History Main / PlayingAgainstType

* Better known for his jazz compositions like "Canteloupe Island" and "Watermelon Man," Music/HerbieHancock in the early 80's released the synth pop record-scratching hit "Rockit."

* At the start of ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Small Magic'', Jake says that he normally plays girls in [=RPGs=], so it's out of character for him to play a guy like he is here (as Stege). To far the only male characters he's made are Stege, Oliver (alongside which he also made Stacey and Olivia), Kip, and Dario.

This is generally done when an actor wants to 'stretch his/her wings' or a director wants to 'try something different'. In its highest form, this [[OscarBait leads to an Oscar]] for the actor in question. Often, it can be very useful in TheReveal. Comedies will frequently use this trope for laughs; a wacky line will often sound much funnier coming out of the mouth of someone you'd never expect to say such a thing. If it works very well, it can even turn around a career and give them a new type.

* PlayingAgainstType/FilmActing
* PlayingAgainstType/FilmDirecting
* PlayingAgainstType/FilmWriting

The polar opposite of TypeCasting, although it is possible to invoke both at once. A source of HiddenDepths. Really bizarre cases (or those which look bad in hindsight) can lead one to ask WTHCastingAgency

This is generally done when an actor wants to 'stretch his/her wings' or a director wants to 'try something different'. In its highest form, this leads to an Oscar for the actor in question. Often, it can be very useful in TheReveal. Comedies will frequently use this trope for laughs; a wacky line will often sound much funnier coming out of the mouth of someone you'd never expect to say such a thing. If it works very well, it can even turn around a career.

The hiring of an actor to play a certain part which differs fundamentally from roles the actor is famous for or has played in the past. For instance, an actress who is known for playing scheming murderess types suddenly cast as a kindly old grandma. This is generally done when an actor wants to 'stretch his/her wings' or 'try something different'. In its highest form, this leads to an Oscar for the actor in question. Often, it can be very useful in TheReveal. Comedies will frequently use this trope for laughs; a wacky line will often sound much funnier coming out of the mouth of someone you'd never expect to say such a thing. If it works very well, it can even turn around a career.

* Other than some relatively gentle fair under Music/BlackSabbath like "Changes", Music/OzzyOsboune also contributed lead vocals to the Was (Not Was) ''dance-pop'' song "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)" alongside Music/{{Madonna}}, a far cry from the usual macabre fare Ozzy and his band are known for.

* [[Music/{{Behemoth}} Adam "Nergal" Darski]] and John Porter collaborated on a project called ''Me And That Man'', resulting in a Music/NickCave-ish album ''Songs of Love and Death''. Then, Nergal kept the project running on his own and invited other metal musicians (including Music/{{Ihsahn}}, Corey Taylor of Music/{{Slipknot}} and Matt Heavy of Music/{{Trivium}}) for the second album, ''New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1''.

The hiring of an actor to play a certain part which differs fundamentally from roles the actor is famous for or has played in the past. For instance, an actress who is known for playing kindly old grandma types suddenly cast as a scheming murderess. This is generally done when an actor wants to 'stretch his/her wings' or 'try something different'. In its highest form, this leads to an Oscar for the actor in question. Often, it can be very useful in TheReveal. Comedies will frequently use this trope for laughs; a wacky line will often sound much funnier coming out of the mouth of someone you'd never expect to say such a thing. If it works very well, it can even turn around a career.

!!Examples

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* Hard rockers KISS have at least one sweet-sounding ballad in "Beth," which is basically piano, violins, and other acoustics.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons[=/=]WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' crossover fic The Flynns Move to Springfield, casts Lisa, who is normally the heroine/girl-next door LoveInterest in fanfics as a {{Jerkass}} AlphaBitch whose purpose to the plot is to serve as the Veronica in a BettyAndVeronica LoveTriangle with Phineas and Isabella.
** She was also cast against type as a dark AntiHero in [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4097015/1/Child-of-Darkness Child of Darkness]], where she plays the main protagonist, who was turned into a vampire and seeks vengeance for those who did the deed.
* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8608709/1/Lost-Boys Lost Boys]] and its sequel [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8762400/1/Broken-Heroes Broken Heroes]] has the amazingly peppy and Angst-free Sora as an AntiHero JerkAss who has become mentally unstable and antisocial thanks to the traumatic event of Ventus-Vanitas destroying the Destiny Islands when he was four. He gets better and worse to varying degrees, and isn't really helped by all of the horrible things that keep happening to him.
[[/folder]]

* PlayingAgainstType/FanWorks

* PlayingAgainstType/{{Poetry}}
* PlayingAgainstType/{{Podcasts}}

* [[Music/{{Behemoth}} Adam "Nergal" Darski]] and John Porter collaborated on a project called ''Me And That Man'', resulting in a Music/NickCave'ish album ''Songs of Love and Death''. Then, Nergal kept the project running on his own and invited other metal musicians (including Music/{{Ihsahn}}, Corey Taylor of Music/{{Slipknot}} and Matt Heavy of Music/{{Trivium}}) for the second album, ''New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1''.

* Better known for his jazz compositions like "Canteloupe Island" and "Watermelon Man," Creator/HerbieHancock in the early 80's released the synth pop record-scratching hit "Rockit."

* Better known for his jazz compositions like "Canteloupe Island" and "Watermelon Man," Creator/Herbie Hancock in the early 80's released the synth pop record-scratching hit "Rockit."

* Better known for his jazz compositions like "Canteloupe Island" and "Watermelon Man," [[Creator/Herbie Hancock]] in the early 80's released the synth pop record-scratching hit "Rockit."

* Better known for his jazz compositions like "Canteloupe Island" and "Watermelon Man," Herbie Hancock in the early 80's released the synth pop record-scratching hit "Rockit."

->''"Creator/HenryFonda is the bad guy for once in his career; Creator/CharlesBronson is impressively inscrutable as the mysterious good guy; and Jason Robards is a tough guy, believe it or not."''

For specific forms of Playing Against Type, see TomHanksSyndrome, LeslieNielsenSyndrome, PlayingWithCharacterType, NewSoundAlbum or CreatorsOddball. May first require {{Typecasting}} to fall into this trope.

For specific forms of Playing Against Type, see TomHanksSyndrome, LeslieNielsenSyndrome, PlayingWithCharacterType, NewSoundAlbum and CreatorsOddball. May first require {{Typecasting}} to fall into this trope.

For specific forms of Playing Against Type, see TomHanksSyndrome, LeslieNielsenSyndrome, PlayingWithCharacterType, NewSoundAlbum and CreatorsOddball. May first require PigeonHoledVoiceActor to fall into this trope.

For specific forms of Playing Against Type, see TomHanksSyndrome, LeslieNielsenSyndrome, PlayingWithCharacterType, NewSoundAlbum and CreatorsOddball.