History Main / ButIPlayOneOnTV

* This is the reason that Creator/JeanBoht decided she could not continue playing Nelly Boswell on the sitcom ''Series/{{Bread}}''. The show was set in Liverpool, where she lived, and many people confused her with the character. She said people have had arguments with her over her fictional TV family and how she treated them, and cab drivers not taking her because of the programme.

->''"The line between fantasy and reality has been put in a wrist lock and ripped out of its socket. There is now a reality show about Creator/StevenSeagal being an actual policeman. Without a doubt, this idea is as incredible as it is insane. All that time we watched him play a cop, he was training to be a real cop. I can only hope all that time I spent watching ''Series/{{Wonder Woman|1975}}'' was training Creator/LyndaCarter to give me handjobs."''

* IAmNotShazam, which refers to the confusion of a character with the ''title'' of a work or with the character's CatchPhrase.

** This has happened more than once to Creator/RichardBelzer, due to Detective JustForFun/JohnMunch's [[CharacterOverlap wide range of appearances]].

* According to Creator/LaurenceFishburne, it took a few years for women to stop giving him the evil eye after playing [[DomesticAbuse Ike Turner]] in ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt''.

* With the release of the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' film adaptation, it seems a number of young fangirls have confused actor Creator/RobertPattinson with his character Edward Cullen. According to the ''[[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/movies/17twil.html?_r=1 New York Times]]'' one girl, seeing him at the Apple store in [=SoHo=], asked him to bite her.

* A similar story was told by Music/SelenaGomez. A young fan came up to her and asked, "Alex? Is the magic real?" She asked him, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "Do you believe it's real?"]] He replied, almost crying, "Yes, I do believe it's real." She smiled and said, "That's all that matters."

* UsefulNotes/VolodymyrZelenskyy, who played the President of Ukraine in Series/ServantOfThePeople, ran for the actual Ukrainian presidency in 2019 and won in a landslide. He even ran under the "Servant of the People" party!

* UsefulNotes/VolodymyrZelensky, who played the President of Ukraine in Series/ServantOfThePeople, ran for the actual Ukrainian presidency in 2019 and won in a landslide. He even ran under the "Servant of the People" party!

* Volodymyr Zelensky, who played the President of Ukraine in Series/ServantOfThePeople, ran for the actual Ukrainian presidency in 2019 and won in a landslide. He even ran under the "Servant of the People" party!

** Some people confuse Creator/JackGleeson for the detestable [[TheCaligula King Joffrey, Worst of His Name]], sometimes even to the point of harassment. Gleeson's real-life personality couldn't more strongly contrast with Joffrey.
---> '''Creator/GeorgeRRMartin''' : ''"Congratulations on your marvelous performance, everyone hates you."''

* This trope is the reason why a lot of BDSM porn ends with an interview segment with the sub, to assure the audience that yes, the scene was consensual and they didn't just kidnap someone off the street. This may seem unnecessary, especially if the sub is a well-known porn star (and most viewers tend to... finish before the interview even begins), but some jurisdictions ''legally require'' such clarity in an effort to curb sex trafficking.

* There are actually people who think Creator/StephenColbert really is that much of a [[StrawmanPolitical conservative whackadoo]], including the organizers (and attendees) of the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, who were, needless to say, relatively shocked when they found out otherwise. (Though apparently ''not'' George W. Bush, given the opening act.)

* Mia Kirshner told a story about how once when she was with some friends in a club in Vancouver, another girl came up to her and said "I hope you die." Presumably she was talking about [[TheScrappy Jenny Schecter]] from ''Series/TheLWord''. Mia Kirshner however would have none of that took the woman aside and explained, she (like the woman) was here to have fun, and she worked to make money. Jenny was a fictional character, and it was fine it she wanted her to die. It was not okay to want Mia herself to die, because that was hurtful. The woman was taken aback.

** Some people confuse Creator/JackGleeson for the detestable [[TheCaligula King Joffrey, Worst of His Name]], sometimes even to the point of harassment. Gleeson's real-life personality couldn't more strongly contrast to Joffrey.

* Michael O'Hare, who played Commander Jeffrey Sinclar for one season of ''Series/BabylonFive'' left the series because he began experiencing severe paranoid delusions and would be antagonistic towards other actors because of their characters' actions. He was written out of the show at his own request because he didn't want his mental illness to affect everybody's jobs. Aside from a handful of guest roles on other shows, and one return appearance on ''Babylon 5'' to finish his character's arc, he withdrew from acting. It wasn't until after O'Hare's death that [=JMS=] (per O'Hare's request) made his mental illness publicly known and talked about the real reason behind his departure from the show.

* Creator/JimCaviezel, who played UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'', reportedly had this happen to him while on a vacation in Mexico.

* When Creator/JohnnyDepp intervened a mugging involving his friend, the mugger recognized him and said "I ain't stealing from [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack]]."