These actors were born to play killers! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the time performers had or were given an uncanny likeness to the real criminals they portrayed in film biopics and TV series.
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00:00 I told you over and over a million times that something was going on and you know what you did?
00:05 Y'all did nothing!
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times performers had
00:12 or were given an uncanny likeness to the real criminals they portrayed in film biopics and TV
00:17 series. Spoiler alert!
00:19 Number 10. Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall - Blackbird
00:28 Paul Walter Hauser is best known for his work in movies like Black Klansman and Cruella.
00:32 But he went dark for his role as American serial killer Larry Hall in Apple TV+'s Blackbird.
00:37 "In my dreams I, like, kill women."
00:41 The 2022 limited series sees Taron Egerton's Jimmy Keen work with authorities to pry a
00:47 confession out of the suspected serial killer. To pull off Hall's distinct look,
00:52 hair and makeup teams outfitted the actor in muttonchop sideburns, or "burn sides" as Hall
00:57 called them. And while he only had a small example to work with, Hauser also managed
01:01 to mimic Hall's unsettlingly high-pitched voice and awkward behavior.
01:05 "I'm telling the truth."
01:07 His performance was so convincing that he nabbed both the Critics' Choice and
01:12 Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor.
01:15 "Pretty sure I peaked in the womb."
01:24 Number 9. Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter, The Girl from Plainville
01:29 Elle Fanning plays a fictionalized Catherine the Great on a hit Hulu series.
01:33 But for the girl from Plainview, she had the challenge of playing someone in the modern world.
01:37 "Could you state your full name and age?"
01:39 "Michelle Diana Carter."
01:42 The young actress portrays Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for
01:47 sending texts encouraging her boyfriend Conrad Roy to take his own life in 2014.
01:52 "Conrad's dead."
01:54 Fanning relied on hair, makeup, and wardrobe for her transformation,
01:58 which included a tan and freckles. In court footage of Carter,
02:01 her look changed noticeably over the brief period. Fanning's resemblance to Carter was
02:06 uncanny once she donned the dark eyebrows, which were arguably the most defining physical feature.
02:11 "Every image helps me, uh, to look to the future."
02:14 Number 8. Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, American Crime Story
02:19 As with other actors working for Ryan Murphy, Glee star Darren Criss was cast in the series
02:23 creator's other projects. He really got to show off his range in the sophomore season
02:28 of American Crime Story, subtitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
02:32 "I remember it, but for you to remember it is very flattering."
02:35 Criss stepped into the lead role of Andrew Cunanan, the spree killer who killed the
02:39 famed Italian designer, his fourth victim in 1997. An important element is that both criminal and
02:45 actor had similar national heritage, adding more authenticity to the portrayal since the
02:49 industry has a history of whitewashing.
02:52 "Ahhhhhhhhh."
02:57 The two young men already looked similar, but the actor also balanced Cunanan's intense,
03:02 often-changing emotions. Criss nabbed an Emmy, Golden Globe,
03:05 Critics' Choice, and SAG Award for his lead performance.
03:08 "Dad, I'm in trouble."
03:10 Number 7. Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman, Chapter 27
03:15 If you've ever read or heard of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye,
03:19 you likely also know about Mark David Chapman, the crazed fan who shot and killed John Lennon
03:24 in 1980. Chapter 27 has actor-musician Jared Leto portraying Chapman, whose obsession with
03:30 the book's protagonist and declining mental health led to his murder of the former Beatles icon.
03:36 "Mr. Lennon."
03:36 Leto loves a complete transformation, so when it came to becoming Chapman,
03:48 he was all in. He gained over 60 pounds, significantly changing the way he carried himself.
03:54 "Oh, yes."
03:57 The commitment is admirable, but this method later had a serious effect on his health.
04:05 Unfortunately, Chapter 27 didn't do well with critics and audiences.
04:09 However, Leto did receive praise for his performance.
04:12 "Sitting right here, talking to you."
04:17 Number 6. Joey King as Gypsy Rose Blanchard, The Act
04:23 Unlike some actors on this list, Joey King didn't really physically resemble the real
04:27 life person she portrays in Hulu's The Act. "And she said, 'One day, this will be yours.'
04:33 And now it finally is." The series is based on the tragic story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
04:39 and her mother Claudine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, who kept her daughter chronically ill from a young age.
04:44 Gypsy eventually discovered the truth and allegedly conspired with her boyfriend,
04:49 Nick Godejohn, to kill Dee Dee. "We'll be happy soon.
04:52 After this night, we will never bring it up." Years of unnecessary surgeries and medical
04:59 treatments affected Gypsy's teeth and hair growth, and she used a wheelchair, requiring King to
05:04 physically transform for the role. The actress shaved her head, wore fake teeth, and mimicked
05:10 Gypsy's childlike tone of voice. With the help of wardrobe, King nailed the overall look, capturing,
05:16 quote, "the essence of Gypsy." "Right now, the world sees you as a cold-blooded killer."
05:20 "But I couldn't have killed my mom. I love her so much."
05:27 Number 5. Zac Efron as Ted Bundy, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile
05:34 When the first set of photos of Netflix's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile
05:38 came out, fans were shocked by Zac Efron's eerie resemblance to Ted Bundy. In the 2019 film, told
05:44 from the perspective of Bundy's longtime girlfriend Elizabeth, Efron perfectly embodies Bundy's fake
05:49 charm and manipulative nature. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to freak out."
05:55 While Bundy's appearance was part of what made him so effective in his horrors,
05:58 some thought casting the attractive actor romanticized the serial killer.
06:02 "I didn't know what to do. I thought I was gonna lose you."
06:06 Efron is far from the first and definitely not the last actor to portray Ted Bundy.
06:11 In 2021's No Man of God, Luke Kirby delivered a phenomenal performance as Bundy right before
06:17 the killer's execution. He similarly had an uncanny resemblance, which only increased with
06:22 his spot-on facial expressions and speech. "So all you have to do is go about your day,
06:28 don't act weird, and everyone thinks you're just a regular guy."
06:32 Number 4. David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, Des. David Tennant is no stranger to playing a villain,
06:38 but he took on his darkest role in ITV's Des, a three-part limited series about Scottish serial
06:44 killer Dennis Nilsen. "We'd like to talk to you about your drawings." "That's why the police
06:49 are interested in drawings." The Scottish actor certainly resembled him, but for this project,
06:54 he transformed to fully embody the murderer, even emulating his signature. Nilsen was accused of
07:00 murdering at least a dozen men, but was only charged with six killings and two attempted
07:04 murders. The series follows his 1983 arrest, trial, and time spent with a biographer.
07:09 "All I know is I don't know. And thus, a jury needs to decide."
07:13 We don't see Nilsen committing the crimes, so Tennant's performance has to carry the film,
07:18 with his thick accent, mannerisms, and his matter-of-fact, almost bored way of talking
07:23 about his heinous acts. His chilling portrayal earned him the International Emmy Award for Best
07:28 Actor. "If you hadn't called me that day, I'd be 115, not 15."
07:35 Number 3. Charlize Theron as Eileen Wuornos, Monster. Everyone knows Charlize Theron is one
07:43 of the best actresses in the business. The role that particularly cemented her place as a brilliant
07:47 performer was as serial killer Eileen Wuornos in 2003's Monster, which was directed by Patty Jenkins.
07:53 "Yeah? Why, man?"
07:56 Wuornos was a former sex worker in Florida who received multiple death sentences for the men
08:01 she murdered from 1989 to 1990. For this role, before she went through the long process of hair,
08:07 makeup, prosthetics, and wardrobe, Theron put on roughly 30 pounds.
08:13 "No, you can't come back, because I'll be gone."
08:16 The remarkable physical transformation made her unrecognizable, but her dedication to the role
08:23 and dramatic talent sealed the deal. Theron famously won the Oscar and Golden Globe for
08:27 Best Actress in 2004. "Maybe he could have loved me, so I killed him. I shot him, all right?"
08:37 Number 2. Damon Harriman as Charles Manson, Mindhunter, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
08:42 Netflix's Mindhunter was known for its impeccable casting, particularly finding actors who strongly
08:48 resemble serial killers, like Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper and Oliver Cooper as David Berkowitz.
08:53 In one episode of Mindhunter, the characters Bill and Holden conduct an increasingly tense
08:58 interview with the incarcerated Charles Manson, who is perfectly portrayed by Damon Harriman.
09:03 "Because my truth is simple, and your truth's complicated."
09:07 And that same year, the Aussie actor played a younger version of Manson in
09:11 Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. "Really? He moved? Dang!"
09:17 While neither project offered Harriman much screen time, it says a lot that Harriman was
09:23 cast as the infamous cult leader in not one, but two different projects, and at different ages,
09:28 no less. "Charles Manson, the most dangerous man alive. Hippie cult leader who programmed people
09:35 to kill." Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:40 Zach Villa as Richard Ramirez, American Horror Story. Villa's resemblance to the
09:44 Night Stalker is shockingly accurate. "This is aerobics, it's serious."
09:48 "Billy Idol's the truth, man." David Dasmalchen as Albert DeSalvo,
09:53 Boston Strangler. Dasmalchen's brief screen time makes a huge impact.
09:57 "Please state your full name."
09:58 "Albert Henry DeSalvo." Brian Dennehy as John Wayne Gacy,
10:08 To Catch a Killer. Dennehy embodies the horror behind the clown facade.
10:12 "You got nothing on me, you're just screwing me around, screwing my business around."
10:17 John Cusack as Robert Hanson, The Frozen Ground.
10:20 Cusack perfectly captures the unassuming essence of the butcher baker.
10:24 "About that? I didn't do that!"
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10:43 Number 1. Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer, Monster, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
10:51 People were shocked when former Disney star Ross Lynch was cast to play a young Jeffrey Dahmer in
10:56 2017's My Friend Dahmer. But his natural resemblance and solid performance proved
11:01 that he was the perfect choice. Evan Peters, on the other hand, gained prominence for his
11:05 stellar work on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story, often as villainous characters. So it
11:10 was less surprising when he signed on for Murphy's Dahmer series.
11:14 "Sorry man, I think I'm gonna go."
11:16 "No, don't leave."
11:22 Peters portrays the serial killer from his younger years in Ohio to when he was an adult in Milwaukee.
11:28 Peters nails the Wisconsin accent and awkward physicality of Dahmer,
11:32 and the distinct glasses and blonde hair really transform him.
11:35 "Anyway, they all caught it and died and I'll clean it out this weekend."
11:42 While the series itself provoked backlash, no one could deny Peters' eerily accurate portrayal.
11:48 "Death is just a part of life."
11:52 Which actor had you doing a double take? Let us know in the comments below.
11:57 "Mmm, these guys are great."
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12:10 [Music]