20 times actors played villains so well we hated them in real life

Sayan
Image via Amazon Prime Video, Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Vantage)
Image via Amazon Prime Video, Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Vantage)

6) Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus in Gladiator

2003 Sundance Film Festival -
2003 Sundance Film Festival - "Buffalo Soldiers" Film Stills (Photo by Sundance/WireImage)

Joaquin Phoenix brought a slimy, despicable energy to his character 'Commodus' in Gladiator that made audiences loathe him from the moment he arrived on the screen. Commodus wasn’t just a bad ruler—he was a sniveling, insecure man who killed his own father to steal the throne. Phoenix captured every ounce of his cowardice, selfishness, and twisted sense of entitlement. His performance made Commodus’ incestuous obsession with his sister and his jealousy toward Maximus feel skin-crawlingly real.

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Edited by Mudeet Arora