Exactly. He played an objectively horrible person very well. The only people holding it against him are likely also sending death threats to Jack Gleeson, or are of the variety that wildly misinterpret the literature to see it all from his disgusting perspective (“it’s sad that some 12 year old girls are seductresses, but he did a bad thing, too!” types).
I think Edward Norton in American History X would fit this pretty well. It was a really powerful performance in a great movie, but ill always associate him with the curbstomp scene.
I’ve only seen that movie once and feel like it’s seared into my mind. So much of that movie is hard to watch but in such a well done way if that makes any sense
basically any actor who plays a nazi role while looking like a normal human being has a chance of being idolized by actual nazis. edward norton in american history x, ralph fiennes in schindlers list, and russell crowe in romper stomper are all popular examples of that. you can legit find neo nazi memes featuring them too lol
And the role right before that he plays >!a brutal murderer who pretends to have dissociative identities to get off lightly but mostly just to fuck with everyone!<.
Dude was off to the races.
I still liked him better in that role than Ruffalo (an actor I absolutely love btw).
Norton just gave the character more of an edge that I kind of expected from Banner, and played the whole split personality thing (once again) a lot better. He made you feel like someone was really losing control and hulking out.
Ruffalo is a bit boring in the role. I think he tried to draw a major contrast between a very soft-spoken and easy-going Banner and then the rage monster, but it doesn’t really work for me.
And .... up until just this moment I thought Satan's Alley was just the nebulous roughly plotless broadway production that John Travolta starred in in Staying Alive
Also, Cynthia Rhodes had a great body in that. Just bad hair. Her hair looked better in Dirty Dancing but she lost way too much weight to try to compete with Jennifer Grey. Sorry I'm high.
It's great. He rips Jack Black for showing up late to the commentary recording. While Stiller keeps trying to "so in this scene, we're back in the jungle and..." and RDJ's dogging Jack for ordering In 'N' Out. Just terrific.
DeNiro in Cape Fear. He’s been the bad guy in other movies but he’s a really really bad guy in Cape Fear. He’s a rapist, murderer and pedophile all in one nasty package. Not to mention he’s a New Yorker playing a guy with a Georgia accent. It’s a role he could’ve botched so easily but instead nails. It could’ve ended up being a campy performance but instead it was terrifying. Easily one of his best roles.
Cape Fear might be me favourite Scorcese film. I know it hasnt necessarily got the same scope or depth as some of his other films but the execution of everything is just flawless for me. It's incredibly well made and was one of his highest grossing films when it came out.
Also some interesting VFX in that film. The scene where that one character is on fire is a digital composite and not CGI. The actor pretended to be on fire for one shot. They then had a stuntman in a green morph suit recreate the actors movements while on fire, then combined the shots.
(I can't spoiler tag on mobile so sorry for phrasing that last bit awkwardly.)
This is so far removed from OPs prompt. DeNiro made a career out of complex bad guy roles. There wasn’t a single person thinking “oh my god, what a departure for him” when Cape Fear came out. Lol. If anything the original role was probably more of a risk for Robert Mitchum than the remake was for DeNiro.
Dang, I heard that in my head with the voice of that whimsical Disney trailer voiceover from the 90's.
[EDIT] To put a name to the voice: Mark Elliot. Rest in peace.
That movie just so much.... it is impossible to think about how this movie was made. It is the product of an era of movies. Major stars Kate Beckinsale, Matthew McConaughey, and Gary Oldman in a weird rom com. Gary Oldman is doing the Mickey Rooney from Breakfast at Tiffany's, but with little people.
"Gary Oldman is doing the Mickey Rooney"
Hey, Mickey Rooney was short, but not that short!
"from Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Oh yeah, that part. Fair assessment. Hopefully he didn't do a high pitched voice
I had never heard of this movie before today. I checked IMDb, it's real. I watch the trailer, it's real. I still cannot accept that this film is real. It screams parody on every level. It's a movie akin to Simple Jack in Tropic Thunder, satire within satire but very clearly a *joke*, right?!?!
I mean, we all joke about Oldman being a chameleon who can just become anyone and everyone in film and knock it out the park, but it's like someone suggested this for a laugh and he replied, 'hold my beer.' How can this possibly be real? Even the cheesy as fuck voice-over in that trailer sounds in on the joke, 'the role of a lifetime' for Gary Oldman. This has all the markings of a movie within a movie, something so outlandish, offensive, cartoonish that it has to be fake. It just has to be.
I could watch this film and I still won't accept that it's a real film.
Romancing the Pod just covered this.
In fairness to everyone involved, it was SUPPOSED to be a dramady-esk slice of life movie. It was written to be a realistic look at the sex lives of little people. Then the studio fired the director during post production and ordered a complete re-edit to make it more “audience friendly”
Peter Dinklage and the writer have both said the original cut was a damn good movie, and the studio cut out at least 45 minutes, and cut down the FX schedule. The later led to the level of ridiculous you see on screen for Oldman’s character it was supposed to get post production fx touchups.
Sir Patrick Stewart in Green Room. I won’t spoil it with any description—if you haven’t seen it do yourself a favor and seek it out. He’s captain of an enterprise, but that’s where the similarities end
I think it was a Nerdist interview where he said the first time he read the script he was so unsettled that he turned on all the outside security lights at his house.
He's done a few roles playing against type. He did an Israeli movie called Hunting Elephants where he plays the idiot comic relief. Hunting Elephants is about a kid who enlists his grandfather and two other seniors to rob a bank. The kid and his grandfather are in a serious drama, the two other guys are Patrick Stewart and an Israeli actor (Moni Moshonov) having a scenery eating contest.
patrick swayze, wesley snipes and john leguizamo in "to wong foo, thanks for everything! julie newmar."
things were getting better for the lgbtq+ community by 1995 but we know that these guys got a lot of hate, and lost friends and family for their roles in this movie.
See the bright side. Spielberg produced the movie. Lots of [people auditioned ](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-crazy-fabulous-story-behind-to-wong-foo-128781657157.html)for the roles. Kyle McLaughlin fought for the lead role, but lost to Swayze. It showed that Swayze was more complicated then just the good looking lead.
People frequently mistake this and Priscilla Queen of the Desert as being inspired by each other, but I do love a double feature of these two films.
They both show very different cultural sides of the queer community yet both have a strong message about found family, kindness, and resilience that still resonate today. Absolute bangers of queer culture.
I actually watched this for myself 2 nights ago. My parents loved it when I was a kid but I wasn’t interested so didn’t have any memory of it. I’d been looking out for it on streaming for a while now and it finally was on one of my services in the last week or so. Loved it. Looking through a ‘90s lense it was very sweet and was ahead of its time.
I don't remember any hate directed at them publicly. You have a source on that? I think most people just took it as a comedy kind of like the Bird Cage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane playing a gay couple running a drag bar.
It wasn't controversial for Cruise to play those roles at all. Kevin Bacon in The Woodsmen was an unbelievable performance- this is the reason it was controversial. If it were trashy or mediocre, it would not have been in such a situation. I understand what you mean in any case, I feel Kevin Bacon in The Woodsmen is a great example regardless.
But it's odd in the same way as saying Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones. Or Matt Dillon in The House That Jack Built. (Lars Von Trier talked about this susbject actually) Only controversial due to audience expectations. Can explain more of course. Just wanted to add a few to the list as well as discuss the topic briefly. If I think of more I'll be sure to edit.
I suppose sligtly controversial since one wasn't expecting mr All American to play in either Magnolia or Eyes Wide Shut especially as the latter has some subtle digs at his image/persona.
Seems to me his role in Magnolia was way more subversive of expectations than EWS. His character is basically “saying the quiet part out loud” of being an all-American handsome white winner. In EWS, he’s the civilized version, who suddenly spirals into a paranoid dark night of the soul
He’d never let someone in a movie call him short now lol. And it’s too bad.
But none of his movies are a risk, imo. Those examples are directed by PTA and Kubrick. Who wouldn’t want to be in one of their movies?
Hmm. I dunno how much that damaged his career or the public perception of him so much as illustrated how much of an awesome actor he is during the latter part of his career. Let’s not forget Sergio Leone chose him because he’d been so heavily typecast as the all American Hero for so long. I love that film so much and his introduction is probably one of my favourite scenes in movie history… and it hits so much harder because it’s Henry Fonda. Leone was a genius.
The question was about "those who don't mind taking on roles that might be controversial in some form". Henry Fonda murdering a child in the opening scene fits that perfectly. It's not really about damaging their career or public perception
One that didn't make it to actual casting, I know I'm cheating, but Madonna HEAVILY campaigning for the lead role in Memoirs of a Geisha.
She repeatedly, publicly would say in interviews that she would love to play the role of Hatsuomo. She even had used the music video Nothing Really Matters to help her get the role, and in one of her films has her name listed as Hatsu.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-20-tm-48407-story.html
Hatsumomo is the main antagonist, I suppose, but I wouldn't call her the lead. Still, Madonna would have been absolutely insane and offensive in that role. The casting of the protagonist did have some controversy though. Zhang Ziyi, a Chinese actress, played Chiyo/Sayuri, and Japanese audiences weren't very pleased by that casting.
Yeah, apparently both Japan and China were upset. The production company, from what read on IMDb *claimed* that they held open auditions for Japanese women but none showed up. Which seems... Like a lie
I think just the fact that he was playing a slave owning villain.
I don't think anyone was actually upset about it though - we were all just excited to see what he would do with the role.
Chalamet is 28, DiCaprio was 19.
My point being, if that role were done by a more established actor in today's time then yes of course it would be a much riskier role than Leo (who was relatively unknown by 93)
I actually disagree. I think he was smart to do something a bit edgier than usual and play a straight up villain. He was getting stale (and mostly still is, in my opinion anyway)
Also, Tarantino’s films are almost cartoons these days so I think there was a fantastical element to it all that smoothed over the harder edges.
I thought that was the best acting he's ever done, that monologue scene was incredible. Didnt get Oscar nommed from it, maybe because voters felt icky voting for such a character.
Kiefer Sutherland in Eye for an Eye (1996) will make your skin crawl. Complete 180 from Jack Bauer and I read somewhere that not long after the movie came out, Kiefer went to dinner with his family and someone nearby wanted to move to a different table.
Reminds me of how Martha Stewart was dating Anthony Hopkins when Silence of the Lambs came out, and her saying she broke up with him because she couldn’t see past Hannibal Lecter.
Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.
Now before you get all bothered by me calling Tom Hanks an A lister prior to Philadelphia, he was a rock solid performer in comedies and this movie was one hell of a leap for his career. Were we as a viewing public even ready for this movie in 1993? From the guy who danced on an oversized piano? The guy who had a relationship with a mermaid? Can he even do a movie without Meg Ryan?
If SNL counts, the Rock played a role of a scientist who creates a robot to molest children. Not a big role or anything obviously but probably the most atypical type of actor to take a controversial role.
I saw that recently and was blown away by how explicit the content was. I mean, at one point, in a gay S&M club, there's a guy in a fuck swing getting fisted. No, you don't exactly see it, but you can *hear* it...
Charlize Theron underwent a crazy transformation to play a prostitute turned serial killer in the movie Monster. Though it worked in her favor as she earned an Oscar for the role.
The overwhelming scuttlebutt surrounding that movie was "hot actress fugs up with prosthetics as Oscar bait." Nothing the least bit controversial about it.
Now, did she deliver the goods acting-wise? Yes, yes she did. However, it was a situation where people were rolling their eyes at the cliche of the setup before the film was even released.
Prosthetics? She gained 30lbs, shaved her eyebrows, fucked her hair all up and looked practically feral. There was some makeup and dentures but it's not like she's wearing a fat suit or latex or anything. It wasn't cliche either. There weren't exactly bombshells of her caliber willing to ugly themselves up to that degree. I can't think of too many women before her or after that were willing to go the lengths she did for that performance.
The thing that irks me a bit is, how many great actresses haven't got into Hollywood because they weren't "pretty enough" or "thin enough." But instead, they got one of Hollywood's most beautiful to act in it. I mean, I guess that was part of the point.
Realistically, they needed the star name to get people in the seats. Doubtful it would have worked with a no-name actress, even if she would have physically fit the part better. Sad reality
I think there is a value in showing how someone who lives a hardscrabble life like Aileen Wournos and glamorous actress like Charlize look different in part because of the time and money that the latter can dedicate to maintaining/improving her appearance. Kind of exposes the smoke and mirrors of Hollywood Beauty.
This goes back a long way but Carroll O'Connor in "Archie Bunker". Except it was "All in the Family" but it's remembered as ABS because of the shock of the racism
Kevin Bacon in the Woodsman (is movie you were thinking of)
I would say Heath Ledger and Jake G in Brokeback Mountain but they weren’t true “A” at the time.
> Kevin Bacon in the Woodsman (is movie you were thinking of)
OP could also be thinking of Sleepers too. Kevin Bacon is one of the most loathesome characters in any movie in that one.
Good call. That scene when they run into him at the Hell’s Kitchen bar and eventually confront him is great stuff. Especially the initial reaction by the actor Ron Eldard…when he tells Billy Crudup you know it’s going down.
> That scene when they run into him at the Hell’s Kitchen bar and eventually confront him is great stuff.
Kevin Bacon: "What do you want?"
Ron Eldard: "What I've always wanted. To watch you die."
That scene is *chilling*. Even though Kevin Bacon deserves his fate as much as anyone has ever deserved it in that movie, it's still a tough watch.
Only because no one has said it yet.
And because it’s so recent.
Even though she’s clearly very tight with the director, Emma stone choosing to play Bella in Poor Things, and go Full Frontal nude, was a wild decision. Emma is a modern Hollywood legend so she’s got cache in the bank for days, but nevertheless it’s such a crazy part to choose.
Can’t think of any A-list production in the last ……many years that had a role like that. Nymphomaniac by LVT did not have anything A-list associated with it because Shia was never a box-office guarantee at any point in his career and neither is LVT
I just watched the movie after news of her winning an Oscar and for some reason, the movie isn’t as controversial as it may be due to all the nudity. I’m glad we’re discussing the broader themes and cinematographies nowadays!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie with so much sex and nudity that’s also so utterly devoid of sexuality.
I mean, there isn’t a single moment that’s actually sexy or sexual.
I’m not saying that’s even remotely a bad thing, it’s just interesting.
I also think it’s worth pointing out that she’s gotten to a level as an actor where you see that she’s in something, and figure it must be worth seeing — just in the sense of “She has good taste, so at the very least this won’t be a waste of my time.”
I don’t think it gets more controversial than Chloe Sevigny in The Brown Bunny.
Not sure if she was A list, but was definitely an up and coming star everyone knew about.
Probably confusing "Contreversial" with just being a very different role than they usually play, like how Robin Williams was in mostly comedies, and even when in dramas, he definitely wasnt seen as the type of role he was in One Hour Photo.
Scarlet Johansson in that indie horror film about the totally naked alien woman who eats the flesh of men she lures in for sex, with full frontals thru the entire film.
I forget the name.
edit - under the skin
I think Sean Pean in I am Sam had some controversy when the trailers dropped. I remember some were shocked when movie star Kiefer Sullivan was the lead in a television show for 24. Usually once people got into movies they don’t come back to TV.
When Kiefer did 24 I was thinking the entertainment landscape might be changing. Though I guess he hasn't done a movie that I've known about since doing tv.
It’s fascinating how much things have changed. I think a lot of actors are eager to do shows now, just because there’s so many more opportunities for them to really get into a character.
It also interesting how alleged kind of paved the way. I remember 24 and The Sopranos really being at the forefront of mainstream serialized TV shows.
Along with, of course, Deep Space Nine.
First comes to mind was Martin Sheen's character in the film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
Don't wanna ruin it for anyone who has not seen the film. Good film by the way
I was here looking for Stanley Tucci in Lovely bones or Fassbender in Shame.
Not A-Listers but: Will Patton has taken many roles as a tender guy but he has also played a few psychos.
Bill Paxton seemed to take almost any role, but was he ever an A-lister, I feel like we only gave him the recognition he deserved after he died.
Haven't seen the Kevin Bacon movie but Mads Mickleson's The Hunt is a very uncomfortable movie about a man who is suspected of being a pedophile. It is actually quite good.
I think Marlon Brando turned off a lot of people in Last Tango in Paris. I haven't seen it because it looks like an old dude having a sexual relationship with a kid. Just going through the wiki synopsis grosses me out. The actress says she was traumatized by the experience.
Luc Besson has issues with younger women. There is alot of controversy. That said, Natalie Portman hated being sexualized from the cult classic movie The Professional. There were some really graphic scenes that were never shot. There is a weird relationship between the girl and the hitman.
Jodie Foster before she was A-list was a child actor playing a prostitute in Taxi Driver. There are no graphic sex scenes with her but the movie is regarded as a classic.
John Wayne as Genghis Khan.
Mickey Rooney as a grotesque Japanese stereotype in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Emma Stone portaying real life a 1/4 Hawaiian, 1/4 Chinese person in Aloha.
Stanley Tucci in, " The Lovely Bones " Man he went full blown craft on that one. Super cudos to Mark Wahlberg for breaking the mold. Honorable mention: Brando in Last Tango, Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time, Nicholson in One Flew and of course The Shining
Jeremy Irons demanded a big fat paycheck for the Lolita remake because he feared his career would take a hit.
He also does a great reading for the audiobook
Hell yeah he does. Possibly the best audiobook reading I’ve heard, in all honesty.
Dude could read me the phone book and I'd be riveted.
He’s actually great in the Lolita remake. Edit: like is the film objectively good? No. Is he really very good, yes.
He seems to have that work ethic. He’ll bring it, he don’t give a shit what it is
Exactly. He played an objectively horrible person very well. The only people holding it against him are likely also sending death threats to Jack Gleeson, or are of the variety that wildly misinterpret the literature to see it all from his disgusting perspective (“it’s sad that some 12 year old girls are seductresses, but he did a bad thing, too!” types).
He's the king of being great in bad movies
But he did the original Dungeons and Dragons movie too 🤔
And M. Butterfly. But I guess that's one of those good risks.
Also Eragon
I think Edward Norton in American History X would fit this pretty well. It was a really powerful performance in a great movie, but ill always associate him with the curbstomp scene.
I’ve only seen that movie once and feel like it’s seared into my mind. So much of that movie is hard to watch but in such a well done way if that makes any sense
Makes perfect sense. It's like Jack Gleeson as Joffrey on GoT - he did such a good job playing a piece of shit that it made people hate him.
basically any actor who plays a nazi role while looking like a normal human being has a chance of being idolized by actual nazis. edward norton in american history x, ralph fiennes in schindlers list, and russell crowe in romper stomper are all popular examples of that. you can legit find neo nazi memes featuring them too lol
And it was very early in his film career too
And the role right before that he plays >!a brutal murderer who pretends to have dissociative identities to get off lightly but mostly just to fuck with everyone!<. Dude was off to the races.
He'd be a great Hulk......
I still liked him better in that role than Ruffalo (an actor I absolutely love btw). Norton just gave the character more of an edge that I kind of expected from Banner, and played the whole split personality thing (once again) a lot better. He made you feel like someone was really losing control and hulking out. Ruffalo is a bit boring in the role. I think he tried to draw a major contrast between a very soft-spoken and easy-going Banner and then the rage monster, but it doesn’t really work for me.
He does not have the physical characteristics to play Terry Bolea brother
The sound. It still haunts me.
Thanks for that 😫
Likewise Russell Crowe in romper stomper
Didn't he say on Rogan his agent said don't do it.
Except he was almost completely unknown before that movie, so I don't think it's what OP is asking for. That movie put him on the map.
fun fact- that's the only movie where they didn't edit out Norton's giant swastika tattoo.
[удалено]
Oscar worthy performance in Satan's Alley
Don’t forget about MTVs kids choice ‘best kiss’ award’ Toby Maguire in supporting role…
Absolutely deserved that Crying Monkey award.
Every one in tropic thunder for sure!
And .... up until just this moment I thought Satan's Alley was just the nebulous roughly plotless broadway production that John Travolta starred in in Staying Alive Also, Cynthia Rhodes had a great body in that. Just bad hair. Her hair looked better in Dirty Dancing but she lost way too much weight to try to compete with Jennifer Grey. Sorry I'm high.
Ben Stiller as Simple Jack
You mean Tugg Speedman, star of the Scorcher franchise
He knew exactly who he was. He's the dude playing the dude pretending to be another dude!
What do you mean “you people”? What do *YOU* mean “you people”?
That dude doesn't drop the character until he does the DVD commentary.
That was actually true: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q\_Q3Zw9NmkQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Q3Zw9NmkQ)
Jesus Christ. Haha. The whole audio commentary?
It's great. He rips Jack Black for showing up late to the commentary recording. While Stiller keeps trying to "so in this scene, we're back in the jungle and..." and RDJ's dogging Jack for ordering In 'N' Out. Just terrific.
I dunno, I feel like Kirk Lazarus as Lincoln Osiris got waaaaay more attention and controversy around Kirk than RDJ got.
As soon as I heard that fake Aussie accent I was aghast.
RDJ wasn’t A-list at that time to be fair. Still a risky role to take trying to make your way back in the biz though.
Yeah, he basically filmed Iron Man and Tropic Thunder back to back.
RDJ had just started as Iron Man 3 months prior to Tropic Thunder's release. He was one of the biggest names in cinema at the time.
But filming for Tropic Thunder would've been before Iron Man actually released, and no one knew just how big it was going to be
RDJ wasn’t A-list yet when he got casted for that, though. IM1 hadn’t come out yet so he was still in his comeback phase.
RDJ has been A-List since the 90s. He just had a little speed bump in his career.
The bump was cocaine, not speed.
Iron Man came out in May 2008, Tropic Thunder came out in August 2008.
Meaning both were done shooting long before. No one knew Iron Man would put RDJ back on the map.
DeNiro in Cape Fear. He’s been the bad guy in other movies but he’s a really really bad guy in Cape Fear. He’s a rapist, murderer and pedophile all in one nasty package. Not to mention he’s a New Yorker playing a guy with a Georgia accent. It’s a role he could’ve botched so easily but instead nails. It could’ve ended up being a campy performance but instead it was terrifying. Easily one of his best roles.
Cape Fear might be me favourite Scorcese film. I know it hasnt necessarily got the same scope or depth as some of his other films but the execution of everything is just flawless for me. It's incredibly well made and was one of his highest grossing films when it came out. Also some interesting VFX in that film. The scene where that one character is on fire is a digital composite and not CGI. The actor pretended to be on fire for one shot. They then had a stuntman in a green morph suit recreate the actors movements while on fire, then combined the shots. (I can't spoiler tag on mobile so sorry for phrasing that last bit awkwardly.)
Yeah that’s a fantastic scene. Also when the houseboat breaks apart in the storm is pretty good too.
I think it was his first big box office success. It’s very Hitchcock - he even used Saul bass to make the intro
This is so far removed from OPs prompt. DeNiro made a career out of complex bad guy roles. There wasn’t a single person thinking “oh my god, what a departure for him” when Cape Fear came out. Lol. If anything the original role was probably more of a risk for Robert Mitchum than the remake was for DeNiro.
#Counselor!
Agree with everything you said. I would add that it is one of those films I will never watch again. Too disturbing (and I love horror movies).
I was just saying how much I love the simpsons version. It’s my favorite episode. And then I see this.
Damn, have I never seen Cape Fear somehow?
Both versions are great. Watch them in order. The 1962 version is about as dark as possible for that era then Scorsese cranks up the sweat.
This is such a good film!
Gary Oldman in Tiptoes. Ouch.
*In the role of a lifetime*
Dang, I heard that in my head with the voice of that whimsical Disney trailer voiceover from the 90's. [EDIT] To put a name to the voice: Mark Elliot. Rest in peace.
That movie just so much.... it is impossible to think about how this movie was made. It is the product of an era of movies. Major stars Kate Beckinsale, Matthew McConaughey, and Gary Oldman in a weird rom com. Gary Oldman is doing the Mickey Rooney from Breakfast at Tiffany's, but with little people.
"Gary Oldman is doing the Mickey Rooney" Hey, Mickey Rooney was short, but not that short! "from Breakfast at Tiffany's" Oh yeah, that part. Fair assessment. Hopefully he didn't do a high pitched voice
I will always crack up at the image of Gary Oldman [walking around on his knees](https://youtu.be/xt8S2WYLZ-Q?si=bL4F1UkWCiffH3Ey)
My god, I have never heard of this movie and gasped when I read the synopsis on Wikipedia lol. What a catastrophe of an idea
[Here's the trailer.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O3qGGk5ymQ4) You're welcome.
I had never heard of this movie before today. I checked IMDb, it's real. I watch the trailer, it's real. I still cannot accept that this film is real. It screams parody on every level. It's a movie akin to Simple Jack in Tropic Thunder, satire within satire but very clearly a *joke*, right?!?! I mean, we all joke about Oldman being a chameleon who can just become anyone and everyone in film and knock it out the park, but it's like someone suggested this for a laugh and he replied, 'hold my beer.' How can this possibly be real? Even the cheesy as fuck voice-over in that trailer sounds in on the joke, 'the role of a lifetime' for Gary Oldman. This has all the markings of a movie within a movie, something so outlandish, offensive, cartoonish that it has to be fake. It just has to be. I could watch this film and I still won't accept that it's a real film.
Romancing the Pod just covered this. In fairness to everyone involved, it was SUPPOSED to be a dramady-esk slice of life movie. It was written to be a realistic look at the sex lives of little people. Then the studio fired the director during post production and ordered a complete re-edit to make it more “audience friendly” Peter Dinklage and the writer have both said the original cut was a damn good movie, and the studio cut out at least 45 minutes, and cut down the FX schedule. The later led to the level of ridiculous you see on screen for Oldman’s character it was supposed to get post production fx touchups.
I was gonna say this, its just so beyond acceptable. And it was only 21 years ago.
Gary Oldman in the role of a lifetime....
Sir Patrick Stewart in Green Room. I won’t spoil it with any description—if you haven’t seen it do yourself a favor and seek it out. He’s captain of an enterprise, but that’s where the similarities end
Green Room is awesome.
Seriously scary shit coming from Sir Patrick Stewart. Also, obligatory, Anton was great in this as well.
I seeked it out about a month ago and it is definitely worth a watch. I had no clue sir Patrick Stewart was in it until I started to watch it.
>I ~~seeked~~ **sought** it out about a month ago. . . .
I sook it out
I think it was a Nerdist interview where he said the first time he read the script he was so unsettled that he turned on all the outside security lights at his house.
He wanted to shed some of that goody goody. Instead it was barely noticed.
He's done a few roles playing against type. He did an Israeli movie called Hunting Elephants where he plays the idiot comic relief. Hunting Elephants is about a kid who enlists his grandfather and two other seniors to rob a bank. The kid and his grandfather are in a serious drama, the two other guys are Patrick Stewart and an Israeli actor (Moni Moshonov) having a scenery eating contest.
Also his episode on Extras.
Willem Dafoe in Scocese's Last Temptation of Christ as JC
Dafoe in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist as well.
The bloody HJ....
He said he lost some roles even years after that because some studio heads or producers would be a Christian who didn't want to work with him.
Amazing how principled these people are when dealing with actors. As if Wilem Dafoe actually believed that what he was portraying was real.
James Mason and Jeremy Irons for Lolita (1962 and 1997, respectively).
patrick swayze, wesley snipes and john leguizamo in "to wong foo, thanks for everything! julie newmar." things were getting better for the lgbtq+ community by 1995 but we know that these guys got a lot of hate, and lost friends and family for their roles in this movie.
See the bright side. Spielberg produced the movie. Lots of [people auditioned ](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-crazy-fabulous-story-behind-to-wong-foo-128781657157.html)for the roles. Kyle McLaughlin fought for the lead role, but lost to Swayze. It showed that Swayze was more complicated then just the good looking lead.
People frequently mistake this and Priscilla Queen of the Desert as being inspired by each other, but I do love a double feature of these two films. They both show very different cultural sides of the queer community yet both have a strong message about found family, kindness, and resilience that still resonate today. Absolute bangers of queer culture.
Or Patrick Swayze in Donnie Darko.
Great example. Gotta figure loads of bigger stara turned down this film. Interesting that tough guys like Swayze and Snipes would do this kinda film.
I actually watched this for myself 2 nights ago. My parents loved it when I was a kid but I wasn’t interested so didn’t have any memory of it. I’d been looking out for it on streaming for a while now and it finally was on one of my services in the last week or so. Loved it. Looking through a ‘90s lense it was very sweet and was ahead of its time.
I don't remember any hate directed at them publicly. You have a source on that? I think most people just took it as a comedy kind of like the Bird Cage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane playing a gay couple running a drag bar.
I was so excited to see that movie was playing on Sundance tv this morning. I saved it so I can watch it again. Such a wonderful movie.
It wasn't controversial for Cruise to play those roles at all. Kevin Bacon in The Woodsmen was an unbelievable performance- this is the reason it was controversial. If it were trashy or mediocre, it would not have been in such a situation. I understand what you mean in any case, I feel Kevin Bacon in The Woodsmen is a great example regardless. But it's odd in the same way as saying Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones. Or Matt Dillon in The House That Jack Built. (Lars Von Trier talked about this susbject actually) Only controversial due to audience expectations. Can explain more of course. Just wanted to add a few to the list as well as discuss the topic briefly. If I think of more I'll be sure to edit.
I’ve yet to watch Lolita but yah I didn’t think Cruise playing eyes wide shut was peculiar at all… not even that it was with his then wife
I suppose sligtly controversial since one wasn't expecting mr All American to play in either Magnolia or Eyes Wide Shut especially as the latter has some subtle digs at his image/persona.
Seems to me his role in Magnolia was way more subversive of expectations than EWS. His character is basically “saying the quiet part out loud” of being an all-American handsome white winner. In EWS, he’s the civilized version, who suddenly spirals into a paranoid dark night of the soul
He’d never let someone in a movie call him short now lol. And it’s too bad. But none of his movies are a risk, imo. Those examples are directed by PTA and Kubrick. Who wouldn’t want to be in one of their movies?
Dude, Cruise's controversial role was Born in 4th of July.
I think the classic example is Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West
Hmm. I dunno how much that damaged his career or the public perception of him so much as illustrated how much of an awesome actor he is during the latter part of his career. Let’s not forget Sergio Leone chose him because he’d been so heavily typecast as the all American Hero for so long. I love that film so much and his introduction is probably one of my favourite scenes in movie history… and it hits so much harder because it’s Henry Fonda. Leone was a genius.
The question was about "those who don't mind taking on roles that might be controversial in some form". Henry Fonda murdering a child in the opening scene fits that perfectly. It's not really about damaging their career or public perception
One that didn't make it to actual casting, I know I'm cheating, but Madonna HEAVILY campaigning for the lead role in Memoirs of a Geisha. She repeatedly, publicly would say in interviews that she would love to play the role of Hatsuomo. She even had used the music video Nothing Really Matters to help her get the role, and in one of her films has her name listed as Hatsu. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-20-tm-48407-story.html
Hatsumomo is the main antagonist, I suppose, but I wouldn't call her the lead. Still, Madonna would have been absolutely insane and offensive in that role. The casting of the protagonist did have some controversy though. Zhang Ziyi, a Chinese actress, played Chiyo/Sayuri, and Japanese audiences weren't very pleased by that casting.
Yeah, apparently both Japan and China were upset. The production company, from what read on IMDb *claimed* that they held open auditions for Japanese women but none showed up. Which seems... Like a lie
are you fucking kidding me hahahahahahaha
Leonardo DiCaprio in Django
How is this controversial…??
I think just the fact that he was playing a slave owning villain. I don't think anyone was actually upset about it though - we were all just excited to see what he would do with the role.
It was his first time playing a real villain too iirc.
I was thinking this as well.
I would actually say What’s Eating Gilbert Grape more so.
He was a very lesser known actor at the time and it was early 90's. If it were Chalamet today it would be incredibly different
Chalamet is twice the age Leo was in that movie. Edit: I've learned this is incorrect. I had thought Leo was much younger in Gilbert Grape.
Chalamet is 28, DiCaprio was 19. My point being, if that role were done by a more established actor in today's time then yes of course it would be a much riskier role than Leo (who was relatively unknown by 93)
Oops, for some reason I thought Leo was 14 when he did that movie.
Probably because he looks 14
This doesn’t feel controversial to me at all? It’s Quentin Tarantino. I don’t think any of his movies have done anything but help actors’ careers.
I don’t remember that role being controversial at all
I actually disagree. I think he was smart to do something a bit edgier than usual and play a straight up villain. He was getting stale (and mostly still is, in my opinion anyway) Also, Tarantino’s films are almost cartoons these days so I think there was a fantastical element to it all that smoothed over the harder edges.
When I think of a controversial DiCaprio performance I mostly think Blood Diamond for the accent. Everyone liked him in Django.
I thought that was the best acting he's ever done, that monologue scene was incredible. Didnt get Oscar nommed from it, maybe because voters felt icky voting for such a character.
Absolutely not the case as Fassbender received a nomination for his performance in 12 Years a Slave.
Kiefer Sutherland in Eye for an Eye (1996) will make your skin crawl. Complete 180 from Jack Bauer and I read somewhere that not long after the movie came out, Kiefer went to dinner with his family and someone nearby wanted to move to a different table.
Dont forget Freeway with Witherspoon
Reminds me of how Martha Stewart was dating Anthony Hopkins when Silence of the Lambs came out, and her saying she broke up with him because she couldn’t see past Hannibal Lecter.
Tough titty said the kitty but the milk’s still good
Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. Now before you get all bothered by me calling Tom Hanks an A lister prior to Philadelphia, he was a rock solid performer in comedies and this movie was one hell of a leap for his career. Were we as a viewing public even ready for this movie in 1993? From the guy who danced on an oversized piano? The guy who had a relationship with a mermaid? Can he even do a movie without Meg Ryan?
If SNL counts, the Rock played a role of a scientist who creates a robot to molest children. Not a big role or anything obviously but probably the most atypical type of actor to take a controversial role.
I remember that skit, it was really funny
Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris
And George Lincoln Rockwell in Roots. (Not exactly a movie, but. . . .)
Al Pacino in Cruising
I saw that recently and was blown away by how explicit the content was. I mean, at one point, in a gay S&M club, there's a guy in a fuck swing getting fisted. No, you don't exactly see it, but you can *hear* it...
Charlize Theron underwent a crazy transformation to play a prostitute turned serial killer in the movie Monster. Though it worked in her favor as she earned an Oscar for the role.
The overwhelming scuttlebutt surrounding that movie was "hot actress fugs up with prosthetics as Oscar bait." Nothing the least bit controversial about it. Now, did she deliver the goods acting-wise? Yes, yes she did. However, it was a situation where people were rolling their eyes at the cliche of the setup before the film was even released.
Prosthetics? She gained 30lbs, shaved her eyebrows, fucked her hair all up and looked practically feral. There was some makeup and dentures but it's not like she's wearing a fat suit or latex or anything. It wasn't cliche either. There weren't exactly bombshells of her caliber willing to ugly themselves up to that degree. I can't think of too many women before her or after that were willing to go the lengths she did for that performance.
The thing that irks me a bit is, how many great actresses haven't got into Hollywood because they weren't "pretty enough" or "thin enough." But instead, they got one of Hollywood's most beautiful to act in it. I mean, I guess that was part of the point.
Realistically, they needed the star name to get people in the seats. Doubtful it would have worked with a no-name actress, even if she would have physically fit the part better. Sad reality
I think there is a value in showing how someone who lives a hardscrabble life like Aileen Wournos and glamorous actress like Charlize look different in part because of the time and money that the latter can dedicate to maintaining/improving her appearance. Kind of exposes the smoke and mirrors of Hollywood Beauty.
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They literally forgot it by the end of the movie wtf
Me? I Know Who I Am. I'm a dude playing a dude. Disguised as another dude!
[in song form!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKvqhlhXq9s)
Emma Stone playing the whitest half-Asian ever in Aloha
This goes back a long way but Carroll O'Connor in "Archie Bunker". Except it was "All in the Family" but it's remembered as ABS because of the shock of the racism
Kevin Bacon in the Woodsman (is movie you were thinking of) I would say Heath Ledger and Jake G in Brokeback Mountain but they weren’t true “A” at the time.
> Kevin Bacon in the Woodsman (is movie you were thinking of) OP could also be thinking of Sleepers too. Kevin Bacon is one of the most loathesome characters in any movie in that one.
Good call. That scene when they run into him at the Hell’s Kitchen bar and eventually confront him is great stuff. Especially the initial reaction by the actor Ron Eldard…when he tells Billy Crudup you know it’s going down.
> That scene when they run into him at the Hell’s Kitchen bar and eventually confront him is great stuff. Kevin Bacon: "What do you want?" Ron Eldard: "What I've always wanted. To watch you die." That scene is *chilling*. Even though Kevin Bacon deserves his fate as much as anyone has ever deserved it in that movie, it's still a tough watch.
I remember it being somewhat controversial and risky choice when Tom Hanks played a character with AIDS in “Philadelphia” (1993).
Kevin Bacon in The Woodsman. A role that most actors would run a mile from. Very brave and a great film.
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
Only because no one has said it yet. And because it’s so recent. Even though she’s clearly very tight with the director, Emma stone choosing to play Bella in Poor Things, and go Full Frontal nude, was a wild decision. Emma is a modern Hollywood legend so she’s got cache in the bank for days, but nevertheless it’s such a crazy part to choose. Can’t think of any A-list production in the last ……many years that had a role like that. Nymphomaniac by LVT did not have anything A-list associated with it because Shia was never a box-office guarantee at any point in his career and neither is LVT
I just watched the movie after news of her winning an Oscar and for some reason, the movie isn’t as controversial as it may be due to all the nudity. I’m glad we’re discussing the broader themes and cinematographies nowadays!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie with so much sex and nudity that’s also so utterly devoid of sexuality. I mean, there isn’t a single moment that’s actually sexy or sexual. I’m not saying that’s even remotely a bad thing, it’s just interesting. I also think it’s worth pointing out that she’s gotten to a level as an actor where you see that she’s in something, and figure it must be worth seeing — just in the sense of “She has good taste, so at the very least this won’t be a waste of my time.”
Eyes Wide Shut makes sense, if you get a chance to be in a Kubrick movie, you don’t pass it up no matter the subject matter.
Robert Downey Jr. in tropic thunder. A dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude
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Ewan McGregor too then, perhaps?
I don’t think it gets more controversial than Chloe Sevigny in The Brown Bunny. Not sure if she was A list, but was definitely an up and coming star everyone knew about.
Glenn Close and Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy. Right wing propaganda film that has elevated its author to being a uber pro-trump republican senator.
Robin Williams in One Hour Photo Tom Hanks as The Colonel in Elvis
Hanks' controversial role at the time was Philadelphia.
How was Williams' role in One Hour Photo controversial? I don't remember anyone complaining
Probably confusing "Contreversial" with just being a very different role than they usually play, like how Robin Williams was in mostly comedies, and even when in dramas, he definitely wasnt seen as the type of role he was in One Hour Photo.
Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers (1988). He's extraordinary in it.
Guy Pearce (and also Hugo Weaving and Terrance Stamp) in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Scarlet Johansson in that indie horror film about the totally naked alien woman who eats the flesh of men she lures in for sex, with full frontals thru the entire film. I forget the name. edit - under the skin
Under the Skin.
I think Sean Pean in I am Sam had some controversy when the trailers dropped. I remember some were shocked when movie star Kiefer Sullivan was the lead in a television show for 24. Usually once people got into movies they don’t come back to TV.
Sean Pean and Kiefer Sullivan are what you get when you order the real ones from Wish.
When Kiefer did 24 I was thinking the entertainment landscape might be changing. Though I guess he hasn't done a movie that I've known about since doing tv.
It’s fascinating how much things have changed. I think a lot of actors are eager to do shows now, just because there’s so many more opportunities for them to really get into a character. It also interesting how alleged kind of paved the way. I remember 24 and The Sopranos really being at the forefront of mainstream serialized TV shows. Along with, of course, Deep Space Nine.
Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone in Nina
Stellan Skarsgård in the Nymphomaniac films.
First comes to mind was Martin Sheen's character in the film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) Don't wanna ruin it for anyone who has not seen the film. Good film by the way
Kevin Bacon in Sleepers
I was here looking for Stanley Tucci in Lovely bones or Fassbender in Shame. Not A-Listers but: Will Patton has taken many roles as a tender guy but he has also played a few psychos. Bill Paxton seemed to take almost any role, but was he ever an A-lister, I feel like we only gave him the recognition he deserved after he died.
There was an x files movie where Billy Connolly played a pedophile priest
Haven't seen the Kevin Bacon movie but Mads Mickleson's The Hunt is a very uncomfortable movie about a man who is suspected of being a pedophile. It is actually quite good. I think Marlon Brando turned off a lot of people in Last Tango in Paris. I haven't seen it because it looks like an old dude having a sexual relationship with a kid. Just going through the wiki synopsis grosses me out. The actress says she was traumatized by the experience. Luc Besson has issues with younger women. There is alot of controversy. That said, Natalie Portman hated being sexualized from the cult classic movie The Professional. There were some really graphic scenes that were never shot. There is a weird relationship between the girl and the hitman. Jodie Foster before she was A-list was a child actor playing a prostitute in Taxi Driver. There are no graphic sex scenes with her but the movie is regarded as a classic.
The scene were Jodie was about to give him a bj was pretty full on for me. I thought someone was going to knock on my door!
I've enjoyed at lot of Luc Besson's movies, The Fifth Element being one of my all-time favorites, but he seems like a creep.
Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers (1988). He's extraordinary in it.
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Matt Damon The Talented Mr Ripley
Great movie but why was the is controversial? Damon wasn’t even A lister then, maybe Jude Law & what’s her face may have been
John Wayne as Genghis Khan. Mickey Rooney as a grotesque Japanese stereotype in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Emma Stone portaying real life a 1/4 Hawaiian, 1/4 Chinese person in Aloha.
John Wayne and Mickey Rooney taking on those roles at the time was probably not controversial (at least not in the U.S.)
Elijah Wood - Maniac
Garfield, voiced by Bill Murray.
Every actor in the Nimphomaniac movies.
Stanley Tucci in, " The Lovely Bones " Man he went full blown craft on that one. Super cudos to Mark Wahlberg for breaking the mold. Honorable mention: Brando in Last Tango, Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time, Nicholson in One Flew and of course The Shining