As Mads Mikkelsen Takes On Yet Another Villain Role in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,' We Countdown Our Favorite Hot Villain Actors
Earlier today, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen gave a truly illuminating interview with The Hollywood Reporter regarding his takeover of the Gellert Grindelwald role that was originally played by Johnny Depp in this year's Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Between reading about how Mikkelsen was reportedly given only two days to decide whether to board the already troubled production, his non-existent relationship with both Depp and J.K. Rowling, and how he's preparing to star in the fifth Indiana Jones movie, it got me thinking about how often I'm drawn to the villainous roles Hollywood casts Mikkelsen in.
Perhaps I have a thing for certain villain actors!
As a result, here is a list of my favorite actors who are often cast as villains.
Our Top Favorite Attractive Villain Actors
1. Mads Mikkelsen
As well known abroad as he is in his home country of Denmark, Mikkelsen is known for playing stone-cold villains with both a certain charismatic stillness - and some notable eye problem. (THR helpfully keeps count: Mikkelsen's turn as Grindelwald marks his seventh "eye-challenged" character, which seems like an unusually high number for any actor to take on.)
Something about Mikkelsen's demeanor feels magnetic, causing audiences to take his character seriously, even when they're busy making speeches about world domination. It's no wonder that, despite his eccentric filmography, Mikkelsen is widely considered to be Denmark's sexiest man.
For a change of pace, check out Mikkelsen's 2020 Danish film Another Round, in which he places a middle-aged, washed-up teacher - definitely not a villain. The film won Best International Feature Film at the 2021 Oscars.
We love how Mikkelsen makes a concerted effort to act in both Hollywood and Danish films, even after breaking through the former.
2. Cillian Murphy
Potentially my favorite actor, Cillian Murphy possesses an intensity that serves him well regardless of whether he's playing the hero, villain, or a combination of both.
Though he's played his fair share of creepy baddies - such as his role in Wes Craven's Red Eye and as Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy - Murphy truly earns his place on this list with his iconic turn as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
Exuding an intimidating, yet undeniably cool aura as Tommy, Murphy lights up the small screen in a role that is equally complicated and flawed. You root for Tommy, even when he does horrific things for the sake of his family. The ability to project this type of role, despite having an introverted, private personality, is what makes Murphy a fascinating actor to watch.
For a change of pace, check out Murphy's heartbreaking turn in Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley. He plays a hero in this one, fighting in the Irish War of Independence. Murphy's natural Irish accent is on full display here.
3. Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell is one of those actors who has a huge range in the types of film roles he takes. However, when he takes on an evil role, Farrell is unafraid to go big, which helps him immensely when the role is that of a supervillain!
Farrell plays his villains with relish, which somehow makes them attractive. Think: Farrell's turns as Bullseye in 2003 Daredevil, Percival Graves in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as the Penguin in this year's The Batman, or even when he's the dickish cocaine-addicted boss, Bobby Pellit from Horrible Bosses.
This ability to transform himself - sometimes unrecognizably - into scumbags is extraordinary, and for that we salute him.
For a change of pace, check out Farrell in 2008's In Bruges. Widely considered one of Farrell's best works, he plays one of two Irish hitmen in hiding in this uproarious black comedy.
...So yeah, he's probably not playing the most stand-up of guys in that film either.
4. Adam Driver
Okay, I know that Adam Driver isn't always playing villains. However, considering he first broke out into the popular consciousness through his role on Lena Dunham's Girls, where he played a less-than-mature boyfriend, and then Sith prince of darkness Kylo Ren in the Star Wars "Skywalker Saga," I think Driver can be considered a villain actor, too.
Driver is a force to be reckoned with - no pun intended - when he appears on film, and that's not merely chalked up to his 6'3" stature or his stint in the Marines.
He made my heart flutter in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" as the tortured Kylo Ren. When he had Force connection sessions with Rey - which had me jumping on the Reylo train when a movie ago, I had thought Kylo Ren petulant and impotent - that was some A1 acting.
There's something about the way that Driver adds depth to his character that serves him well, which is why he makes this list.
For a change of pace, see Driver serve up the laughs in Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky, where he plays Channing Tatum's one-armed brother. In the spirit of Soderbergh's other heist films, the two plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway in a cheeky adventure.
5. Michael B. Jordan
This one is more of an honorable mention, considering Michael B. Jordan's only notable villain role is that of Killmonger in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. However, Jordan's turn as the Marvel villain is so memorable that it made all of us question the quality of all Marvel villains up until that point.
Even now, when we think of quality Marvel villains, we're probably left with a short list consisting of Thanos, Xu Wenwu, Loki, and, you guessed it: Killmonger.
And is Jordan attractive as a villain? There are no doubts: Consider that news story of a girl who broke her retainer upon seeing Killmonger shirtless. There's a reason why Jordan usually plays the hero - who wants to believe that such darkness exists in such a good-looking man?
However, his wonderful efforts in overturning our expectations in Black Panther - efforts that made us wish that his character hadn't actually died in the film's epic finale - are what should earn him further opportunities to pursue villainous projects.
For a change of pace - or, in this case, regular pace - check out Just Mercy, a film that not only stars Jordan, but also has him take on a producer role.
A touching film, based on the true story of the attorney Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy allows you the opportunity to learn about a inspiring, young lawyer, who fought for justice by representing poor people on death row in the South.
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