rush and tell Reddit all about how they've been gathering as a family to watch cause it's just so cute.
That's what I'm here for.
Anyway, here's the stuff other people's dogs are up to. It's not fapping—or if it is, the owners aren't telling Reddit.
Partner Preference
Giphy"Wife just came home with the baby. Dog is acting like she's been abandoned for years running up and down, barking and jumping on everything."
"They'd only been out an hour and I was with her the whole time." - Single_Goose7015
"My dog does this too when my wife comes home. Like what am I, chopped liver?" - jackof47trades
"I feel your pain. My dog started howling mournfully when my partner went back to work last week… I was right there!" - TreatOutside
"Staring at the door waiting for the only human he cares about to come home (obviously not me)" - SnarkyRedhead
Herding Cats
Giphy"Probably trying to herd the cats."
"He's a border collie mix who's afraid of goats and sheep, but even after six years of living with them he still thinks he can control where the cats go."
"He's a good boy, he's very persistent, but not terribly bright sometimes." - TokesNotHigh
"After 8 years our border collie still herds the cats, and the vacuum." - psychologicaluse28
"Big heart, small brain. I have one of those dogs too. They are the sweetest." - Technobucket
Wretched Existence
Giphy"She has flung herself flat across the bed and is playing dead, quiet except for the occasional pitiful whine. Every now and then she lifts her head up and fixes a desperate look upon me, silently begging for release from her wretched existence."
"She's a bit overdramatic about having to wear a cone. The issue is an abrasion on a toe that she won't stop licking, which is making it worse."
"I've been alternating between bandaging it and having her wear a cone. She's been consistently a drama queen." - halfinboxes
One Hour
Giphy"Staring at me because their dinner time is in one hour and they need to start letting me know that, in an hour, they need to eat...in an hour, so I better not forget...cuz they're hungry, which is why they're staring at me...and it's almost dinner time."
"Just one more hour, And they want to make sure I don't forget. Because maybe I will."
"So, they need to remind me. By staring at me. Every day. One hour before dinner." - MotherOfFred
A Little "Light" Exercise
Giphy"Mine loves light reflected off watches or phones. And loves lasers."
"It's sunny and he sees light on the wall so he is bothering me to use my watch or phone so he can chase the light. I've spent the last hour doing it."
"I even got him a cat laser toy that's automatic for him and he runs himself tired as all hell with it. But he is STILL asking for it."
"Used the laser toy also too, so he is panting dripping tongue and still wants to play more..." - boomgoon
Vicious Predators
Giphy"Last night my dogs chased down and killed a rabbit in the backyard. They are usually so gentle; this was weird and unexpected."
"I watched the whole thing helpless because it was so fast. The rabbit screamed, it was insane."
"Now, I'm watching them sleep on my couch and can't help but think they just murdered someone."
"They are just vicious predators, right here, in my house. On my couch."
"But they snuggly as f*ck. This trips me out." - Atheist_Redditor
A Problematic Princess
Giphy"We have two chihuahuas. One is a 15 year old (quite appropriately) named Princess and one is a one year old named Charlie."
"Both have their own dog beds on the couch since they are spoiled."
"When Princess is feeling particularly moody or like asserting her dominance, she will drag Charlie's bed into her bed and lay on top of BOTH of them and snarl at him if he comes close to her personal space bubble/bed mountain."
"And when we tell her she can't have both beds and put his bed back to the side, she just glares at us. Lol." - mslm90
Shoe-nanigans
Giphy"She's currently in her cage resting after her great adventure."
"She managed to get upstairs and grab a hold of one of my shoes. Not just any old shoe, but one of the shoes I am planning to wear this weekend for my wedding."
"After running around, she dropped the shoe to chew on a shirt - at which point she was cornered, and then brought downstairs."
"Pup and shoe are both unharmed and doing well. My nerves, not so much." - still_interesting23
So ... what's YOUR dog been up to lately?
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