Any actor who has ever played a villain in a movie will tell you that there is a lot more fun to be had when you are playing a bad person. There are sides of one’s personality you can explore; you can dive further beneath the surface of the character, more than you could by playing a likable hero. Many actors are born to play villains or just highlyunlikable characters, and they’ve gone on to have successful careers doing it.
However, there are those major A-listers who just don’t fit the bill of playing a villain. Maybe they have walked the fine line of playing an anti-hero of sorts, but they have never gone full-on bad. Let this list not discredit the remarkable achievements of these actors, but rather just point out an interesting fact about how they never went to the dark side to play a role in a movie.
10Meg Ryan
Meg Ryanrose to stardom in the 1980s. One of her first big on-screen roles was in 1986’sTop Gun, playing the wife of Anthony Edwards' character, “Goose.“Top Gunwas one of those films that felt like a springboard to bigger things for the lead, and even the supporting cast. Meg Ryan would then go on to a decades-long run of being a rom-com queen in the 1990s.
How Could You Hate Meg Ryan?
Ryan was one of the most likable on-screen performers of the 1990s. She was funny, smart, and relatable in every performance she gave us. She does have some overlooked versatility in dramas likeCourage Under FireandWhen a Man Loves a Woman, but she has never played the role of a vindictive villain. With this being a new stage of her career, don’t be surprised if she doesn’t try something new down the road at some point.
9Emily Blunt
Emily Bluntis one of the most successful and prolific actresses who’s working right now. Her versatility shows in anything from Oscar-worthy dramas to horror films that are directed by her husband, John Krasinski, and sci-fi films that hit it big at the box office. With an outstanding resume, she still has never taken a turn to play a villain.
Emily Blunt in the MCU or DCEU?
As mentioned above, there are a few on this list who walk up to the line of playing a villain, but never cross it. Blunt does play a bit of an anti-hero inThe Huntsman: Winter’s Warand a bit of a cutthroat assistant inThe Devil Wears Prada, but she never fully goes there. It has to be only a matter of time, though, as she would fit perfectly as a villain in somewhere like the MCU or James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe.
8Michael Cera
Michael Cerahit the scene on the hit showArrested Developmentand played one of the greatest lovable losers of all time inSuperbad. He would eventually get typecast in the years that followed and then walk away from roles like that to pursue other passions in life, like acting on stage and showing his versatility in other kinds of roles.
Michael Cera Should Play a Serial Killer
Despite a resurgence as of late in a small role in 2023’s mega-hit,Barbie, as well as playing opposite Amy Schumer in the Hulu original comedy,Life & Beth, Cera has yet to play an evildoer of sorts. As we notice the career trajectory he has gone on as of late, one must wonder if he can give us a bit of a darker performance in something. Just picture Cera as a deranged murderer in a dark crime thriller. As he takes on more serious roles that still have comedic themes, it could be possible.
Related:Why Amy Schumer’s Life & Beth Has Already Become a Fan Favorite
7Jennifer Lawrence
Who has had a better career in the last 10 years thanJennifer Lawrence? She’s an Oscar winner, anX-Mencharacter,and led one of the biggest adaptations ofthe decade withThe Hunger Games, and more recently, she made us laugh hysterically in this summer’s comedy hit,No Hard Feelings.
She Toed the Line inAmerican Hustle
Still, she has never played a villain before. Lawrence played the plotting, cast-aside wife of Christian Bale’s character inAmerican Hustle, a role that also got her an Oscar nomination. If you were to pick a villain for that film (outside all the gangsters in it), it would be Lawrence’s portrayal of Rosalyn Rosenfeld. Although technically not the villain in the movies, we can see the inner workings of how she could play a perfect antagonist. She’s got a long career ahead of her, and time will tell.
6Clint Eastwood
When you think about the tough guys on the silver screen,Clint Eastwoodis one of the first that comes to mind. The actor and director has a career that dates back to the 1950s. He has played some of the most iconic characters in the history of movies, and they were usually roles that had a bit of an edge to them.
“Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?”
Dirty Harry,The Man with No Name, and Walt inGran Torinowere all thick-skinned tough guys who had no issue settling a dispute the old-fashioned way. A lot of Eastwood’s performances usually consisted of him shooting down someone who tried to do harm, thus making you always root for him. It’s crazy to think that, despite all the outlaws he played, or a cop who may have gone a little too far at times, he never played a villain.
5Gwyneth Paltrow
We’re sureGwyneth Paltrowis a very nice woman, even on a bad day. However, a lot of the roles she’s played could be labeled as just another smug, upper-class woman, even though none of them are unsympathetic roles. In her earlier films, she had a look about her that just reminded you of the girl who came from a wealthy family and whom you instantly had a distaste for, but once you got to know her, she seemed pretty cool.
She Always Plays Sympathetic Characters
Paltrow has taken some hits in public as of late, but on screen, she has never used that persona of appearing to be a snobby upper-class woman to her advantage. Paltrow has always played fairly sympathetic characters in the movies she’s been in. She’s a fan favorite in theMCU;she shows her comedic vulnerability in comedies likeShallow Hal, and some may hate it, butMortdecaiis an underrated film!
4Jackie Chan
Jackie Chanwill go down as one of the greatest action stars of all time. A legend who kept pushing the boundaries of what you could achieve in an action film. From his overseas' hits likePolice StoryandDrunken Masterto his big jump to America in theRush Hourfranchise andShanghai Noon, Chan has become an icon of martial arts cinema, but he still has never played a bad guy.
He Came Close inShinjuku Incident
The man who does all his own stunts has come close to playing a bad guy only once in his career. 2009’sShinjuku Incidentis one ofChan’s darkest rolesthat he has ever played. He’s a bit of a criminal of sorts in the film and plays against the grain of a kid-friendly character who can kick some butt.
Chan usually brings a lighthearted quality to his roles, thus making it hard for him to go down a dark path. He’s shown signs of it at his older age now, so maybe he can pop up as an older gangster of sorts down the road at some point. Either way, since bad guys usually get killed off at the end of a film, one must ask: would he still do his own stunts in his death scene?
3Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Anistonwill go down as one of the best actresses to cross back and forth between television and movies.FromLeprechauntoFriends, to the long list of romantic comedies of the early 2000s, Aniston has never had a dull moment in her career, and she has also never played a villain.
Jennifer Aniston Could Never Play a Villain
It’s far too difficult to picture Jennifer Aniston playing the role of someone intending to do physical, mental, or emotional harm to someone. More recently, Anniston played the role of Alex Levy onThe Morning Show.In no way is the character a dark-spirited person, but she’s a woman in the world of broadcast television.
She has her guard up at all times and can get cutthroat if need be. All in all, her career has a long track record of playing some of the more highly likable characters over the last 30 years, and that’s why we love her.
Related:Leprechaun is Getting Rebooted Again at Lionsgate
2Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullockhas had a career that has lasted more than three decades now, and not once has she ever played a villain. Bullock has gone from romantic comedies to big-budget action movies to an Oscar-winning performance as a caring adoptive mother inThe Blind Side.
The Darker Side of Sandra Bullock
Bullock will still give us a good comedy occasionally, but in the last few years, she has given us some darker performances. Netflix’sBirdboxfelt like a change of pace, as didThe Unforgivable, where she plays a woman getting out of prison and adjusting to society. Bullock is almost too likable to see her go full bad on us, but she is an Oscar winner who never disappoints in any role she’s in. Don’t be surprised if the right offer comes one day, and she gets evil on us.
1Adam Sandler
If you’re noticing a trend by now with this list, it is that it is full of actors who have broken free of the type of characters they have been cast as and tried something new.Adam Sandlerhas definitely been one of the actors in the last few years to do just that. Although it has worked out great for him as of late, with roles likeUncut Gems, he still has yet to play a full-on bad guy.
Punch-Drunk Love Walked so Uncut Gems Could Run
Many like to referenceUncut Gemsand Sandler’s anxiety-filled performance in it as jeweler Howard Ratner, but if you go back further to a film likePaul Thomas Anderson’sPunch Drunk Love, you’ll see Sandler stick to his comic roots while getting kind of dark. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a shy man who can occasionally have outbursts of terrifying rage. Again, Sandler is not playing the villain, but he catches you off guard a bit.
