8. Denzel Washington - Training Day
Denzel Washingtons role as a dirty cop in the gritty 2001 crime drama Training Day was seen as a departure for the popular Hollywood leading man. Washington plays a narcotics officer whos assigned to evaluate a young LAPD officer played by Ethan Hawke. Throughout the day, Washingtons bizarre and even criminal behavior catches the rookie cop off guard. It was certainly a side to Washington audiences hadnt seen before. Take for instance the scene in which he places a gun to his young trainees head and forces him to smoke marijuana. Oh and surprise it was laced with PCP. Just a typical day at the office. Not only did Washington walk off with a coveted MTV Movie Award, he also took home the Oscar for Best Actor.