19 Actors People Can't Look At The Same After Seeing Them In THAT Role (You Know The One)

WARNING: Due to the nature of the question being answered in this post, several of the scenes shared do include disturbing content. Also, there are some SPOILERS AHEAD for the following movies. We've listed the titles first so you can decide if you'd like to read on or skip. Please proceed with caution!

We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community, "What role did an actor play so well you now permanently can't unsee them as that character, no matter how many other roles they've played?" and movie lovers came through to suggest some bone-chilling performances!

HBO

So, here are just a handful of the most popular responses shared:

1.Christian Bale in American Psycho (2000)

"That movie ruined him for me. Watching him in anything else is just creepy!"

—katie83

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

2.Jason Alexander in Pretty Woman (1990)

"Not me, but my wife cannot watch him in anything because and I quote: 'He was mean to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.'"

—nwolfe35

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

3.Ted Danson in Something About Amelia (1984)

"I can’t see him in anything now without thinking about how completely skeevy his character was in this movie."

—keetawnandon

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

4.Blair Underwood in Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)

"For all my Black people out there: He was so evil and wicked, I couldn’t get over it. He went on to star in Quantico as a caring mentor to Alex, and I was still convinced that he was all of a sudden going to start beating Alex up."

—laidedahunsi

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

5.Gwendoline Christie in the Star Wars franchise

"Sandman came out and I was like, 'LUCIFER IS CAPTAIN PHASMA’S FINAL FORM!'"

—goosethekitty

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

6.Tobin Bell in the Saw franchise

"It does not matter what he's done or will do, he is forever John Kramer (aka Jigsaw)."

—scottaaronm

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

7.Ralph Fiennes in Red Dragon (2002)

"I was super creeped out by Ralph Fiennes being in Maid in Manhattan because I had just seen him in Red Dragon (the prequel for The Silence of the Lambs). It was at least a decade, maybe even more, before I could watch Maid in Manhattan. I couldn’t watch him in anything for such a long time!"

—bree-nb

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

8.Also, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List (1993)

"Schindler’s List absolutely ruined Ralph Fiennes for me. He was so horrible and cruel in that movie, and now I can’t even look at him the same way. Seeing him in a freaking rom-com with J.Lo?! GTFO! When they announced he’d be playing Voldemort, I was like, 'Well that makes sense because he’s fucking terrifying.'"

—tomkat41

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

9.Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones (2009)

"That movie made me see him in a completely different light as an actor, and I will never see him the same way."

—shaunaaaaa

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

10.Ashton Kutcher in Vengeance (2022)

"His performance absolutely blew me away, and I kept thinking, 'Is this really the same guy from Punk’d and That 70’s Show?!' He played his role so incredibly well and brought a profound level of technique that I don’t think I’ve ever seen from him before. Just incredible."

—future_apparition

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

11.Micheal Ealy in For Colored Girls (2010)

"After he dropped those kids in For Colored Girls, I could never look at him the same. I still love him and think he's so pretty to look at, but I just can't unsee what he did and how he behaved. It was just so disturbing. He's played so many creepy guys since, so maybe he's leaning in to it. I'm glad he's still getting work, though, because he's extremely talented."

—kryskrys

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

12.J.K. Simmons in Whiplash (2014)

"My god. That Oscar he won was WELL deserved."

—strawberrylumps22

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

13.Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement (2007)

"It was the first project I ever saw him in. He was so disturbing in that role, it took me years before I could watch him in anything else."

—echo91

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

14.Kiefer Sutherland in Eye for an Eye (1996)

"I had a really hard time liking him after this role, but his role as Jack Bauer in 24 won me over."

—randek

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

15.Imelda Staunton in the Harry Potter franchise

"As a kid I saw Sense and Sensibility before Harry Potter, but — after seeing Harry Potter — I couldn’t unsee her as Dolores Umbridge when I rewatched Sense and Sensibility. Especially in the scene where her character gives a cup of tea to Emma Thompson's character. The only thing I could think of is how Dolores fired Trelawney, who was played by the very same Emma Thompson!"

—annechananne

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

16.Also, Helena Bonham Carter in the Harry Potter franchise

"In literally anything, especially when she is being nice, I just think to myself: 'You're not fooling me, Bellatrix Lestrange!'"

—kc1286

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

17.Jason Bateman in Juno (2007)

"He was so convincing, and it made me so uncomfortable. I think it was the fact that he wasn’t 'aggressive' that made it that much more unnerving."

—kelleyf92

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

18.Kevin Bacon in Sleepers (1996)

"The acting was incredible and really remained etched in my mind. He played such a disgustingly awful villain that it was difficult to get past seeing him in anything else, even years later!"

—zionheartp

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

And finally:

19.Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

"Anthony Hopkins will always be Hannibal Lector."

—kittyminkie88

You can watch a clip of the performance here:

You've read their picks, but now it's your turn to share! Which actors/roles did they forget? What role did an actor play so well you now permanently can't unsee them as that character, no matter how many other roles they've played? Share your picks in the comments below!

Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.