17 Actors Who Were Only In, Like, ONE Scene But Completely Stole The Entire Movie
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We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which actors completely stole the entire movie even though they were barely in it. Here are the wild results.
1.Drew Barrymore (as Casey), who only appeared in the first 12 minutes of Scream
"Not only did she do a great job in that 12-minute opening sequence, but she was top-billed, and the film was marketed as her movie, so her dying so quickly really changed the horror movie genre. Classic."
You can watch the performance here:
2.Viola Davis (as Mrs. Miller), who was nominated for an Oscar after appearing in only one scene in Doubt
"Viola Davis only appeared in one scene — literally less than eight minutes long — acting opposite Meryl Streep, and it earned her her first Oscar nomination. She's so perfect and heartbreaking in the movie. With each tear, you can see the pain on her character's face as she tries to convince herself that she's doing the right thing, even though she knows that either side is a losing battle. There's a reason Viola is the best, and this scene proves why."
You can watch the performance here:
3.Bill Murray (as himself), who made the most of his five-minute cameo in Zombieland
"Bill Murray played himself in Zombieland, and it was the best cameo ever."
You can watch the performance here:
4.Rooney Mara (as Erica Albright), who only had about five minutes of total screentime in The Social Network
"Technically she appears three times in the movie, but her second two appearances are really small, especially in comparison to the first scene. Jesse Eisenberg has huge command of the screen as Zuckerberg (he got an Oscar nom for the performance), but Mara is right there with him the entire time. That opener is almost like a verbal boxing match, and I would argue that she wins it."
You can watch the performance here:
5.Denis Ménochet (as Perrier LaPadite), who was only onscreen during the opening sequence in the 153-minute Inglourious Basterds
"Denis Ménochet's performance in this scene brings me to tears every single time. He doesn't overplay the gravity of the historic reality that the scene is illustrating, and I think that’s exactly the point. He brings us uncomfortably close to the bottomless humanity and grief of a commonly overlooked character in fiction or history: a nameless, true hero whose full-hearted objective ended in tragedy and death, not triumph. I can’t imagine any actor being able to be better than him in that scene."
You can watch the performance here:
6.Anne Hathaway (as Fantine), who won an Oscar after appearing in less than 15 minutes of the 158-minute Les Misérables
"Just look at her incredible performance of 'I Dreamed a Dream.' I think a lot of people expected the vocally powerful anthem version, but what they got was Anne exploring the emotions and nuances that Fantine would actually feel in that moment. It isn't a pretty song, but she's not singing it to hit every note perfectly. She's an emotionally broken woman who's barely hanging on, trying to sing. That's why it's brilliant."
You can watch the performance here:
7.Julia Butters (as Trudi Fraser), who was in less than 10 minutes of the 161-minute Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
You can watch the performance here:
8.Matthew McConaughey (as Mark Hanna), who was physically onscreen for only about five minutes of the 3-hours-long Wolf of Wall Street
"McConaughey is barely in two scenes of the movie, but when Leo DiCaprio stares at him and tries not to laugh while he pounds his chest, it's too hysterical. Truly unforgettable."
You can watch the performance here:
9.Mariah Carey (as Ms. Weiss), who was only in a few short scenes in Precious
"Mariah only had a few minutes of screentime, but she totally surprised me. I was so impressed with her. Now people can never speak of the burning dumpster fire known as Glitter again.
You can watch the performance here:
10.Michelle Williams (as Randi Chandler), who got an Oscar nomination after appearing in less than 10 minutes of Manchester by the Sea
"Williams is briefly in a couple flashback scenes, but in the present-day one she's absolutely devastating. To give any context to her conversation with Casey Affleck’s character would give spoilers to the movie, but suffice to say, she makes you weep in the 10-or-so minutes she’s onscreen. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars that year for this scene, and she definitely deserved it."
You can watch the performance here:
11.Kenneth Tigar (as the old man), who was so memorable even though he literally only had two lines in The Avengers
"In this scene, Tigar plays an old man who refuses to kneel to Loki after Loki demands that everyone bows at his feet. The old man, speaking with a German accent, is the only one who stands up to him. There's an ambiguous double meaning here, implying that the old man is a Holocaust survivor."
You can watch the performance here:
12.Thelma Ritter (as an uncredited Macy's shopper), who only appeared in two minutes of the original Miracle on 34th Street
"I think about Thelma Ritter's uncredited performance in Miracle on 34th Street SO often, even though it's her first-ever role and she's only in the movie for, like, two minutes. She plays a disgruntled Macy's patron who's upset that Santa just promised her son an impossible-to-find toy, and when Kris Kringle explains she can get the toy at another store, she's in disbelief.
There's an Old Hollywood rumor that Darryl F. Zanuck, the then-head of 20th Century Fox, was so impressed with Ritter while she filmed this movie that he demanded they expand her role into two scenes. Ritter went on to receive six Oscar nominations in just 12 years, becoming one of the most-nominated actors to never win."
You can watch the performance here:
13.Vanessa Redgrave (as Old Briony), who only had a single monologue at the end of Atonement
"Vanessa Redgrave plays Old Briony and only appears at the end of the movie in a 5-minute scene. She's the reason it all comes together — the keyboard clacking, the supercuts of those key scenes, everything being shown from different perspectives. I was blown away. It was done so well, and it was also incredibly subtle. Her acting is just incredible. I remember staring at my computer screen, mouth open, for several minutes after it was over."
You can watch the performance here:
14.Alfred Molina (as Rahad Jackson), who was in a single scene of the 155-minute Boogie Nights
"Alfred Molina in Boogie Nights is equal parts hilarious and terrifying. His acting was so great in it, and he made the scene (which was only about eight minutes long) so stressful. The whole thing was chaotic and perfect."
—rachaelcparry and loulabelson
You can watch the performance here:
15.Judi Dench (as Queen Elizabeth), who won an Oscar after being onscreen for only eight minutes of Shakespeare in Love
"Judi Dench played Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare In Love, and she was only in the movie for about eight minutes. Still, she was so commanding and incredible that she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for it."
You can watch the performance here:
16.Gene Jones (as the gas station proprietor), who only appeared in a single four-minute scene in No Country for Old Men
"The writing in the movie — but especially this scene — is so sharp and specific, and Javier Bardem's quiet, haunting performance will send chills down your spine. But wow, we don't talk enough about how great the shopkeeper is too. He's just as fantastic as Bardem (who won the Oscar for his performance), and he deserves the credit."
—Elena Baldisseri, Facebook
You can watch the performance here:
17.And Kimberly Adair Clark (as Honey, Frozone's wife), who was so iconic even though she only had a couple lines in The Incredibles
"Kimberly Adair Clark plays Honey, Frozone's wife. She only has a couple lines and isn't even visible in the movie, but she totally steals the show. There's a reason why people ALWAYS quote her scene, and it's all thanks to her. This list would be incomplete without giving her the rightful credit she deserves."
You can watch the performance here:
Did your favorite scene-stealing performance not make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.
