History Main / DullSurprise

* Mela Lee, playing the MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' Fuuka Yamagishi, narrates pitched battles in an incredibly flat, stilted manner. She's a bit better outside of combat, but there are still times where her voice actress is clearly valiantly struggling to keep the emotion down.** Mela Lee has stated it wasn't her. Who exactly is responsible for her voice is a matter of constant debate.

[[caption-width-right:350: Lucky the cartoon has context, because you'd be lost without the captions[[note]] Not much context though. It's better you read [[http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Dull_surprise here]][[/note]].]]

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* Mr. Neutron in the last season of MontyPythonsFlyingCircus.

** Which makes [[Film/TheDarkKnight Rachel's comment]] about Bruce Wayne's RichIdiotWithNoDayJob act being the mask and {{Batman}}'s permanent scowl and emotionless deadpan voice his real face intriguingly meta, really.

[[caption-width-right:350: Lucky the cartoon has context, because you'd be lost without the captions[[note]] Funnily enough, it ''barely'' had context when it came out. It's better you read [[http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Dull_surprise here]][[/note]].]]

* Paul Walker has always used this as his backup mode of acting, but nowhere was this more evident than in the 5th ''TheFastAndTheFurious''. He reacts to the fact that [[spoiler:his girlfriend is pregnant]] with an expression of "meh, that's good too." A pity, because the acting of the cast all around has improved somewhat (especially VinDiesel, who is now able to show emotions!)

* Sam Worthington is infamous for this. He was commended at one point for his acting in ''TerminatorSalvation''. Then ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' and ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans'' rolled around, and people realized that he wasn't doing a brilliant role as an emotionless robot, he was trying to act normally. He does a lot better in ''Film/TheDebt''.
** It's worse when you learn his character in ''TerminatorSalvation'' wasn't supposed to be a emotionless robot.

* [[TheComicallySerious Frank]] from TwoGuysAndGuy.

* [[TheDanza Jason London]] as the eponymous character in the Hallmark miniseries of [[ClassicalMythology Jason and the Argonauts]]. From being told that his uncle killed his father to nearly drowning, he has the same nauseated look.

* ''BenStein''. just Ben Stein.

[[caption-width-right:350: Lucky the cartoon has context, because you'd be lost without the captions]]

* Gwyneth Paltrow in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'', everyone else in the movie [[HamAndCheese had fun with their role]] but not her.
* ThoraBirch in ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons''. The best demonstration is the discussion between her and Jeremy Irons, who is HamAndCheese incarnated in that film.

* ''DeusExInvisibleWar'' had this as one of its many flaws. The protagonist can learn about ancient conspiracies and be a part of events that will alter the fate of all mankind forever, ushering in the singularity. Or they can be responsible for human extinction, the reign of a benevolent omnipotent conspiracy, or a new age of bigotry and zealotry. And every step of the way, his or her facial expression and tone of voice will be the same as when he or she talks to coffee shop managers about their coffee. Then again, it seems almost everyone in the world talks and acts this way. Spoilers ahoy, but [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFIq9SHHmhk you can see just how bad it is here]].

* Kristen Kreuk's Lana Lang in ''Series/{{Smallville}}''. From finding out [[spoiler:she's pregnant]], to finding out [[spoiler:about Clark's superpowers]], to overwhelming joy, to anger and so on and so on (her other expression is the eye-roll-and-vague-smile combo). Except in the earlier seasons, when she would make a face like a squirrel instead.
** She does much better as Scotty's cheating girlfriend in ''EuroTrip'', even though she only shows up for 2 scenes.

* Mela Lee, playing the MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' Fuuka Yamagishi, narrates pitched battles in an incredibly flat, stilted manner. She's a bit better outside of combat, but there are still times where her voice actress is clearly valiantly struggling to keep the emotion down.
** Mela Lee has stated it wasn't her. Who exactly is responsible for her voice is a matter of constant debate.

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* In the movie ''McBain,'' Christopher Walken reacts to everything this way, starting with his DuelToTheDeath in 'Nam and ending with his assault on the palace and evil army of TheGeneralissimo. Hey, even [[BizarreAndImprobableBallistics shooting a fighter pilot in the head across two cockpits]] doesn't faze him! Given his overall lack of screen time (considering he's the title character), it's possible nobody told him he's even in a film and that a ''{{Bowfinger}}'' sort of situation might be occurring.

** MattLeBlanc was like this too. In his interview on the DVD extras, he looks incredibly bored.

* The {{Spider-Man}} Newspaper Comic Strip restarts Peter and MJ's marriage, hand-waving their time apart as all "just a dream". Upon the revelation that he is married to a hot nubile redhead wearing nothing but a loose bath towel... [[http://splashpage.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/052609_spider-man-full.jpg Peter gives a look like he's not sure whether or not he needs to sneeze.]] The artist was ''probably'' going for a sort of non-verbal "FlatWhat", especially given that Peter has literally ''just'' woken up, but... yeah.

* The {{Spider-Man}} Newspaper Comic Strip restarts Peter and MJ's marriage, hand-waving their time apart as all "just a dream". Upon the revelation that he is married to a hot nubile redhead wearing nothing but a loose bath towel... [[http://splashpage.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/052609_spider-man-full.jpg Peter gives a look like he's not sure whether or not he needs to sneeze.]] Possibly intentional given the context.

* Selma Blair maintains this expression at all times in the film version of ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'', possibly justified by the fact that her character tends to blow things up when she gets too emotional.

* Creator/MNightShyamalan' ''Film/TheLastAirbender''. Every child character, for every situation, in every scene throughout the entire movie. Especially [[ItIsPronouncedTroPay Aang/Ong]]. His reactions are so incredibly mild, that he might not have ''enough'' emotion to qualify for this trope.

** ''MattLeBlanc'' was like this too. In his interview on the DVD extras, he looks incredibly bored.

* RooneyMara in the ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010'' remake. Several reviewers unfavorably compared her with the much livelier and more emotional DecoyProtagonist played by Katie Cassidy, who was the POV character for the first third of the movie.

* [[SuburbanKnights "Dude,]] [[AndShowItToYou that's my heart."]]
** Kevin Baugh of ''{{Kickassia}}'', by virtue of not being an actor at all. Arguably makes it funnier than if he'd tried to be over the top.
* In his review of ''Golden Girl'', TheCinemaSnob realizes he doesn't know a good quip after he hears one of the doctors' names is Series/DoctorWho, so he calls up [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] for help and tells him the movie he's watching. Linkara's only deadpan response is "Of course you are..."

[[caption-width-right:350: Lucky the cartoon has context, because you'd be lost without the captions]].]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Although ''I'd'' compare it to the realisation of \\
[[OhCrap an unexpected bowel movement in public]].]]