A cast of interesting characters is essential in producing a compelling and captivating
film.
Some actors dedicate themselves, delving deeply into the persona someone else created.
While the screenwriter and director may have a hand in bringing a character to the actor,
it is the actor’s duty to bring the character to fruition and sometimes that can be unforgettable.
Whether it be an ensemble film or one with a showcased lead, every supporting player
has the potential of shining just a little bit brighter than everyone else.
Here are 10 Amazing Movie Characters who Completely Steal the Show.
Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad It is hard to believe that there was time
before Harley Quinn but unlike her maniacal paramour, the Joker, who first appeared in
DC comics in 1940, she did not make her first appearance until 1992 in Batman: The Animated
Series.
In that time, she has become one of the most popular characters in the DC universe with
her appearances in video games, comics, and animated series.
She even popped up on the short-lived live action series Birds of Prey.
It was the eagerly anticipated Suicide Squad that combined all of the Harley Quinn fervor
into one tremendous portrayal by the stunning Margot Robbie.
Harley’s beguiling beauty is made even more fascinating by her absolutely psychotic dedication
to The Joker but the Joker takes a backseat to his girlfriend in Suicide Squad.
There is a reason why each of the film’s trailers featured Harley Quinn front and center;
she is hypnotizing in her madness.
Dragging her baseball bat behind her as she nearly skips with joy to create even more
chaos, Harley Quinn is a pigtailed nutcase and completely steals every scene she’s
in and has a good laugh about it afterward.
Megan in Bridesmaids Bridesmaids proved itself as not only a hilarious
female driven comedy but as a supplier of memorable quotes and disastrous situations.
Kristen Wiig plays a woman competing over the friendship and maid of honor status of
her best friend played by Maya Rudolph.
Career changing performances abound in Bridesmaids.
From Rose Byrne cementing her position as a comedic actress to Rebel Wilson’s uproarious
introduction to audiences, the film is filled with fantastic characters.
However, it is the character of Megan who truly takes the wedding cake on this one.
After years as a likeable supporting actress, Melissa McCarthy stepped into the role of
a feisty Golden Retriever-stealing woman who also happens to be an incredibly considerate
friend and possibly the character in the movie with the biggest heart.
Bridesmaids has become a modern comedy classic and the same can go for the character of Megan.
Hit girl from Kick-Ass Kick-Ass is a film about a normal teenage
boy who is such a big fan of comic books and superheroes that he decides to take a page
from his favorite heroes and rid the streets of crime.
He develops his own character and gives him the not-too-cutesy name of Kick-Ass.
After getting beat up far too many times because he has no actual superpowers, he comes across
the next character on our list, Hit Girl.
Hit Girl is the pint-sized costumed vigilante who has real fighting chops thanks to her
father and crime-fighting colleague, Big Daddy.
Chloe Grace Moritz as Hit Girl steals every scene she’s in and frankly, the film probably
should have been called Hit Girl, but everyone loves an underdog, and Hit Girl is far too
good at everything to be an underdog.
Along with her mastery of weapons and her ferocious scrappiness, Hit Girl also carries
an emotional pull for audiences as she is still just a little girl playing in the big
bad world.
Hit Girl is one kick-ass movie character.
Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs When thinking about The 1992 Academy Award
winning film, The Silence of the Lambs, most people immediately think of Hannibal Lecter.
However, if viewers think about it, Lecter was not the main character and was actually
only in 25 minutes of the 2 hour film.
While the demented killer Buffalo Bill is the psycho Agent Clarice Starling is desperately
searching for, it is through Hannibal Lecter she believes she will find the answers.
The character of Hannibal Lecter is terrifying, brilliant, and has some of the most memorable
lines in film history.
Lecter is such a scene stealing character that along with multiple films made featuring
the character, NBC created a show starring the psychiatrist turned cannibalistic killer.
Lecter is a truly delicious film character.
Steven Buscemi Con Air It may seem impossible to steal any attention
away from Nicolas Cage, but in Con-Air Steve Buscemi’s Garland Greene managed to do just
that.
In the film, Cage plays a man who was imprisoned after accidentally killing a man for getting
aggressive with Cage’s pregnant wife.
Eight years later, he gets to go home and meet his child.
All is well until the convicts who are transported on the same plane decide to take it over and
things get a bit crazy.
In a film that also includes scene-chewing efforts by Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle and
John Malkovich, Buscemi’s Garland is just fantastic.
He has killed more people than the Manson Family, and Ted Bundy combined but he is still
so darn likable.
He’s sick, hilarious and oddly comforting.
In a plane full of criminals he may be one of the few that seems like a decent guy.
He’s, of course, a deranged serial killer, but there is almost something satisfying that
his final moments of the film see him on a winning streak in a casino and having the
best time.
Jay and Silent Bob in Clerks The foul mouthed twosome have appeared in
more Kevin Smith projects than any other actor.
Smith playing Silent Bob certainly helps with scheduling.
It all started in 1993 when Smith was working on his film with a $27,000 budget, Clerks,
and asked his buddy Jason Mewes to play drug dealer, Jay.
It was simple enough, as the character was based on a teenage Mewes.
Although he was nervous, he pushed through it and he along with Smith continued to make
appearances in films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Clerks 2.
The characters who were supposed to be random dudes standing on the sidelines managed to
carve their own place in pop culture history.
Smith was so sure audiences enjoyed the New Jersey Duo, he and Mewes made the film Jay
and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Even with their escalating notoriety, it was their debut in the grainy and simplistic Clerks
that created characters that stole the show.
The Joker in The Dark Knight The Joker has always been an interesting scene-stealing
character in every interpretation of the role.
From the illustrated pages of DC comics in the 1940s to Cesar Romero in the 1960s, Jack
Nicholson in 1989 to the current tattooed, mouth-full-of-metal, Jared Leto version.
The one that sticks out among all others is Heath Ledger’s portrayal which annihilated
any past or future attempts at the grinning lunatic.
The Dark Knight was a filmmaking revolution and created a precedent for performances in
comic book films.
Ledger’s performance was no joke and his character sticks out as the most important
element of the film.
His deeply unhinged Joker not only filled every scene with uncomfortable moments that
washed away any trace of the actor playing him, but maintained a kinetic quality throughout
each scene in the movie.
Even the scenes he wasn’t in were made more exciting as audiences did not know when to
expect his entrance and what may be next.
The Joker certainly put a smile on the faces of audiences.
Jack Black High Fidelity In the 2000 John Cusack starring comedy High
Fidelity, Jack Black steals the show essentially playing himself.
His character, Barry is a bombastic music elitist with over-the-top declarations and
memorable rants.
Black’s previous roles in films flew under the radar, for the most part, only occasionally
triggering mild interest but the character of Barry allowed Black to completely unravel
in the best way possible.
The engaging comedy is adapted from a Nick Hornby novel and bubbles with charm and humor
but Barry still manages to give the film a jolt of energy.
The final moments of the film bring the house down with Barry and his band, Barry Jive and
the Uptown Five.
The Crowd goes wild and so did viewers.
Spiderman, Captain America: Civil War Spider Man has had plenty of opportunity to
be front and center.
Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker exhibited the awkwardness of adolescence, guilt of losing
Uncle Ben, and the elation of love with Mary Jane.
Andrew Garfield gave audiences a more cocky and confident Peter Parker who loved and lost
the sweet and feisty Gwen Stacy.
It would seem that excitement for the web slinging superhero had been exhausted.
That was until Spider Man flung back into a film and our hearts with a short appearance
in Captain America Civil War.
An ally of Tony Stark, Spidey takes part in a battle of superheroes.
Tom Holland plays the young Peter Parker this time and even in a film filled to the brim
of a who’s who of crime fighters, he manages to steal the show as easily as he steals Captain
America’s shield.
Quicksilver, X-Men Days of Future Past.
Just like the Avengers films, the X-Men series are each an ensemble piece and provide a feast
for the eyes and plenty of heroes who share screen time.
With each new X-Men film, a few new mutants are highlighted so while the films give different
characters a chance to shine it is easy for them to get lost in the mutant mix.
Quicksilver is more than just Marvel’s answer to The Flash, he’s his own brand of accelerated
momentum and he displays his fancy footwork, sense of humor and penchant for kleptomania
in X-Men Days of Future Past.
Every scene in the film gets a little bit more exciting with the presence of Quicksilver,
most notably a scene in which audiences are able to see what life is like from his perspective.
Slowed down and set to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle”, the speedy Peter Maximoff
not only stops bullets from hitting his fellow mutant friends but has a good time messing
with everyone in the room since he has the extra time.
It may be one of the best and most memorable scenes in a superhero movie thanks to the
scene stealing Quicksilver.
There’s our list.
There are plenty more movie characters who steal the entire movie, which ones did we
forget?
Let us know in the comments!
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