Alfred Molina is one of those actors who appears to be in everything. The British actor has close to 200 screen credits, and he still finds the time to perform on stage around the world. As a character actor, he’s rarely the main role, and in fact, has made his name by showcasing a diverse range of talent. Sometime he’ll appear in one scene (often with one of his many European accents) and completely steal the show.
Other times he’s there to support other characters, or to play their antagonists. For someone who has been in the industry for as long as he has, he’s naturally appeared in many highly-rated movies.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) – 88%
The sequel to Disney’s video game smash-hit, Wreck-It Ralph is back for another adventure that takes him into the murky world of online games. Molina plays Double Dan a disgusting (but funny) creature described as a slug-centaur; an insect/human hybrid made out of canned meat. He appears in the Dark Net, in one of the film’s darker moments, and gives Ralph a virus that will radically change the course of the movie. It’s a silly part, but the gravitas Molina brings elevates it to a new realm of surreal humor.
Boogie Nights (1997) – 93%
Molina comes very close to stealing the entire show with his short cameo in P.T.Anderson’s first hit. He appears when central character Dirk Diggler is at his lowest; he plays a drug dealer who could save Diggler from his money problems. Molina has ominous energy as Rahad; he prances around in his pants, dancing and singing to disco music, shouting at everyone to have a good time while waving a gun in their face. It’s the most memorable scene in the movie and might be the tensest in all cinema.
Love is Strange (2014) – 93%
In a rare central performance, Molina plays George, husband to John Lithgow’s Ben, in this melancholic LGBTQ drama. Having been a couple for years George and Ben finally get married, but when word gets back to the Catholic school George teaches at he is unceremoniously fired.
Unable to continue their affluent lives the couple is forced to move out and live separately for a while. It is always a treat to get this much Molina, all the more so to see him in this tender and loving drama.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – 93%
When it comes to Alfred Molina’s performances, his role as Dr. Octopus in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man sequel is close to iconic. The classic villain is made all the more complex and scary by Molina’s artful nuance.
In other hands, he could have been a classic arch-villain, but Molina injects just the right amount of sympathy to make him a compelling presence. Extra kudos must be given for Doc Ock’s mechanical arms; each limb was real and operated by a team of puppeteers which must have made for a cumbersome acting job.
The Normal Heart (2014) – 94%
The Normal Heart is an HBO TV Movie about the HIV/AIDS crisis directed by TV legend Ryan Murphy. The film focuses on Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo) an openly gay journalist who witnesses a close friend dying of the disease which, at the time, no one new about.
The film is a heartbreaking account of the early days of the crisis and highlights the sheer lack of help and medical research. Molina plays Weeks’ older brother, a lawyer who provides counsel but remains critical about his brother’s sexuality. It’s a small role, but one that shows the complexity of homophobic bigotry.
An Education (2009) – 94%
Based on a true story, Carey Mulligan plays a young woman in 1960s Britain, who meets an older but charming conman and the two begin a romantic affair. While this is certainly Mulligan’s film, Molina is a very welcome presence as a loving father that everyone wishes they had.
He holds court at the head of the kitchen table, cracking jokes and remaining perpetually confused about the state of the world, but clearly enamored with his daughter. He brings joy and pathos to this excellent drama.
Prick Up Your Ears (1987) – 94%
Prick Up Your Ears is a British drama that is bursting with talent. In addition to Molina, it stars a young Gary Oldman, is directed by Stephen Frears and with a screenplay by the legendary Alan Bennett.
Based on a true story of gay playwright Joe Orton (Oldman) and his lover (Molina). The film opens with tragedy and then tells it’s narrative through flashback. Molina is amazing as Orton’s long-suffering lover; beginning as a comic role jealous soon begins to corrupt him, in a heartbreaking transformation.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – 95%
Molina’s debut screen performance and a role that remains as iconic as it ever did. The opening to Raiders is one of the most famous ever filmed. Molina plays the guide who leads Indiana Jones into the lost tomb.
When the idol is stolen, Molina casually betrays him, taking the treasure for himself only to be killed moments later. It’s a short part but Molina’s casually callous thief became the archetypical Indy protagonist, a role that would be copied countless times in other action/adventure films.
Letter to Brezhnev (1985) – 100%
Another very early role for Molina and in a British romantic comedy, that is clearly still loved to this day. Molina plays Sergei, one of two Russian sailors who find themselves on a wild night of romance with two women from Liverpool. It’s an early example of Molina’s diverse range of accents, as well as his considerable comedic talent.
The film itself is also a brilliant indictment of the poor living conditions many people suffered under the rule of Margaret Thatcher; the Russian sailors represent the world beyond, which many working class Liverpudlians would never be able to see.
Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie (2017) – 100%
It seems fitting that at the top of Molina’s roles is another animated performance. While he himself is an impressive presence in movies, it is his voice and his talent with accents that makes him so recognizable. In the Hey Arnold! movie he plays Lasombra (in a definite callback to his role in Raiders) an Argentinian mercenary who tricks Arnold and the gang into finding lost treasure.
The film is so popular because it ties up the beloved TV show, but its a great example of how a diverse actor can always perform for a diverse range of audiences.
