Konstantin Stanislavski remarked that “there are no small parts, only small actors.” A bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue. Many great actors proved that having a bit part doesn’t affect their performance and don’t let that small role disappoint their fans. The following list of actors proved this point in 35 minutes or less:
1) Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street:
Freddy Kruger only had about 7 minutes of screen time in the film. He proved himself as one of the most prolific horror villains in film history.
2) William Hurt as Richie Cusack in A History of Violence:
Richie Cusack only had about 8 minutes of screen time in the film, and Richie Cusack was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
3) David Prowse — and James Earl Jones’ voice — as Darth Vader in Star Wars:
Darth Vader (Not Anakin) only had 34 minutes of screen time in the entire original Star Wars trilogy.
4) Aaron Tveit as Enjolras in Les Misérables:
Enjolras only had about 10 minutes of screen time during the film — which included singing one of the most recognized songs in the musical, “ABC Café / Red & Black.”
5) Jonathan Groff as King George III in Hamilton:
King George III only had about 5 minutes of screen time during the stage production on Disney+, and Jonathan Groff was nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
6) Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna in The Wolf of Wall Street:
Mark Hanna only had about 10 minutes of screen time in the film, which included the infamous chest-pounding scene with Jordan Belfort.
7) Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker in Scream:
Casey only had about 15 minutes of screen time in the film — the first 15, and to this day, Drew Barrymore is recognized as one of the top scream queens in the genre.
8) Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Batman Begins:
Scarecrow only had about 8-9 minutes of screen time in the film, despite being the main antagonist.
9) Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games:
Caesar Flickerman only had about 14 minutes of screen time across all four Hunger Games films.
10) Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff in Contagion:
Beth had only a handful of minutes of screen time in the film, and yet her character is synonymous with the film.
11) Donnie Wahlberg as Vincent Grey in The Sixth Sense:
Vincent Grey had only 3 minutes of screen time in the film, for which Donnie Wahlberg lost 43 pounds.
12) Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Winter Soldier:
Bucky Barnes had only about 13 minutes of screen time in Winter Soldier — and about 50 minutes in the MCU as of Avengers: Endgame.
13) Elsa Lanchester as The Monster’s bride in Bride of Frankenstein:
The Monster’s bride — despite being the titular character — only had about 3 minutes of screen time in the film.
14) Allison Janney as Ms. Perky in 10 Things I Hate About You:
Ms. Perky was in less than 10 minutes of 10 Things I Hate About You, which left us with the iconic line, “Heinous bitch is the term used most often.” Despite being a cult fave, Allison Janney herself forgot she was in the film.
15) Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup in A Few Good Men:
Colonel Jessup was only in three scenes in the film — including his iconic courtroom scene — and Jack Nicholson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
16) Beatrice Straight as Louise Schumacher in Network:
Louise only had about 5 minutes of screen time in the film, and Beatrice Straight took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
17) Alec Baldwin as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross:
Blake only had about 8 minutes of screen time, which resulted in one of the most iconic speeches in film history — “ABC: Always Be Closing.”
18) Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in Fargo:
Marge Gunderson only had about 25 minutes of screen time, and Frances McDormand took home the Academy Award for Best Actress.
19) Julia Butters as Trudi Fraser in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:
Trudi only appeared in one scene in the film but was, objectively, everyone’s favorite part of the nearly three-hour saga.
20) Queen Latifah as LaShawn the Waitress in Jungle Fever:
LaShawn only had about 2 minutes of screen time in the film, even though her character had a pivotal role in the two protagonists.
21) Kimberly Adair Clark as Honey in The Incredibles:
Honey had approximately NO screen time, but her voice is heard in the beloved “Where is my super suit?” scene that gave us, “I am the greatest good you’re ever gonna get!”
22) This woman from A League of Their Own:
This woman — who went uncredited in the film — had only 1 minute of screen time, but her presence and what it symbolized about race relations at that time left a lasting impact.
23) Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter:
Draco Malfoy only had 31 minutes of screen time throughout all eight films in the franchise.
24) Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter:
Luna Lovegood only had about 17 minutes of screen time throughout the latter half of the franchise.
25) Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller in Doubt:
Mrs. Miller only had about 8 minutes of screen time in the film — most of which was her iconic monologue delivered to Sister Aloysius. Viola Davis was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Source: BuzzFeed
