The Drop And Spy Character Analysis

Casting is a vital part of creating a movie and the director must be involved in the process to bring his or her vision to life. In the case of some movies any actor who fits a general type will be able to fulfill a director’s vision, but in other cases there is only one actor who will work in the role. Both of these situations are reflected in the casting of the protagonists in The Drop and Spy. The movie Spy without the casting of Melissa McCarthy would have lost the impact of the majority of its jokes. McCarthy’s performance as Susan Cooper could not have been replicated by any other actresses. Tom Hardy in The Drop, however, does not offer the same uniqueness. The role of Bob could have been performed by other similar actors and still …show more content…
While on the surface Melissa McCarthy and Tom Hardy could not be more different, the two actors are often typecast. McCarthy easily falls into the role of the overweight comic relief, and Hardy fits the stereotypical quietly brooding manly man character type. Both actors perfectly fit into the roles they were cast in for these movies because the audience is so accustomed to seeing them play these roles. Typecasting gives the audience exactly what they expect, but McCarthy and Hardy are able to offer unique insight into their characters and play these familiar roles in ways the viewers may have never seen before. In example, even though McCarthy was typecast, she was uniquely suited to fulfill the role. Spy follows the traditional plot line where the quirky girl receives a makeover and suddenly she’s capable and confident, but McCarthy offers a slight twist. Susan Cooper is a completely average woman who simply has an unusual job. From the moment the audience is introduced to Cooper, they can draw immediate conclusions about her character. Cooper’s appearance indicates just how normal and non-threatening she is. Her wardrobe is …show more content…
The brooding, quiet, and intimidating man has found its way into countless movies. This is the type of role Hardy has been typecast in over and over again. Hardy, like McCarthy, plays a very average character. Bob is simply a man trying to keep his head down in a potentially dangerous lifestyle. Unlike the casting of McCarthy, Hardy’s role is not surprising or challenging to a traditional character type. With a character that looks and behaves exactly as the audience would expect, Hardy struggles with making his character unique from the countless other characters that come from the exact same mold. Bob is given humanizing characteristics like Rocco the puppy and his relationship with Nadia, but when the audience discovers his murderous past the audience retains their stereotypical perspective of the character. Cooper in Spy is able to rely on comedy to keep her humanism, Bob does not have that crutch and Hardy has to find ways to make his character relatable and likable. Bob is extremely restrained in his emotions and while Hardy had no problems portraying that characteristic, it makes it hard for the audience to feel a connection with him. Hardy is able to portray Bob’s character growth throughout the movie, but he ends the movie still as a brooding, quiet, and intimidating man that countless other actors would have been able to portray to the same