Was talking to @Mac_Wit_Da_Cheese about this, looking for examples of directors having characters who seem pretty similar in multiple movies.

It doesn’t mean they are an exact copy, but damn near close enough similarities.

Examples I got:
Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown

Joe Pesci in Goodfellas and Casino

Paul Schrader in his journalkino trilogy

James Duval in araki movies

Ouuuu Paul Schrader is a great one. First reform, care counter, master gardener

Pesci in Goodfellas and Casino was what I came in to say.

I'm gonna try and think of an example where it's the same director, but different actors.

That would be good. I think having the same actor gives the illusion even more that it’s the same character

Especially if you’re having Joe Pesci play two hot head maniacs that likes talking s***

clint didnt direct dollars but i feel like william munny is just the man with no name now an old man

toshiro mifune & takashi shimura in a handful of a. kurosawa's movies
koji yakusho in most things by kiyoshi kurosawa

Michael Caine - Nolan

Michael Mann leads

boy meets girl - mauvais sang - les amants du pont-neuf
the last film probably less so, but i think the similarities between the characters is more down to denis lavant's physical theatre-esque acting

there's slapstick, acrobatics, dance and circus style acting in all three

Whoever that keeps making the Steven Seagal direct-to-trashcan sludge

Tsai Ming-liang filmography

jean seberg in bonjour tristesse and breathless

two different directors, two vastly different movies, same actress and similar characters

Who would you compare coked out Colin Farrell to?

anya taylor in vvitch and northman

Most of Scorsese's crime films are about relatively same characters. But I’m curious as to what you mean by “similar”

Are we talking character traits? Or are we talking character motivations and arcs?

I’m talking surface level.

Joe Pesci in casino and goodfellas is seen as the short tempered hot head who talks a lot of s*** and ready to kill anyone.

He’s the pitbull in both movies.

That’s prolly the best example of what I mean. And tbh it makes sense because it’s the same director, same writer (hell you hear people say all the time Casino is goodfellas in Vegas) same actor, and same temperament of a character.

charlie chaplin films

I aint seen that film lmao, that’s why I didn’t say “every”

That’s one of his best