Do you know what’s even more fun than being the hero? Portraying the evil, conniving force that opposes the protagonist! Movie villains are some of the best characters ever put to screen, but the actors who play them are often typecast as the bad guy after a couple of appearances in that role.
We want to shine the light on actors who usually played the hero throughout their careers but decided to go to the dark side for a day or two. These are the 15 movies where a traditional good guy plays the villain!
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained (2012)
Leonardo DiCaprio was often uncomfortable playing the role of a slave owner in this Quentin Tarantino film, but he was iconic nonetheless.
Tom Cruise, Collateral (2004)
Tom Cruise puts in work like no other Hollywood actor, jumping from planes and doing stunts that others won’t even try. Here he decides to go rogue and play a contracted killer who forces Jamie Foxx’s character to drive him around town until he’s done with his homicides.
Robin Williams, One Hour Photo (2002)
Robin Williams was always known as the funniest man in the room, willing to take on quirky, unique characters in a variety of films. In this movie, he tries his hand at becoming an obsessive photo technician.
Henry Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
A classic Western film that intentionally puts Henry Fonda in the role of the antagonist outlaw. Fonda was usually known for playing personable characters in films like My Darling Clementine and The Wrong Man.
Denzel Washington, Training Day (2001)
Denzel Washington isn’t afraid to play antiheroes, but the police character Alonzo Harris is violent and intrusive in a way most of Washington’s other questionables aren’t. He won an Academy Award for this role.
Harrison Ford, What Lies Beneath (2000)
Harrison Ford is the quintessential action and science fiction hero. He plays a twisted university professor in this horror film, surprising audiences with his versatility.
Macaulay Culkin, The Good Son (1993)
Macaulay Culkin was one of the most adorable child actors of the 1990s. He goes against type here by playing a child with brutal predilections for others.
Rodney Dangerfield, Natural Born Killers (1994)
Rodney Dangerfield is yet another funny man from the 1990s who takes a turn in the side of evil by playing an abusive father in this acclaimed Woody Harrelson classic from the middle of the decade.
Michael Keaton, Pacific Heights (1990)
Michael Keaton is a hero at heart; he’s Batman for goodness’ sake! In this creepy film about a man and woman renting an apartment to an antagonistic character played by Keaton, he makes sure he displays his skills as a bad guy, too!
Jim Carrey, The Cable Guy (1996)
Jim Carrey has since been comfortable playing villains such as Dr. Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog films, but his first crazy villain was the obsessed cable guy in this film opposite Matthew Broderick.
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)
The late Heath Ledger broke our hearts in romance films like Brokeback Mountain before turning in the most iconic supervillain performance of the 2000s as the Joker in the middle film of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
Ethan Hawke, The Black Phone (2021)
Ethan Hawke is serviceable creepy in this horror film about a menacing character named “The Grabber” who abducts child victims and traps them beneath the surface.
Steve Martin, The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
How could Steve Martin ever be evil? He manages it just fine as a greedy corporate businessman who is more than willing to wield his power due to his money.
Bill Paxton, Vertical Limit (2000)
Bill Paxton plays a two-faced, disloyal mountain climber in this thrilling film about a group of people trying to climb the second tallest mountain peak in the world: K2.
Andy Griffith, A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Andy Griffith would later become one of the best dads on television, but the role that gave him his initial notoriety was as Larry Rhodes, an arrogant and abusive talk media personality who lets the fame and success of his job take over his personality in all the worst ways.
Source: Reddit