Most actors tend to favor one over the other when it comes to film or television roles. Considering television’s episodic format and film’s contained method of storytelling, the two are very different. Some actors divide their talents between film and television through different phases of their career.
Some start out in television before moving on to film. Others are not afraid to change things up and do both fairly often. However, some actors have almost never appeared in television. They prefer to stick to film even from the beginning of their career, leaving the world of television robbed of some great talent.
10 Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe has a long career in film that has spanned three decades. His acting credits span many genres. Dafoe has performed in horrors like The Lighthouse and thrillers such as The Boondock Saints and John Wick. Most recently, he has reprised his iconic role as the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, he has only acted in 1 episode of a television series in 1986. Dafoe has left the world of television largely bereft of his talents.
9 Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise rose to fame in his breakthrough role in 1983’s Risky Business, followed by a starring role in Top Gun in 1986. He has also starred in the Mission Impossible film series since its beginning in 1996, and both Jack Reacher films. Cruise has cemented his position as an action star. He has become one of the world’s highest-paid actors and has gained numerous accolades for his work. Despite his long career, he has never starred in a television series. Tom Cruise’s credits limited to appearances as himself on various talk shows.
8 Scarlett Johansson
Johansson made her acting debut at age 10 in 1994 and landed her first lead role in 1996. Since then, she has gained more prominence in the acting world, especially when she entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Natasha Romanoff.
Johansson has also done voice acting, starring in animated films like Sing and Isle Of Dogs. She only has a few television appearances at the beginning of her career, limited to small parts. Although she has hosted Saturday Night Live since then, her talent remains in the world of film.
7 Christian Bale
Christian Bale began his career in Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun in 1987. He later gained recognition for starring in the horror film American Psycho, and then as Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. His success has only continued, and Bale has won several awards for his work in film. However, he has only had 5 television appearances. 4 of which were in television films, keeping him technically in the world of film, bar one exception.
6 Robert Pattinson
Beginning his career as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Robert Pattinson quickly gained a leading role in the Twilight series as Edward Cullen. Though he starred in independent films for a few years, he has recently made a return to the mainstream. 2019 saw the release of The Lighthouse. Robert Pattinson has his upcoming role as Bruce Wayne in The Batman in March 2022. He has only 3 television credits, all of which are television films from earlier in his career.
5 Joaquin Phoenix
Another veteran actor with a career spanning several decades, Joaquin Phoenix has stayed close to the film side of the acting industry. He started his career as a child, and appeared in some television series in small roles during the 1980s.
Later in the decade, he landed his first film roles. Phoenix continued with film from then on, rising to fame with 1995’s To Die For, and 2000’s Gladiator. Phoenix has won many awards, and has not returned to television. His last television appearance was in 1989, and Phoenix strictly appears in films.
4 Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman started her career in the film industry, gaining worldwide recognition for her role as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. She continued her career after the trilogy, starring in movies like V For Vendetta and Black Swan before joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster. During her film roles, she appeared in a few television shows in a cameo role as herself, but has only portrayed a character twice. She has most recently reprised her role as the voice of Jane Foster in Marvel’s What If…?
3 Jake Gyllenhaal
Born to parents already working in the film industry, Jake Gyllenhaal was exposed to film early in his life. Gyllenhaal acted in a few small roles before playing the lead role in 2001’s Donnie Darko alongside his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Some of his notable film appearances include Spider-Man: Far From Home, Nightcrawler and Southpaw.
He has stayed staunchly in the film side of the industry, only appearing on television as himself on various talk shows. His absence from television can likely be attributed to his family’s close involvement with film. Jake Gyllenhaal continues to have a successful career with his film appearances.
2 Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie began her acting career in 1993, gaining notoriety for her role in the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted. She also gained notoriety for her portrayal of the title character in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Additionally, Jolie has had several appearances in films, including Maleficent, Eternals, Wanted, The Tourist and Salt.
Jolie has dived into both live-action and voice performances. Jolie has also tried her hand at directing and producing. Though Jolie has been successful in the realm of film, she has only been credited for 4 television performances, 3 of which were films.
1 Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is famous for his acting abilities, which sometimes border on absurd but are always entertaining. Cage has gained a cult following for his work. He started acting in 1982 and gained more prominent roles as the years went on. Cage won several awards for his leading role in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas. His most famous films include National Treasure, Next, Ghost Rider and World Trade Center.
However, he has rarely stepped into television. Cage only appears as himself – if at all. He sticks to film, the medium perhaps better suited for the type of energy he brings to his performances.