10 Movies That Made Redditors Fall in Love With an Actor

These movies made these actors icons in the minds of Redditors.

Redditors recently got together on r/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which roles made them fall in love with an actor. These characters were instantly charming, and single-handledy turned these viewers into fans. One great performance can make a huge impression.

Their picks include some obvious choices, as well as a few unexpected or underrated performances. They range from comedy to horror, indie dramas to sci-fi blockbusters.

One Redditor was immediately drawn to the leads of the original Mummy movie and for good reason. Rachel Weisz plays Evelyn Carnahan, a librarian with a quick wit and iron will. Brendan Fraser is Rick O'Connell, an adventurous American soldier-turned-mercenary. Fraser infuses the character with charisma, humor, and a rugged charm, easily his most iconic role.

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"I both thought they were amazingly attractive people but also desperately wanted to be as cool as they were growing up," said Redditor gothamcitysiren88. "I saw The Mummy eight times in theaters when it came out. I was 11 and may have become a tad obsessed, told everyone I was going to be a librarian and Egyptologist for the longest time. This was the only thing that had previously overshadowed my obsessions with Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum/paleontology."

Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner sequel is practically bursting with slick visuals and interesting ideas, including the character of Joi (Ana De Armas), an advanced holographic companion designed to fulfill the emotional needs of humans. However, she forms a deep connection with the protagonist (Ryan Gosling) that goes beyond user and product. De Armas imbues Joi with a sense of innocence, curiosity, and genuine affection.

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De Armas also nails Joi's yearning for humanity, making for a surprisingly complex and sad character. "[De Armas] was a hologram, wasn't even real, but she projected a loving and loyal girlfriend so well," said user austeninbosten.

Eva Green has come a long way since her remarkable debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers. She's appeared in huge projects like 300: Rise of an Empire, Dark Shadows, and James Bond. However, one Redditor's favorite Green performance was her part in the Gothic horror series Penny Dreadful.

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Green plays Vanessa Ives, a powerful medium with a mysterious past. As she delves deeper into her origins, she discovers that she is more than human. "What cemented Eva for me was the series Penny Dreadful. She acted the hell out of that role for 3 seasons and deserved all the Emmys," said Redditor RevealActive4557.

One of Henry Cavill's most charming performances is his turn as the suave thief-turned-CIA-agent Napoleon Solo in Guy Ritchie's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The plot is a little uneven, but Cavill's acting is solid. He's mostly flat and deadpan, but the movie plays this to comedic effect.

"I am straight, but that man is absolutely beautiful," said Redditor OnwardTowardTheNorth. "Charming as f---. He has better acting chops than his roles would infer. Would love to see him in more non-franchise things."

Emily Blunt's performance in The Devil Wears Prada tends to be overshadowed by those of Anna Hathaway and Meryl Streep, but she's still terrific in the movie. Blunt is Emily Charlton, the sharp-tongued and fashion-forward senior assistant to the formidable fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep). Blunt's comedic timing is impeccable, but she also succeeds in making this ambitious, seemingly-cutthroat character vulnerable and relatable.

"[Blunt] was fantastic in Devil Wears Prada and showed remarkable comedic shops even though that's not what she's known for. She was the second-best actress in that movie. Streep for first," said user Greedy-Zucchini.

Ari Aster's sunlit folk horror Midsommar would not work without the compelling central performance from Florence Pugh. Pugh plays a young woman reeling from a heavy loss, who joins her friends and boyfriend on a trip to a remote Swedish village. There, they find themselves entangled in a sinister pagan ritual and their sanity starts to fray.

"My first thought. Walked out of that movie blown away by her performance," said Redditor Blackshirts98. "Particularly that near beginning scene of her being beyond devastated. Most heart-wrenching and real performance of intense dread I'd ever seen," said user ChasmOfCzar.

When a sudden zombie outbreak disrupts a field trip, kindergarten teacher Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong'o) must protect her students from the chaos and danger that ensue. Nyong'o effortlessly navigates between the comedic and serious; her performance grounds the film amidst the absurdity.

"I love this movie. It's so much fun, but I don't feel like enough people got to see it," said Redditor gothamsiren88. "Lupita is just such a beautiful ray of sunshine. I simply adore her smile."

This psychological thriller was a breakout role for Colin Farrell. He plays a man who has been cheating on his wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell) with Pamela (Katie Holmes). A mysterious person calls him in a phone booth and says he must confess to Kelly. If he refuses and tries to leave the phone booth, he will be shot by an unseen sniper.

"[Farrell] is always great in everything except Total Recall but this actor has a tremendous screen presence and talent but somehow didn't pick up the right roles," said user Niroshan_1000. "I’d always written off Colin Farrell because of his string of early aught bullshit. But then he came out with In Bruges in '09 and I realized he was a real f-ing actor. I’ve been an enormous fan of him ever since," said Redditor a-system-of-cells.

Since gaining attention on Girls, Adam Driver has become one of Hollywood's most dependable actors, appearing in everything from experimental indies to Star Wars. One user was particularly spellbound by his performance in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story. He is Charlie Barber, a theater director going through a difficult divorce with Nicole (Scarlett Johansson).

"I've seen him only in Star Wars back then and got to this movie for an interesting premise and trailer. I already thought he was perhaps the best part of the sequels, but this? Next level acting," said user BROnik99.

The Piano is a drama directed by Jane Campion, the filmmaker behind The Power of the Dog. It stars Anna Paquin as Ada, a mute Scottish woman who is sent to New Zealand for an arranged marriage. After becoming stranded on a beach, Ada meets George Baines (Harvey Keitel), a rugged settler who has adopted some Māori customs. Despite his gruff exterior, George is a complex and kindhearted soul, and the two of them have a connection.

"Harvey Keitel is such a weird choice for a romantic lead and I'm always baffled that somehow it worked so well in this movie. Legendary casting decision by Campion right there," said user Sufficient_Pizza7186.

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Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. A lifelong movie nerd, he's written for sites like Paste and Briefly. Luc has also worked behind the camera on short films and other projects. When not writing or watching LOTR marathons, Luc hangs out with his cats and generally forgets where he's left his keys.