It must be so great to be the leading star in a movie or a really popular TV show. Well, at least until you’re upstaged by your own co-stars! Sometimes the supporting character literally save the show from being canceled, or become the saving grace of the film. Don’t believe me? Take a look at these 8 supporting characters who stole the spotlight.
1. Steve Stifler (American Pie)
While the main focus of this movie was placed on the poor pie-lover, whatever his name was, all the best scenes were given to Stifler (and his mom). Portrayed by the hilarious Sean William Scott, he was definitely the most entertaining character in the entire American Pie franchise.
2. Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)
I hope you agree with me that Game of Thrones is possibly the greatest show of the last three decades (still not better than ALF, IMO). And part of what makes it so good, apart from magnificent storytelling, unpredictability, adult content is, of course, the cast. And if you know anything about this show, you must have seen Tyrion Lannister.
Peter Dinklage even won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role! Despite his short size he was able to easily snatch the show from the leading cast, and I’m afraid he’ll be the next to die on the show.
3. Tonto (The Lone Ranger)
Frankly speaking, this movie was a train wreck, but not everything about it was bad. We at least got to see Johnny Depp as the unconventional Native American named Tonto, who is also a bit of a wildcard. Believing he’s got the Native American blood running through his veins, Depp certainly showed the viewers that the stage belonged to him.
4. Quicksilver (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Although the first ever X-Men movies were supposed to be about this team of mutants, they were actually about Wolverine and some extras with weird powers. Who would be able to steal the spotlight from the good old Wolverine? Only the fastest man alive! Sorry, wrong franchise. In X-Men: Days of Future Past there were a few new mutants like Bishop, Sunspot, Warpath and, naturally, Quicksilver – Magneto’s son, because why not? He had like 5 minutes of screen time, but in those 5 minutes he’s done more good for the X-Men franchise, than any other character.
5. Gollum (The Lord of the Rings)
One of the best fantasy franchises of this and past centuries – The Lord of the Rings – has introduced quite a few iconic characters, and the nasty little Sméagol is one of the best ones. Just remember that iconic “my precious” line, and it becomes clear who the real hero of the story is (it’s Andrew Serkis, BTW).
6. Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
Barney was really the breakout star of an alright sitcom “How I Met Your Mother”. He really stole every single scene he was in, and was responsible for several lines that till this day remain Legend … wait for it … Dary!
7. The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Usually the comic book movie villains suck, but in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”, Heath Ledger somehow managed to portray one of the most unforgettable bad guys in the movie history. I’m talking about the Joker of course. Ledger even got the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which is the next best thing after an Oscar!
8. The Penguin (Gotham)
And finally, staying on the subject of DC comics, let’s talk about “Gotham”, specifically Robin Lord Taylor’s Penguin. Who could have thought that he’d be one of my favorite supporting actors ever? If you’ve been on the fence about watching this show, know that Oswald is of many reasons you should get into it. Everyone on Gotham is a bit crazy, wouldn’t you say?
