When you have many big names playing a bunch of characters in a large-scale blockbuster, it can be hard to give everyone the screen-time they deserve. There’s only so much time and so many scenes, and great actors can get lost in the shuffle, especially if they’re in deleted scenes that end up getting left on the cutting room floor.
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But even while some may consider it a reality of modern-day blockbuster filmmaking, that doesn’t make it easy to ignore or be untroubled by. If one of your favorite actors is in a movie — even if it’s a supporting role — you want to see them as much as possible. Even the best actors are underused in films that were otherwise good (or even great). We wish we could have seen them flex their talents a little more in movies that might have been even better if they’d had more chances to shine.
Walton Goggins in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ (2018)
Far from being the only actor to appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universefleetingly and without proper fanfare,Walton Gogginsplays a secondary villain in the secondAnt-Manfilm (which is admittedly an improvement on the first).
As Sonny Burch, he’s little more than a mild nuisance to the film’s heroes, though, and doesn’t get to appear onscreen very much. Goggins is arguably one of the best parts of TV shows likeThe ShieldandJustified(the latter of which has him playing a great antagonist) and also was a highlight ofQuentin Tarantino’sThe Hateful Eight. For this to be the best the MCU could offer an actor as good as Goggins was disappointing.
Max von Sydow in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens’ (2015)
In the seventhStar Warsfilm, legendary Swedish actorMax von Sydowplays a character who only has a few lines before dying in the film’s opening scene. It’s unlikely anyone was expecting him to be a huge part of the movie or tag along for the main adventure, but it’s still a disappointingly small role for an actor of his reputation.
From being one ofIngmar Bergman’s favorite actors to starring inThe Exorcistto working with directors likeSteven SpielbergandMartin Scorsese, it’s fair to believe he should have had a little more to do here.Lupita Nyong’owas similarly wasted in the same movie, playing a CGI character, but at least she got to make appearances in the sequel trilogy’s other films.
Mads Mikkelsen in ‘Doctor Strange’ (2016)
This one stings even harder than Walton Goggins being underused inAnt-Man and the Wasp, as inDoctor Strange, the iconicMads Mikkelsenplays the film’s main villain. Mikkelsen’s no stranger to playing great villains, either; look atHannibalorCasino Royale, for example.
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But you wouldn’t really know he was a great actor fromDoctor Strange, as Kaecilius ends up being one of the series' most forgettable villains. As an origin story for Doctor Strange himself, it’s still pretty good, and other acclaimed actors likeTilda SwintonandChiwetel Ejioforare used well in supporting roles. Still, it’s a shame Mikkelsen got done more than a little dirty in the film’s final cut.
Kerry Washington in ‘Django Unchained’ (2012)
Kerry Washington smiling to the camera as Broomhilda in “Django Unchained.”
Django Unchainedis a great movie, even if it’s not quite one of Tarantino’s very best. It’s an entertaining and thrilling Western that looks at serious topics and rewrites history with cathartic (and often violent) takedowns of slave owners and racists.
But Tarantino’s tendency to write strong female characters (seen most prominently inKill Bill,Jackie Brown, andInglourious Basterds) is sadly missing here.Kerry Washington’s character is just a damsel in distress for Django to rescue, and, oddly, there isn’t at least another layer or two to make the character feel like more of a — you know — character. Washington would have been more than capable of it, so it’s strange why a 165-minute movie couldn’t have found more room for her to make a larger impact.
J.K. Simmons in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
As one of the most memorable characters to feature inSam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy, there was a great deal of excitement whenJ.K Simmonsas J. Jonah Jameson joined the MCU via acameo in 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home.
And yes, his role was expanded in 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home, but not to the degree it deserved. Making Jameson an over-the-top online news host was creative and reflected how news media has changed since the last time Jameson was seen on-screen — but he wasn’t as funny or memorable inNo Way Homeas he had been before. He didn’t really steal any scenes, and all the most popular Jameson memes and moments are still from Raimi’sSpider-Manmovies, so his reduced role in the 2021 film was a shame.
Vivica A. Fox in ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ (2003)
InKill Bill, The Bride is a woman wronged by Bill and four members of his squad of assassins, given they ruin her life and leave her for dead after she tries to distance herself from them.
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Over four hours, split into two parts, Bill and three of his soon-to-be victims of The Bride’s rampage all get solid character development.Vivica A. Fox’s Vernita Green is the odd one out, though. We learn she has a daughter and something similar to the life The Bride wanted, but she’s only in one full scene, dying within the first 15-20 minutes ofKill Bill Vol. 1. It’s a shame because the other assassins all fare much better, and Fox deserved the same kind of screen-time.
Colin Farrell in ‘The Batman’ (2022)
This is a more mild example of great actors being wasted becauseColin Farrelldoes leave a substantial impact on 2022’sThe Batman, even with only a few scenes. As such, calling him “wasted” might be a stretch. The fact there’s aspin-off series featuring his take on the characterin the works lessens the sting, too.
Still, Farrell makes such a great Penguin that you wish there were more of him in the film. He’s funny, intriguing, and remarkably well pulled-off regarding the makeup, considering how Farrell is almost entirely unrecognizable. Here’s hoping the TV series is great and gives Farrell more time to gleefully chew the scenery.
Zendaya in ‘Dune’ (2021)
Dunetells a large-scale story with many characters to do justice and numerous spinning plates to balance. Andwhile a sequel is officially being made, when 2021’sDunewas first released, there wasn’t a guarantee that there would be a sequel.
This would have madeZendayafeel extra wasted, as she’s barely inDune. It’s a given that her role will be expanded in the sequel, given the way the first film ends, but it’s bizarre to think that if a sequel had not been green-lit, Zendaya’s role would have been so minuscule. Technically, it still is an almost-nothing part until the sequel is released, and she’ll (hopefully) be used more.
Bryan Cranston in ‘Godzilla’ (2014)
It tends to be the moreGodzillais in a movie, the better. Beyond the monster just being really cool, this is also because the human storylines tend to be a little boring in mostGodzillamovies, and the drama on the ground is usually far less interesting than the drama between the giant monsters.
But with 2014’sGodzilla, there was actually a character that people genuinely liked: Joe Brody. It was helped by the fact he was played byBryan Cranston,who’s a great actoreven outsideBreaking Bad. But sadly, his character dies about one-third into the movie, and no one ever really fills in the hole left by this screenwriting decision. At least the monster fights near the end are cool (once the film finally focuses on them).
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