People List 40 Actors Who Played Bad Guys So Well, They Can't Stand Them in Any Other Movies

People we love to hate...

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• August 23, 2023

Movie magic is a phenomenon that transcends mere entertainment. It's an art form that whisks us away from our daily lives, catapulting us into worlds unknown, realities unfathomed, and emotions previously untouched.

A good movie doesn't just tell a story; it makes us believe in it, immersing us so deeply that the boundaries between fiction and reality become wonderfully blurred. At the heart of this enchantment are the actors.

Their talent and commitment breathe life into the characters, transforming mere words on a page into living, breathing individuals. With just a glance, a gesture, or a perfectly delivered line, they can make us laugh, cry, love, or hate.

Whether it's the hero we root for or the villain we despise, these actors have the power to make us feel, think, and, most importantly, believe. Characters like Joffrey Baratheon from "Game of Thrones" and Mrs. Umbridge from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (as well as subsequent books and films) are perfect examples of villains that audiences love to hate.

These characters are crafted so meticulously and performed so convincingly that they can make readers' and viewers' blood boil with anger and frustration. Sometimes, the emotions these characters evoke are so powerful that the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur, and we start to associate the actors themselves with the wickedness they portray on screen.

As you dive into the various answers, you may find yourself nodding in agreement or even discovering new perspectives on characters you thought you knew well. Whether you're a seasoned film and literature enthusiast or someone exploring these stories for the first time, the insights offered by fellow fans can be both fascinating and provocative.

1. Antony Starr Homelander

2. For me, Matt Damon in The Departed was so absolutely hateable that even when I see him in things like The Martian, for example, I’m still like “oh, absolutely not. Just leave him there.”

3. Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey as Christian Grey.

4. Kevin Bacon

5. I will never ever forgive Paul Reiser for betraying those Colonial Marines on LV426.

daddyvs replied:

I have hated Paul Reiser since the 80s because of Aliens.

billions_of_stars replied:

I remember Paul Reiser being on a talk show many years ago after he was in the movie Aliens. He talked to Jay Lemon or whoever it was about how he was doing standup once and before he even started people were booing him because they hated that character so much. He said something to the host along the lines of “they realize I’m not actually that guy, right?”

6. Sam Rockwell in Green Mile was so disgusting and off-putting and perfect in his role that I still don’t like to look at him.

7. Billy Zane in Titanic.

8. Rosamund Pike played a sociopath so perfectly in *Gone Girl* that I have only recently been able to watch shows or movies that she is in.

9. Adam Scott could play the sweetest guy ever but I would still wanta punch his face in because all I'd be able to see was Trevor from the Good Place.

10. I actually had this issue this morning.

I actually had this issue this morning. I was watching Breaking Bad and Jesse's AA leader was on. Perfectly softly spoken gentle man. Hate him on sight. Had to Google him. Turns out he was a character in Sabrina the Teenage Witch that I watched as a child (Zelda's husband) and he was such a bastard I've apparently carried a dormant instinctual hatred for him ever since.

11. Charles Dance in well everything... Golden Child, GOT. He could cure cancer tomorrow and he would still ring villain to me.

12. David Schwimmer

13. JK Simmons

14. Robert Duvall

15. Bryce Dallas Howard

16. Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton. I tell a lie as he was so cute in Vicious as Ash Weston.

sporkabork replied:

He freaked me out so much as Ramsay Bolton that I’m pretty sure I’d cross the street if I happened to see him out walking around. That’s a good actor.

17. How is Joaquin Phoenix not on here for Commodus in Gladiator

Mud_Landry added:

Took me quite a while to watch Joaquin Phoenix in anything after Gladiator, his Commodus was so f*****g evil I couldn’t stand him in anything for years

18. Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List.

Milkweedhugger replied

Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort also!

anotherkeebler replied:

I've been scared of him all my life. I was so happy to see him play such a different character in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

19. Edward Norton

20. Tom Felton reportedly gets a ton of hate for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series.

trisharae_88 replied:

But also a super chill dude in real life.

21. Jack Nicholson did such a good job as Jack Torrance that he gives me the creeps every time I see his face now.

22. Doug Hutchison

23. Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith

24. Mo'Nique

25. John Lithgow was so terrifying in Dexter that I kept expecting him to murder somebody in The Great British Bake Off.

26. Marcia Gay Harden

27. Jesse Plemons

28. Kiefer Sutherland

29. Chace Crawford as The Deep in The Boys. I see him in actor interviews and get the heebie-jeebies even though I know it’s just a character.

30. Angela Kinsey

I've never seen her in anything but The Office, but it's always such a mind‐f**k when I see an interview or something with Angela Kinsey and she's smiling and seems somewhat likeable.

I got to meet her at a convention once, and she is incredibly sweet IRL. So are Oscar Nuñez and Brian Baumgartner.

I went to the convention dressed as Dwight and, when it was time for my picture with Angela, she exclaimed “Dwight!” Then she told me she was going to go “full Angela” for the photo, and she did.

GonzoThompson replied:

Brian was extra careful to make sure I got all the photos I wanted with him. We had already taken three or so when he asked me if I was sure I got everything I wanted with him.

All three of them are super nice people.

31. Lena Headey in GOT. She's actually super nice when I've seen interviews but damn she was too perfect as Cersei.

32. Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and as Kai Winn in "Deep Space Nine".

33. Jason Isaacs

34. Dean Morgan

35. Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian.

When I saw Giancarlo Esposito in Community, I just about sh*t myself in fear.

36. Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Bastards.

crateofkate replied:

See his role on Basterds influenced my perspective of him so much I spent the entire movie waiting for him to betray Django and when the credits rolled and he hadn’t my mind was in denial

DeannaZone replied:

I loved that movie because of him, but unfortunately if I ever see or hear him in something I am like this is the bad guy ... he did is sooo good!

37. Imelda Staunton, Mrs Umbridge in Harry Potter.

forbiddenmemeories replied:

Honestly the biggest challenge for any new HP series is going to be matching the casting of the movies. Imelda Staunton is one of many who was absolutely perfect for her character and it's going to be hard to buy anyone else in the role.

Lunavixen15 replied:

I can't unsee Umbridge as her, even after reading the books again. She encapsulated Umbridge so well.

38. For me, it’s Joffrey Baratheon played by Jack Gleeson.

poopface41217 replied:

The ironic thing is I read Jack Gleeson is one of the kindest people and is active in volunteer efforts. I watched an interview where his co-star Sophie Turner said he was the greatest guy.

39. Samuel L Jackson in Django Unchained. DiCaprio had a certain insane charisma to him in that movie, not Jackson. Perfectly portrays someone who sold out their own.

40. Tobias Menzies

41. Kirsten Dunst

Good actors don't just portray characters; they become them. Through their performances, they forge connections that can make us forget we're watching a play of light and shadows on a screen.

It's in these transcendent moments that we lose ourselves in the story, and the magic of cinema truly comes alive. The ability of a movie to make us believe, even for just a brief time, that the impossible is possible, that dreams can be realities, is nothing short of miraculous, and it's what keeps us coming back to the theater, time and time again.

Damjan