The decision by a
director and/or
producer of a
film to cast people as characters that are
fundamentally different from the people they usually portray.
Either something weird or something great.
Examples:
Gary Oldham as a nice guy, hero in Criminal Law
Mary Tyler Moore as ice queen/bitch in Ordinary People
Christopher Walken as hero, good guy in The Dead Zone
Bruce Willis as serious, quiet, depressed guy in Twelve Monkeys
Neve Campbell as sneaky, antisocial slut, Wild Things
If you are tired of seeing the same people do the same roles . . . (Julia Roberts comes to mind)....