9 Actors Who Appeared For Only A Few Minutes But Still Stole The LimeLight

Jimmy Henton
Mar 04, 2023
Mar 04, 2023

Being the main character is the ultimate role in a movie, but that doesn't necessarily mean the best one. Sometimes, supporting roles can be as iconic as the leads, if not more so. Some supporting roles are so compelling that the actors who play them win an Academy Award for best actor during their short screen cameo. Some are indeed breakthrough roles that truly stand out from the crowd.
For example, though Anne Hathaway's character Fantine in "Les Misérables" appeared for 15 minutes, her performance was highly appreciated by critics and the public. And she even won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. Or in the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film Angelina Jolie signed on, "Eternals", the actress appeared in 19 minutes, but her character becomes a fan favorite for a long time.
So, we've rounded up a list of 9 supporting characters who show up for a few minutes but become more dominant than their leading counterparts. Scroll down to find out who they are and if any of your favorite characters are included!

#1 Tom Felton appeared in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" for 31 minutes across all 8 movies, which is about 4 minutes per movie.

Stole The LimeLight Source: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/East News, © Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / Warner Bros. and co-producers

“I’ve never been on a single set for so long. It was such an important scene that they wanted to film it every which way possible, to give the 8 films the climax they deserved.”

#2 Angelina Jolie appeared in "Eternals" for 19 minutes

Stole The LimeLight Source: Piovanotto Marco/ABACA/Abaca/East News, © Eternals / Marvel Studios and co-producers

“I loved being part of the family, so I have no desire to separate from the family. But I would be happy to play her again and explore even more deeply the struggles that she has. I think it’s fun thinking of where they’ve been over the years. We’ve got thousands of years’ worth of material. We can take her anywhere. I think that’s fun, and I like the idea that we can pop up somewhere, maybe in other Marvel Movies.”

#3 Tom Cruise appeared in "Tropic Thunder" for 9 minutes.

Stole The LimeLight Source: Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP/East News, © Tropic Thunder / Dreamworks Pictures and co-producers

The director of this movie, Ben Stiller, declares: “Tom Cruise had the idea to play Les Grossman in the movie. That part did not exist. He said, ’Well, there’s no studio executive, and it would be really fun to be that guy.’ And he had this whole idea of what the guy should look like. It was his idea to dance. And I remember when we did a makeup test, someone handed him a Diet Coke, and then he just started moving.”

#4 Ana de Armas appeared in "No Time to Die" for 5 minutes.

Stole The LimeLight Source: Zabulon Laurent/ABACA/Abaca/East News, © No Time to Die / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and co-producers

“This character, I think it didn’t exist in the film. It was just through talking to Cary that he really wanted me in the movie. And they just made it happen. So I was in the conversation a long time before it became real.”

#5 Matthew McConaughey appeared in "The Wolf of Wall Street" for 10 minutes.

Stole The LimeLight Source: Invision/Invision/East News, © The Wolf of Wall Street / Red Granite Pictures and co-producers

“I love music, and I think part of my performances and what I try to bring to these characters is a different type of music, tone, inflection, how they speak, what their words are.”

#6 Anne Hathaway appeared in "Les Misérables" for 15 minutes

Stole The LimeLight Source: Chris Pizzello/Invision/East News, © Les Misérables / Universal Pictures and co-producers

“I cry, but I think it’s because I’m still connected to the experience of making it, the process. Fantine’s so broken that I actually have to protect myself a little bit. So when I saw it, I did cry, but not because of what I was doing on-screen. It was because I was back in the process of making it.”

#7 Keanu Reeves appeared in "Always Be My Maybe" for 15 minutes

“It was a lot of fun to get the invitation to play a version of myself in some alternate universe. I’m a fan of Ali, and to work with her and such wonderful artists on this movie was a really fun experience.”

#8 Rebel Wilson appeared in "Bridesmaids" for 1 week.

“My character wasn’t supposed to exist in the movie. The role lasted only 1 week. For the whole week, I had to wrap myself in cling wrap around the torso area so that I could have that tattoo in case I wanted to refer to it. We only used it on the first day, but just in case. So I didn’t really shower properly that whole week of Bridesmaids.”

#9 Anthony Hopkins appeared in "The Silence of the Lambs" for 16 minutes

“I’ve never admitted this publicly, but when I was in the Royal Academy, there was a teacher we had, a Stanislavsky method teacher, and he was lethal. He was very charismatic, and he was deadly. He would rip you apart. He would take you apart intellectually. He’d smirk, and he’d say, ‘No. Do it again.’ I based it on him. ’No, Clarice.’ This teacher had stayed in my conscience all my life. I got a phone call afterward: ‘Tony, it was a wonderful performance. Did you base that on me, by any chance?’”

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