re: Actors/Actress that Normally play bad people that surprised you with playing a good guy

Posted by OlGrandad

Member since Oct 2009

3496 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 8:04 am to Arksulli

Jack Elam. When he was in a western you knew he was an bad guy.

Support Your Local Sheriff changed his casting and he started getting more comedy type roles.

Posted by CU_Tigers4life

Georgia

Member since Aug 2013

7510 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 8:12 am to CU_Tigers4life

Danny Glover played some very bad dudes in "The Color Purple" and "Witness" then flips to the lovable Sgt. Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series.

Posted by VoxDawg

Glory, Glory

Member since Sep 2012

59944 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 8:29 am to CU_Tigers4life

Jason Isaacs (The Patriot/Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter) vs his Star Trek: Discovery/ Dig roles.

This post was edited on 10/26/20 at 8:53 am

Posted by Jor Jor The Dinosaur

Chicago, IL

Member since Nov 2014

6579 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 8:39 am to CottonWasKing

quote:
Boromir wasn’t a bad guy dammit

No, but Sean Miller, Alec Trevelyan, Ian Howe, Dr Merrick, etc. were.

Posted by gumbo2176

Member since May 2018

15132 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 9:09 am to CU_Tigers4life

Kathy Bates played her fair share of twisted characters, starting with her very first movie role in "Misery" playing the psychotic caretaker of James Caan after finding him in the wrecked car. Also playing the evil N.O. slave owner in "American Horror Story" and her dark character in "Dolores Claiborne".

She had a good performance in "Fried Green Tomatoes" and was funny as hell in her one appearance in "Two And A Half Men" playing the ghost of Charlie Harper visiting Alan in the hospital and his new dive pad.

Posted by gumbo2176

Member since May 2018

15132 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 9:13 am to Arksulli

quote:
On the flip side, Jimmy Stewart (spoiler alert) played the bad guy in one of the Thin Man movies and did a darn good job of it too.

Another flip side. John Lithgow playing mostly comedic roles "3rd Rock", "Harry And The Henderson's", etc. then playing the serial killer on "Dexter" and playing it to eerie levels of depravity.

Posted by bengalbait

Grove Lounge

Member since Sep 2009

4483 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 9:45 am to gumbo2176

quote:
Kathy Bates

don't forget her underappreciated roll in Bad Santa II.

Posted by vandelay industries

CSRA

Member since May 2012

2477 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 9:57 am to bengalbait

Not to mention The Waterboy. Talk about doing a 180, lol...

Posted by MorbidTheClown

Baton Rouge

Member since Jan 2015

65987 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 10:12 am to gumbo2176

quote:
John Lithgow

Posted by Fewer Kilometers

Baton Rouge

Member since Dec 2007

36053 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 10:23 am to klrstix

quote:
Many years ago after the Andy Griffith Show had run its course, he played a bad guy in a movie (I do not recall the name..). After growing up on him in the TV series, it was really weird.

ETA: The made for TV movie was called Savages from 1974.

If you haven't watched Griffith's 1957 film "A Face in the Crowd", do yourself a favor and rent it.

Posted by Fewer Kilometers

Baton Rouge

Member since Dec 2007

36053 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 10:27 am to CU_Tigers4life

Walter Matthau played a string of despicable characters and serious roles before getting cast as Oscar Madison.

Posted by lovethetigers7

Member since Jul 2019

521 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 11:57 am to CU_Tigers4life

I misread this thread and assumed that you meant they were good people in real life

I'll vote Jason Isaacs

He played douchers Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and Colonel William Tavington in the Patriot

Watched a few interviews of him and he seems like an awesome dude IRL

Posted by Proximo

Member since Aug 2011

15554 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 12:08 pm to CU_Tigers4life

quote:
Gary Oldman is an actor that seems to play a lot of dark characters. His playing Sirus Black and Commissioner Gordon were nice changes of pace.

The making of TDK had Chris Nolan talking about this very thing. He said he originally wanted him to play a villain, but Oldman didn’t want to do it, so he offered him Com. Gordon a little while later.

Posted by Corso

Atlanta

Member since Feb 2020

10692 posts

Posted on 10/26/20 at 7:51 pm to Fewer Kilometers

quote:
Griffith's 1957 film "A Face in the Crowd"

Was just about to mention this. I love getting people who only know him as Andy Taylor and Matlock to watch this.

Watch Shawshank Redemption and The Hurricane back to back and blow your mind.

I'll say Christoph Waltz going from Inglorious Basterds to Django

Posted by BlackAdam

Member since Jan 2016

6452 posts

Posted on 10/27/20 at 12:32 am to CU_Tigers4life

John Krasinski spent years playing Office villan Jim then played Jack Ryan.

Posted by Broski

Member since Jun 2011

70901 posts

Posted on 10/27/20 at 2:53 am to BlackAdam

Ben Mendlesohn was exclusively a bad guy in movies and then in Captain Marvel, they opened the movie to make you think he was the bad guy only to find out later he is good.

Posted by CU_Tigers4life

Georgia

Member since Aug 2013

7510 posts

Posted on 10/27/20 at 6:24 am to lovethetigers7

quote:
I misread this thread and assumed that you meant they were good people in real life

I'll vote Jason Isaacs

He played douchers Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and Colonel William Tavington in the Patriot

Watched a few interviews of him and he seems like an awesome dude IRL

I was worried I didn't phase the topic as well as I could have.

I was asking to discuss those actors/actresses that are historically known for playing roles of bad people/villains and share with us those roles where they actually played a good/noble character that was satisfying.