10 Actors Who Played Both Heroes And Villains, And Just Nailed Them
While it requires talent to be an actor, it takes a specific type of talent to play any character convincingly. Only a skilled actor can credibly bring any character to life without getting enslaved to a single memorable part.
The role of an actor is to explore. They are rarely pleased by convincingly portraying just one character. There is never enough. They must play another character, preferably one who is not the same as their previous one. And do it so brilliantly that it's easy to forget it's the same actor who plays both parts.
We've compiled a list of 10 notable actors and actresses who can play terrifying villains as convincingly as they can play extremely principled, admirable characters.
The role of an actor is to explore. They are rarely pleased by convincingly portraying just one character. There is never enough. They must play another character, preferably one who is not the same as their previous one. And do it so brilliantly that it's easy to forget it's the same actor who plays both parts.
We've compiled a list of 10 notable actors and actresses who can play terrifying villains as convincingly as they can play extremely principled, admirable characters.
#1 Anthony Hopkins: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) / Thor (2011)
Source: Orion Pictures Corporation /, Marvel Studios
#2 Charlize Theron: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) / Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Source: Universal Pictures /, Warner Bros.
#3 Brad Pitt: Fight Club (1999) / Troy (2004)
#4 Arnold Schwarzenegger: Terminator (1984) / Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Source: Cinema 84 /, Universal Pictures
#5 Gary Oldman: Dracula (1992) / Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Source: Columbia Pictures /, Warner Bros.
#6 Ralph Fiennes: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) / The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Source: Warner Bros. /, American Empirical Pictures
#7 Angelina Jolie: Maleficent (2014) / Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Source: Walt Disney Pictures /, © Paramount Pictures
#8 Jack Nicholson: The Shining (1980) / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures /, Fantasy Films
#9 Johnny Depp: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) / Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Source: DreamWorks Pictures /, © 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
#10 Helena Bonham Carter: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) / The King's Speech (2010)
Source: Warner Bros. /, Aegis Film Fund
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