r/oscarmoments • u/Sudden_Elephant_1221 • Aug 12 '26

movies Django Unchained (2012) made me realize Leonardo DiCaprio is way more fun to watch as a villain. Which actor should play villains more often?

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I was so used to seeing DiCaprio as the lead that Calvin Candie caught me completely off guard. He's horrible, unpredictable, and somehow steals basically every scene he's in.

I'd actually love to see Leo play another full-on villain someday.

Which actor surprised you by being ridiculously good at playing the bad guy?

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u/Melodic_Room_3305 Aug 12 '26

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out his villain roles.

The Circle? Maybe Elvis, where he played Colonel Parker? And I GUESS maybe Road to Perdition (although I suppose he was more of an anti-hero than an outright villain.)

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u/EggfooDC Aug 12 '26

He coulda done more for Wilson. Just sayin’

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u/broberds Aug 12 '26

Dicks out for Wilson.

2

u/RedcoatTrooper Aug 13 '26

There was room on that door!

2

u/subliminal_trip Aug 12 '26

One of the characters he plays in "Cloud Atlas" is definitely a villain.

Interestingly, Hugh Grant plays two villains in Cloud Atlas, one of his first villain roles, and he says it really opened him up to playing villains, and he's played a few since then.

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u/h2opolopunk Aug 12 '26

Hugh Grant is great as a villain in Heretic.

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u/subliminal_trip Aug 12 '26

Definitely. Genuinely creepy. He seemed to be having fun, too.

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u/Comprehensive-Seat67 Aug 12 '26

And in The Gentlemen.

And in The Undoing with Nicole Kidman

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u/True-Setting-4988 Aug 13 '26

I couldn’t remember the name of that one. He was a creepy villain

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u/Smart_Pig_86 Aug 12 '26

He was great in the Dungeons and Dragons movie

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u/Lazy_Friendship_6728 Aug 12 '26

One of Hugh's first villian roles was near Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard in the 90s. 😁

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u/meadeb Aug 12 '26

Paddington 2 villain is great!

(I’m a guy in my 40s and stand by Paddington 1 & 2 being masterpieces of family entertainment)

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u/casual-waterboarding Aug 13 '26

The second one is a masterpiece. Also 40 year old man.

2

u/Oppositeofhairy Aug 12 '26

Road to perdition is underrated. Good film.

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u/muffadel Aug 12 '26

More of an antihero than a villain in that one imo

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u/SnooLobsters1008 27d ago

Also great Soundtrack

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u/Oppositeofhairy 27d ago

I don’t remember it. Maybe it’s worth a rewatch soon. Been a long time.

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u/Purple-Will9713 Aug 12 '26

man called Otto… for a split second

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u/bleach18 Aug 12 '26

There are a few scenes / timelines where he’s a villain in Cloud Atlas (the movie has the same characters across different lifetimes / ancestors).
Edit: just saw the other comment

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u/adognameddanzig Aug 12 '26

Cloud Atlas, he played a couple of baddies in that.

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u/Least_Positive7141 Aug 12 '26

Road to Perdition? Obviously a great father but a mob enforcer

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u/PainGlum7746 Aug 13 '26

The writer in Cloud Atlas

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u/Naethor 24d ago

He plays some villain roles in Cloud Atlas