The best film villains have fully-fleshed out characters, depth, motivation, and drive. It requires talent and a lot of hard work to be able to portray these deeply flawed yet compelling characters on the silver screen.
The following are three actors whose turns as movie villains earned them critical praise:
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| Image Source: sr.wikipedia.org |
Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter
Anthony Hopkins played the part of Hannibal Lecter so well that Martha Stewart, whom he dated briefly, ended their relationship because she couldn't keep from associating him with the cannibalistic serial killer he played in “The Silence of the Lambs”. Hopkins won an Academy Award for his performance in the film, despite the fact that he was on screen for only 16 minutes, and his portrayal of Lecter earned him the top spot in the American Film Academy's “100 Years, 100 Heroes and Villains” list.
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| Image Source: moviepilot.com |
Heath Ledger as The Joker
Heath Ledger described his version of the Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." In order to prepare for the film, Ledger stayed in a hotel room for a month and kept a diary recording the Joker's thoughts. The method actor's powerful performance netted Ledger numerous best supporting actor awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Sadly, the awards were given posthumously, as Ledger died of a drug overdose before the movie was released. There have been some speculations that the intensity of his method acting and his obsession with the role of the Joker led to his death.
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| Image Source: deathandtaxesmag.com |
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
Kathy Bates had already played small parts on TV and in films when she was chosen to play psychopathic book fan Annie Wilkes in the movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel, “Misery”. Bates masterfully developed her character from a meek, kindly nurse to a person who would stop at nothing, including torture, to get what she wanted from her captive as horrified audiences watched. Bates won an Academy Award for Best Actress for this role.
Film villains are fascinating, sometimes even more so than heroes, because they're often more complex characters than the "good guys". Whatever the reason, there's no denying that watching villains wreak havoc on screen is entertaining.
Model-turned-actor Edoardo Costa played Emerson, an Italian terrorist, opposite Bruce Willis in the movie “Live Free or Die Hard.” Subscribe to this blog for more articles on acting and film.
