There have been a number of impressive roles taken on by various wonderful actors over the years. Across all genres, whether film or TV, certain characters can only be played by the same person who first embodied them. Many of those actors have decided to leave their characters behind for a variety of reasons, whether they’ve simply gotten bored of them or want to avoid being typecast.
Let's take a look at various classic films and TV shows and review the roles that actors could revisit without becoming too overplayed.
Michael C Hall (Dexter From Dexter)
There are always rumors of Dexter returning. So far, none of them have come true and the show is finished after eight seasons. The very last episode saw Dexter’s sister Deb tragically die, with Dexter himself almost ending up the same way. However, we found out right at the end that he had grown a beard and taken on some sort of manual job. So he’s still alive, making it very much a possibility.
Jack Nicholson (Jack Torrance From The Shining)
Once upon a time, it would have been totally impossible for this to have happened. Surely you can’t make a sequel to The Shining, one of the greatest films ever made? Well, then Doctor Sleep came around and impressed audiences with its ability to continue the story.
There is a cameo from Jack Torrance, but imagine how incredible it would have been if Nicholson himself could have been convinced to come out of retirement to reprise his role?
Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lector From The Silence Of The Lambs)
Anthony Hopkins seemed to absolutely love playing Hannibal Lector. His original performance remains the most impressive and award-winning, but his return to the role in Red Dragon and Hannibal were also fantastic. The character is still alive, and now that Hopkins has aged about twenty years since his previous portrayal, it would be very interesting to see what the cannibal is up to.
David Tennant (The Doctor From Doctor Who)
Doctor Who needs saving. Desperately. The show has wandered towards meandering, nonsensical storylines that can’t hold a candle to the first few seasons of the reboot, losing almost all of its audience in the process.
David Tennant is the favorite Doctor of most, so imagine if he was able to return to the franchise and portray the lovable Time Lord again.
Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley From Alien)
The Alien franchise when majorly downhill even when Ellen Ripley was still present in the series. Ridley Scott attempted to revive it with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but it didn’t exactly go well. The only way he might be able to bring the series back to its former glory would be by convincing Sigourney Weaver to return to a version of the franchise set in the future.
Steve Carell (Michael Scott From The Office)
When Steve Carell departed The Office, things took a horrendous turn. Andy Bernard effectively became the main character, and the fact that most people hated Andy Bernard really didn’t help the show out. Within two seasons, the show’s ratings and figures declined and fizzled out into nothing. They got Michael back for a cameo at the very end, but the show could easily take off again if the entire core cast could be convinced to make a return.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter From Harry Potter)
It might not work, and people might hate it, but nobody can deny that a return to the Harry Potter franchise would be one of the easiest ways to cash in at the box office of all time.
Daniel Radcliffe might have no way of playing his most well-known character anymore, but he certainly hasn’t expressed a dislike of the franchise. Maybe he’d return for the film adaptation of The Cursed Child?
Uma Thurman (Beatrix Kiddo From Kill Bill)
This is probably the most possible of all the suggestions on this list, simply because Quentin Tarantino has expressed a desire to make Kill Bill Vol. 3 multiple times. In fact, it seems like it was always his plan. The action-packed originals were well-loved, with Thurman’s portrayal of Beatrix Kiddo gaining worldwide acclaim. We’d love to see her return to the role.
Albert Brooks (Hank Scorpio From The Simpsons)
If there is a one-off Simpsons character who is loved by all, it’s Hank Scorpio. Not only is he the star of the funniest episode in the history of the show, but he is in equal parts incredibly likable, and a maniac supervillain.
He was originally slated to return for The Simpsons Movie, but Albert Brooks instead voiced the character of Russ Cargill.
Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat From Da Ali G Show)
Borat is Sasha Baron Cohen’s most well-known character. There was a period in the early 2000s (culminating with his feature film) where Borat was able to land an interview with some of the most impressive people in the world and they would be none the wiser. Of course, the reason Baron Cohen has retired the character is that he is just too recognizable, but we can dream.