It ’s not unusual for popular actors to be cast in multiple movies and television set show in a relatively short time period — but 2018 had an strange number of performers doing double duty in noteworthy genre projects . Here are six of our preferent ubiquitous face this year .
1) Ann Dowd, Hereditary and The Handmaid’s Tale
A well - live character worker whose career goes back decades , Dowd ’s visibility has risen in late eld thanks to office like Patti Levin , the mountain chain - smoke cult loss leader in HBO ’s The Leftovers . But nothing has get up Dowd in the public consciousness more thanAunt Lydiaon The Handmaid ’s Tale , a case who is somehow at the same time both motherly and hideously cruel , a slick balance that Dowd handles perfectly . sealed aspects of The Handmaid ’s Tale may haveleft some viewer feeling unsatisfiedthis season , but Dowd ’s performance — particularly as Aunt Lydia hover over Offred ’s pregnancy plot line , protect her while also stanchly upholding the core evils of Gilead ’s dystopia — was as commanding as ever .
Kudos , then , to the genius regorge decision to bring Dowd intohorror hit Hereditary . Her character , Joan , is initially presented as a kindly friend for Toni Collette ’s grieving mother , but if you think of Hereditary as a contemporary , suburban riff on Rosemary ’s Baby , Joan expansion slot in perfectly as the advanced update to malevolent busybody Minnie Castevet . There ’s just something … off about Joan , an insidious quality bubbling just beneath the sweet surface . Nobody act that contrast advantageously than Dowd .
2) Josh Brolin, Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War
Brolin has been work steadily since his 1985 debut in The Goonies , and plain his filmography pass manner beyond genre films — he ’s earned kudos for dramatic bit in picture show like Milk and No Country for Old Men , to name a few . But he sure does seem to have a diffuse spot for horror , risible books , and sci - fi , with titles like Grindhouse , Jonah Hex , and Men in Black 3 dotting his extensive résumé . In 2018 , he leveled up considerably by playing beefy badasses in two of the year ’s most - anticipated smash hit : first , asuniverse - decimating ThanosinAvengers : Infinity War , and just a few weeks later , time - traveling CableinDeadpool 2 .
Both function want a reasonably specific blending of villainy , pathos , personal magnetism , and particular burden - enhance prosthetics ( a heavy coating of the latter for Thanos , of course of study ) , but you ’d never confuse the two character — even in the highly unlikely upshot that Thanos makes like Cable and ends up joining the good - guy cable squad inAvengers : Endgamenext year . A couplet of Brolin ’s Infinity War cohorts also did some big - meter double - duty this yr , though Chris Pratt kind of seems like he ’s play himself in every action celluloid , whether he ’s battling , well , Thanos or dinosaur ( in Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom ) . That said , we ’ll cry out another Centennial State - wiz ’s name later on this inclination .
3) Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns
One of the most versatile actors working today can convincingly play both the deed of conveyance role in The Young Victoria and a futuristic , prison term - looping war poor boy in Edge of Tomorrow . So perhaps it ’s not too surprising to see her taking on two very different genre fictional character in a single year , though the scope Blunt showed on the bighearted covert in 2018 is exceptionally impressive . In April , she star inA Quiet Placeas a pregnant female parent seek to keep her kinsperson safe in a post - apocalyptic world where killer aliens lurk , hold off to swoop on any living tool that makes a speech sound . There ’s physical pain ( that birthing scene , holy crap ) , but also mental anguish and sorrow , as well as a killer mix of gritty resourcefulness and being a pertinacious subsister . So there ’s that . And then there ’s her next film , in which Blunt whips out her delicious British accent mark , wear out a variety of chipper hats , and sings and dances , in this month’smagical - she-goat reboot Mary Poppins Returns . Even Josh Brolin probably could n’t draw out that off … but Blunt for certain can .
4) Tessa Thompson, Annihilation, Sorry to Bother You, and Westworld
The talented Thompson would ’ve been a quadruplicate threat if her Valkyrie had actually been part of Avengers : Infinity War , but hopefullyshe’ll be back to steal some scenes inEndgamealongside Thor ( a.k.a . her 2019MIB cobalt - star Chris Hemsworth ) . At any rate , there was no deficit of Thompson this year ( yep , that was her inJanelle Monáe ’s Dirty Computer , too ) , between her roles as a scientist look into an alien occurrence inAnnihilation ; a free - spunky creative person whose boyfriend goes collective ( and then enters a surreal new reality ) inSorry to Bother You ; and a company magnanimous shot who getsrather brutallydrawn into the host rebellion in Westworld .
No matter what part Thompson diddle , it ’s hard to take your eyes off her whenever she ’s onscreen , and we ca n’t wait to see what this fearless performing artist does next . Did we refer she also somehow find oneself time to co - star in this fall ’s Creed II , too ? ( A note , before anyone asks : Thompson’sexcellent Westworld co - star , Thandie Newton , would have also made this list , but her case gets such light shrift in Solo : A Star Wars Story that we did n’t require to point that out as something deserving celebrating . Not Newton ’s fracture , of trend — andHollywood ’s already on noticeto do intimately next time . )
5) Paul Bettany, Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story
Bettany ’s entrée into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was by moral excellence of his voice — prior to the consequence of Avengers : Age of Ultron , in which he transform into the Vision , his dulcet pipe power JARVIS , Tony Stark ’s helpful AI . This twelvemonth , the Vision had a crucial role in Infinity War , and not just because he has one of Thanos ’ search - after stones embedded in his noggin — his blossoming romance with Scarlet Witchserved to raise the excited stakes of the film exponentially , no small job in a movie that spent a destiny of time just making sure every character got the right amount of screen time .
Elsewhere , in a galaxy far , far , aside , the lanky Bettany stepped into the intergalactic crime - political boss role in Solo that wasoriginally fate for Michael K. Williams , who had to drop out due to a scheduling struggle . The Star Wars motion picture are known for having memorable scoundrel , to put it mildly , but Dryden Voss had a certain seamy slinkiness about him that made him feel adequate component part severe and desperate . And , lest we forget , he also hadthe raddest assembling of Star Wars clobber we ’ve ever seen .
6) Tilda Swinton, Suspiria
The chameleonic Oscar winner also happen to be part of the MCU ; rumor has it we will seeher Ancient One character from Doctor Strangereturn in Endgame . But this year , away from a voice - over carrying into action in Isle of Dogs , Swinton in reality only seem in one film , Luca Guadagnino ’s venturesome Suspira remaking . That say , she played three different use in that one plastic film — four , if you count “ Lutz Ebersdorf , ” the deep actor credited with roleplay the role of key supporting fictitious character Dr. Joseph Klemperer . The enigma was n’t particularly well - keptthat it was Swinton mask under all that make - up , but Swinton ’s turn as the wistful , older manful Doctor of the Church really felt like a material performance rather than a thingummy . ( Her grotesque setting as head - witch - in - charge Helena Markos , which featuredsome truly amazing prosthetics , was perhaps a picayune more of a stunt - upchuck scenario . ) But Swinton ’s most striking office in Suspiria , playing otherworldly ballet - troupe head Madame Blanc , is the one where she looks most like herself — and proves she does n’t need any special - effects help to make the entire audience feel completely uncertain .
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