Basic Trope: An actor who genuinely likes Show Business, but has become jaded and cynical about it.
- Straight: Bob, because he never got the lines or roles that he felt he deserved, has embittered into a Deadpan Snarker about his job.
- Exaggerated: Whenever he is on set, Bob is seen cursing out his workmates, drinking, gambling, acting up during filming, and behaving so poorly that it's amazing that he hasn't been fired yet.
- Downplayed: It's clear from his mannerisms that Bob doesn't like his acting job, but he never complains about it.
- Justified:
- Bob is a constant victim of Executive Meddling and an obnoxious and demanding boss who never gives him any good roles despite his clear talent and experience. However, he likes acting too much to quit, and takes his job too seriously to enjoy a bad movie, turning him jaded.
- Bob is expected to be spotless when off-set, which invades his personal life and places unrealistic demands on him, stressing him into bitterness.
- Inverted:
- Bob always gets good parts, seems to be a Nice Guy, and is outwardly cheerful and enthusiatic about his job both on and off set, but secretly hates every moment of it.
- Bob enjoys his work as an actor, but doesn't care for the fame and is rather awkward at public events.
- Subverted: While Bob seems gruff, nasty, and sarcastic, it turns out that he really does enjoy his job. That's just his personality.
- Doubly Subverted: That is, until he is forced to join or signs up for the wrong project, which changes him into a true cynic when he sees how bad film-making can be.
- Parodied: Whenever he is off the job, Bob is seen getting wasted in bars, awkwardly hitting on women, and saying unflattering things about his coworkers and director. On set, he plays a squeaky-clean Friend to All Children in a show that people find Sickeningly Sweet.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob, despite a promising start to his film career, ends up in a terrible role that defines him for the next decade or so, and by this time he has become utterly jaded, sarcastic, and mean to everyone around him while on the job. A later role redeems him to a degree and he softens, but the bitter feelings over his Old Shame never completely go away.
- Averted: Bob never mentions what he thinks of his acting job, to complain or otherwise.
- Enforced: The director deliberately treats an actor poorly because he feels that actors who are treated well become overly demanding and obnoxious.
- Lampshaded: "There goes another one. I'll bet he thinks he's cut out for True Art and will end up working on B-movies instead."
- Invoked: Bob is given a series of bad projects to prepare him for a role that calls for an embittered actor as a main character.
- Exploited: A rival film company offers Bob a better deal and fairer treatment, causing him to work up the nerve to quit and work for the new studio instead.
- Defied: Bob's director, on seeing his skill, gives him a steady stream of good jobs to keep him from becoming bitter over the lack of decent parts.
- Discussed:Bob: "This movie is garbage, the director hates my guts, my lines are ridiculous, I can do better work, I'm only in it for the paycheck, and my coworkers are idiots.
Alice: Then why don't you leave?
Bob: What? And give up show business? - Conversed: "Why don't they hire actors who really like their jobs? Wouldn't the ole soft shoe be hard to work with?" "They must like it enough to stay and not get fired, but hate it enough to complain."
- Implied: In one scene, Bob is seen walking into a film studio with an expectant grin on his face. Next scene, he's sitting in a bar with a cup of beer, obviously depressed.
- Deconstructed: Bob wanted to be an actor because he genuinely enjoys the moviemaking experience. However, when he keeps getting terrible projects that erode his self-esteem and that he feels are beneath his potential, he begins to dislike his job. As a result, after trying and failing to negotiate better jobs, he starts publicly arguing with the director, consistently turns up late for filming, and becomes an embarrassment to the studio. They fire him.
- Bob's friends tire of him constantly Wangsting about his job which is glamorous in comparison to theirs and severely chew him out for it.
- Reconstructed: Although Bob's behavior is insulting and occasionally antagonizes his boss and the other actors, he never crosses the line - deep inside he genuinely loves acting and does care for and respect his costars. In turn, despite Bob's attitude he's the best at what he does and his boss keeps him on the project.
- Played For Laughs: Bob joins a support group for depressed actors who can never get good roles.
- Played For Drama: Initially hopeful, Bob becomes increasingly cynical about moviemaking to the point that he only bothers to show up because he's paid, and ends up barely stopping himself from quitting out of despair when his dreams of stardom fail to materialize and he realizes that he's been hopelessly typecasted.
- Intended Audience Reaction: Bob's story is told to show the dark side of show business and its effect on people.
Just go on back to Hates the Job, Loves the Limelight, nothing to see here, you dirtbags...
