Narrative technique · used in 4 films
Casting one actor in 3 different roles in the same film. You stay aware of the acting, which stops you sinking into any one character and reminds you that social roles are performances too.
Examples
Stanley Kubrick · 1964
Peter Sellers plays 3 roles: President Muffley, Group Captain Mandrake and Dr. Strangelove. They stand for the political, military and scientific establishments in that order. Having 1 actor play all 3 suggests these institutions are all acts. They are different costumes on the same basic absurdity.
Where to see it: Dr. Strangelove's arm struggling to give a Nazi salute. His body shows what he believes, against his own will.
Robert Zemeckis · 2009
Carrey plays Scrooge and all three spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a flame-headed candle figure with an Irish accent, and the Ghost of Christmas Present is a towering red-bearded man with a Yorkshire accent. It suggests that every ghost is a piece of Scrooge himself, which is one reading of the casting.
Where to see it: The three spirits: Scrooge meets a candle-like Ghost of Christmas Past, a jolly Ghost of Christmas Present and a hooded Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. All are played by Carrey.
Luca Guadagnino · 2018
Tilda Swinton plays Madame Blanc, the aged witch Helena Markos and the psychotherapist Dr. Klemperer, who is credited to a made-up actor. Because you know one actor is behind all three, you notice the performance instead of disappearing into one person.
Where to see it: Klemperer's last scene. The day after the sabbath he learns what happened to his wife Anke at Theresienstadt, and a seizure erases his memories.
Yorgos Lanthimos · 2024
Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau each play a different character in each of the 3 stories. You recognize the faces and see them in new roles of power and weakness. On one reading, it suggests the same patterns of control repeat whoever is playing them.
Where to see it: The three stories: Jesse Plemons plays Robert, then Daniel, then Andrew, and Willem Dafoe plays Raymond, George and Omi.
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