Does Jeremy Irons ever play a good guy or hero in movies?

Submitted by Noman11111 t3_10kn3di in movies

Just watched Die Hard With A Vengence for the 1000th time and my mother in law asked tht question... I was searching through IMDB and best I could find is Alfred in the Ben Afleck Batman movies and thats not really a great example... are there any others or is he just that perfect for playing the bad guy role?

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Harbester t1_j5rnrdk wrote

Oh yeah, he played Aramis in the Man in the Iron mask.
One of the Musketeers is as much a hero as it gets.

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mediarch t1_j5rogok wrote

"I think they’re more interesting, the characters, personally, so maybe I’m slightly drawn to them. Not that I delineate between good and bad, I think - most people just try to do the best that they can in the situation they’re in." - Jeremy Irons

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Mechanicallvlan t1_j5rohsi wrote

I haven't seen most of his movies, but if you'll accept a mini series as an answer, he's not a villain in the old and excellent Brideshead Revisited series.

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Harbester t1_j5rou07 wrote

Replying to Noman11111 (#1,478,227)

Night train to Lisbon can be listed. His character is not strictly a hero, but he does some good and generally moves the story.
I agree with your sentiment there are only few haha.

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TheDaysKing t1_j5rpm2s wrote

The Mission.

As I recall, he's a noble, kindhearted, pacifistic missionary in that movie.

Also Kingdom of Heaven and Man in the Iron Mask, as others have said. And he does technically save the day in Watchmen (2019), even if the character he's playing is more villain than hero.

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Miserable_Row_793 t1_j5rr1l6 wrote

Eragon.

While the movie is terrible in many ways.

Irons is probably the best part of the films and the only reason I wanted additional films.

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adamsousa51 t1_j5rre46 wrote

Red Sparrow. He turns out to be the mole (good guy). However, that role isn't a full length one though.

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brandoug t1_j5rsj3i wrote

I liked his part in Margin Call a lot. Not good or bad, just financially astute.

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DrRexMorman t1_j5rytfm wrote

He plays morally good characters in the Mission, Man in the iron mask, Merchant of Venice, Kingdom of Heaven, Batman v Superman/Justice League, and Red sparrow.

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HardSteelRain t1_j5s0f2s wrote

Beautiful Creatures as the patriarch of the Ravenwoods

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AmeliaMangan t1_j5s3jmq wrote

He's not a bad person in M. Butterfly, the less-celebrated of his two Cronenberg collaborations. Flawed, yes, and filled with inner conflict and self-loathing, but ultimately more sinned against than sinning. His final scene is absolutely heartbreaking.

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schlitzntl t1_j5s9zag wrote

Replying to brandoug (#1,478,626)

He’s almost nihilistic about it - listing off all the market crashes and then stating that we just can’t help ourselves. Not sure if that’s just lying to others or himself, but he comes across sincere in that it’s just a ride and he can’t control it any more than anyone else.

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Twigling t1_j5suiqf wrote

Not a movie but the excellent miniseries 'Longitude' (also stars Michael Gambon).

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TrueLegateDamar t1_j5suqa6 wrote

The Fourth Angel where he plays a vigilante hunting terrorists who killed his family

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noyedidnae t1_j5szg50 wrote

He's the best character in the DCEU

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Sayd-Hill t1_j5t14f4 wrote

Night train to Lisbon - he plays a college lecturer who follows a troubled girl to Lisbon

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ZorroMeansFox t1_j5t284d wrote

He's the paranoid good-guy hero of the "period existential Bond Film" Kafka --directed by Steven Soderbergh.

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Cult_Of_Cthulu t1_j5tfiva wrote

Oh man, you wanna see Irons play a despicable character? Watch Lolita.

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Noman11111 OP t1_j5u7wo5 wrote

Replying to TheDaysKing (#1,486,483)

Sure, but its also the point that The Watchmen is intentionally complex in its defining of good and evil, but from a protagonist/antagonistic relationship you wouldn't say Adrian is the protagonist or hero of the show...

Regardless, I love all of Jeremy Irons characters, his most devious and evil the best!

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Mark_101 t1_j5uzfs1 wrote

Of course. But I think there's a tendency from Hollywood to typecast english actors as villains. Could be because of the heritage of the british as modern conquerors (imperialism...) and the whole 'keep calm and carry on', 'stiff upper lip' thing...

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Rahdit42 t1_j5w42ur wrote

Most don’t like it, but he plays Alfred in Batman V. Superman…

A lot of his period piece tv movies/mini-series have been relatively good guys.

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scrjim t1_j5wjyqc wrote

He plays the priest in The Mission who doesnt resort to violence to protect the natives (unlike Robert De Niro). He is the ultimate good guy.

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MayCoolDay t1_j5ylfen wrote

A lot of his younger roles were of a leading man, not a villain. A lot of them are smaller UK productions, so probably not that well known. Brideshead revisited, The French lieutenant’s woman, The mission, Damage, A chorus of disapproval (also starring Anthony Hopkins, a small British comedy)

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