Summary
- Minor characters can outshine protagonists with just a scene or two, enriching the world of the movie.
- Side characters like Jesus Quintana in “The Big Lebowski” draw attention away from the main plot.
- Scene-stealing characters, such as Edna Mode in “The Incredibles,” leave lasting impressions despite their limited screen time.
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Some of the best movie characters don’t need a lot of time to leave a lasting impression, and they can outshine the protagonists in just a scene or two. While the protagonist is always the most important character, they aren’t necessarily the most compelling. Movies across all genres often produce minor characters who can steal the spotlight, especially if a good actor is up to the task.
Sometimes, having a character with minimal screen time who leaves an impression is a deliberate choice. Characters like this make their scenes stand out in the movie, and this can indicate the most important element of the entire film. Whether they are intentionally included or not, these scene-stealing characters all enrich the world of the movie, making the story more complex and realistic.
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10 Movie Characters That Only Worked Because Of Their Actors
Certain characters only work because of their actor, with their appeal linked so heavily to the portrayal that no one else can do them justice.
10 Jesus Quintana
John Turturro in The Big Lebowski (1998)
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The Big Lebowski
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Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Release Date March 6, 1998 Cast Julianne Moore , Jeff Bridges , Steve Buscemi , John Turturro , John Goodman , David Huddleston , Phillip Seymour Hoffman
The Coen brothers’ best movies often include memorable characters who take up just a scene or two. Norm Gunderson is a silent force of goodness in Fargo, and the shopkeeper in No Country for Old Men facilitates Anton Chigurh’s most chilling scene. Jesus Quintana takes on this role in The Big Lebowski. He’s the flamboyant rival bowler who the Dude, Walter and Donny face up against in one of their precious league matches.
Jesus is there to draw as much attention as possible away from the kidnapping plot. In this way, he represents the Dude’s general lack of interest.
Jesus is absurdly eye-catching, and this is the joke of his character. He is there to draw as much attention as possible away from the kidnapping plot. In this way, he represents the Dude’s general lack of interest. When he is unconscious, the Dude dreams of bowling pins falling over in front of him, rather than anything to do with Bunny Lebowski. Jesus takes bowling way too seriously, but this makes him the perfect foil for Walter.
9 Tabitha Dickinson
Lindsay Duncan in Birdman (2014)
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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu Release Date October 17, 2014 Cast Andrea Riseborough , Naomi Watts , Emma Stone , Edward Norton , Zach Galifianakis , Michael Keaton , Amy Ryan
Tabitha Dickinson is the most revered theater critic in New York City. Riggan and the entire team working on his Raymond Carver adaptation know that a review from her will make or break their show. The previews are largely irrelevant, because crowds will be swayed by what she writes on opening night. Riggan tries to sweet talk Tabitha when he sees her at a local bar, but she makes it clear that she sees through his nice guy act.
Tabitha represents the snobby, elitist arbiters of fine art that Riggan needs to win over. He may have made a name for himself in superhero blockbusters, but this success can’t buy him the respect that he truly covets.
Tabitha represents the snobby, elitist arbiters of fine art that Riggan needs to win over. He may have made a name for himself in superhero blockbusters, but this success can’t buy him the respect that he truly covets. In the broader context of Birdman, the character of Tabitha is a facsimile for movie critics who shun the superhero genre, and Michael Keaton is desperate to impress them, even though Riggan’s self-righteous speech to Tabitha desperately states the opposite. It’s key that Birdman‘s enigmatic ending revolves around Tabitha’s review.
8 The Shark
Jaws (1975)
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Jaws
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 18, 1975 Cast Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb
It’s been well documented that Steven Spielberg and his production team had constant problems with the mechanical shark, and this forced Spielberg to use the shark more sparingly. In the end, this made it far more menacing, and it carried a massive impact when its big black eyes finally rose to the surface. The first shark attacks in Jaws focus on the victims, not the monster, which creates the sense that there is some otherworldly threat lurking in the ocean.
When it finally starts attacking the main characters on their fishing vessel, it seems as if a demon has risen from hell to drag them under.
Many great horror movies choose to use their monsters sparingly. For example, Alien works so well because the xenomorph is hiding in the shadows of the Nostromo for the majority of the trip. Jaws makes its shark appear even more terrifying than any real-life animal could be. When it finally starts attacking the main characters on their fishing vessel, it seems as if a demon has risen from hell to drag them under.
7 Young Indiana Jones
River Phoenix in The Last Crusade (1989)
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date May 24, 1989 Cast Harrison Ford , Sean Connery , Denholm Elliott , Alison Doody , John Rhys-Davies , Julian Glover
While he is technically the same character as the one portrayed by Harrison Ford, the young Indiana Jones seen at the start of The Last Crusade has his own story. The intro to Indy’s third adventure unfolds like a short film. It provides a more relevant and interesting backstory for the character than an entire prequel movie could have managed, and it does so while also delivering a thrilling adventure involving a stolen artifact, greedy explorers, and a train filled with deadly animals.
Indiana Jones reunites with his father for a rollicking adventure, but their relationship is given depth by the opening scene with young Indy embarking on his first journey.
After the unbridled fun of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the darkness of Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade is all about Indiana Jones’ legacy. He reunites with his father for a rollicking adventure, but their relationship is given depth by the opening scene with young Indy embarking on his first journey. The rest of the movie hinges on the character details from the very beginning, making this one of Steven Spielberg’s best scenes of all time.
6 The Black Knight
John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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Director Terry Jones , Terry Gilliam Release Date May 25, 1975 Cast Michael Palin , John Cleese , Terry Jones , Graham Chapman , Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle
Like every Monty Python movie and TV show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is full of bizarre characters who only appear in one scene. Tim the Enchanter, the Bridgekeeper and the historian all have hilarious moments, but none of them leave an impression quite like the Black Knight. Dedicated to blocking the path through the forest, the Black Knight challenges all travelers who dare to pass by.
Tim the Enchanter, the Bridgekeeper and the historian all have hilarious moments, but none of them leave an impression quite like the Black Knight.
The Black Knight has just one joke – that he refuses to admit defeat even as his limbs are hacked off one-by-one – but he is the most memorable minor character in the movie, and one of Monty Python’s greatest creations of all time. There is something so simple and so tragic about a man who doesn’t know when he’s been beaten, and the scene is made even funnier by the fact that his task seems completely pointless.
5 Sharon Tate
Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
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Director Quentin Tarantino Release Date July 26, 2019 Cast Tim Roth , Margot Robbie , Mike Moh , Timothy Olyphant , Al Pacino , Kurt Russell , Leonardo DiCaprio , Dakota Fanning , James Marsden , Brad Pitt , Luke Perry , Bruce Dern , Scoot McNairy , Michael Madsen , Margaret Qualley , Emile Hirsch
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Margot Robbie was billed as one of the three main stars in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but her character has much less screen time than either Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio. Nonetheless, it’s important that she is seen as a central character. In Tarantino’s love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood, she represents the old glamour that only a few current movie stars can aspire to.
The real-life context of Sharon Tate’s death adds a macabre layer to the scenes in which she idles around town, taking in a movie or doing some window shopping.
While Rick Dalton’s career is threatening to collapse, Sharon Tate is the bright new star in Hollywood. She is the new generation ready to step into the spotlight just as soon as Dalton shuffles off the stage. More importantly, anyone who knows anything about the Manson Family murders knows that Sharon Tate is set to become their next victim in the summer of 1969. This real-life context adds a macabre layer to the scenes in which she idles around town, taking in a movie or doing some window shopping.
4 Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
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Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
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Director Stanley Kubrick Release Date January 29, 1964 Cast George C. Scott , Slim Pickens , Peter Sellers , Keenan Wynn , Sterling Hayden
Even though he is the titular character, Dr. Strangelove does not show up until the second half of his own movie, and even then his scenes are limited. Just as the threat of global nuclear annihilation seems to be drawing closer, a mysterious figure emerges from the shadows. The reveal that this is also Peter Sellers in a bizarre wig is a great punchline, and everything else Dr. Strangelove says is just as funny.
Just as the threat of global nuclear annihilation seems to be drawing closer, a mysterious figure emerges from the shadows. The reveal that this is also Peter Sellers in a bizarre wig is a great punchline.
The former Nazi scientist comes into focus as the president’s war room begins to confront the grim specter of death. Indeed, he is the embodiment of man’s worst instincts, despite his painted-on smile. Dr. Strangelove saves the best for last, as he rises from his wheelchair at the ending of Dr. Strangelove in triumph. He finally realizes the Nazi dream of creating a master race, even though this small group of survivors will be forced to live underground for a few hundred years.
3 Albert Einstein
Tom Conti in Oppenheimer (2023)
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Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 21, 2023 Cast Cillian Murphy , Emily Blunt , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Rami Malek , Florence Pugh
Cillian Murphy is the star of the show, but the cast of Oppenheimer produce many a fine performance. With such a large ensemble cast, only a few elite actors can leave their mark on the film. Gary Oldman is superb as President Truman, giving just as much for one scene as he does for starring roles in other movies, but Tom Conti is undeniably the most vital of all the supporting actors in minor roles. Albert Einstein’s reputation lends added gravitas to his measured performance.
Although he is a minor character, Einstein’s brief conversation with Oppenheimer by the lake bookends the movie. He provides a glimpse into Oppenheimer’s conscience.
Einstein represents the old way of thinking to Oppenheimer. He laid the groundwork for a lot of Oppenheimer’s explorations into quantum physics, but Oppenheimer now sees him as a relic. Gradually, Oppenheimer begins to understand that Einstein is better off sitting on the sidelines, unburdened by the moral fallout from the Manhattan Project and the social scrutiny that comes with it. Although he is a minor character, Einstein’s brief conversation with Oppenheimer by the lake bookends the movie. He provides a glimpse into Oppenheimer’s conscience.
2 Edna Mode
Brad Bird in The Incredibles (2004)
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Director Brad Bird Release Date November 5, 2004 Cast Sarah Vowell , Samuel L. Jackson , Craig T. Nelson , Spencer Fox , Holly Hunter , Jason Lee
While Frozone’s wife Honey manages to steal a scene without even showing her face, Edna Mode is another Incredibles character whose impact outweighs her screen time. Director Brad Bird’s voice helps the eccentric fashionista stand out in a world that’s already overpopulated with larger-than-life characters. The small but fiery designer doesn’t care that her clients are powerful superhumans who tower over her. She has the confidence to strut her stuff and steal every scene she appears in.
As Edna tries to explain, capes are a useless symbol of vanity. People who want to be seen as heroes wear capes, and Edna doesn’t design supersuits for wannabes.
The Incredibles does a lot of interesting worldbuilding with its minor characters. The movie hints at a much bigger world of superheroes than it ever shows. Edna’s rapid-fire monologue about the dangers of capes whizzes through a procession of oddball heroes, but this speech also delivers an important lesson that comes back in the movie’s climax. Syndrome is sucked into a jet engine by his cape. As Edna tries to explain, capes are a useless symbol of vanity. People who want to be seen as heroes wear capes, and Edna doesn’t design supersuits for wannabes.
1 Casey Becker
Drew Barrymore in Scream (1996)
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Director Wes Craven Release Date December 20, 1996 Cast Drew Barrymore , Kevin Patrick Walls , David Booth , Carla Hatley , Neve Campbell , Skeet Ulrich
Drew Barrymore only appears in the opening scene of Scream, but she started one of the franchise’s most beloved traditions. Her phone call with Ghostface is a perfect short film that sets the tone for the entire movie. She seems like the main character at first, so killing her off so quickly contributes to the terrifying feeling that nobody is safe. This opening scene lends weight to the fights and chases later on, when it appears as if Sidney could meet her doom at any moment.
Although each Scream movie has repeated the trick of starting out with a gruesome kill, Drew Barrymore’s scene remains the most iconic and powerful.
Although each Scream movie has repeated the trick of starting out with a gruesome kill, Drew Barrymore’s scene remains the most iconic and powerful. Of course, no other Scream movie will be able to recreate the element of surprise, but Barrymore’s performance is important too. She moves naturally from boredom to curiosity, and finally to fear. The rest of the movie is about Casey Becker’s death, and Barrymore ensure that the audience can’t forget it.