"I can't stand her in comedies, but in this movie, she was really good. I'd prefer her in more dramatic roles."
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community which comedy actors truly surprised them with their performances in dramatic or serious roles.
Here are 19 of their top responses:
1. "Katey Sagal as Gemma on Sons of Anarchy. We were all used to her as Lela [on Futurama] and Peg Bundy [on Married... with Children], but during the first episode, you could see her talent."
Here's a clip:
2. "Mo'Nique in Precious [the role that won her an Oscar]. The final scene where she breaks down blew me away."
Here's a clip of her performance:
3. "Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl. The movie is quite old (2002), but it was the first movie I saw her in after she starred in Friends. I didn't know she was such a good dramatic actor."
"It really astonished me."
Watch a clip below:
4. "Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction. Really surprised me how subdued he is in it — and yet sincere."
"Absolutely great cast, and Will Ferrell still shines as Harold Crick."
"The movie is perfect, and he is perfectly cast. Before seeing him in this, I just thought of him as a goofball, but he really showed he has range."
Here's a clip:
5. "Kevin Hart surprised me in Fatherhood. I cried, which says nothing, but my husband cried, and that says everything."
Watch the trailer below:
6. "Hands down, Kevin Hart in The Upside. That movie was great. Broke my heart. Made me laugh."
"I wish I could forget it just to see it again."
Watch a clip of his performance below:
7. "So many have probably watched Uncut Gems, but watch Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me. Very gripping and emotional."
Here's a clip:
8. "John Kraskinski made me laugh in The Office but played a very different role in Jack Ryan. He did an excellent job!"
Here's a clip:
9. "I'm going to argue forever for Owen Wilson in The Darjeeling Limited, and to be fair, most of his Wes Anderson roles, but that one in particular sticks with me."
"When he's explaining that his accident wasn't an accident, you see that he's in so much pain that this man just wants to fix everything. There's something incredibly vulnerable there, something everyone else seems to write off, but that Wes leans into with his friend.
The film itself is still a comedy of sorts, but he excels in the dramatic scenes."
Watch a clip below:
10. "Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was the very first time I could appreciate him as a serious actor."
"I know some will argue that he was serious in The Truman Show, and I can agree with some elements, but he was still pretty goofy and himself until the last half-hour of the movie. But Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was amazing. My heart broke for him — for them both — in that movie. It was so beautifully written and acted."
Watch a clip below:
11. "Awkwafina in The Farewell. I can't stand her in comedies, but in this movie, she was really good."
"I'd prefer her in more dramatic roles."
Watch a compilation of some of her best scenes below:
12. "Jason Bateman was amazing in Ozark. I went in not knowing what it was about, but I thought Bateman is funny in everything."
"Boy, oh boy, Ozark is not a comedy, but Jason is still awesome in it."
Here's a clip:
13. "Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls. The man gave an outstanding performance, for which he nabbed an Oscar nomination."
"His acting was fine, and so was his singing! It was nothing at all like the falsetto in his 1980s hit song 'Party All the Time.' He was great in that film!"
Watch a clip of his performance below:
14. "Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? I didn't know she had such range!"
"I watched that whole movie expecting her to break character!"
Watch a clip below:
15. "Marlon Wayans in Requiem for a Dream. That movie always makes it on lists of great movies that you can only watch once (true), but I was shocked by how good of a dramatic actor he was when I watched it."
"I first knew him from In Living Color and later in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. I had also seen Scary Movie in theaters, which came out the same year as Requiem, so I only knew him in comedies.
It was years after it came out that I finally saw Requiem, and his performace blew me away."
Here's a clip:
16. "Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, for which he nabbed an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor."
Here's a clip:
17. "Michael Keaton in a number of different 'serious' roles was initially a shock until I realized he had great acting chops. Clean and Sober was the first time I remember seeing him in a non-comedy."
"It wasn't Oscar material, but still a really solid performance."
Here's the trailer:
18. "Peter Sellers is best known for his work in The Pink Panther series as a more outlandish character but was absolutely wonderful in Being There."
"While the film has many comedic moments, Peter Sellers is always the straight man and plays the role of Chance the Gardener with such genuine heart and simplicity that he is always taken seriously.
You feel for him as he makes his journey into a world he has no experience in. He feels like a real person surrounded by wacky people. Every line, every facial expression made by him is utterly captivating because he is so serious and genuine."
Here's the trailer:
19. And finally: "Robin Williams — Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Awakenings, The Fisher King, One Hour Photo, and Insomnia."
"He started out as Mork from Ork [on Mork & Mindy], and his career took off. Did lots of comedy movies, too."