Top 10 Actor-Villains! -WatchMojo

One of my (kinda) guilty pleasures is watching WatchMojo lists on YouTube!

By suggesting videos that I might like, YouTube with its grand vision and courtesy, draws me even deeper into this chasm (being over-dramatic? Don't think so...when you've got a lot to do and don't have time for any distractions!).

Today when I signed into YouTube, it suggested me watching the latest video by WatchMojo where they have listed the top 10 actors who always play villains. The thumbnail picture of the video is one of Dennis Hopper's, but by seeing the title, the first name that came to my mind was Alan Rickman and I was happy to find out that he has actually made it in the list! With his deep voice and non-animated eyes that when looking at them, you feel a cold breeze passing through you, he must be the ultimate villain and one of the most brilliant actors.

Some actors as Hopper owe the crazy look on their faces as part of what makes them good villains. But then there are those actors who are so versatile, like one of my all time favorite actors Ralph Fiennes, who can  play a heartless bad guy in one movie (Schindler's List), and a bashful, hopeless romantic in another (Constant Gardener).

But who can overlook the talent of Malkovich. By reading the screenplay of Being John Malkovich, I realized why Kaufman had chosen him as the main character in his script. Who else could've played such a crazy role?! Playing himself and at the same time fighting back someone who's controlling him...just crazy!

But one of the surprises I found in this video was Jeremy Irons. I never would've thought that the voice of Scar in the Lion King was him, where he could scare the hell out of you by only using voice and intonation. I never thought of him as a villain...remember Lolita or Man in the Iron Mask...who would've known?!

As the narrator in this video says, Kevin Spacey's bad guys are just SO COOL! He has never been in my shortlist of favorite actors but after seeing his impersonations in his appearance on Inside Actors Studio, I have developed a new level of respect for him (here's the link to his impersonations).

As this video puts it, British dudes make the best villains. I don't think scientists have broken down the mystery of why British actors are incomparable yet. I remember when Polanski was searching for actors for his Oliver Twist, he was insisting on finding British actors because he thought they were the best actors in the world...and in a way I couldn't agree more (with my favorite actress, Kate Winslet, being a Brit). What I hypothesize as an explanation is their strong and famous theaters in England that provide stage experience, a setting where almost all actors agree upon being the best place to learn acting techniques. British actors also have a very gentle sense of humor. Jeremy Irons's acceptance speech in Golden Globes keeps coming to my mind or who would've thought the shy Colin Firth can make an auditorium laugh by his acceptance speech at the Oscars.

In case of Hugo Weaving being in this list, I think they forgot to mention his role(s) in Cloud Atlas. But what tops my list as one of the times that I was shocked by finding out who the actor in a movie was, must be his V in V for Vendetta. He wore a mask throughout the movie but I remember literally falling in love with him by the end. I couldn't wait for the credits to roll to see whom I had fallen for! And I was taken aback. Could V be the same person as the "Agent" in Matrix?! I was talking to my brother after seeing this movie and told him how surprised I was that such a mean character had been played by the same actor who's played V and he told me that this shows how good that actor is. When an actor who has been able to make you hate him that much, can bring out the complete opposite feeling in you...he is nothing short than a genius. Now I am wondering if he could've pulled off being the good guy in Vendetta without the mask!

How Weaving and Oldman ever played good guys (namely in Lord of the Rings and Batman, respectively) I'll never know. Or maybe I do know...because they are excellent actors. This makes me wonder if listing actors by the number of Oscars they have won or have been nominated for, is just. (no disrespect for Meryl Streep because she did actually deserve every single one of them by transforming from a devilish boss in the Devil Wears Prada, to a cheerful, rosy-cheeked, cook in Julie & Julia in a year and being nominated for both) but when you see that Oldman has only been nominated once...just makes you wonder...

The first time I ever saw Irons and Malkovich in a movie I was just a kid and it was the same for both: the Man in the Iron Mask. Sometimes I wish I had seen these movies when I was older to better have appreciated their acting. Of course this movie is not a good example of their best work, so this is not the best example for a loss! But still...

Here's the link to this video:
Top 10 Actor Villains

I have come to understand that many actors are shy by seeing their interviews like Ralph Fiennes, Nicole Kidman, or Gene Hackman, and they have found acting as a way to express themselves whereas they couldn't have done in the real world. Sometimes I wonder if I should've gotten into acting. I always dreamed of becoming an actress by seeing the glamor of the Oscars and being someone who was good at making people laugh by impersonating myself. But now I think it was a good thing that I never got the chance to be an actor mostly because I wouldn't have been able to take being turned down or criticized (I can see the irony too!). I have been devastated by only one failed application recently, let alone take a career path where being criticized is part of the job!