16 Times A Major Star Got Weird With An Unhinged Supporting Performance

Tom Cruise, often called a multiplex savior, stars in big films using his huge movie-star charisma. He also works with directors to test his skills. After 2005, public views of the star dropped following strange actions. Audiences seemed unlikely to see Cruise's strange side again. This changed with Ben Stiller's 2008 film.Tropic Thunder

The movie mixes epic war parody and absurd satire of Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Cruise plays a loud, cocky studio executive who loves explicit hip-hop and fits of anger. This performance works because it is hilarious and fearless: it flips Cruise's usual screen presence while also nodding to how the public sees his own strange, humorless real life. This shift was unexpected and a big part ofTropic Thunderits critical praise, even earning Cruise a Golden Globe nomination.

By the time Terry Gilliam's12 Monkeysin 1995, Brad Pitt already became a major rising star, showing his leading-man status in movies likeInterview With the VampireandLegends of the Fall. But as Jeffrey Goines in Gilliam’s weird adaptation ofLa Jetée, Pitt showed that beneath the handsome looks and swagger, there was something much stranger and unhinged.

Pitt’s Jeffrey is a manic anti-capitalist mental patient. He might have a deeper link to the 12 Monkeys virus that wiped out the world population before the time-hopping sci-fi film began. Before this, Pitt’s roles, except forTrue Romance’s delightfully dumb stoner roomie Floyd), stayed as a young star or a romantic lead, using the actor's huge natural charm and looks for maximum impact.12 Monkeys, hints at Pitt’s more interesting future as a supporting actor playing an off-kilter role, twisting his movie-star appeal in unique, strong ways. He got his first Oscar nomination forbest supporting actor, for the part.

Leonardo DiCaprio left his heartthrob days behind after the release ofDjango Unchained in 2012, but the megastar never played a clear villain. When Django appeared, the actor's wild, evil turn as plantation owner Calvin Candie ended any worries that DiCaprio could not play such an oddly unpleasant character.

Leo's vision for Candie shows genius through the actor's naturally calm charm. Candie engages, entertains, and is genuinely funny, full of confident swagger. His style has an intoxicating edge. This makes the sudden shifts to unrepentant evil and sadism more horrifying. Everyone respects and praises his hateful wishes. Calvin Candie, despite his grins and polite moves, is a real monster.

Jennifer Aniston built her career as "America’s sweetheart" through shiny smiles and witty remarks while playing Rachel in the sitcom phenomenon.FriendsAniston’s tabloid presence gives her movie roles potential as a major star. This led her to play the sadistic, sexually aggressive Dr. Julia inHorrible Bossesit is so strange.

Dr. Julia tells Charlie Day's Dale's fiancée they are sleeping together unless he agrees to sleep with her. Aniston handles this ridiculous premise well, keeping the line of absurdity (hilariously) intact. Aniston makes Dr. Julia crude, rude, and sexually alarming. This is a sharp performance that stands out among energetic comedy acts.

Bill Murray is a real Hollywood legend. He changes a film’s tone just by appearing on screen for a moment in the bowling comedy cult classic.KingpinMurray plays Ernie McCracken, a vain, brutish, and annoying bowling bad-boy. McCracken rivals Woody Harrelson’s Roy Munson and Munson’s Amish protégé Ishmael, played by Randy Quaid.

For McCracken, Murray cranks up his usual charm to unbearable, funny levels. Murray is a key part of what makesKingpina lasting comedy hit in the minds of devoted fans.

Colin Farrell faced pitches for traditional leading roles, similar to Alec Baldwin or Jude Law. Farrell got a chance to explore something more off-kilter or try new acting, and he shines.

That approach shows during his turn as the Penguin, a Batman villain with many prosthetics, in Matt Reeves's blunt filmThe BatmanColin Farrell has had a long, deserved career comeback in the last ten years, butThe BatmanColin Farrell chomps on the scenery with glee. He makes the Penguin a sarcastic “New Yawk” gangster amalgamation. This adds much-needed levity to the movie’s grim proceedings. Audiences might miss this performance if Farrell’s public stature wasn't so secure.

Chris Pine is born for movies. He looks almost offensively good-looking and has an easy charisma that lights up the frame. Pine’s movie-star wattage fuels his turn inHorrible Bosses 2Pine plays one of the horrible bosses. He makes the role so hilarious and bizarre.

Pine twists his natural charm, which audiences love. He keeps the casual confidence and beaming smile. He adds ignorant menace and cruelty. This mirrors the bravado-fueled sadism of a private-school bully. This is a wild choice for an actor known for heroic types.

Tilda Swinton’s strange performance is odd. The actor has built a name taking on ethereal, bizarre, and frightening roles easily. Swinton’s hilarious take on the spray tan-soaked editor of a men’s magazine in Judd Apatow'sTrainwreck.

Amy Schumer stars as a magazine writer with commitment issues. Tilda Swinton’s performance as her boardroom-alpha boss Dianna is the film's real highlight. Swinton feels more unnerving in a spray tan and blond ombre than she has in robes with magical powers, or buckteeth and Coke-bottle glasses. Seeing Swinton as Dianna feels like seeing a vampire at the beach judging swimsuit choices.

Hugh Jackman knows theatricality. A famous (and trained) song-and-dance man, Jackman fits well hosting the Oscars, going berserk as Wolverine, or belting out a show tune inThe Greatest Showman. Joe Wright’s legendary Blackbeard.PanJackman takes theatricality to unhinged, near-camp levels. The actor makes Blackbeard a ghostly-pale, black-clad goober. He hisses and spits with a wildly oscillating (vaguely Eurocentric) accent.

Jackman’s direction makes sense. Threads connect his villainous Blackbeard to the dandyish Captain Hook from the Disney animated version, and the folkloric Eastern European historical malefactor Rasputin. The titular Greatest Showman performance works in the film’s context. Unfortunately for Jackman, his Blackbeard causes wild tonal inconsistencies inPan.

Kiefer Sutherland’s on-screen charisma always feels off-putting, yet familiar.Stand By MeKiefer Sutherland immediately grasps the natural danger in his persona by playing the movie's main villain, butThe Lost BoysSutherland nails his appeal: he twists that danger into something attractive and magnetic, not just aggressive. As Dr. Daniel Schreber in Alex Proyas’sDark CitySutherland achieves success by hiding that danger in layers of comic affectation—a stutter, a habit of pregnant pauses that might make Alan Rickman blush, and a hideous, swooping hairstyle.

Still, Schreber remains horrifying. His participation in controlling other people in the dark city shows serious evil, or at least, a twisting of fear. This is a standout performance in a career full of villainous roles, plus a late-career shift as an action star.

Damien Chazelle’sBabylonis an epic tribute to old Hollywood, packed with actors giving huge, strange, or special performances. However, Tobey Maguire’s part as James McKay stands out. Maguire plays the drug-addicted gangster dripping with slime, his hair slicked down with a flat cap, his skin mottled gray, and always covered in a greasy film of sweat. This is a total departure from the fresh-faced hero inSpider-Man.

For a film as depraved and visually jarring asBabylonto have a performance that out-weird the movie itself is impressive. It shows Maguire’s overlooked talent, especially in villain roles.

Meryl Streep is nearly perfect. A legend, she has earned 21 Academy Award nominations and three wins. Even in her worst films, Streep usually elevates the material. But the near-mythical performer’s turn as Topsy in director Rob Marshall’sMary Poppins Returnsmight be her weirdest.

Topsy is Mary Poppins’s Eastern European cousin who runs a repair shop in London. Streep appears in only one scene, wearing patterned scarves, a silly hat, and a shocking ginger wig. She sings a silly song called “Turning Turtle,” telling her cousin the item they wanted to fix might not be worth it after all, while sliding across a room on a ladder or crouching on the ceiling. This appearance is strange, but Streep’s natural charm makes it somewhat likable.

Bradley Cooper is a star in front of and behind the camera. Cooper usually plays a straightforward leading man, but his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’sLicorice PizzaReal-life 1970s film producer Jon Peters found the actor returning to supporting roles. Cooper plays Jon Peters, a producer, former hairdresser, and Barbra Streisand's ex-boyfriend. Cooper acts like a manic ball of rage, spinning like a Tasmanian devil, leaving chaos and destruction in his loud wake.

Cooper's intense performance, funny and scary, brings back his early roles as angry comic blowhards, now in a more real setting. This makes it more unhinged.

Cate Blanchett shares rare air with actors like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, or Daniel Day-Lewis. She performs amazingly well. Even actors whose careers put them in the 'GOAT' debate sometimes take bizarre turns. Blanchett does this too.CinderellaCate Blanchett performs her best inversion of old-Hollywood glamour. She shows bitterness and loathing. This performance mixes Regina George from "Mean Girls" and Norma Desmond from "Sunset Boulevard".Mean Girlsand Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard"Sunset Boulevard, dialing up to fairy-tale appropriate 11.

Blanchett's talent prevents reducing the legendary evil stepmother (Lady Tremaine) to a caricature. Grief and sadness show beneath the stepmother's bitter sweetness. This is a strange turn for an actor known for prestige projects.

I Feel PrettyThe film follows Amy Schumer as Renee. Renee's crippling insecurity disappears after an accident changes her view. She believes she is the most beautiful woman in the world.Michelle Williams is the most beautiful woman in the world.Michelle Williams stands out as Avery LeClaire, the CEO of the cosmetics company Renee works for.

Williams makes Avery a breathy, baby-voiced priss. She is out of touch with common women, a cutthroat boss, and a shockingly human person with insecurities. This is an overtly silly performance, unlike the damaged emoting seen in most of Williams’s roles. Despite this weirdness, the role remains engaging and refreshing.

Scarlett Johansson moved from indie darling to heartthrob, blockbuster heroine, and respected dramaturge quickly. She moved up through Hollywood A-listers easily. Yet, even upward paths have weird outliers. In Frank Miller’s superhero neo-noir and directorial debut, "The Spirit"Scarlett Johansson starred in The Spirit.(2008), Johansson found hers.

Johansson plays Silken Floss, the femme fatale henchwoman to Samuel L. Jackson’s villain The Octopus. Floss is innocent to the point of absurdity, or at least, fetishistic. Johansson’s purposefully hammy performance does not clash with the rest of the movie.The SpiritThe film is a silly affair. Though the movie looks stunning, Scarlett Johansson is a highlight because her bizarre take on a noir trope works.