Yahoo Lifestyle 17 Celebs Who Always Play Villains But Are Actually Very Nice In Real Life
Being a villain isn't easy, but it's undoubtedly rewarding for some of Hollywood's greatest actors. Over the years, we've seen a few amazing thespians lean into antagonistic roles and bring the utmost conviction to these characters.
It's brilliant to witness how these incredible talents bring these characters to screen, especially when that's the furthest thing from who they are in real life.
I did a round-up of 17 actors who often play villains yet are completely nice off set.
Willem Dafoe's range as an actor is truly impeccable, but his ability to portray the most menacing villains is second to none. Interestingly enough, he's far from the bad guy he is on screen (such as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin in Spider-Man), and even his collaborators have seen his potential outside those roles. The Florida Project director Sean Baker told The Hollywood Reporter that many anticipated that Dafoe's villain would take center stage in the 2017 movie. "When I cast Willem, everyone was like, ‘Oh no, he’s a villain, he’s a bad guy.' But Willem made the character his own," Baker said. "He came down to Florida a week early and picked out his wardrobe — he’s the one who came up with the sunglasses — and met with actual hotel managers around the area, looking for inspiration. And he was great with the kids."
2.Mads Mikkelson
Playing the antagonist in movies like Casino Royale and Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal, Mikkelson has been one of Hollywood's most beloved villains. Some might feel intimidated by him but according to one Reddit user who shared a photo with him from a meet-and-greet, he's a lot friendlier in real life.
"He’s so f*cking kind though, I know with photo ops it lasts for a couple seconds then you’re out but I had small talk with him in the last moments I left about me being excited for his future projects. The two girls in front of me got a choke hold pose and hes so willing to do stuff like that with the fans, really nice geniune guy even if it was for a few moments," u/Dylan_505 wrote.
3.Christopher Lee
It really says a lot that Christopher Lee was able to go from a James Bond villain to Dracula, Count Dooku, and Saruman in his career. Perhaps, he was typecast but the way he portrayed these characters on-screen was nothing short of iconic. Following his passing in 2015, a Canadian named Bryan Hennessey recalled meeting Lee at a London bookstore in 1970. "I was a fan of his before that, but after actually meeting him and being so nice I was always interested to see him pop up in whatever he might show up in, any movie he might turn up in," Hennessey told CBC. "I thought it was very kind and gracious of him to actually give an hour of his time to a nobody from Newfoundland."
From Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in Godfather Of Harlem, Stan Edgar in The Boys, and of course, Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, Giancarlo Esposito has made a name for himself off of villainous characters. But according to a Washington Post interview with The Boys creator Eric Kripke, he is "literally the nicest, most enthusiastic, effervescent person on the planet,"
5.Jason Isaacs
It's not hard to hate Jason Isaacs based on his roles in Harry Potter and Peter Pan. However, his co-workers will vouch that he's just that good of an actor. Tom Felton, known for his role as Draco Malfoy, described working with Isaacs, who played his father, Lucious Malfoy, during HBO's 20th anniversary special on Harry Potter. "He’d be this evil father, and when we’d say cut, he’d come and give you a cuddle and say, ‘Oh did I hit you too hard?’ Real Jekyll and Hyde, that one," Felton said, per Comic Book.
6.Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes comes across as an intense actor, especially when he portrayed Voldemort in Harry Potter and Chef Slowik in The Menu. One Reddit user, u/distressedsquib, revealed that they met Fiennes in 2004 as a 13-year-old before he appeared in Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire as Voldemort. The user explained how they were an extra on the set of The White Countess starring Fiennes, and a big fan of the Harry Potter books, which they had been reading in between takes.
"There was a break in takes and I saw him sit in a random chair amongst the extras. I ran the fastest I could and got my book from where all my stuff was and said, 'Hi my name is DistressedSquib and I heard you were playing Voldemort, can I have your autograph?' All in one breath, panting, in my extra costume," u/distressedsquib wrote in a Reddit post (accompanied by a photo). "He looked up, super surprised and said, 'Where did you hear that??' And I told him I found out on IMDB. He seemed so shocked because I think it had just been announced and this could have been the first time someone had associated him with that role. He very kindly took my book and wrote: 'To DistressedSquib, from Lord Voldemort! Ralph Fiennes.' I said thank you and ran off. So flustered. My mum was off in the distance and had taken a photo of me getting the autograph."
7.Jeremy Irons
Whether voicing Scar in the original Lion King or Simon Peter Gruber in Die Hard With A Vengeance, Irons has a tendency to drive up tensions on screen. Despite gaining a reputation for being an excellent villain in film, he's a lot nicer in person, according to writer Catherine Shoard. "Irons is lovely company. He is generous as well as garrulous, warm and kind and tactile," Shoard wrote in a profile of Irons for The Guardian.
8.Cillian Murphy
Murphy excellently portrayed the villainous roles of Peaky Blinders mob boss Tommy Shelby and Dr. Jonathan Crane in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The depth and range brought to these characters felt so natural that one might think he's actually mean in real life. On the contrary, Danny Boyle had nothing but great things to say about Murphy, especially in regard to his performance in 2023's Oppenheimer.
"That's what is so convincing about [his Oppenheimer performance]: The world could blow up, and you've got to believe that he can see that happening. Nolan put in that close-up because he knows [Murphy] has that range within him to manifest the atomic bomb [on screen]. But [Murphy is] also the most relaxed, the calmest, the kindest, the most thoughtful person you could imagine—those two forces, [Nolan] puts them in a close-up," Boyle told rogerebert.com.
9.Iwan Rheon
His legacy as Ramsay Bolton in HBO's Game Of Thrones undoubtedly cemented him as one of TV's greatest villains. However, Rheon is apparently a sweetheart in real life. Max Williams of Square Mile described him as being "one of the nicest people in the industry."
"After spending half the interview discussing his penchant for wickedness, it should be noted that Iwan Rheon may be one of the nicest people in the industry. Neither of his two signature roles – awkward misfit Simon and maniacal bastard Ramsay, nor his latest incarnation as the villainous Maximus on Marvel's Inhumans – are visible in the cheerful, chatty young man who prepares for the photoshoot by rolling a cigarette with a couple of the production team," Williams wrote.
10.Imelda Staunton
She was terrifying in the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series. However, her actual personality is far from what was portrayed on screen. The Chicago Tribune said "Staunton couldn’t be more different from her character... her smile warm and open rather than the rictus grin of her character, Staunton comes across as being rather nice, really."
11.Hugo Weaving
Taking on the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix series, Weaving might have gained a reputation for his villainy in Hollywood. However, journalist Karl Quinn described Weaving as incredibly nice and patient in an article for the Sydney Herald. Apparently, Quinn invited Weaving for lunch at a steakhouse only to realize that the actor had given up meat. Quinn called Weaving "bloody nice," and stated, "he fended my every intrusive question over beers with nothing but good grace and humour." Later in the piece, Quinn wrote, "Everyone I've ever spoken to about Weaving says the same thing: he's lovely, a pleasure to work with."
12.Alan Rickman
With a vast list of credits, one of Rickman's most iconic roles came in 1988's Die Hard as Hans Gruber and became Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. However, Katherine Viner, who worked on the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie with Rickman, described him as having "a great gift for friendship." Her article in The Guardian detailed his generous acts, from hosting dinners to attending opening night events when he was ill and checking up on friends in the wee hours of the morning when they were in trouble.
13.Mark Strong
Between Sir Godfrey from Robin Hood to Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes, Strong has succeeded at playing the bad guy on screen. But, according to an article in the Guardian, "Strong has an impressively moderated demeanour. He is personable and open. It would be understandable if he had been an angry child but he says he was not."
14.Christoph Waltz
It's hard not to watch Inglorious Basterds and feel a heavy disdain toward Waltz's portrayal of SS Colonel Hans Landa. However, in real life, Rolling Stone described him as "warm, inviting, and disarmingly kind" to the point where it's "as if he knows it can take a moment for people to adjust to his real-life persona compared to the mostly horrifying men he’s embodied onscreen."
15.Peter Stormare
A brilliant actor who has brought conviction to each of his roles, especially the antagonists in Fargo and The Big Lebowski, Stomare is reportedly the complete opposite of his on-stage persona in real life. "Actually quite jovial and charming, he has betrayed his own personality dozens of times over, portraying mobsters, murderers, a nihilist–even Lucifer himself–and reveling all the while in the joy of being the bad guy," Port City Daily described him.
16.Javier Bardem
His performance in No Country For Old Men was hauntingly sinister. However, that truly is a testament to his acting skills. According to WHYY, Bardem is actually "a really smart, enjoyable and even down-to-earth guy."
17.Tom Hiddleston
His villainy is unquestionable in shows like Loki, among many other credits, but deep down, Hiddleston is truly a gem. He's gained an online reputation for being extremely kind-hearted, which was cemented in 2012 when he brought a red-carpet reporter tomato soup following a request on Twitter.
