History Main / FunnyCharacterBoringActor

* '''Creator/EricAndre''', in stark contrast with the ''ridiculously'' surreal, over-the-top, and deranged persona he frequently exhibits on his [[Series/TheEricAndreShow very own show]], has described himself in real life as rather "depressive and anxious".

* '''Creator/GilbertGottfried''' was known for his loud, grating voice and his foul-mouthed, vulgar sense of humor as a stand-up comedian and in some of his film roles. Apparently his off-stage and off-screen personality was exactly the opposite of his public persona - many described him as quiet and rather introverted.

* '''Creator/KristenStewart''' is known as the DullSurprise Bella Swan in ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'' and it became an internet meme. Offscreen she's a jokester.

* '''[[Creator/BenCroshaw "Yahtzee" Croshaw]]''' in his ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' videos, is a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]], [[CausticCritic caustic]] [[ComedicSociopathy comedic sociopath]]. In real life, he's a quiet, awkward man who asks that his fans not interact with him if they see him, and flat out said that he's NotGoodWithPeople due to his social anxiety.

Note that a true inversion would not simply be a funny actor who plays serious roles, but a ''comedian'' who plays deadpan and is actually hilarious off-screen. See Zeppo Marx below.

* '''Creator/EricAndre''', in stark contrast with the ''ridiculously'' surreal, over-the-top, and insane persona he frequently exhibits on his [[Series/TheEricAndreShow very own show]], has described himself in real life as rather "depressive and anxious".

* '''Creator/EricAndre''', in stark contrast with the ''ridiculously'' surreal, over-the-top and insane persona he frequently exhibits on his [[Series/TheEricAndreShow very own show]], has described himself in real life as rather "depressive and anxious".

* ''Creator/TheMarxBrothers''' played merry hell with this one. Groucho and Harpo were straight examples. Off-screen, they were both introverted and shunned raucous nightlife. Harpo was especially noted as being soft-spoken and shy; Groucho preferred to spend most of his leisure time reading to make up for his limited formal education. Zeppo is discussed below as an inversion - in real life, he was the funniest Marx brother.

* '',Creator/TheMarxBrothers''' played merry hell with this one. Groucho and Harpo were straight examples. Off-screen, they were both introverted and shunned raucous nightlife. Harpo was especially noted as being soft-spoken and shy; Groucho preferred to spend most of his leisure time reading to make up for his limited formal education. Zeppo is discussed below as an inversion - in real life, he was the funniest Marx brother.

* '''Creator/AndrewBachelor''', otherwise known on Website/{{Vine}} and Website/YouTube as '''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/BachelorsPadTv KingBach]]''', is described in interviews as being calm and reserved as opposed to the cartoonish thug stereotype that shows up in his Vines.

* '''Creator/GilbertGottfried''' is known for his loud, grating voice and his foul-mouthed, vulgar sense of humor as a stand-up comedian and in some of his film roles. Apparently his off-stage and off-screen personality was exactly the opposite of his public persona - many described him as quiet and rather introverted.

* Creator/TheMarxBrothers played merry hell with this one. Groucho and Harpo were straight examples. Off-screen, they were both introverted and shunned raucous nightlife. Harpo was especially noted as being soft-spoken and shy; Groucho preferred to spend most of his leisure time reading to make up for his limited formal education. Zeppo is discussed below as an inversion - in real life, he was the funniest Marx brother.

* '''Creator/RowanAtkinson''', famous for his role as Series/MrBean, [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 among]] [[Series/{{Blackadder}} other]] [[Film/JohnnyEnglish things]], is a maddening perfectionist who finds it extremely difficult to be witty spontaneously; as a result, interviews are kind of dull.

* '''Creator/RowanAtkinson''', famous for his role as Series/MrBean, [[WesternAnimation/{{TheLionKing}} among]] [[Series/{{Blackadder}} other]] [[Film/JohnnyEnglish things]], is a maddening perfectionist who finds it extremely difficult to be witty spontaneously; as a result, interviews are kind of dull.

* '''Creator/GilbertGottfried''' is known for his loud, grating voice and his foul-mouthed, vulgar sense of humor as a stand-up comedian and in some of his film roles. Apparently his off-stage and screen personality was nearly the opposite - many described him as quiet and rather introverted.

* '''Andrew Bachelor''', otherwise known on Website/{{Vine}} and Website/YouTube as '''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/BachelorsPadTv KingBach]]''', is described in interviews as being calm and reserved as opposed to the cartoonish thug stereotype that shows up in his Vines.

* Much like Peter Sellers, '''Creator/ZeroMostel''' was said by his family to usually be very quiet and shy, only to explode into the life of the party when given a character to play.

* '''Creator/DavidBoreanaz'''' most famous role was the brooding vampire Angel on the ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}''. Onset, he was notorious for doing anything to get his castmates to laugh, up to and including exposing himself. There were even times when he and Creator/SarahMichelleGellar pranked each other by eating garlic and other bad-smelling things before kissing scenes.

* '''Creator/EmiliaClarke''''s StarMakingRole as an EmotionlessGirl in ''Series/GameOfThrones''. Further ActionGirl roles followed. Out of character however, she geeked out at getting to meet Creator/MattLeBlanc and has poked fun at the entire world seeing "the good bits". She describes her character in ''Film/MeBeforeYou'' as closer to her real personality.

* '''Creator/OrlandoBloom''' 's most famous roles are those of stoic, serious heroes like Legolas, Will Turner or Balian of Ibelin. But watch any commentary or behind-the-scenes interview with him and the man comes off as very energetic and jovial, often joking with the cast and crew.

* '''Creator/ChristopherJudge''' as [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Teal'c]] in ''Series/StargateSG1''. He's extremely stoic on screen and his character laughed out loud exactly once during the show's ten-year run, but in the blooper reels, he's the one making immature jokes off the lines and giggling.

* '''Creator/PeterLorre''': Known for playing [[Film/{{M}} the first serial-killer on screen]] and [[Film/{{Casablanca}} many]] [[Film/TheMalteseFalcon1941 more]], he was renowned among the Hollywood community of the time for his scathing wit, and, when given the rare chance, as a great comedic actor.

* '''Creator/PedroPascal''' has sternly dedicated starring roles on ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' and ''Series/TheMandalorian'', with a usually deadpan or macabre sense of humor. Outside of his performances, he enthusiastically gravitates his humor towards non sequiturs, self-deprecation, and physical comedy.

* '''Creator/JimCarrey''' is very well known for his over-the-top comedy roles as Film/AceVentura, Film/TheMask, [[Film/DumbAndDumber Lloyd Christmas]], [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas The Grinch]] and, in a bit of HamAndCheese, [[Film/BatmanForever the Riddler]]. In reality, he has battled depression and has stated that his character in ''[[Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]]'' is closer to the real him than any of his other roles. The 2017 documentary ''Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond'' has him go into more detail: The "free from concern" onstage/screen persona he developed at the turn of the 1990s to please audiences became something he had a hard time dropping in public appearances when he suddenly ascended to the A-list. Over the course of the ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' shoot, a key reason he stayed in character as Creator/AndyKaufman (or ''his'' various personae) whether the cameras were rolling or not, only dropping it when he was offset, was because he relished the chance to not care about what people thought of him. In the aftermath, Carrey reconstructed what ''he'' felt and wanted out of life, and while he can still be a cut-up in public appearances, he's just as often thoughtful and philosophical.

* '''Creator/AndyKaufman''' zig-zagged this trope; while he was by many accounts shy and gentle when he wasn't assuming a persona, he was so fond of playacting whether or not there was a camera filming him that a lot of people who worked with and/or knew him couldn't be sure that shy, gentle nature wasn't deliberately affected to put them off.

* '''Creator/JimCarrey''' is very well known for his over-the-top roles as Film/AceVentura, Film/TheMask, [[Film/DumbAndDumber Lloyd Christmas]], [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas The Grinch]] and, in a bit of HamAndCheese, [[Film/BatmanForever the Riddler]]. In reality, he has battled depression and has stated that his character in ''[[Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]]'' is closer to the real him than any of his other roles.

* '''Creator/JonLovitz''' has played some of the most absurd characters on television, but in interviews, he is extremely quiet, even to the point of mumbling, and hardly ever makes any jokes. An interview on MTV Live at the height of his popularity shows how seriously boring he can be to talk to without a character to play.
* '''George Miller''' is known for ''WebVideo/FilthyFrank'', in which he plays the eponymous character in a GrossOutShow that aims to offend basically every demographic under the sun and has surprisingly deep but surreal lore. However, George is a lot more soft-spoken in real life as exemplified in the now-deleted video "FILTHY FRANK EXPOSES HIMSELF", in which [[AsHimself George plays himself]] and talks about himself at-length, and does not like to talk about the show on his personal social media accounts (partly because he fears that his association with the show could negatively impact future job prospects). In fact, his next project, his music persona Music/{{Joji}}, is a lot more serious and somber in tone.

* '''Creator/WallaceShawn''', who is perhaps well known for playing goofy oddball characters like [[Film/ThePrincessBride Vizzini]], [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Grand Nagus Zek]], [[Series/MurphyBrown Stuart Best]], and [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Rex]], is a self-proclaimed stoic--in an interview about ''The Princess Bride'', Shawn claimed that he completely lacks a sense of humor and only manages to do funny because he tries to act his funnily written characters as best as can. If you're used to his funny roles, it's quite jarring to see him in something quiet like ''Film/MyDinnerWithAndre'', where he's basically playing himself. He also writes incredibly dark, serious, and often politically charged plays; if you think of him as a guy who mostly appears in kids' movies, plays like ''A Thought in Three Parts'' (which contains [[EverybodyHasLotsOfSex eye-popping amounts of onstage sex]]) and ''The Designated Mourner'' (which is about political murder) will surprise you.

* '''Andrew Bachelor''', otherwise known on WebOriginal/{{Vine}} and Website/YouTube as '''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/BachelorsPadTv KingBach]]''', is described in interviews as being calm and reserved as opposed to the cartoonish thug stereotype that shows up in his Vines.

** Sellers ''invoked'' this trope in an interview: "I'm a classic example of all humorists - only funny when I'm working."

* '''Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}}''' and '''Creator/RobertWebb''' of ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' and ''Series/PeepShow'' fame, both invoke this and invert this respectively. While Webb tends to play [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]], quick-witted characters and Mitchell is TheStoic and reserved StraightMan in their act, Webb has commented that it's the opposite when it comes to hosting or being a panellist on Panel Shows, where he is more shy and quiet and Mitchell is more laid back and prone to unleashing scathing [[RantInducingSlight retorts and rants]] at a moment's notice.

* Creator/AndrewDiceClay''''s stage persona is incredibly loud, boisterous and energetic. His real life personality however is much more shy, introverted and modest.

* [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Vergil]] is famously the BlueOni with his more [[RedOni flamboyant]] and [[TechnicianVsPerformer showy]] [[CainAndAbel twin]] Dante; stoic, icy and a master of control and precision. His [=VA=] '''Daniel Southworth''', on the other hand, is an irrepressible joker who can more than keep up with Creator/ReubenLangdon and invariably brings the house down at fan conventions with his anecdotes. (His role as Eric the Quantum Ranger in ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'' was basically a dry run for Vergil, complete with a similar relationship with Wes, the Red Time Force ranger.)

--->"Bob and Ray have three distinct personalities. There’s Bob’s, there’s Ray’s and there’s Bob and Ray’s. Both Bob and Ray are interesting to meet separately because two duller people you never talked to. Every Sunday morning I meet funnier people down at the news store when I go out to get the paper. If you run into Bob and Ray together, it’s a different matter. Over a year’s time they must give away a million dollars worth of comedy material free to people they meet on the street."

* '''Creator/ChrisFarley''' was mostly known for playing {{Large Ham}}s with NoIndoorVoice, but was actually a shy, soft-spoken NiceGuy who [[RaisedCatholic rarely missed Mass]]. The awkward, mumbling nervous wreck in "The Chris Farley Show" sketches on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''? That was how he really was.