10 Movie Characters More Important Than You Think

Generally speaking if a movie character is in any way important, it's going to let you know about it, either by directly stating it or implying it in the most blatantly overt manner possible.

But every so often, there's a character whose importance flies totally under the radar, to the extent that the vast majority of viewers don't ever really pick up on it.

And that's absolutely the case with these 10 characters, each of whom are seemingly hanging out in the periphery, doing little of true consequence. 

But that's not really true at all - if you stop and think about what they're up to, they actually end up having a considerable impact on the direction of the overall story.

Perhaps these characters were ultimately responsible for the entire events of the movie or even the series as a whole, or fans have theorised for years that they're secretly playing a much larger role in the narrative.

Whatever the rationale, these characters aren't just part of the furniture - they're actually a vital piece of the puzzle without which none of it would make sense...

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that basically the entirety of the original Pirates of the Caribbean, and many subsequent events throughout the franchise, are the result of an overzealous maid.

After all, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) only faints and falls into the ocean at the start of the first movie because her corset was pulled too tight by her maid, Estrella (Paula J. Newman).

When Elizabeth lands in the water, her medallion - which is actually a cursed piece of gold - pulses and brings the pirate crew of the Black Pearl to Port Royal, where they take her hostage, causing Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to set off on a rescue mission to save her.

If Estrella had given Elizabeth a little more breathing room, none of this would've happened - a fact even pointed out by the movie's own screenwriters, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, on its DVD commentary.