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29 Actors Who Stole the Show with Just One Scene in Their Movie
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which supporting actors completely stole the entire movie, despite barely being featured. Here are the unforgettable results.
1. Evan Peters (as Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver), who’s responsible for one of the coolest movie scenes ever, even though he was only on screen for 5 minutes and 15 seconds in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
“Evan Peters stole the movie with that slow-motion scene. He’s too good.” — baobaopanda
20th Century Fox
You can watch the performance here:
2. Alec Baldwin (as Blake), who was on screen for less than 8 minutes in Glengarry Glen Ross, but his monologue rivaled those of co-stars Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino.
“His famous ‘coffee is for closers’ monologue stole the whole movie for me. And his line reading of ‘third prize is you’re fired’ is just too good.” — timward
New Line Cinema
You can watch the performance here:
3. Lee Fierro (as Mrs. Kintner), who appeared briefly as the grieving mother who slapped Chief Brody across the face for leaving the beaches open in Jaws.
“Her short scene when she slapped Chief Brody because he kept the beaches open, which resulted in her child’s death, is so devastating. This scene was what changed Brody’s tactics to stop the shark, so Fierro really had to sell it, and she did! I always get choked up during that scene.” — imbatmom2
Universal Pictures
You can watch the performance here:
4. Hal Holbrook (as Ron Franz), who was only in 13 minutes of the 2.5-hour Into the Wild, but he probably still made you cry your eyes out anyway.
“The scene that always gets me is the one where he asks Emile Hirsch’s character to come back and be his grandson. Hot, ugly tears every time.” — snodge27
Paramount Vantage
You can watch the performance here:
5. Molly Shannon (as Tracy), who only had one scene but should have EGOT’d anyway for her three-minute performance in The Santa Clause 2.
“It’s been 20 years, but I still can’t get over how freaking good Molly Shannon’s only scene is in this movie. It’s the most perfectly unhinged performance, and despite only being on screen for three minutes, I’m still mad she didn’t get an Oscar nomination. In just one scene, she manages to give us an EGOT-worthy song and dance before delivering an iconic speech about self-worth. Truly iconic!” — spenceralthouse
Disney
You can watch the performance here:
6. Drew Barrymore (as Casey), who only appeared in the first 12 minutes of Scream.
“Not only did she do a great job in that 12-minute opening sequence, but she was top-billed, and the film was marketed as her movie.” — murrays3
Dimension Films
You can watch the performance here:
7. Viola Davis (as Mrs. Miller), who was nominated for an Oscar after appearing in only one scene in Doubt.
“Viola Davis only appeared in one scene — literally less than eight minutes long — acting opposite Meryl Streep, and it earned her her first Oscar nomination. She’s so perfect and heartbreaking in the movie. With each tear, you can see the pain on her character’s face as she tries to convince herself that she’s doing the right thing, even though she knows that either side is a losing battle. There’s a reason Viola is the best, and this scene proves why.” — spenceralthouse
Miramax Films
You can watch the performance here:
8. Jonathan Groff (as King George III), who received an Emmy nomination after appearing in less than 10 minutes of the stage recording of Hamilton.
“He was only on stage for a total of nine minutes, yet he was nominated for a Tony and an Emmy for the performance. But let’s be serious…it’s Jonathan Groff, so he’s worth it.” — shahbanomalik
Disney+
You can watch the performance here:
9. Anthony Hopkins (as Hannibal Lecter), who won the Best Actor Oscar despite being on screen for only 24 minutes of The Silence of the Lambs.
“The fact that one of the most legendary characters in modern film was only in the movie for 24 minutes will never not impress me! Goes to show how strong Anthony Hopkins’ performance was.” — alicebraz
If you’re curious, David Niven is the only Best Actor winner to be on screen for a shorter length of time, winning the Oscar for appearing in just 23 minutes and 39 seconds in 1958’s Separate Tables.
Orion Pictures
You can watch the performance here:
10. Rooney Mara (as Erica Albright), who only had about five minutes of total screen time in The Social Network.
“Technically she appears three times in the movie, but her second two appearances are really small, especially in comparison to the first scene. Jesse Eisenberg has huge command of the screen as Zuckerberg (he got an Oscar nom for the performance), but Mara is right there with him the entire time. That opener is almost like a verbal boxing match, and I would argue that she wins it.” — elinorh
Sony Pictures Releasing
You can watch the performance here:
11. Kimberly Adair Clark (as Honey, Frozone’s wife), who was so iconic even though she only had a couple lines in The Incredibles.
“Kimberly Adair Clark plays Honey, Frozone’s wife. She only has a couple lines in both movies and isn’t even visible in them, but she totally steals the show. There’s a reason why people ALWAYS quote her scenes, and it’s all thanks to her. This list would be incomplete without giving her the rightful credit she deserves.” — laurengarafano
Pixar
You can watch the performance here:
12. Donnie Wahlberg (as Vincent Grey), who was soooo incredibly haunting, despite only appearing on screen for about three minutes in The Sixth Sense.
“I was so shocked to see Donnie Wahlberg in the movie, and the fact that he ended up playing the guy who killed Bruce Willis’ character??? His performance has stayed with me all these years.” — dominiquen438
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
You can watch the performance here:
13. Bill Murray (as himself), who was somehow only in about five minutes of Zombieland.
“Bill Murray played himself in Zombieland, and it was the best ‘cameo’ ever.” — marcsauve
Sony Pictures Releasing
You can watch the performance here:
14. Vanessa Redgrave (as Old Briony), who was so deserving of an Oscar nomination (but somehow didn’t get it) after her single monologue at the end of Atonement.
“Vanessa Redgrave plays Old Briony and only appears at the end of the movie in a 5-minute scene. She’s the reason it all comes together — the keyboard clacking, the supercuts of those key scenes, everything being shown from different perspectives. I was blown away. It was done so well, and it was also incredibly subtle. Her acting is just incredible. I remember staring at my computer screen, mouth open, for several minutes after it was over.” — helen1blakee
Focus Features
You can watch the performance here:
15. Denis Ménochet (as Perrier LaPadite), who was only on screen during the opening sequence in the 153-minute Inglourious Basterds.
“Denis Ménochet’s performance in this scene brings me to tears every single time. He doesn’t overplay the gravity of the historic reality that the scene is illustrating, and I think that’s exactly the point. He brings us uncomfortably close to the bottomless humanity and grief of a commonly overlooked character in fiction or history: a nameless, true hero whose full-hearted objective ended in tragedy and death, not triumph. I can’t imagine any actor being able to be better than him in that scene.” — letoriouslet
Universal Pictures
You can watch the performance here:
16. Anne Hathaway (as Fantine), who won an Oscar after appearing in less than 15 minutes of the 158-minute Les Misérables.
“Just look at her incredible performance of ‘I Dreamed a Dream.’ I think a lot of people expected the vocally powerful anthem version, but what they got was Anne exploring the emotions and nuances that Fantine would actually feel in that moment. It isn’t a pretty song, but she’s not singing it to hit every note perfectly. She’s an emotionally broken woman who’s barely hanging on, trying to sing. That’s why it’s brilliant.” — bigskinny
“Part of the reason her performance is so ridiculously good is because everyone in the movie is singing live (as opposed to lip-synching to a recording that was made in a studio), so she’s in the setting, acting out all the awful things that happened to her. Because of that she emotes in a totally raw way that you just don’t get with pre-recorded tracks.” — promising.young.woman
Universal Pictures / ABC
You can watch the performance here:
17. Harry Belafonte (as Jerome Taylor), who made such a lasting impression from just one monologue in BlacKkKlansman.
