Patrick Stewartis a beloved actor famous for hisrole as Jean-Luc PicardinStar Trek. He has also starred in numerous other iconic roles, such asProfessor Charles Xavier fromX-Menand Emperor Tiber Septim from theElder Scrollsvideo game series. After the movieGreen Roomcame out, people were impressed with his villainous performance, which is not the type of character that he is most known for. With this surprisingly good villain performance, many people hope to see more of it. Here are a few reasons why Patrick Stewart should finish his career with more villain roles.
His Performance in Green Room
Green Roomcame out in 2015 with high praise from both critics and general audiences. Despite technicallybeing a flop at the box office, the film is fondly remembered for its horror aesthetic and the strength of Patrick Stewart’s performance. He delivers a Shakespeare-like performance that is theatrical and full of quotable lines. Stewart plays a neo-Nazi skinhead leader named Darcy, who owns a bar for skinheads. Despite being older, he commands his younger skinhead underlings with frightening precision and authority. Whenever Stewart is on-screen, he commands an intimidating presence that every character cannot help but respect. He has a hypnotic way of speaking that is full of charisma, and he frames every action he takes in a virtuous framing. Some of the best villains in the film think they are doing the right thing despite the evil things they must do. Stewart justifies every heinous action he takes in an eerie and methodical way. The film really sells Stewart as this pure evil force that cannot be stopped. His performance and the film stick with the watcher long after the credits roll.
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He Can Play an Emotional Character Well
Patrick Stewart has shown a wide variety of performances in his career. He is typically known for being stoic and calculating, but he also has an excellent emotional range as an actor. He showed off his emotional side in hisperformance on the showPicard. The character of Jean-Luc was rarely seen as emotional in the original series. Still, the new show allows Stewart to deliver romantic dialogue and get in touch with the characters' emotions. The ability for Stewart to transform a character through his performance would be a great benefit when playing a villain. One can imagine Stewart playing a mastermind or James Bond villain with a compelling emotional core. Stewart has the potential to captivate audiences with a villain performance that hasn’t been seen before.
His Shakespeare Training
One quality that Patrick Stewart brings to his performances is that he is a classically trained Shakespearean actor. It is said in acting school that someone who can pull off Shakespeare can pull off any acting role. This is because you must have breath control and mouth dexterity to do well in a Shakespeare play. You also need to master movement, stage presence, and stage position. These qualities make him excellent at vocal and physical performance in a way that would create a captivating onscreen villain.
In an interview with NPR,Stewart commented that he is braver as an actor than he once was. He is no longer risk-averse and judges himself much less. These qualities in the later part of his career, combined with his Shakespeare training, have the potential to pull out all the stops for a fantastic villain performance.
Related:Patrick Stewart Won’t Rule Out a Big Screen Return to Star Trek
Stewart Would Make an Excellent Bond Villain
Patrick Stewart has a look that makes him perfect for a James Bond villain, in addition to his acting skills. Stewart would portray a villain that makes audience members feel sympathetic, and people would love to see what compelling reasons Stewart has for trying to take over the world. Legendary English actors like Christopher Lee and Sean Bean portray many of the famous Bond villains. Patrick Stewart would make a fine addition to that list as an English actor who was knighted in the United Kingdom for his contributions to drama.
He Has Played Villains in the Past
While Patrick Stewart is not as well known for his villainous roles, he has experience portraying the bad guy. He played Ebeneezer Scrooge inA Christmas Carolein 1999. He portrays the classic Dickens story villain with poise and believability. He was also the villain inConspiracy TheoryandMasterminds, which are thriller movies from the 90s. In line with his Shakespearean training, he also playedMacbeth,which, while not a villain, is a tragic hero who does many bad things during the story. Now that Stewart is at a stage in his career where he is willing to take risks, it is the perfect time for him to take his experience playing villains in the past to take on villain roles that will be as iconic as Jean-Luc or Professor Xavier.
