9 Movie Heroes Who Lived Long Enough To Become The Villain

4. Leonardo DiCaprio - Django Unchained

Tom Cruise Collateral
Miramax Films

DiCaprio's boyish looks and charisma made him perfect for hero types early on his career; his natural appeal was arguably one of the main reasons why Titanic went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all-time (because it wasn't just the boat, was it?).

The decade thereafter saw DiCaprio playing likeable heroes and anti-heroes in films like The Departed, Catch Me If You Can and Blood Diamond, before he agreed to play his first villain in Tarantino's slavery epic Django Unchained - and what a villain. 

It's a seriously good thing that DiCaprio waited a long time before he went full-on bad, because the shocking impact of meeting such a vile and despicable human being was only increased on account of the unlikely actor playing him. 

As Calvin Candie, the Southern plantation owner with yellow teeth and skin stained by tobacco, DiCaprio gives one of his juiciest performances; slimy and charismatic all at once, the actor not only steals every moment he's on screen, but essentially steals the film out from under everyone else, too.

Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.