17 Actors Who Stole The Movie Even Though They Were Only In Them For Less Than 20 Minutes
We asked the BuzzFeed Community which actors gave showstopping performances, despite having very little screen time. Here's what they said:
1.Anthony Hopkins earned an Oscar win for his portrayal of Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs, despite only appearing in about 24 minutes of the movie.
2.Patty Guggenheim, who played Madisynn King, had about five minutes of screen time in all nine episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She even became a meme!
"The actress who played Madisynn King absolutely stole the show. She was barely in it and I want a spin-off of her and Wong. 'Madisynn is with two N's, one Y, but it's not where you thiiiink.'"
3.Viola Davis earned an Oscar nomination for appearing as Mrs. Miller in one scene in Doubt.
"She definitely held her own against Meryl Streep!"
4.Michael Keaton played the titular role in Beetlejuice, despite only having about 17 minutes of screen time.
"A freaking classic! Very much looking forward to the sequel."
5.Sebastian Stan was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier — aka the movie literally titled after his MCU character — for only about 20 minutes.
"In my opinion, he stole the show, and it’s some of the best acting I’ve ever seen, and most of that was just from his eyes."
"The way he brought that character to life with his EYES was incredible! That will always be one of my favorite movies."
6.Alan Rickman played Severus Snape in all eight Harry Potter movies but was only on screen for 1 minute and 15 seconds in the first Deathly Hallows movie. He actually has only 43 minutes of total screen time in all eight Harry Potter films.
"Alan Rickman as Snape will always make my heart stop for a second." —kantsrache
And if you're curious, here's approximately how much screen time he has in each HP movie:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001): 4 minutes
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002): 4 minutes and 30 seconds
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): 5 minutes and 45 seconds
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005): 4 minutes and 45 seconds
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007): 4 minutes
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009): 9 minutes and 15 seconds
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): 1 minute and 15 seconds
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): 9 minutes and 45 seconds
7.Bill Murray, who played himself, was actually only in about five minutes of Zombieland.
"Bill Murray played himself in Zombieland, and it was the best 'cameo' ever."
8.Donnie Wahlberg played Vincent Grey in about three minutes of The Sixth Sense.
"This list begins and ends with him. Amazing, unrecognizable performance."
"I had no idea it was him until the credits, and he was SO, SO GOOD."
9.Drew Barrymore played Casey Becker in Scream but only appeared for the first 12 minutes of the movie.
"I mean, the advertising fooled us all into thinking she was the star of the movie…little did we know."
10.Mariah Carey gave a showstopping performance as Ms. Weiss in Precious, even though she only appeared in a few short scenes.
"Mariah only had a few minutes of screen time, but she totally surprised me. I was so impressed with her. Now people can never speak of the burning dumpster fire known as Glitter again."
11.Rhys Ifans played Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, but only appeared for a few minutes.
"We get to see him as a father who will do anything for his daughter, Luna, and goes through so many emotions in a short time to protect her. But, most importantly, he gets to explain the Deathly Hallows. When I have a chance to say 'the CLOAK of invisibility' in everyday conversation, I always say it the way he does."
12.Matthew McConaughey plays Mark Hanna in The Wolf of Wall Street. The movie is three hours long, but Matthew is only onscreen for about five minutes.
"He has three scenes, but they are so electric and driven by his madcap performance that you feel his influence all throughout the 3-hour film. Forget a nomination, that should have been a WIN for best supporting actor!"
13.Rick Hoffman plays a security guard in Conspiracy Theory, but his appearance lasts less than a minute.
Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images, Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros
"He stole the scene and made the movie."
14.Michelle Willams earned an Oscar nomination for playing Randi Chandler in less than 10 minutes of Manchester by the Sea.
"An absolutely heartbreaking performance and fully deserving of her Oscar nomination despite barely being in the film."
15.Jesse Plemons appears as an unnamed soldier in Civil War for only about seven minutes. His wife Kirsten Dunst was starring in the movie and suggested Jesse for the role when an actor dropped out days before filming.
"He was only in one scene but absolutely stole the movie. I’d be shocked if he didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor."
16.Brad Dourif gives a thrilling performance as The Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III, even though he only appears in the movie for mere minutes.
"You have some amazing talent in that film, including the legendary George C. Scott. However, Brad Dourif suddenly appears on the screen and absolutely enthralls and terrifies with his chilling performance that deviates between a demonic entity and a deranged serial killer. That is an unsung performance and worthy of a Best Supporting Actor nomination."
17.Finally, Michael Shannon earned his first Oscar nom for playing John Givings in Revolutionary Road. He appeared in three scenes totaling about nine minutes of screen time.
"He is only in three scenes of that great film but he totally steals every one of them. He was so impressive, he received his first Oscar nomination for his work. Just exceptional!"