James Purefoy Quotes

I know an actor who would play one type of part but could never get cast as tough. Once he got cast as tough, as a cop, he only got offered cop roles. It's a funny business in that regard. It's all about perception.

I don't really worry about being typecast much. I mean, everyone in Hollywood is typecast to a degree.

I was certainly typecast for a while on television because I was always being cast as the 'compassionate mother' or whatever.

Casting directors now just see me as the hard-core sniper or prison guard.

I have been typecast in my career, although the type changes with the decades.

I was not only typecast as a Russian, but I was typecast as Yakov Smirnoff. This is understandable, and I was very happy to get the roles, but it would be nice to be in a movie where I could be someone else.

Hollywood loves to typecast, and I guess they saw me as a violent guy.

People were confused by me, and at first I was auditioning a lot for the crazy characters or the victim, someone who'd been attacked. Which is great, because usually those are the best acting roles.

If I were to limit myself to the opportunities that were presented playing only Chinese-American parts, I would be virtually without a career.

I don't subscribe to the thinking that being typecast is a bad thing.

My big thing is that I always get typecast.

I think sometimes actors who have predominately done comedy get a little typecast by some people.

For me, playing a mother was a point of resistance; the question of 'will I get typecast' was going on in my mind.

If you look a little punkish, then they're going to give you the parts. And if you play an iconic villain early on in your career, you tend to get asked to play one over and over and over again.

Any time you're a type, your career's over.

In school I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose,' and once people hear you scream, they can't un-hear it. But I don't mean to say that I've been typecast, either.

Before 'Lucky Louie,' nobody would ever cast me to play a mom or a wife; nobody ever saw me in that role, which is weird, since that's who I really am.

Is typecasting really a problem?

You can get pigeonholed in Hollywood and people think of you in a certain way.

I can't get the serious roles. People don't see me that way.

I do think that character types trend. As a female comedian, the parts that come my way are often terrible women.

There are worse things than getting pigeonholed in Hollywood.

I think you get the parts that people are comfortable with seeing you play.

I'm aware of being pigeonholed in those period drama roles. But, I do love them at the same time.

I don't think a lot of people are calling me to play doctors and lawyers, which is fine with me. I can put a suit on, but I don't really like to.