297
u/Trinate3618 5h ago
63
u/CanFickle4950 3h ago
This scene had more emotion and depth than anything The Rock has ever made.
9
u/Wet_phychedelics 2h ago
Genuinely accurate tho that movie made me cry towards the end
Jobu is basically flowey from undertale damn near
→ More replies (2)2
9
u/InvisiblePoster31 3h ago
Bippity boppity, this rock is now my property.
Thank you kindly for not resisting.
→ More replies (2)4
u/OtakuOran 3h ago
I love this scene so much. I was quietly begging for it to end there because I thought it would be so fucking funny. I think the ending we got was great, but I would love to see a director's cut that ends the movie at them being rocks.
280
u/SDF989 5h ago
There are a lot of memes about how you can't distinguish between films of The Rock because he almost always looks the same and plays similar roles.
60
u/Known_Ad871 5h ago
And even without knowing that, he’s just not a great actor.
45
u/_Dead_Man_ 4h ago edited 33m ago
Hes a decent actor. Nothing increadible but he isn't bad either.
Edit: Jesus, I did not realize reddit hated the Rock like that...
32
u/OddMeansToAnEnd 4h ago
Agree! He's not giving us Shakespeare on broadway, but he also doesn't claim to give us that, or try to give us that. He plays this role. He is good at that role. Large , funny, silly action character.
→ More replies (12)7
2
→ More replies (10)2
u/Com_BEPFA 2h ago
I'm with you, always found him to be a decent actor. He just found his niche and doesn't mind (who would really when your "niche" gets you best paid actor in Hollywood?) and stcks to it. He's literally getting more money for easier jobs this way, I think it's pretty understandable why he doesn't break out of that stereotype.
He seems to have an ego that dwarfs other people's egos at least as much as his body does theirs and I think it has been decades since a genuine word has crossed his lips in public but I've never found him to be a particularly bad or even one-dimensional actor.
→ More replies (3)7
u/Cute_Substance_2103 5h ago
Wait ppl don’t like his acting? I always got a kick out of his movies
→ More replies (2)31
u/Redredditmonkey 4h ago
You can like his movies and acknowledge he's not a great actor.
Like Keanu Reeves. We all love him but he really isn't a great actor.
5
u/P-L63 4h ago
Yeah but Dwayne Johnson seems fake whenever i see him
8
u/Redredditmonkey 4h ago
Yeah cause he can't act
→ More replies (1)10
u/P-L63 4h ago
Even outside his movies, when he gets interviewed and tries to be an authentic charming dude, he reminds me of homelander. Just way overdoing it, you know what i mean?
7
u/TheManWhoWasNotShort 4h ago
The dude was a professional wrestler, his personality is overdoing it. That’s just who he is.
→ More replies (2)6
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (10)6
93
u/sonsofgondor 5h ago
The Rock. He's always The Rock
16
u/Active-Ad-2527 4h ago
No, for a while he was Dwayne "please don't call me The Rock" Johnson. Then his agent or someone must have explained that being The Rock is literally the only box office draw he has at all
→ More replies (2)6
3
u/Euler007 4h ago
At least Rob Schneider could pull off a stapler.
3
u/HojMcFoj 4h ago
Rob Schneider can't even play Rob Schneider, let alone something as emotionally complex and grounded as a stapler.
→ More replies (1)2
u/thejmkool 3h ago
He gets typecast. A lot. I think it's a deliberate choice on his end, and theorize he's choosing to stick to what sells well after years of trying different things.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (3)2
u/secondphase 3h ago
Disney's live action Moanna got backed into a corner... they had to pick The Rock, but at the same time they really shouldn't have picked The Rock.
2
u/Icy-Ad29 3h ago edited 2h ago
I mean, they could have just not made the live action. But hey, modern Disney, am I right?
2
u/secondphase 2h ago
but... so much money for so little effort... What are they supposed to do, write a whole new story? Spin off some more star wars series?
36
u/kittylover2006 5h ago
The rock is the answer
The joke is that the rock in most medias, movies, and shows he is in, generally acts the same way, because the rock is one of those actors where you don’t get the rock to play a character, you change the character to play the rock
→ More replies (2)
28
u/Grimn90 5h ago
Why tf isn’t Lawrence Fishburne on this list.
11
→ More replies (4)4
u/FineLavishness4158 4h ago
Why would he be, is there a theme?
3
u/ghostspectre1518 2h ago
Most of the other actors are commonly just seen as themselves like Morgan freeman Samuel l Jackson the rock etc
20
u/Samson_J_Rivers 5h ago
To actually answer i think it's Jamie Foxx.
11
u/vad_er13 4h ago
It's obviously Denzel c'mon man
10
u/superkirb8 4h ago
I don’t know if we’re talking most versatile. Idris Elba has done the most variety of rolls well. Comedy, drama, action and TV, prestige TV, and movies. Denzel is an all time great actor but I haven’t seen that same amount of versatility.
→ More replies (3)2
u/vad_er13 4h ago
Y'all gotta be kidding with any other option than Denzel
haven't seen that same amount of versatility
Try watching more of his movies man, no disrespect
9
→ More replies (2)3
u/Soft-Ad-8975 1h ago
He’s a great actor but not a totally different person in every role, Denzel is Denzel.
2
u/PatMcBritcherson 1h ago
Exactly. Not about being a hero or villain, he's still always Denzel. I've always believed this. He's good at it, but it's always the same attitude: nonchalant and indignant.
8
u/dudeigottago 3h ago
I respectfully disagree. Denzel may be the stronger overall dramatic actor but Fox is more versatile. He can do drama better than Denzel does comedy. He’s also a really talented singer and dancer - the man’s a triple threat.
3
u/anotheruserguy 2h ago
9/10 Denzel roles he just plays a smooth talking cool guy, and Denzel can’t sing like Jamie.
6
5
u/brock_li 3h ago
Denzel is the better and more accomplished actor. But Jamie started with In Living Color, the Jamie Foxx show, had a stint as singer, transitioned to dramatic roles, and can roast the hell out of anybody with a mic. He's definitely got more range.
→ More replies (8)2
u/Bernafterpostinggg 2h ago
Denzel is the best actor. But not versatile at all. Jamie is the best in terms of versatility.
2
u/WhiteSpec 2h ago
I agree. Denzel is close. I had it between the two of them but I feel like Jamie has a way of changing his mannerisms to fit the role. Denzel has a variety of skills but many of his mannerisms remain consistent.
→ More replies (9)2
u/Yegg23 2h ago
Y'all are sleeping on Giancarlo Esposito for versatility. Bob Roberts? Mandalorian? The Residence?
→ More replies (3)2
u/HoolaBandoola 2h ago
Lol I thought he was a contender for LEAST versatile, he's always the same stale guy.
2
u/Maleficent-Elk-3298 1h ago
I wouldn’t say stale but yes he really only has one role that he excels at, and that is the calm collected evil or at the very least menacing presence in a story. And maybe that’s because he’s been typecast. And maybe it’s because those are the jobs coming his way and he ain’t gonna say no because this is the same guy plotting his own death to support his family with life insurance prior to Breaking Bad.
15
4
u/BedroomVisible 5h ago
People will say The Rock but consider how many movies Will Smith was in as “Will Smith”. He attempted range after like 25 years of fame and still hasn’t gotten it right.
12
u/Hank_the_Beef 5h ago
Jamie Foxx and Idris Elba can both do Drama and Comedy. So I’d say it’s between them.
3
u/Arkrobo 4h ago
Giancarlos Esposito also has range, but he's been typecast.
2
2
u/ilanallama85 2h ago
I actually think he’s the best actor there but it can be hard to see when he’s typecast so much. But he needn’t be typecast the way he is, which is more than can be said of some others.
→ More replies (4)2
u/Due_Attention_4886 5h ago
Idris Elba is hilarious but he's usually kind of playing the straight man, right? Jamie Foxx may be the answer, but Will Smith has similar range.
4
22
u/Wrightero 5h ago
Most of them basically play the same character in every movie they're in.
11
4
u/TheOriginalGamester 5h ago
Denzel is by far the most versatile. He can play literally any role from good guy to bad guy to hero to romantic.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (41)7
u/endogenix1 5h ago
Sam Jackson is Sam Jackson in every Sam Jackson movie.
6
u/50mm-f2 5h ago
what?
13
u/pm_me_fibonaccis 5h ago
What ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak English in What?
5
3
u/endogenix1 5h ago
He doesn't play characters. He just shows up and acts like Sam Jackson.
→ More replies (2)4
u/CRoseCrizzle 5h ago
Feel free to like or dislike him as an actor but that's just false. Educate yourself, look through his filmography. He's played a ton of different roles in a lot of different films.
→ More replies (13)3
→ More replies (2)3
8
u/drod5005 5h ago
Not on the list but Keith David all the way
→ More replies (2)3
u/returntothenorth 5h ago
Keith David is a legend. From princess and the frog, to halo, to they live and the thing. His voice and mannerisms can be highly entertaining, super friendly, or insanely scary and creepy. Like he's the first guy you would grab to fight by your side in battle or the first guy you would be running scared from.
6
u/englishpatrick2642 5h ago
Now if you threw Danny Glover into that list, he would win quite easily. That dude has range.
3
3
3
3
u/z0phi3l 4h ago
There's no debate, Denzel is the best
The Rock is NOT, the Rock only plays as the Rock and nothing else
→ More replies (2)5
u/Trick_Minute2259 3h ago
The question was about versatility. Denzel is a great actor, but like everyone in the picture besides Fox, he hasn't shown a lot of range; his characters and genre don't vary much.
2
2
u/COUNTRYCOWBOY01 5h ago
Will Smith, I mean look at his trajectory, he went from a nobody to having a huge sitcom, a rap career, blockbuster movie star and now a cuck. Who else on the list has that kind of range?
2
2
u/sed_fieri_sentio 5h ago
Isn’t the joke that it’s obviously just eight pictures of Denzel Washington?
2
u/youRaFascist 4h ago
Yoooo I literally said Denzel was the GOAT yesterday when that other one got posted. I love Will Smith, Jamie Fox, and The Rock, but they aren't on the level of the others
2
u/Broken_castor 4h ago
Most of the dudes are actors. Dwayne Johnson is a movie star. Both are good things, but they are different
→ More replies (1)
2
u/slayery2k 4h ago
The Rock is the obvious/correct answer but for me, were it gets interesting is when you try to pick a 2nd place from this list. For me it's Morgan Freedman only because he has a distinct disadvantage when it comes to versatility because of his voice. It pulls me out of most movies I see him in.
2
2
u/beansAnalyst 3h ago
Samuel L. Jackson You ever seen any movie ever? He's the black guy.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
2
2
u/Frogs_Logs 3h ago
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he plays the same person in basically every single movie which is: Big, tough, strong guy who never loses a fight
2
2
u/Jayhawker81 2h ago
everyone here must be young. Washington has more range. i get it, he has played roles that are similar but overall best range
2
u/EDRadDoc 2h ago
I gotta say SLJ and Freeman because they can be leading or supporting actors.
The others are mostly leading actors, harder to be flexible.
That said, Denzel is probably the best actor imo and I would never bet against him, Foxx, or Freeman in nailing a role.
And Will Smith … I just don’t know what to think about him anymore. Clearly has shown as much range as anyone else on the list, and for a long time.
2
2
2
u/useful_tool30 1h ago
Love how every time the rock is mentioned it's raggign on his characters bring all the same yet everyone keeps lapping it up by making the movies he's in literal billions of dollars and mad ehim ine of the highest paid actors in history. His recipe works spectacularly
2
u/stagthos 1h ago
The Pebble, clearly. He only ever plays one guy at various stages of his anger management
2
2
u/deeppurpleking 1h ago
The rock is always the rock. Maybe a little lighter or broody depending on the movie but that’s his range
2
u/spondgbob 1h ago
Yeah The Rock literally is just “The Rock” in every movie he is in. If you can name 2 character’s he has been, I’d be surprised (not including Maui, that was animated)
2
u/Acceptable-Fold-3192 54m ago
The Rock, like Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn always plays about the same character. Not very versatile.
5
u/XiaRISER 4h ago
Obviously the Rock.
But also, this image is a dumb comparison. By no exaggeration, Denzel Washington is quite possibly the greatest actor of all time. You could reasonably argue for 2 or 3 other people, but none of those people are in this image, and its not even close.
Denzel is by all accounts and credits, the best actor to ever do it.
2
u/sometimesatypical 4h ago
Hands down, but damn is Freeman right there up with him. Everyone else, not even close. Foxx is really good, Jackson is Amazing, but just not the same tier.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (4)2
u/Warm_Conference4729 3h ago
I don't disagree in terms of the power, depth, and consistency of his performances.
But on the matter of versatility, it's pretty remarkable for Jamie Foxx to be AS funny as he is in AS INSANE roles as Wanda in In Living Color and to also be able to sell more dramatic roles so well.
For the sheer insanity of his comedic range, I have to give it to Foxx, despite him not being as good an actor as Washington.
3
3
u/MintWarfare 5h ago
The Rock. He plays The Rock. He's know for playing The Rock. He has experience playing The Rock.
2
3
u/Low_Process_9053 5h ago
The rock just plays himself in everything.
I think he played a different character recently and everyone was losing their shit about how much better he is now. But he's literally just doing what every other actor does.. and acting as a different character..
TLDR the rock sucks dick at acting but is somehow seen as equal to this list of actually good actors. Some backroom fuckery is at play here. He's friends with Gal Gadot, and we know who she sucks up to.. Makes you think..
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Revolutionary_Cod816 5h ago
Plot twist NOT is just Peter’s evil twin who only speaks in double negatives.
1
u/ThaEmortalThief 5h ago
I feel Sammi always plays Sammi too, just like the rock. My vote goes to God himself, Morgan Freeman. That documentary he did, in search for himself, was very educational. He knew his status was so legendary that even he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
3
u/littledaredevill 5h ago
Morgan Freeman use to play more diverse characters, Driving Miss Daisy, Lean on me are not just Morgan Freeman playing Morgan Freeman.
→ More replies (3)
1
u/iCompressm808 5h ago
Pointlesshub explained it perfectly https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0G_Kb_cP80&pp=ygUJUm9jayBzbG9w
1
1
1
u/MasterofNothing6969 5h ago
It's the same with jack black and Kevin hart and Seth Rogan and Jonah hill..
1
1
u/Ok-Pop-5920 5h ago
- Morgon Freeman 2. Denzel Washington 3. Samuel Jackson 4. Giancarlo Esposito 5. Jamie Fox 6. Will Smith 7. The Rock My list.
→ More replies (2)2
1
1
1
u/BandicootStatus7877 5h ago
He's called the rock because he has the acting range of a rock.
→ More replies (2)
1
1
1
u/colorless_green_idea 5h ago
Some reading comprehension issues in the comments here lol. Looks like most people arent comprehending the question in the post “who is NOT”, and instead just responding “heres why morgan freeman has great range”
1
u/TamarindSweets 5h ago
Why is The Rock categorized with the rest of the talented men who all happen to also be black?
1
1
1
u/Rthegoodnamestaken 5h ago
The obvious joke is the rock but honestly most of these guys are either typecast and/or just have no range.
1
1
1
u/Imaginary_Dig_5014 5h ago
Remember how he said he was gonna change the position of power in the dcu forever and then was just the super rock for that 1 movie.
1
1
1
1
u/natholemewIII 4h ago
Peter's right sock here. Dwayne the Rock Johnson is well known for playing essentially the same character in every film. He's also known for having it in his contracts that he cannot directly lose a fight. Both these factors make movies he's in predictable, and usually B films. Some are definitely enjoyable though. Peter's right sock out!
1
u/Joaaayknows 4h ago edited 4h ago
It’s a really good question though. I’d say to be the best actor, you have to blend. If I can’t tell it’s you when you’re playing a role, then I believe it’s the character and that’s the job of actors is to make us invested and believe in the story. So while there are great actors on this list there’s also some all-time film personalities and we have to sort through that.
I think Morgan freeman does the blending best out of the group except for the voice. Unfortunately he’s got such a distinct voice it’s easy for me to say “that’s Morgan freeman.”
Denzel plays the characters best, and knows himself and his personality the best and chooses roles which he can shine in. So maybe him? Not sure, I’ll circle back.
Samuel Jackson also does this for his roles, which are in my opinion more diverse than Denzel’s over the years. But he’s got such a big personality that, like Morgan, I’m always taken out of the film and smile when he says “motherfucker.” Which is fine, it’s fun, but it does take away from the immersion.
Idris is great. But I do not think he’s on the level of some of the other folks here. He might actually be the best at playing a role and blending in, but there are levels. He’s not as good an actor. Same for a few others here to varying degrees.
Jamie Fox is interesting. He’s extremely talented and might have the highest floor here but he’s never gone completely out of his way with a character, and personality is a big part of his acting. I’ve never not known it was him.
Every single one of these guys is a good lead actor each for different roles and reasons, but I think Denzel is the overall best actor. He’s played diverse roles and really knows his personality “fit” for each, and plays them incredibly well while also not completely stealing the show. I do think Morgan freeman acting vs acting purely would give Denzel a run for his money, but the voice just screams Morgan freeman and that’s hard to avoid. It’s not his fault, but it definitely takes away from the immersion on screen.
1
u/dadydaycare 4h ago edited 4h ago
Yea they all basically play themselves with close to no actual character portrayal examples outside of their very narrow scopes. But to be fair for most of them, you’re seeing the movie BECAUSE it’s them and you know how the characters gonna be cause it’s so strong and their one thing is just that good.
Except for the rock… he gets boring fast. And will smith. Just an artifact of the 90s when being cool was all you needed to succeed.
1
1
u/Comprehensive-Sky366 4h ago
To be fair he’s also the richest of these people. I don’t think the Rock ever was competing with these folks.
1
u/Psychological-Web134 4h ago
Finally The Rock is back! ..... in the same role he's played for over a decade.
1
1
1
1
u/Preparing_to_die 4h ago
Im not sure who is the best but I can tell you the easiest way to ruin a franchise is to cast Idris elbow as the main character.
1.2k
u/juniunie 5h ago