Programmed January 2025
Cast Against Type: Heroes as Villains
When actors otherwise known for their wholesome, likable, and appealing images play against type as villains, the results can be riveting—subverting narrative expectations, challenging audience identification, and revealing novel dimensions of a performer we thought we knew. Whether it’s Andy Griffith as a television star turned monstrous, power-hungry demagogue ( A Face in the Crowd ); Marilyn Monroe as a dangerously psychotic babysitter ( Don’t Bother to Knock ); or even ultimate good guy Henry Fonda as a sociopathic, child-murdering gunslinger ( Once Upon a Time in the West ), there’s an undeniable, almost transgressive thrill in seeing some of our most beloved actors embrace their dark sides.
11 films
No longer streaming
