7 Comedians Who Have Successfully Gone Dark

6) Sarah Silverman – I Smile Back (2015)

Sometimes, there is a performance so bold and riveting, that it threatens to outshine the movie within which it exists. Sarah Silverman’s turn as drug-addicted wife and mother Laney Brooks – a woman fighting her way through anxiety and depression – is one such performance, but it stands as a notable example of a comedian excelling in drama.

Sarah Silverman is a justifiably celebrated comedian, with two prime-time Emmy Awards to her name, along with a slew of nominations. I Smile Back represents a real departure for her in terms of genre work, however, and represents her deepest dive into dramatic material. She delivers a characterization that is at once devastating and uplifting, as she plays this woman desperately trying to prevent herself from self-destructing and taking her young family down with her.

In this case, it doesn’t feel surprising to find that Sarah Silverman can turn her hand to drama so well, so much as it is surprising that it has taken this long. It feels very much as though she has been hiding a secret from the world – much like Laney – and I Smile Back is her big reveal.