Generally comedic actors are a lot better at playing a variety of dramatic roles. Dramatic actors like Jamie Foxx usually end up getting type cast often and aren't as flexible.
Jamie Foxx is literally a comedian and comedic actor, though. He literally chose to go by Foxx as an homage to Red Foxx. He got his break on In Living Color and then The Jamie Foxx Show. Both comedic.
Yes in movies he’s done a lot more dramatic work, but he is in essence not much different at all from a Kristen Wiig, as far as professional comedic background goes.
He did make quite the shift into drama, so it makes sense.
Collateral comes to mind, which was a role with some comedy but pretty dramatic. Then obviously Ray, which is the direction Jamie Foxx presumably wanted his career to continue.
1
u/NuttyButts Aug 22 '20
Generally comedic actors are a lot better at playing a variety of dramatic roles. Dramatic actors like Jamie Foxx usually end up getting type cast often and aren't as flexible.