History Main / IAmNotLeonardNimoy

* At one point, Creator/JenniferAniston wanted to appear on one of her favorite shows, ''Series/TwentyFour''. The producers refused, saying that she was so well-known, it would kill the effect, instead of seeing the character, they'd see Jennifer. This may be averted with her exceedingly PlayingAgainstType role in ''Film/HorribleBosses''. She also won critical acclaim for her dramatic role in ''Cake'' and many were insisting that she win an Oscar for it. She had shown earlier that she could disappear into a role that didn't cater to typecasting in ''Film/TheGoodGirl''.

* Creator/MeganFox became such an iconic sex symbol in the 2000s that she experienced this. It was partially enforced by the wishes of her husband, as Megan reportedly wanted to move past the generic MsFanservice parts and go against type, but they [[MoneyDearBoy needed the money]]. As a result, her casting as April O'Neal in ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'' was met with uproar. The fanbase is split down the middle as to whether she did a good job or April was turned into a "Megan Fox character". It doesn't help that even before her StarMakingRole in the ''Transformers'' films, her roles were usually as {{Alpha Bitch}}es or the BrainlessBeauty. That being said, her character in ''Film/JennifersBody'' has been [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluated as time has gone on]] to be seen as a more nuanced take on the typical Megan Fox character (fittingly enough, some attribute the film flopping to people being promised another Megan Fox hottie [[MisaimedMarketing by advertising]] and getting annoyed when the film didn't deliver).

'''Important Notice:''' On these trope pages, please try to avoid saying, for example, "Creator/JeffGoldblum's character" instead of the character's actual name. It's usually very easy to find the character names if you're unfamiliar or can't remember by going onto the actual work page to double-check.

* Creator/KeanuReeves. "Whoa, dude." Also inverted: for some time he apparently worried that his tombstone was inevitably going to read "Here Lies [[Film/BillAndTed Ted]]." Then there was ''Film/TheMatrix'' and ''Franchise/JohnWick''.

'''Important Notice:''' Please try to avoid doing this on trope pages by saying, for example, "Creator/JeffGoldblum's character" instead of the character's actual name. It's usually very easy to find the character names if you're unfamiliar or can't remember by going onto the actual work page to double-check.

** Put this way: Does anybody remember the names of the actual characters he played in any of his movies? Every character is ''just'' "Bruce Lee". It's hard to stand out when you're played by what many consider to be [[WorldsBestWarrior the greatest martial artist to have ever lived]].

Sometimes an actor is so iconic, famous, or interesting that their celebrity casts a shadow over the roles they play. That's not Film/{{Hancock}} in skin-tight leather flying around saving people; that's Creator/WillSmith! In ''Film/{{Hitch}}'', that's Will Smith giving dating advice. ''Film/IndependenceDay'' has Will Smith as a fighter pilot! Audiences are unable to commit to a [[{{Pun}} Willing]] [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief Suspension of Disbelief]] and simply see the actor on screen rather than the character.

* Creator/SeanConnery was always Sean Connery, mostly due to him NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent. It didn't matter if he was playing Film/JamesBond, [[Film/TheUntouchables1987 an Irish cop]] in [[TheRoaringTwenties prohibition-era]] UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, [[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober a Lithuanian submarine captain in the Soviet Navy]], an [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade American history professor]], a freaking ''[[Film/{{Highlander}} Spaniard]]''[[note]]"I'm not Spanish, I'm Egyptian!"[[/note]], or even someone who was evidently as American as apple pie, he [[FunetikAksent shtill had that shignature Shcottish brogue]]. Most other Bond actors were not so lucky, succumbing to [[IAmNotSpock the opposite trope]].

** [[http://www.the-editing-room.com/v-for-vendetta.html The Editing Room]] justifies this by pointing out that Stephen [[MetaCasting pretty much plays the role of "Stephen Fry"]] in Film/VForVendetta:
-->'''Stephen Fry''':[[spoiler:My role in this film as a gay, intelligent man with a sense of humor and appreciation for high culture is a real stretch for me.]]

* Creator/HilaryDuff in her early 2000s popularity was always a CoolLoser who was still beautiful enough to be desirable, wholesome enough to be a role model and not too perfect to be relatable. Basically variations of her StarMakingRole in ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' (and even Lizzie was tweaked in the second season to become a much more wholesome character). As pointed out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfaXcf9Ox7o here]], her roles in ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', ''Film/ACinderellaStory'', ''Cadet Kelly'', ''The Perfect Man'' and ''Film/MaterialGirls'' were all interchangeable so as to fit the TeenIdol persona. As her fan base grew up and without the pressures of maintaining her role model status, she was able to play against type in ''Film/WarInc'', ''Series/GossipGirl'' and ''According to Geta''. That being said, she's still seen as just an older version of her 2000s persona. The Huffington Post put it best in an article:

* Creator/JohnWayne was famous for "playing himself" in almost all of his films. His personality was so larger than life that his characters were ultimately just different names for the same man in different circumstances. Wayne himself admitted as much, though he did at least find his role as Ethan Edwards in ''Film/TheSearchers'' so unique that he named his son after the character. When Wayne tried to branch out too far, such as by [[WTHCastingAgency playing Genghis Khan]] in ''Film/TheConqueror'', the results were predictably disastrous (although filming near the Nevada Test Site and getting dusted with radioactive fallout certainly didn't help).

* Sir Creator/ChristopherLee fell into this a bit, due to being 6'5" and having a noticeably deep voice. If he wasn't Dracula, he was Frankenstein's Monster, or Death, or Film/TheMummy, or Fu Manchu, or a comic book supervillain, or [[Franchise/LordOfTheRings a once-noble wizard who was corrupted by the]] BigBad, or a [[Film/AttackOfTheClones once-noble wizard]] [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith who was corrupted by the]] BigBad In Space! You get the idea. And if he's playing a good guy, except him to [[Film/{{Hugo}} be]] [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory gruff]] [[Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheDeadlyNecklace but]] [[Film/ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes ultimately]] [[Literature/TheColourOfMagic kind-hearted.]]

* As it says at the top, Creator/WillSmith. Back in the mid to late 90's, he was the same smooth-talking [[TheCasanova ladies' man]]-slash-flippant, snarky action hero, always locked and loaded with an [[CatchPhrase "Aw, hell naw"]] at the ready to take down [[Film/IndependenceDay giant ships]], [[Film/MenInBlack giant bugs]] or [[Film/WildWildWest giant spiders]]. He's expanded post-millenium to more serious dramas but all that means is he's now seen by fans as 'Will Smith acting really well'.

* Creator/MrT shall always be Mr. T, [[CatchPhrase fool]]!

* Creator/DwayneJohnson, aka [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]]. Most of his on-screen characters are just toned down versions of The Rock character. [[Film/TheMummyReturns The Scorpion King]] is the lone exception though, around the time he got his own movie, he was a bit more in line with The Rock. This trope is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Film/{{Rampage}}'' when his character uses American Sign Language to communicate with George the gorilla -- the sign he uses to refer to himself is "rock".

* Creator/JeffGoldblum is another. Whether he's [[Film/JurassicPark running from dinosaurs]], [[Film/IndependenceDay hacking alien computers]], or [[Film/TheFly turning into a fly]], people still identify him as Jeff Goldblum.

* While pretty much no one can complain about his performance, several people lamented the fact that having Creator/JKSimmons voice Cave Johnson in ''VideoGame/Portal2'' had the drawback of making it pretty much impossible to picture someone other than Simmons saying those lines, regardless of all the portraits of Johnson lying around. Simmons in general falls into this as well. Unless it's [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy J. Jonah Jameson]] (a role so iconic he reprised it in [[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 a cartoon]] [[spoiler:[[Film/MCUSpiderManTrilogy and an entirely separate movie franchise]].]]), you're not going to bother learning his character's name.

* Sir Creator/ChristopherLee fell into this a bit, due to being around seven feet tall (well, actually 6' 5", which is still really tall) and having a BadassBaritone. If he wasn't Dracula, he was Frankenstein's Monster, or Death, or Film/TheMummy, or Fu Manchu, or a comic book supervillain, or [[Franchise/LordOfTheRings a once-noble wizard who was corrupted by the]] BigBad, or a [[Film/AttackOfTheClones once-noble wizard]] [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith who was corrupted by the]] BigBad In Space! You get the idea. And if he's playing a good guy, except him to [[Film/{{Hugo}} be]] [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory gruff]] [[Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheDeadlyNecklace but]] [[Film/ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes ultimately]] [[Literature/TheColourOfMagic kind-hearted.]]

Sometimes an actor is so iconic, famous, or interesting that their celebrity casts a shadow over the roles they play. That's not Film/{{Hancock}} in skin-tight leather flying around saving people; that's Creator/WillSmith! In ''Film/{{Hitch}}'', that's Will Smith giving dating advice. ''Film/IndependenceDay'' has Will Smith as a fighter pilot! Audiences are unable to commit to a [[IncrediblyLamePun Willing]] [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief Suspension of Disbelief]] and simply see the actor on screen rather than the character.

->''"And yeah, that's what I'm calling him. I know the character has a name, but fuck it, you're never going to call him that, you're just going to call him "Creator/WillSmith fish."''

* Creator/SamuelLJackson is generally perceived to be [[MemeticBadass "Samuel L. Motherfuckin' Jackson"]] in any role he played after ''Film/PulpFiction''. Even as a motherfuckin' ''Jedi'', he was ''still'' Samuel L. Jackson, [[FullNameBasis and yes, the "L" is important]]. [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/109/ As]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/373/ shown]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/396/ here.]] That said, certain roles like [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Nick Fury]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Frozone]] are equally well-known as both characters and Jackson roles (though Fury isn't helped by the fact that the "Ultimate" version of the character, upon which the MCU version was based, was ''deliberately'' made to look like him, with comic book-fan Jackson's permission).

* Creator/DakotaFanning is always Dakota Fanning. Creator/TomCruise being in this trope as well had a weird effect on ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. Essentially, the central characters are Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, and [[IAmNotSpock Robbie]]. And while everyone else in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' is in IAmNotSpock mode, Jane might just as well be named Evil Dakota Fanning.

** Creator/DavidSpade, ''especially'' in works like ''Film/JoeDirt'' and ''Series/JustShootMe''. You might as well just replace on the cast-list "Finch" with "AsHimself".

* Creator/RobinWilliams, with the exceptions of ''Film/OneHourPhoto'', ''Insomnia'', ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', and probably [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} The Genie]]. Although even in his SVU appearance, his penchant for doing funny voices ''is specifically made into a plot point''.

* Creator/RobSchneider is... [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark a carrot!]]

* Voice Acting Example: Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Literature/{{Baccano}} a newspaper editor]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Anime/CodeGeass the Emperor of Britannia]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh a flying cat.. alien... thing... that may or may not be Santa Claus]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove a vacuum cleaner]]. The only role of his that completely escapes this is [[Franchise/DragonBall Cell]], and that's partly due to the dub being more well-known internationally and Dameon Clarke being pretty iconic in the role.

* Look! It's Owen Wilson as a spy! Check it out, Owen Wilson as a Cowboy/Cop/Model/[[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} Racecar]]/Pseudo Sergeant! Occasionally averted, since he is rounded enough to play other roles; he just doesn't very often.

* Voice Acting Example: Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} a newspaper editor]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Anime/CodeGeass the Emperor of Britannia]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh a flying cat.. alien... thing... that may or may not be Santa Claus]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove a vacuum cleaner]]. The only role of his that completely escapes this is [[Franchise/DragonBall Cell]], and that's partly due to the dub being more well-known internationally and Dameon Clarke being pretty iconic in the role.

* Creator/AyaHirano is so popular for her voice acting roles in anime (e.g. ''Manga/DeathNote'', ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', ''Manga/FairyTail'', ''Manga/LuckyStar'') that her characters don't have their voices, it is always she who is speaking.

* Creator/SarahMichelleGellar. Although she's done other work, including situational comedy, she only really has a single character; a greater or less intense version of the ActionGirl she played in ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}''. Also, people who know Gellar personally have said that when she acts, she's often just playing herself in a costume. An aversion seems to be her role in ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', where she plays a former teen beauty queen who ends up as a DistressedDamsel (though it's considered an underrated performance from her).