Typecasting Quotes

(referring to her perfect wife typecasting) "Some perfect wife I am. I`ve been married four times, divorced four times, have no children, and can`t boil an egg."

Is typecasting really a problem?

This wasn`t just a sitcom. It was like watching a five-act Ibsen (Henrik Ibsen) play. Corbett was making us laugh, but we were laughing at his pain and the hopelessness of his situation. Then there were the story lines ... politics, class, religion, sex. This wasn`t what an early-1960s comedy was supposed to deal with. Everybody knows his Steptoe ("Steptoe and Son" (1962)) voice, but that was nothing like his real voice. He was actually raised in Wythenshawe. He had that peculiar northern thing of trying to make his accent posher than it was. A bit like Harold, really. So much of his real life mirrored Steptoe and I think Galton (Ray Galton) and Simpson (Alan Simpson) picked up on that. Unfortunately, typecasting was far more prevalent in those days. Harry H. Corbett was, without doubt, the finest actor in the country, but the more successful he was as Steptoe, the less work he was offered. He wanted to walk away, but he couldn`t. He was very comfortably trapped. I`ve got mates who are in exactly the same situation. Starring in hugely successful shows, earning loads of money - but they can`t stand their jobs. The country loved Harold Steptoe, but Corbett hated him. Really hated him. (On playing Harry H. Corbett in The Curse of Steptoe (2008) (TV))

As far as the lack of hits goes, I think perhaps it`s because I`ve played a lot of different roles and have not created a persona that the public can latch on to. I have played everything from psychopathic killers to romantic leading men, and in picking such diverse roles I have avoided typecasting.

Typecasting is a good thing. It`s good to be known for what you do.

(on his typecasting as The Caped Crusader) It was inescapable. I`d just about land something substantial, something I like or a good career move. Then some dinosaur would rear up and say, "But the audience will think of him as Batman." It was formidable. It was there like a brick wall.