In 1930, Hollywood actor Bela Lugosi turned down an offer to play
Monster in “Frankenstein.” This happened just after Lugosi scored a huge box office hit as Count Dracula.A European-trained stage actor with experience as a romantic lead, Lugosi rejected Frankenstein role because he didn’t want to be typecast as a star of horror movies.
He would later declare this as worst decision in his life.
Instead, role of Monster went to Boris Karloff, a journeyman actor who embraced curse of typecasting as a blessing.
Had Lugosi said yes to Frankenstein, he could have dominated horror genre for next 25 years. Instead, his decision forced him to share spotlight at Universal Studios with Karloff and later with Lon Chaney Jr.
Indeed, Karloff went on to eclipse Lugosi. As late as 1960s, Karloff continued to star in major projects, such as TV series “Thriller” and animated version of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
Lugosi ended his career in 1956 by starring in what is generally regarded as worst movie every made, “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
So what’s lesson?
Don’t fight typecasting. Forget about being all things to all people.
Focus your energies on a narrow band of profitable opportunities.
As long as Harlan Sanders ran a roadside café that offered a menu aimed at satisfying any appetite, he remained a small-time entrepreneur. But when fate forced him out of café, Sanders focused his energies upon his most popular dish: a chicken fried in 11 herbs and spices.
