9 Times That Comedy Actors Failed At Serious Roles

6) Eddie Izzard – Valkyrie

Everyone in Valkyrie is very serious about killing Hitler. You can tell that by the fact that they stare intensely into each others’ eyes during conversations, speak with the utmost conviction at all times, and never – under any circumstance – even think about cracking a smile. This is the kind of film that Eddie Izzard – a freewheeling stand-up who likes to improvise whole shows and dress in drag while he’s doing it – really shouldn’t have been cast in.

And yet, there Izzard is in Valkyrie, in the role of a German officer assisting Tom Cruise’s would-be assassin. Like everyone else in the film, Izzard’s required to temper down his natural warmth (he is playing a Nazi, after all – director Bryan Singer seems to assume even the ones who tried to assassinate the Fuhrer had no soul) and deliver stale dialogue like it’s Shakespeare. While the other more seasoned dramatic actors fare relatively well, for Izzard it’s obviously an uphill struggle. He makes a one-eyed Cruise look like the best actor alive in comparison.