Side Characters Who Clearly Outshined Main Stars in Iconic Movies
Sometimes the main protagonists are completely overshadowed by their supporting characters.
Writing a memorable character is a difficult task in itself, which is why most of the effort is usually put into the main characters.
But in some cases, intentionally or not, a completely different character becomes the reason the movie is remembered. Here are four such examples.
Beetlejuice ( Beetlejuice – 1988)
You completely forgot that the titular "bio-exorcist" was not the main focus of the movie, didn't you?
Brilliantly portrayed by Michael Keaton, Beetlejuice completely took the audience's attention away from the main couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.
And we don't blame him – having your character's name in the literal title of the movie doesn't really help.
Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby – 2013)
Another example of a secondary character's name being in the title of a movie, although his status remains controversial.
The entire story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, but Leonardo DiCaprio 's title character remains at the center of the entire plot. So it is a matter of perspective, we suppose.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs – 1991)
Many people tend to forget that Sir Anthony Hopkins' cannibalistic psychiatrist is not the main villain of the movie. He is barely a half of the movie's running time.
Yet Hannibal remains the first thing people think of when they hear the title, completely eclipsing Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling and Ted Levine's Buffalo Bill.
Intelligent and terrifying, he instantly established himself as one of cinema's most memorable maniacs, even though he spent most of his first big screen appearance on the sidelines.
Dr. King Schultz and Calvin J. Candie (Django Unchained – 2012)
A two-for-one special for sure, these characters from the legendary Quentin Tarantino proved to be much more interesting to many fans than the titular protagonist.
Even though Jamie Foxx's slave-turned-bounty hunter is a worthy performance, his mentor Dr. King Schultz, portrayed by Christoph Waltz, is just too charismatic and likeable.
The same, except for the "likeable" part, applies to Leonardo DiCaprio's diabolical owner of the Candyland plantation.
It is only fitting that both characters meet their end in the same scene, leaving room for Django to shine at the climax of his own movie.