# \_\_\_\_\_\_ never plays a villain, except in \_\_\_\_\_\_ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771 "2009-07-21T20:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/41 "2009-07-22T04:23:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > Perhaps not a villain, but most certainly a "bad’ guy. Would you go so far as to say he was a Bad Motherfucker? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/42 "2009-07-22T05:26:18Z")
**Owen Wilson** was great as an amiable serial killer in [The Minus Man](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0151582/). **Vince Vaughn** was also great as a charming amiable serial killer in [Clay Pigeons](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0118863/). (but then, well, he also played Norman Bates in the Psycho remake) I don’t remember **Keanu Reeves** playing a bad guy too often, but he was one scary fuck in [The Gift](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0219699/) (always my recommendation for people who say he can’t act). **Brad Pitt** made a frightening spree killer in [Kalifornia](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0219699/) (again my choice for people who say he can’t act). No, wait, he looks like an irredeemable asshole in the upcoming Inglourious Basterds. Jesse James, Tyler Durden and Rory Devaney (The Devil’s Own) were also bad guys. Never mind Pitt, but damn, his Early Grayce in Kalifornia needed mentioning anyway. That character’ll give you nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![Rin\_Twisted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/43 "2009-07-22T06:52:49Z")
It may not fall into everyone’s definition of ‘villain’, but Matthew Broderick’s character in Election is the only dark themed role I can think of him taking on. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/44 "2009-07-22T06:58:53Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Kostner also played a villian in “A Perfect World”, even though he was a good guy and protector of “Buzz”. A killer nonetheless. Kostner was also the villian in **3000 Mile to Graceland** ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/45 "2009-07-22T07:04:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Robin Williams in _Insomnia_. One Hour Photo and Patch Adams\* \*OK, well maybe not Patch Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/46 "2009-07-22T13:54:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I meant to add: > > Morgan Freeman never plays the villain, except in Wanted, where he manipulating assassins to do kills that are not deemed by fate. > > I’m watching this movie right now. Freeman was also the “sort of” bad guy in _Gone Baby Gone_. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/47 "2009-07-22T14:02:44Z")
Lithgow also played a villain in _Raising Cain_ **Keanu Reeves** in _Much Ado About Nothing_ ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/48 "2009-07-22T14:15:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Morgan Freeman never plays the villain, except in Wanted, where he manipulating assassins to do kills that are not deemed by fate. He played a hit man in Nurse Betty. [QUOTE=Morgan Freeman in Nurse Betty] “People who get the calls are good. Not flashy, good. They get in, they get out, nobody knows a goddamn thing. You understand? Boom, boom, boom. Three in the head, you know they’re dead.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/49 "2009-07-22T14:21:30Z")
There’s not really a villain per se in _Levity_, but Morgan Freeman does play a criminal. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/50 "2009-07-22T14:55:23Z")
Regarding Henry Fonda - **Once Upon a Time in the Old West** was far from his first bad guy role. Even if you toss out his playing robber Frank James in **Jesse James** and **The Return of Frank James** because he was a nice bad guy, he was a bad guy in both **Firecreek** and **There Was a Crooked Man** (OK, given you did not know he was a bad guy until the end in **Crooked Man** ) but both were before **Once Upon a Time**. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/51 "2009-07-22T15:01:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Walter Matthau in Charade. And as the Strangelovian professor talking about nuclear war being winnable in “Fail Safe”. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/52 "2009-07-22T15:07:10Z")
Another add to - This one for James Stewart. It was in the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette McDonald musical\*\* Rose-Marie\*\*. It is one of my favorite Stewart roles. He played McDonald evil/sleasy little brother who was a murderer or something. And my memory could be playing tricks on me but didn’t he turn out to be the bad guy in Spencer Tracy’s **Murder Man**? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/53 "2009-07-22T15:11:03Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > And as the Strangelovian professor talking about nuclear war being winnable in “Fail Safe”. I don’t know if you can really call him the villain in that film though. He was cold and heartless,yes, but I don’t know if he really achieved villain status like he definitely did in “Charade”. ---
**Author:** ![Kingspades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/54 "2009-07-22T16:23:01Z")
Andy Griffith, in “[Murder in Coweta County](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_in_Coweta_County).” Yep, Andy’s the murderer. Do I win the thread? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/55 "2009-07-22T16:25:30Z")
No, because Andy Griffith was also the villain in _A Face in the Crowd_. And a bit less menacingly in _Rustler’s Rhapsody_. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/56 "2009-07-22T17:09:52Z")
Andy Griffith played a nasty trial judge in a 1985 made for TV movie called [Crime of Innocence](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088965/). He locks up two teenage girls for breaking curfew or some other minor charge, and one of the girls ends up being raped by a guard. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/57 "2009-07-22T18:51:25Z")
Lithgow is a bad guy in _Buckaroo Bonzai._ Michael J Fox is not very nice reigt now on _Rescue Me._ ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/58 "2009-07-22T19:26:36Z")
**Jet Li** in Lethal Weapon 4. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/59 "2009-07-22T19:57:49Z")
Michael Keaton was also pretty villainous in Desperate Measures. seems like there should be more chicks in this thread… Doris Day ever go evil? Julie Andrews? Gwyneth Paltrow? Julia Roberts? hmmm… Angela Lansbury is a great pick for this. We were watching Manchurian Candidate not long ago. My son was in the room, but not engaged by the film. He did notice some scene and I said “That lady is Mrs. Potts!” She wasn’t a villain, but wasn’t completely sweet in Gaslight. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771/60 "2009-07-22T20:05:18Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > **Jet Li** in Lethal Weapon 4. In _The One_, he plays both the hero, and his own evil, extra-dimension twin. I haven’t seen it, but I think he was also the villain in _Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor_. At least, the IMDB lists him as playing “Emperor Han” in that one. Could have been more than one emperor in the film, though. Has Jackie Chan ever played a villain? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/______-never-plays-a-villain-except-in-______/503771.md?page=4)