No Matter What They Do, These 5 Actors Can't Escape These Iconic Roles
No matter how many roles they’ve played and awards they’ve won, people never seem to cease to think of them as these characters they once played.
When people feel stuck in a rut, they will often change something: haircuts, jobs, partners, or locations. However, actors who've come to be defined by a single role have far fewer options.
Here are five actors who've come to be inextricably linked to their iconic roles.
Sarah Jessica Parker/Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City (1998)
Though she starred in popular films like Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), and Hocus Pocus (1993), Sarah Jessica Parker will forever be remembered as Carrie Bradshaw.
Unsurprisingly, she appeared in every single Sex and the City incarnation, including the 1998-2004 TV show, the 2008 and 2010 movies, and the 2021 spinoff, And Just Like That.
Hugh Jackman/Wolverine in X-Men (2000)
Despite winning the 2004 Tony Award for The Boy from Oz, for the vast majority of people, Jackman will forever remain associated with Wolverine from the Marvel Mutants franchise. His other notable roles include Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman.
Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter in Harry Potter (2001)
To this day, Daniel Radcliffe remains synonymous with Harry Potter, despite having since appeared in multiple films such as The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, Now You See Me 2, The Lost City, Swiss Army Man, Guns Akimbo, to name but a few.
Jennifer Coolidge/Paulette Bonafonté in Legally Blonde (2001)
Despite winning an Emmy for HBO's White Lotus, most people still think of Coolidge as Paulette Bonafonté from the Legally Blonde franchise. Even her role as Stifler's mom in American Pie has now been completely eclipsed by it.
Taylor Lautner/Jacob Black in Twilight (2008)
You might struggle to name any of Lautner's other roles. Before portraying Jacob Black in the Twilight series, he played Sharkboy in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. He also appeared in films like Valentine's Day.
These bigger-than-life roles have played a cruel joke on the actors that played them.
Regardless of how talented they may be or how many other roles they may have since been cast in, they just can’t seem to shake off the spectre of the iconic characters that made them famous. Well, as the saying goes, there is a cloud to every silver lining.