Noah Centineo: he has brown, floppy hair and brimming eyes that you could just fall into. Personally, I don’t see the attraction. However, Noah Centineo’s agents certainly do and use this to their, and his, advantage.
If you don’t know, Noah Centineo is the new Zac Efron, but of Netflix. Watch any new Netflix original rom-com and you can guarantee that Centineo is playing the handsome heartthrob. The role that shot him to fame was the misunderstood, emotionally available jock ‘Peter Kavinsky’ in ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’, and he has since starred in two other Netflix original films since.
Throughout these movies, you start to see similarities in the plotlines and subsequently Centineo’s roles. Centineo himself said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, that he “fears becoming a typecast” and is “nowhere near” where he wants to be yet in terms of acting. So, for now, playing the guy that all the teenage girls can drool over is probably earning Noah the big bucks and ensuring he continues to get work. Considering this, why does he have such a problem with being type-casted?
Thinking further afield, there are many actors and actresses who have garnered great success from playing very similar characters. This does not mean they are not talented and can’t actually act very well but rather, that playing to their strengths is working well for them.
One of my favourite actors, Hugh Grant, is often found playing the heartthrob or quirky Englishman, with the height of his acting career taking place in the 90s and onwards. Hugh Grant is brilliantly successful and has also proved that he isn’t just a typecast. Recently, in the new film The Gentleman, Grant plays a completely different type of character, showing off his acting chops. From an audience member’s perspective, Hugh Grant is a gifted actor and that cannot be argued, and he plays all the roles he takes on very well. Personally, I never get bored of his performances.
Another actress who is very stereotypically found in all quirky Tim Burton films is Helena Bonham Carter. Her roles are usually slightly odd and unique characters. However, these types of roles can be quite hard to play. And from an industry point of view, if they know someone who can do the character justice, then why not typecast?
Nevertheless, actors and actresses usually dislike being typecast and would prefer to spread their wings and take on new challenges. This is understandable, as no actor wants to get stuck in the same monotonous routine of portraying the same characters.
However, perhaps the blame lies with the industry, who sometimes like to play it safe with their casting. The industry knows what works and more importantly who works well. The industry is almost definitely too profit-driven, therefore perhaps not allowing actors the diversity they may sometimes want.
Noah Centineo could perhaps take it as flattery. The industry knows that he plays the love interest role so well and that it is obviously benefitting his career and fan base. Like many heartthrob actors before him, such as Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson, who are now branching out from their usual idolised teen roles, Centineo will eventually get his chance to try new roles, remembering he has only just started out.
Overall, whilst there is nothing wrong with playing to your strengths, and to appeal to a type of audience (which Centineo certainly does), I do wonder if it’s about time we ask if Noah Centineo can prove to us if he is more than just a pretty face.
Image Credit: promiflash