Sometimes, audiences will only accept an actor in a specific role. Those portrayed as the good guys or heroes tend to get cast in those roles. It's simple for viewers to only accept performers in certain parts if they often see them in the same types of roles. Often landing a lead role in a film is not easy however, actors typically seek roles that force them to step outside their comfort zones. Actors who typically portray heroic roles may be excited by the prospect of playing the villain, just as comedians may welcome the chance to tackle a dramatic role. Sometimes the performer's role reversal is a massive hit with fans and becomes one of their most memorable performances. Still, other times it doesn't work out so well, and the audience has trouble accepting the star in a different role.
10 Robin Williams
As far as his legacy goes, Robin Williams will be most remembered as a hilarious comedian. He was gifted at improvising and had impeccable timing. Throughout the 1990s, he was the poster boy for heartwarming family comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire and, in a vocal role, Aladdin. Of course, he was more than just a comedian; three of his four Oscar nods and his sole win, for Good Will Hunting, were for his empathetic turns in dramatic roles. The main character played by Williams in Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the leading suspect in the murder of a teenage girl in a remote Alaskan hamlet. Walter Finch is a crime author who battered the girl to death after she rejected his overtures. He uses the information he has gleaned from his readings to outsmart the police. Williams spent many hours watching interviews with the real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in preparation for this part.
9 Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman has fought vampires in Van Helsing and mutant oppression in the X-Men franchise, but in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, Jackman excelled as the villain Robert Angier. As a magician in competition with Alfred Borden, the stakes became too high for a friendly exchange. It was no longer a competition over who could pull off the most impressive stunts; instead, Angier's goal was to eliminate his opponent. Angier successfully made the audience loathe him by having Borden falsely accused of murder, hanged him for a crime he did not commit, and adopting the man's daughter.
8 Tom Cruise
A legendary performer who has moved millions with his heroic turns in films like Top Gun, Legend, and, of course, the Mission: Impossible series, he hardly needs an introduction. It would seem like an odd choice for Tom Cruise to play the villain, but he took part as a challenge and excelled. In the psychological crime thriller Collateral, Cruise who had a brief romance with Sofia Vergara has demonstrated his acting prowess once again as Vincent, a skilled hitman, paid to eliminate four witnesses. Both the film and Cruise's performance as the villain was praised by critics.
7 Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington is most well-known for his portrayals of natural and fictional activists and for roles in which his characters must overcome prejudice to achieve their goals. His protagonists are typically honorable guys who stand against inequality and serve as role models to others around them. Throughout his career, he has played heroes and complicated, sympathetic leading men. One role, though, stands out as a truly terrible man. Alonzo Harris is a corrupt police officer with a massive debt to Russian mobsters that he must repay by the end of the day on Training Day. He shows no regard for the law as he guides a new officer through patrolling dangerous, low-income areas. He is a superb manipulator and bully who utilizes intimidation techniques on the locals and once held a sidearm to the head of his trainee to make him take PCP, an action he subsequently used to blackmail the idealistic cop.
6 Leonardo DiCaprio
Even before his breakout roles in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic, DiCaprio was widely regarded as one of Hollywood's finest leading men. He's well-respected for his versatility and willingness to try new things as an actor. Though he has portrayed several characters with questionable moral principles and on the wrong side of the law, he has managed to keep his perspective and the audience's sympathies. DiCaprio's portrayal of Calvin Candie makes him one of the few genuinely evil characters he's ever played. Candie was initially intended to be an older guy, but Tarantino decided to make him resemble Caligula, the petulant young emperor, so that the character could have more dramatic moments. Candie, an antebellum South plantation owner who delights in seeing his canines tear captives to bits when they try to escape, also enjoys watching his slaves kill each other in bloody fights.
5 Matt Damon
Matt Damon is not only known for his great acting skills, he is also known to have a great relationship with his wife Luciana. Even though Matt Damon is one of the most admired actors in Hollywood, his casting as the public viewed the villain with skepticism due to his reputation for playing upstanding characters. Yet, the actor agreed, and the public's opinion of Damon changed forever. Tom Ripley, played by Tom Cruise, killed those who stood in his way in The Talented Mr. Ripley despite his good looks. It was fantastic to witness Damon in a monster form, performing as he had never performed before.
4 Angela Lansbury
Although Angela Lansbury is best known for her role as Jessica Fletcher on the long-running TV series Murder, She Wrote, she has won five Tony Awards and been nominated for three Oscars. Lansbury speculated that viewers might see themselves in Fletcher, contributing to the show's popularity. Opposite her previous role, Lansbury played Eleanor Iselin, the manipulative mother of Raymond Shaw (played by Edward G. Robinson), in The Manchurian Candidate. Mrs. Iselin was ranked by time as one of the top 25 best movie villains in 2007. She's dangerous because she wants power and has a cold heart.
3 Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks' performances as Forrest Gump and John H. Miller were so convincing that viewers often had trouble telling them apart. So, critics of the crime thriller Road to Perdition were surprised to learn that the film's most likable actor will play the role of professional assassin Michael Sullivan. The actor who had a great relationship with his wife Rita Wilson is among the actors who can pull off being a villain.
2 Samuel L. Jackson
Talking about the film Django Unchained, renowned actor Samuel L. Jackson played the antagonist. He saved lives in Snakes on a Plane, but in Stephen, he showed no remorse for the murder of his people. Michael Jackson has been in several films by Quentin Tarantino, but his portrayal in Django Unchained was his most ruthless yet. Accepting your enslavement is harsh enough, but turning against your people is a cruel punishment.
1 Heath Ledger
Unlike other movie villains, The Dark Knight's Joker stands head and shoulders above the others. Moreover, Heath Ledger, who was vastly underrated for the serious part of the Clown Prince of Crime, played the villain. High expectations were placed on the actor recognized for his roles as a romantic teenager in 10 Things I Hate About You, a noble knight in A Knight's Tale, and a cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, but Ledger made his critics eat their words. The Joker, arguably the most significant film villain of all time, managed to win against Batman in a film about Batman. Just the tip of the iceberg is that Ledger was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in this.
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