Billy Bob Thornton, best known for starring in and directing the Oscar-nominated film Sling Blade, recently revealed that he was offered the opportunity to play “bad guys” in some of the biggest franchises, but turned it down. During his appearance on the Bingeworthy podcast, the actor-director explained why he rejected negative roles in 2002’s Spider-Man and Mission: Impossible III.
“I’m not much interested in these kinds of roles,” he said. “With Green Goblin, I didn’t feel like getting up at 4 in the morning for five or six hours of makeup. And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn’t want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise,” he explained.
Thornton also believes that playing a negative role in such a big franchise can leave a lasting impression on people’s minds. He prefers to play roles that are “loser and less predictable.” Ultimately, the role of the Green Goblin in Spider-Man went to Willem Dafoe, while Philip Seymour Hoffman played rival, arms dealer Owen Davion in MI3.
Although Thornton hasn’t played a villain opposite a beloved superhero, he did play villainous hitman Lorne Malvo in the first season of the FX series Fargo, a performance that earned him a Golden Globe.
The Bad Santa actor recently earned his seventh Golden Globe nomination for his performance as titular oil rig crisis executive, Tommy Norris, in Taylor Sheridan’s series Landman. In an interview with Deadline, Thornton explained how his character understands the dangerous business and the risks involved.
“My character obviously comes up doing more small tasks in this. So he has been there. He knows how it works,” the actor explained. Now that his character has become an oil company owner and a foreman among those who work in the fields, he does not have time to become a landlord.
Thornton said, “There’s always a problem to solve because he really is a fixer.” He also believes that his character has developed a passion for success. Thornton said, “I think he’s driven and doesn’t really think too much about it, although I think he’s a little fatalistic about it.”
