The R-Rated Roles That Changed These Actors’ Careers

Success in Hollywood can be something of a gilded cage, especially for actors who find success with a certain type of role. It brings in the checks and earns them a legion of fans but confines them to a certain character style that can be hard to transition away from.

Some of the most famous typecast actors have taken the leap of faith by starring in R-Rated films. Though these projects are often panned by critics, they expand the horizons of actors, transforming their reputations and providing opportunities to be taken more seriously as performers. Let's explore the stories of 12 actors who managed to break out of the golden handcuffs of their early careers.

After spending the entirety of her early career within the Harry Potter Franchise, Emma Watson decided to switch things up. While massively successful, Harry Potter typecast her in child-like roles. Two years after the Potter franchise ended, Watson starred in "The Bling Ring," a story about teenagers using social media to track celebrities and break into their homes. Interestingly, Watson said she chose the film not because it was mature, but because she wanted to work with director Sofia Coppola.

From an early age, Selena Gomez had been a mainstay on popular children's shows like "Barney and Friends" and "The Wizards of Waverly Place." Once the latter show had ended, however, Gomez made a transition that turned heads. She starred in "Spring Breakers," an R-Rated movie depicting a group of hard-partying teenage criminals. While she knew it would be awkward for his younger fans, Gomez said she was ready to shift to more mature, adult film roles.

While John Travolta starred in some mature movies early in his career, he had a reputation for family-friendly productions like "Grease" and "Welcome Back, Kotter." Sensing himself to be typecast, Travolta took a risk starring in 1994's "Pulp Fiction". This leap of faith proved successful, as his portrayal of addicted hitman Vincent Vega opened up doors to more adult films like "Get Shorty," "Broken Arrow," and "Face/Off."

Jennifer Garner's rise to fame included some action films, but tended towards the lighter side with rom-coms like "13 Going On 30," "Valentine's Day," and "Ghost of Girlfriends Past." By 2018, however, Garner returned to her blockbuster action roots by taking on a mature role in "Peppermint." Though it was slammed by critics upon release for gratuitous violence, "Peppermint" took on a successful second life on streaming platforms like Netflix. Garner said she took on the role to experience "something physical."

The world first learned about Zac Efron through his role in the incredibly successful Disney channel film, "High School Musical." This spawned a franchise of films and cemented Efron as the premiere Hollywood heartthrob. By the time the third and final High School Musical film was released, however, Efron was ready to shed his pretty boy image so he starred in the seductive and controversial film "The Paperboy." While critics panned the movie, it marked a noticeable shift in Efron's career. He said he took on the film to expand his artistic horizons. It worked, as Efron subsequently started in mature movies like the Ted Bundy biopic "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil."

Throughout the 1990s, Meg Ryan earned a reputation as America's Sweetheart for her roles in sentimental, but funny rom-coms like "Sleepless in Seattle," "You've Got Mail," and "When Harry Met Sally…". Once the new millennium hit, however, Ryan was ready to step away from her romantic typecasting. Her role in 2003's "In the Cut" changed that. Its gratuitous violence and clothing-free scenes featuring Ryan prompted critics to pan the movie hard. While the response caused Ryan to step away from Hollywood, "In the Cut" developed a serious cult following in recent years. Some fans even called it a misunderstood masterpiece.

One look at the laundry list of successful 90s movies and you'll find Brendan Fraser. He was everywhere back then, starring in comedies like "Encino Man," "George of the Jungle," and "Airheads." Afraid of being typecast, Fraser began starring in more dramatic roles. They didn't seem to connect with audiences, however, and Fraser more or less disappeared for a decade. People considered him a relic of Hollywood past until he shocked audiences in 2022 with his risky, intimate portrait of a man on his last legs in the R-Rated, but critically acclaimed film "The Whale." It revitalized his career and earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

No actor has transitioned back and forth between R-Rated and family-friendly quite like Natalie Portman. Though she made her acting debut as a child in the ultra-violent "Léon: The Professional," Portman became a household name with her role as Padme in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Her childlike charm earned her legions of fans but made more mature roles hard to come by. That changed in 2004 when she starred in the seductive drama "Closer." Even if she didn't take the role to remodel her image, it opened the door for a string of critically acclaimed R-Rated films like "Black Swan," "Jackie," and "Annihilation."

Though Elliot Page starred in several R-Rated films early in his career, he made his reputation with the critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie "Juno." It was a hit but ran the risk of typecasting him as a safe, appropriate choice. Page fended off the pigeonholing by subsequently starring in violent and mature movies like "Inception" and "Tallulah."

For years, Matthew McConaughey was the rom-com king. Films like "The Wedding Planner," "Failure to Launch," and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" cemented him as the handsome, but accessible Hollywood heartthrob. Aware of his typecasting, McConaughey took a two-year hiatus from acting before returning with decidedly more mature productions like "The Wolf of Wall Street," "The Lincoln Lawyer," and "True Detective."

It can be hard for Disney child actors to find footing in mature roles once they come of age. This was especially true for Anna Hathaway who made her name as a Princess in the successful "Princess Diaries" franchise. Fed up with her family-friendly reputation, Hathaway turned heads in 2005 when she starred as the girlfriend of a drug dealer in "Havoc." It got such bad reviews it went straight to DVD, but it opened the door for more mature roles in films like "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

No one switched it up quite like Elijah Wood. The world learned of him through his starring role in the massively successful "Lord of The Rings" franchise. It made his name but cemented him as a certain type of character. Utterly consumed by the decade-long experience of making "Lord of The Rings," Wood transitioned to smaller, more independent films with a scary edge. Now he's known as the king of independent horror with several productions under his belt and roles in violent films like "Come to Daddy" "Sin City" and "Maniac."