10 Underrated Actors Who Make Every Movie They Are In Better

Summary

Riz Ahmed excels in lesser-known indie movies as well as his occasional high-profile projects.
Archie Madekwe and Sean Teale are both underrated actors, despite strong performances in popular movies.
Alexandra Shipp shines in supporting roles despite usually being overshadowed by the main characters.

Some amazing actors seem to always be flying below the radar, but doubtlessly make every movie they are in better. Some of these stars appear in underrated movies starring A-list actors, demonstrating that directors and producers who can recruit someone with multiple Oscars will also consider these lesser-known actors. Certain actors landed a key role in one major blockbuster, leading everyone to think they would be the next big thing, before starring in some smaller movies. In this case, maybe they are destined to be one of the actors famous for just one iconic role.

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On the other hand, actors might still struggle to be cast in a mainstream movie again after the first time. Depending on how big of a success their breakthrough was, they might have faded a bit since then, but likely still have some fervent fans who will argue that they are underrated. Additionally, some underrated actors have been taking on supporting roles in big movies for years but are always overshadowed by the leads, or mostly appear in hidden gems. Either way, no one seems to know how talented they really are.

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10 Jessie Buckley

Known For I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (2020) & Women Talking (2022)

Buckley’s performances in I’m Thinking of Ending Things in particular showcases her potential for razor-sharp commentary, whether through comedy or drama.

Jessie Buckley is the star of a lot of great movies — just not necessarily major blockbuster movies. Probably the most famous title she has been in is Women Talking, due to its nomination for Best Picture. Every major actress gives a compelling performance in this movie as one of the women of a Mennonite who has endured abuse; Buckley’s portrayal of Mariche is just as valuable as the rest, if not given as much attention as Frances McDormand, Rooney Mara, or Claire Foy.

Movie	Release date	Character
Beast	2017	Moll
Wild Rose	2018	Rose-Lynn
Judy	2019	Rosalyn Wilder
Dolittle	2020	Queen Victoria
I’m Thinking of Ending Things	2020	Young Woman
Men	2022	Harper
Women Talking	2022	Mariche
Wicked Little Letters	2023	Rose Gooding

The rest of Buckley’s collective career is impressive, including Chernobyl, Judy, Dolittle, Fargo, and Wicked Little Letters. Arguably her most noteworthy title is I’m Thinking of Ending Things, an engaging thriller about a young woman meeting the parents of a boyfriend she wants to break up with and considering the implications of time flying by. Buckley’s performance in I’m Thinking of Ending Things in particular showcases her potential for razor-sharp commentary, whether through comedy or drama.

9 Riz Ahmed

Known For Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) & Sound Of Metal (2019)

Riz Ahmed has been in a Star Wars movie and has been nominated for an Oscar, which seems like a perfect recipe for mainstream success. Yet he still doesn’t seem to be getting as many big roles as some of his contemporaries; he starred in Venom, but has mostly taken on indie movies like Sound of Metal. While that particular title became an Oscar nominee, a few others he has done are practically unheard of. Still, every time Ahmed appears in a new movie, he is amazing to watch.

Movie	Release date	Character
Nightcrawler	2014	Rick
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	2016	Bodhi Rook
Venom	2018	Carlton Drake/Riot
Weathering with You	2019	Detective Takai (English version)
Sound of Metal	2019	Ruben Stone
Nimona	2023	Ballister Boldheart

Ahmed’s best performances leading up to his Oscar nomination include Bodhi in Star Wars and Rick in Nightcrawler. In between these movies, he did major voice acting work in Weathering with You and Nimona, demonstrating a whole other side to his talents. He also has some exciting upcoming projects, including a modern-day adaptation of Hamlet and a currently untitled Prime Video series. While he is mostly in quietly released indies, Ahmed gets so many roles that directors are certainly aware that they need to be working with him.

8 Ruby Rose

Known for John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) & The Meg (2018)

Ruby Rose tends to be cast as a sharp, capable supporting character, perhaps intended to undercut the main characters’ goofy antics. Rose’s role with the most narrative weight is as Ares in John Wick: Chapter 2, despite the character’s limited influence over the story. The John Wick franchise is generally good at showcasing a kind of mutual respect between its title character and various supporting characters through the briefest of interactions. John Wick: Chapter 2 does this with both Ares and Common’s Cassian.

Movie	Release date	Character
Break Free (short)	2014	Writer/self
Resident Evil: The Finale Chapter	2016	Abigail
John Wick: Chapter 2	2017	Ares
Pitch Perfect 3	2017	Calamity
The Meg	2018	Jaxx

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Rose is great as Ares during her limited time on screen, with a sharp, intriguing presence that makes the audience want to learn more about the character. Given how good her performance as Ares is, Rose could be leading her own John Wick-style espionage franchise. So far in her career, she has mostly improved other movies in supporting roles. However, the role of the confident and sarcastic engineer Jaxx in The Meg was a good one, putting Rose on par with Jason Statham.

7 Sam Riley

Known For Maleficent (2014) & Pride And Prejudice And Zombies (2016)

Sam Riley always brings an undeniable edge to his roles in action movies. No one would have presumed that Maleficent’s pet crow needed to be a person, but Riley makes the movie more interesting with his presence as Diaval, both an emo villainous sidekick and a genuine friend. Riley also played the famous Mr. Darcy, but not as most people know him. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a surprisingly enjoyable movie, in part because of Riley’s portrayal of a zombie destroying Col. Darcy.

Movie	Release date	Character
Control	2007	Ian Curtis
On the Road	2012	Sal Paradise/Jack Kerouac
Maleficent	2014	Diaval
Suite Française	2014	Benoit Labarie
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies	2016	Mr. Darcy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil	2019	Diaval

Riley has appeared in some other drama and action movies, imbuing them with his interesting on-screen personas. He has the potential to be a fan-favorite lead in a franchise even bigger than the two Maleficent movies when he could probably portray a charismatic anti-hero character. He also has the significant experience of working with major stars like Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer from Maleficent, as well as others from the rest of his career.

6 Archie Madekwe

Known For Saltburn (2023) & Gran Turismo (2023)

Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, and Alison Oliver are the biggest rising stars from Saltburn, while Rosamund Pike’s performance attracted the most praise among the veteran cast. With everything that was going on with the more dramatic actions of these actors’ characters, hardly anyone noticed that Archie Madekwe was actually great as Farleigh. In this movie, Madekwe gives one of the more understated performances, but one that is just as compelling as Farleigh sees through Oliver’s schemes when no one else does.

Movie	Release date	Character
Midsommar	2019	Simon
Voyagers	2021	Kai
Gran Turismo	2023	Jann Mardenborough
Heart of Stone	2023	Ivo
Saltburn	2023	Farleigh Start

2023 was a big year for Madekwe, as he also starred alongside David Harbour and Orlando Bloom in Gran Turismo. He also appeared in Florence Pugh’s Midsommar a few years back and now has some other upcoming projects. It will be interesting to see how Madekwe progresses from here when a lot of other rising stars got more attention in 2023, but he has just as much potential as his Saltburn co-stars and the rest.

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5 Olivia Cooke

Known For Ready Player One (2018) & Sound Of Metal (2019)

Olivia Cooke is becoming more famous than ever due to her stellar performance as Queen Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. However, she still deserves credit for her solid movie career before this role made her own of the top actresses on TV. One of Cooke’s most important roles in her rise to fame was Thoroughbreds, a movie that was actually the same thing for Anya Taylor-Joy. This psychological thriller features Cooke and Taylor-Joy as privileged teenagers who conspire to murder Taylor-Joy’s character’s stepfather.

Movie	Release date	Character
Me and the Earl and the Dying Girl	2015	Rachel
Thoroughbreds	2017	Amanda
Ready Player One	2018	Art3mis/Samanta
Sound of Metal	2019	Lou
The Good Mother	2023	Paige

Cooke then kept turning up in other acclaimed movies. Her character in Ready Player One leans into a lot of the conventions of the genre, but her performance is still a good one. As the girlfriend of the main character in Sound of Metal, Cooke bookends the narrative, but her scenes are deeply emotional and impactful, conveying so much about her arc that has happened off-screen and how it affects her relationship with her partner. Cooke probably gets the praise she deserves as a TV actress, but is somewhat underappreciated as a movie actress.

4 Sean Teale

Known For Rosaline (2022)

Sean Teale has also mostly done TV acting, but he completely transformed Rosaline through his great chemistry with his co-star Kaitlyn Dever. Teale and Dever had a humorous enemies-to-lovers dynamic, both giving their characters different carefree personalities. Some of Teale’s noteworthy TV roles are The Gifted, The Voice, and Incorporated, again causing him to be overlooked as a movie actor. However, these titles showcase his genre variety, spanning sci-fi, fantasy, drama, and comedy.

Movie	Release date	Character
B&B	2017	Fred
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (video game)	2021	Viego
Rosaline	2022	Dario
Who Is Erin Carter?	2023	Jordi Collantes
Mother of the Bride	2024	RJ

Additionally, Teale’s portrayal of the charming and cunning Louis of Condé in Reign as well as the sarcastic love interest in Rosaline reveal his ability to play a popular young adult character archetype. If some upcoming fantasy book-to-movie adaptations like The Cruel Prince ever get off the ground, they should definitely consider Teale for a lead role. Teale has a rare charisma that would make some of the romantasy dynamics seem believable and excels at leading wistful and entertaining stories like this.

3 Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Known For Love Actually (2003) & The Maze Runner (2014)

Thomas Brodie-Sangster was an amazingly talented child actor, bringing to life some of the most adorable moments of Love Actually. He also voiced the often-silent role of Ferb Fletcher for Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb for years; Ferb may not say much, but when he does, Brodie-Sangster pulls off the best combination of sarcasm and wisdom. Brodie-Sangster’s biggest movie role to date is probably as Newt in the Maze Runner trilogy.

Movie	Release date	Character
Love Actually	2003	Sam
The Maze Runner	2014	Newt
The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials	2015	Newt
Star Wars: The Force Awakens	2015	First Order Officer
The Maze Runner: The Death Cure	2018	Newt

Because The Maze Runner was a part of the wave of dystopia trilogies sparked by The Hunger Games which sputtered out, Brodie-Sangster got less attention than he might have if he had been in another franchise. The Maze Runner has since mostly faded into history, while Brodie-Sangster has picked up some interesting TV roles, such as The Queen’s Gambit and The Artful Dodger. Overall, Brodie-Sangster’s career is shockingly consistent; he has been great in everything he has appeared in since Love Actually.

2 Alexandra Shipp

Known For Tick, Tick…BOOM! (2021) & Barbie (2023)

Alexandra Shipp has been surfing below the radar for years, appearing in all sorts of major movies of vastly different genres. Her breakout role was arguably in Straight Outta Compton, or maybe X-Men: Apocalypse. As not quite the main character in either of these movies, the attention is mostly on others. However, Shipp always provided a steady and vital presence, especially as Storm in the prequel timeline of Fox’s X-Men universe.

Movie	Release date	Character
Straight Outta Compton	2015	Kim
X-Men: Apocalypse	2016	Ororo Munroe/Storm
Love, Simon	2018	Abby
Dark Phoenix	2019	Ororo Munroe/Storm
tick, tick…BOOM!	2021	Susan
Barbie	2023	Barbie
Anyone But You	2023	Claudia

Tick, tick…BOOM! gave Shipp the screen time she needed to show off her range. However, some other supporting roles also highlighted her strengths, such as Claudia in Anyone But You. Shipp also played one of the Barbies in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie; almost every actress in this movie had one or two moments to really act, as did Shipp as the Writer Barbie. Shipp deserves some more lead roles that frame her as the star, as she absolutely has the talent. She would be especially great as an everywoman character in a real-life drama.

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1 Erin Kellyman

Known For Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) & The Green Knight (2021)

Kellyman can walk into any movie or TV show and completely undermine the protagonist’s ideology with a few well-written lines.

Erin Kellyman was seemingly in everything for a while, making stops in Star Wars and the MCU, as well as smaller projects like a Les Misérables miniseries and a movie adapted from a medieval poem. She hasn’t been in as many movies as of late, busy with the canceled-too-soon TV show Willow. Kellyman can walk into any movie or TV show and completely undermine the protagonist’s ideology with a few well-written lines. She puts so much power behind everything she says, whether the intended effect is accusatory, revolutionary, or romantic.

Movie	Release date	Character
Solo: A Star Wars Story	2018	Enfys Nest
Les Misérables	2019	Éponine
The Green Knight	2021	Winifred
Woken	2024	Anna
Lilies Not for Me	2024	Dorothy Ellis

Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Green Knight are the best illustrations of how Kellyman improves a movie just by being there, given how little screen time she has in each. In less than 15 minutes, Kellyman serves as a powerful reminder of the Rebellion’s ideals or an ethereal figure who can shake an Arthurian knight’s confidence. With some exciting upcoming dramas, Kellyman may be making a comeback in her movie career after being one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood for some time.

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Category: Entertainment