I’ll tell you a minorsecret of playingvillains. Mine are usuallypolite and almost invariablycharming.Nobody likes a nasty villain. —James Mason It is better, I think, to deglamorize His Excellency the Rat as we do it atWarners, by showing him well-armed, with an up-to-date arsenal, with smokescreens for his automobile, expensive short-wave radios and other good equipment for the art of murder and arson. When we show a criminal on the screen like that, there is no doubt in the mind of the weakest low-grade moron who thehero is. —Humphrey BogartYou eitherdie ahero, or youlive long enough to see yourself become the villain. —Harvey DentVillains don't think they're villains. They think they'regood guys. —David CarradineVillains who twirl their moustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves ingooddeeds are well-camouflaged. —Jean-Luc Picard
Avillain is an"evil" character in astory, whether ahistorical narrative or, especially, a work offiction. The famous known fictional villains such as films, television series, cartoons, comics, video games, novels and anime.
Movies don't causecrime any more thanprison wardens cause crime. It has been charged against the motion picture industry that we take a sympathetic attitude toward gangsters, thugs, racketeers and criminals. I deny that. After the things that have happened to me and my fellow screen heavies, I don't see how they can say that. So many criminals get killed inThe Maltese Falcon that there's a special announcement at the end of the film saying, "If any persons are alive in this picture, it is purely coincidental." There are groups that would like us to show the criminal always outmatched, poorly armed, and all policemen a good six inches taller, armed with tear gas and tommy guns, while the poor, dear, miserable rat of a gangster has to fight it out alone with only one measly little pistol. The object would be to de-glamorize the gangster. That's all right, but it seems to me they are asking us to go about it in the wrong way. It seems to me that disarming the gangster tends to add glamour rather than to remove it and, in some instances, even makes him seem gallant. What these critics forget is that the sympathies of the crowd are always with the underdog. It is better, I think, to deglamorize His Excellency the Rat as we do it atWarners, by showing him well-armed, with an up-to-date arsenal, with smokescreens for his automobile, expensive short-wave radios and other good equipment for the art of murder and arson. When we show a criminal on the screen like that, there is no doubt in the mind of the weakest low-grade moron who thehero is. The hero is unquestionably your friend and mine, thecop.
The fact that Carradine has brought upZen philosophy is interesting in and of itself. Not because of his classic stint as the metaphysically-minded Kane from 1972 until 1975, but more because many of the villains that he's portrayed in film over the years have been instilled with an unnerving sense ofcalm. Carradine's baddies are not maniacally crazed individuals, but rather reserved and introspective, bequeathed with an eerie sense ofserenity which ultimately makes them not onlycreepy, but more resolutelyevil, more menacing. "Have you ever met one of those?" he queries about the maniacal, crazed villain. "I mean serial killers tend to be [normal]. Some of the most villainous people that we've ever heard of aresophisticated andcharming, you know? I mean, take a guy likeHitler. How the hell could he talk millions of people into taking his terrible, horrible, horrendous trip. There must have been a lot ofcharisma there. And considering that he was afunny,ugly lookin' little guy, how the f@#k did he do that? When I started playing villains I thought, 'Villains don't think they're villains. They think they'regood guys.' So I figured, 'let thestory take care of that part.' It will be obvious in the story this guy is bad. He's gonna do something, he's gonna slit some girl's throat or shoot some guy down or cheat somebody at cards or whatever. So he'll do that. But in the meantime, if he's trying to be charming, which they all do, you know, the usedcar salesman [that's trying to win you over]. And I thought, 'That's the way to go.' And it seems to work."
Heroes andvillains should experienceconflictemotions well toward the beginning ofstories. The heroes, how ever, should overcome these emotions in the end. Fur thermore, the leading character in a screen story must never be depicted asfeeling too muchfear,jealousy,hatred, or evenrage, lest he lose, once and for all, thesympathy of theaudience. His emotions must be kept, for the most part,normal andpleasant. On the other hand, no combination of unpleasantemotions is too extreme for the villain. He may show extreme fear, hidden hatred, devastatingcruelty, and virulent rage, to thedelight of the audience. For the villain stands for the obstacles which the hero must overcome in order to achieve success. Characterizations should be subtly depicted. The villain, as a rule, should make a good appearance. He should cover his unpleasant emotions, revealing them only in moments when he is alone with his audience. The good old rules of the days of the ten-cent melodrama, with respect to the villain's villainy, have not greatly changed. When he is permitted to show too many of thepleasant emotions, he frequently elicits greater sympathy from the audience than does the hero himself, thereby ruining the average screen story.
Tony Montana: What you lookin' at? You all a bunch of fuckin' assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." So... what that make you?Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how tolie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell thetruth. Even when I lie.So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!
Worf: I think... after yesterday people will not be so ready totrust her.
Jean-Luc Picard: Maybe. But she, or someone like her, will always be with us. Waiting for the right climate in which to flourish, spreadingfear in the name ofrighteousness. [...]Vigilance, Mr. Worf. Thatis the price we must continually pay.
Actors often say they most enjoy playing villains, and I have to be honest: I feel the same way about drawing them! There’s just something so fun about drawing a sneaky look or evil grin, hands rubbing together in greed or anticipation of some nefarious deed.Sonic’s villains are some of the worst people you can possibly imagine, so I’m super excited to show just how vile some of them can be!
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