# What/Who are the best "Chewing the Scenery" Films/Actors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359 "2017-02-09T00:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/101 "2017-02-22T19:59:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I think a really interesting question would be who ate the most scenery **in an Oscar-winning performance.** Denzel in "Training Day, where I think he gained about thirty pounds during the shoot eating parts of the set, is the most egregious example I can think of. Quentin Tarantino supposedly almost despaired of making INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS because he couldn’t find anyone who could be magnetic in four different languages. Anyhow, he then found Christoph Waltz and the day was saved. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/102 "2017-02-23T03:20:03Z")
There have been a lot of good ones named, but one who has been overlooked is Michael Keaton in “Beetlejuice”. Also in “Birdman”. His role in “Batman”, while quirky, was subdued to play against Jack Nicholson. I agree with Shatner. I notice how he played the scenes as Captain Kirk, but I never felt it out of place for the scenes. [quote=“Celidin, post:48, topic:779359”] in particular Jeremy Irons in the Dungeons and Dragons movie… so very over the top there, it was the best thing about it. [QUOTE] You are incorrect - it was the\* only good \*thing about it. And with purple lipstick! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/103 "2017-02-23T03:31:53Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I agree with Shatner. I notice how he played the scenes as Captain Kirk, but I never felt it out of place for the scenes. I’ve always felt that Shatner deserves more credit than he gets. The Enterprise bridge was made of pastel-colored plywood. If Shatner hadn’t been absolutely earnest and convinced (as opposed to convincing) that he was on a starship in the Ceti Alpha system, the audience wouldn’t have believed it, either. Just a little wind and a nod and the whole thing could have turned very silly, very fast. The show spawned a fanatical fanbase that has stuck with it for 50 years. He must have done something right. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/104 "2017-02-23T04:17:55Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > There have been a lot of good ones named, but one who has been overlooked is Michael Keaton in “Beetlejuice”. Also in “Birdman”. His role in “Batman”, while quirky, was subdued to play against Jack Nicholson. And even when he isn’t using it, you _know_ he has a Jimmy Cagney impression ready to go; it’s like watching a quick-draw gunslinger with an twitchy trigger finger! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/105 "2017-02-23T04:41:34Z")
The Langoliers. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/106 "2017-02-23T04:47:18Z")
Ralph Fiennes in _In Bruges_. As Voldemort in _Harry Potter_ he seems ready to eat not just the the scenery but the other actors. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/107 "2017-02-23T04:58:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I think a really interesting question would be who ate the most scenery **in an Oscar-winning performance.** Well, he only got an Oscar _nomination_ for it, but I defy you to do an exaggerated parody of Burgess Meredith’s performance in the ROCKY movies. Uh-huh. No, see, I asked you to do an _exaggerated_ version. Like, deliver the same lines, but in a way that’s decidedly more over-the-top. Yeah, that’s not – you’re not pulling it off. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/108 "2017-02-23T05:16:08Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Jimmy Cagney was great at this. Agreed! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/109 "2017-02-23T14:32:23Z")
Jane Lynch. I first noticed her in a scene in King of Queens, later as Spencer Reid’s schizophrenic mother in Criminal Minds, and most recently in glee. ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/110 "2017-02-23T15:32:37Z")
[quote=“Brown\_Eyed\_Girl, post:13, topic:779359”] Gary Oldman in _True Romance_. He’s also great in “Leon The Professional” – the scene I’m thinking of: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/74BzSTQCl_c/hqdefault.jpg "Gary Oldman - "Leon the Professional" "everyone" scene (HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74BzSTQCl_c) ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/111 "2017-02-23T15:53:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Walken is also in a little B-movie called [The Prophecy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prophecy), in which he plays the angel Gabriel, against Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. Walken’s performance is really over-the-top, but great fun. AH! I had forgotten about that one. Good choice! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/112 "2017-02-23T15:58:20Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Jane Lynch. I first noticed her in a scene in King of Queens, later as Spencer Reid’s schizophrenic mother in Criminal Minds, and most recently in glee. She’s also in The Fugitive (with Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford) but in a much more subdued performance. (And she got fourth billing, I think, for a minor role. I heard that her role was planned to be larger.) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/113 "2017-02-23T19:27:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Anthony Hopkins in “Silence of the Lambs”. Most people are surprised to learn that he was only on screen for 16 minutes total, but he’s been a serious ham in other films, as well. You should watch him in Coppola’s _Dracula._ That made his _SOTL_ performance look understated. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/114 "2017-02-23T21:02:21Z")
Simon Callow can chew pretty well. The ones that come to mind are _Four Weddings and a Funeral_, _Shakespeare in Love_, and as Charles Dickens in _Doctor Who_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/115 "2017-02-24T14:46:14Z")
No mention of Robin Williams yet? He was the best natural chewing the scenery actor that ever was. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/116 "2017-02-24T15:31:10Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Well, he only got an Oscar _nomination_ for it, but I defy you to do an exaggerated parody of Burgess Meredith’s performance in the ROCKY movies. Uh-huh. No, see, I asked you to do an _exaggerated_ version. Like, deliver the same lines, but in a way that’s decidedly more over-the-top. Yeah, that’s not – you’re not pulling it off. You ask the impossible, sir. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/117 "2017-02-24T16:44:27Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > First actor that comes to mind is George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove. Do you think Mr. Scott’s portrayal of Patton as scenery chewing? IMO, he was portraying (loosely) a person who deliberately affected a larger than life persona in front of his troops. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/118 "2017-02-24T16:54:56Z")
Richard Burton in _Exorcist II-The Heritic_, and even moreso in _Hammersmith Is Out!_. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/119 "2017-02-24T17:11:44Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Do you think Mr. Scott’s portrayal of Patton as scenery chewing? > > IMO, he was portraying (loosely) a person who deliberately affected a larger than life persona in front of his troops. If you want a scenery-chewing George C. Scott film I’d nominate _“Hardcore”_. “Oh my GOD, thats MY DAUGHTER!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359/120 "2017-02-25T13:56:56Z")
They apparently told Nicolas Cage to chew as much scenery as humanly possible in FACE/OFF, and then apparently told John Travolta, _“okay, now it’s your turn.”_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-who-are-the-best-chewing-the-scenery-films-actors/779359.md?page=7)