2. Superbad (2007)
Actor(s) that got typecast: Michael Cera & Jonah Hill
Superbad is an iconic ’00s comedy that made megastars of both Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, but it also saw both actors subjected to typecasting. Written by lifelong friends Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and inspired by their own youthful shenanigans, Superbad chronicles two teens’ attempts to win the hearts of the girls they like by illegally procuring alcohol for an equally illegal party. It’s one of the most beloved teen comedies ever made, and both Cera and Hill were so brilliant in their respective roles that they struggled to move past them.
Michael Cera had already played the awkward and neurotic George Michael in Arrested Development, and playing the equally awkward and neurotic Evan in Superbad seemed to seal his fate. After a similar role in Juno later the same year, Cera was subsequently cast in a string of near-identical roles in movies such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Year One, and Youth in Revolt.
Jonah Hill encountered similar difficulties after Superbad. His turn as the brash and inept Seth saw Hill cast similar roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, Funny People, 21 Jump Street, The Watch, and even recently in Don’t Look Up. Hill has mostly managed to move past this typecasting with critically praised dramatic roles, but he had to fight to be seen as more than just an acerbic comedy character. Though Superbad was one of the defining comedies of the ’00s, it landed both of its stars in difficult positions with regard to their respective careers.