Joe Manganiello

In Magic Mike (2012), Joe Manganiello's Big Dick Richie plays a fireman in a strip routine, with no apparent concern about how corny it is. Around him are Matt Bomer's sailor-suited Ken and Kevin Nash's Tarzan, who can barely turn round. We laughed at these routines because the choreography was so cheerfully shameless. Manganiello's size suits the exaggeration, and his willingness to take part in the silliness is the quality we would like more of his casting to use.

The career began with Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), but the breakthrough came with his 2010–2014 run as Alcide Herveaux in True Blood. Physical preparation and accent work went into that television role. Magic Mike then broadened his film profile, making comedy a useful alternative to the fantasy and action parts. His casting as Deathstroke in Justice League (2017) shows how firmly superhero work remained in the picture.

Steven Soderbergh, directing and shooting Magic Mike himself, understands how to make that physical presence useful. He keeps the camera at the back of the club, showing the whole body and the women reaching towards the performers. We can see the work, and Manganiello has to function alongside the other men rather than simply pose for an isolated image. The film's first hour treats stripping as a job with some kindness; its later dependence on a familiar plot is less rewarding.

The limitation is in how often the parts return to his physique, with fantasy and action offering familiar reasons to put it on display. That does not establish a lack of ability, but nor does typecasting alone prove that an overlooked dramatic actor is waiting to emerge. For now, the comic ensemble work gives us the firmer reason to recommend him. We would happily see him do more comedy, provided someone writes him a character as well as finding him a costume.