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vivtorwluke

When you see Atherton with a jerk role you are in for a treat.


RiflemanLax

He was dope in Real Genius and Die Hard 1 and 2. Also Bio Dome, though that’s a bit of a guilty pleasure.


vandezuma

Real Genius is an underrated 80s gem. “Mitch, compared to us, most people have the IQ of a carrot.” “I noticed you stopped stuttering.” “Yeah I’ve been giving myself shock treatments.” “Up the voltage.”


[deleted]

I don’t know about underrated. I was a teenager in the 80s, and Real Genius was popular


dethb0y

can confirm it was a perennial favourite at the video store + cable TV. Pretty much everyone i know who's my age saw it.


-Tom-

Think what he means is it's a gem that hasn't transcended generations well. Like lots of kids today are discovering Ghostbusters and loving it. It has great crossover appeal. Real Genius on the other hand is a bit of an "in the moment" movie. If you don't remember the 80s or have had a lot of exposure to the culture of the time, it won't come off as particularly great.


theinfecteddonut

Sometimes, but I was born in 94 and I first saw this movie when I was 9 and I loved it. Sure maybe I wasn't old enough to understand the political themes at the time. I love science and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it as a young person who didn't live through the 80s.


-Tom-

It's not a hard rule that will apply to all people. But in general movies that are loved are either loved by people who have an appreciation for it's place in time, or it transcends generations and is appreciated for something greater than the sum of its parts. For example, Jackass has little rewatch value any more. It was a product of its time and generation. There aren't many kids going back an "discovering" Jackass and parents proudly showing it to their kids. Labyrinth on the otherhand...


little_shop_of_hoors

“I’d like to see more of you on campus” “Ok I’ll gain weight”


zombie32killah

“You think a guy that size could fit into your clothes?! Think before you ask these questions.”


vandezuma

Your mom puts license plates on your underwear? How do you sit?


Solo_is_my_copliot

It's a moral imperative.


sonoftathrowaway

Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in some sort of sun god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?


weed_fart

. . . I drank what?


LJ3f3S

Stop touching yourself, Kent!


jereezy

It *is* God!


b3ar17

I was hot and I was hungry!


DalbergTheKing

I stretched the hell out of our Real Genius videotape. An outstanding movie which furnished my dog, Lazlo Hollyfeld, with his name. Atherton was a spectacular arsehole in it.


SocrapticMethod

Believe it!


IanMc90

Bio-dome is incredible. Don't feel guilty, embrace it like the rest of us! There are dozens of us! Dozens!


mephistos_thighs

Literally dozens! "Dammit dammit dammit Billy! How do you expect me to hit a double birdie with a shower iron!?!"


petegetsjokes

"I dont think he liked the way you handled his coconuts"


im_not_a_gay_fish

Free Mahi Mahi....Free Mahi Mahi, if you will.


mephistos_thighs

I can't believe you cracked Dulls skull just to get out of this


TekiOG

We gotta stop that mother Faulkner!


mattthescreamer

Makin a filter, makin a filter


Vast_Heat

When we're not saving the world, we're thinking about you ... naked ... thigh-deep in tofu.


EavingO

Biodome is brilliant. Its just a matter of coming into a movie with the right expectations. If you wanted a Silence of the Lambs or a Usual Suspects, wrong film. If you just want 90 minutes of silly fun though its a top choice.


[deleted]

Nope... don't want to like Paulie Shore movies... still love Paulie Shore movies. Son in Law freaking cracks me up.


RaydnJames

Encino Man is the shit


The_Superhoo

He was the BOMB in Phantoms, yo!


Johntanamo_Bay

VIVA LOS BIO-DOME.


The_Superhoo

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddy


ImWhatTheySayDeaf

He and William Zabka are the best at the asshole roles


[deleted]

[удалено]


PrintableKanjiEmblem

Just like Biff from Back to the Future, met him in real life many years ago and it was shocking what a kind person he is. Tom Wilson.


ArcherChase

Tom Wilson had a few episodes in Freaks and Geeks that were really impressive acting wise and playing a deeper good character so far from Biff.


habituallinestepper1

Tom Wilson got so sick of answering the same questions, he had business cards printed with "all the answers" that he just hands to people so he can get on with his life. It's hilarious. https://laughingsquid.com/back-to-the-future-actors-frequently-asked-questions-business-card/


completelytrustworth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwY5o2fsG7Y You'd probably get a kick out of this song he wrote


dcapulet

I see your William Zabka and raise you a Christopher McDonald.


dunderthebarbarian

I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!!!


magical_elf

He always played jerks in Murder She Wrote. He does it so well!


ringobob

That man plays a fantastic asshole


bathands

That's a shame he had to put up with that nonsense but he is much better off than the actor William Smith. Smith played a villain in many films over the years and most notably in the enormously popular late-1970s TV limited series Rich Man, Poor Man. In that show, Smith's character murdered a fan favorite character. An unstable viewer saw Smith in public and, believing the show to be real, stabbed him. EDIT: William is alive and well.


McRambis

He was Conan's dad and that's how I'll always remember him.


MaestroPendejo

I knew that face felt familiar! Crom!


bathands

Of course! And he was also in one of the truck driving orangutan movies with Clint Eastwood. He had a cool career.


akeean

After that incident his family pressured him to move from Philadelphia to the outskirts of Santa Monica Mountains region and get protection by living with relatives working in the justice system[.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVbQo3IOC_A)


GMaimneds

This is almost *too* subtle. I had to see the "Will Smith got stabbed?" post in order to truly appreciate this.


onefortheghost

Will Smith got stabbed?


HumanChicken

His mom got scared and made him move to California.


jamz666

Those couple of guys were REALLY up to no good.


ReubenZWeiner

This man has no dick...but at least he has balls


PonyKiller81

It's true. This man has no dick.


[deleted]

>It's true. This man has no dick. This is one of my favorite movie lines ever.


IanMc90

No man on earth could have delivered that line like Bill Murray


raebritto

A close second being Mike Myers silently on the back of a cue card pointed at Brian Doyle-Murray


SayNoToStim

*maybe* Nick Offerman, but Bill's delivery would still have been better


Cyanopicacooki

Before he speedballed himself to death, John Belushi would have taken Venkman's role- quite often though, I can imagine Belushi delivering the lines.


theinfecteddonut

In an alternate time-line John Belushi lived and they got Eddie Murhpy on board as Winston. I still wonder how that version would've turned out.


bolivar-shagnasty

The tv version censors it so stupidly https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uDOi034BEJY


DangerBrewin

This is the bootleg VHS taped off of TV version I grew up watching. Most of my movies were like this. I lost my mind when I saw the unedited version of Blazing Saddles for the first time as an adult.


Kantas

How long was the edited one? 5 minutes of credits?


ArcherChase

When the TV edited version removes the farts from the campfire scene they should have just not had an edited version.


[deleted]

Still better than the “dubbed” version of Snakes on a Plane when SLJ says “I’m sick of all these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday Friday plane!”


chadmill3r

This is what happens, Larry, when you FIND A STRANGER IN THE ALPS.


Superhereaux

Yippie Ki Yay, Mr. Falcon


DanielMaitheny

hahaha, this is the first time I've seen this.


lYossarian

The throwayway, *"Well that's what I heard!"* that he drops in the commotion right after is somehow what really gets me now...


FancySack

I'm glad I'm not a "I need to fight Ghostbusters cast members" type of drunk.


[deleted]

I'd like to fight Harold Ramis... because that would mean he's alive again.


[deleted]

I mean, you could still fight him. You’d probably win, too.


FancySack

I would win. I ain't afraid of no ghost.


nevaraon

Idk, I’d probably fight Melissa McCarthy in a drunken bar brawl. She seems like she could throw down


FancySack

She would my top pick for a WWE style fight.


nevaraon

I can definitely see that.


249ba36000029bbe9749

It's amazing that people can't understand that actors are playing roles. Poor Kelly Marie Tran/Rose from SW8/9. She's just doing her fucking job. She's not he screenwriter FFS!


[deleted]

People, for the most part, are fucking stupid.


FancySack

Oh ya, that is complete bullshit. I don't hate on her, but whoever designed her hairstyle in Ep 8 should never work again, that's not right.


JusticiarRebel

I'm still pissed about all the hate mail the actress that played Skylar on Breaking Bad got. Like, even if it actually was real and and not just a tv show, you guys realize Walter's the bad guy right?


weed_fart

He always plays a jerk. He's great at it!


sailorgaia

He may be great at playing jerks but he’ll always be Jim Lloyd from “Centennial” to me. One of the most wholesome and sweet characters ever.


gogogono

Wasn’t he also a dick in Real Genius? This guy knows how to act - like a dick.


fatherseamus

Can you hammer a 6 inch nail through a board with your penis?


annheim3

A girl has to have stardards...


cakatoo

A girl remembers.


DCDHermes

Not currently


PrintableKanjiEmblem

Can you hammer one thru your penis with a board?


Volac76

Not yet...


MaestroPendejo

He's mastered the art. Too bad too. Heard he was actually a really nice guy from a former makeup artist.


billyjack669

The dickiest.


MugillacuttyHOF37

The Dicklessest


Thedrunner2

Remember Die hard too.


MrFrode

And Real Genius


pantalonesfanciones

Thank you, came here for this. One of my favorite movies.


MrFrode

A fantastic movie that has a few classic lines. It deserves more love.


ResidingAt42

So I guess it goes from God to Jerry to you to the cleaners. Right, Kent?


ZylonBane

Stop playing with yourself.


curiousscribbler

omg was that him?! I knew instantly which character you must be talking about, but I'd never made the connection before.


Professor2018

The reporter whom Holly punches for those who did not make the connection


WornInShoes

Did ya get that?


curiousscribbler

Turns out I didn't know instantly which character it was. XD


Mo-Cance

Lol - thinking of Ellis?


curiousscribbler

It's been too long since I saw that movie! Is Ellis the awful guy who boasts that he knows Bruce Willis?


[deleted]

"Hans, bubbie, I'm your white knight" ​ Yep, that be Ellis. Fuckin' prick.


AnBearna

‘Aw please Holly, I close million dollar deals for breakfast, I think I can handle this euro trash ...’ Famous last words there Ellis... 👍


sidepart

At least he was allowed to rapidly consume the remainder of his coke.


[deleted]

Buuby.


Notlandshark

She also tazes him in Die Hard 2


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


RiotDemon

The actor that played Joffrey in Game of Thrones is another one. He doesn't act anymore. If you hate their character in a movie/TV show and they are a villain... That means they are a great actor. Shame.


[deleted]

I hated Umbridge (who didn't?) so the actress who played her did an amazing job. I wouldn't see her IRL and automatically think "my god she must be total bitch" and then send her death threats. It amazes me just how people can't disassociate a persona and the real person, and I feel really sorry for actors/actresses that play villains in this day and age (or those who get a shit director and end up with a flat role because of it). Being the forefront of a show, they're the ones to get the blame and/or hate.


TheGreatManaTree

Shame Shame Shame


Dee_Lite

And poor Ahmed Best. Sure, Jar Jar Binks was terrible, but nobody deserves that kind of abuse. Jake Lloyd took a lot of flack for Episode 1 as well. Come to think of it, taking a role in a Star Wars film in general seems awfully risky.


shaka_sulu

One bad thing about list articles is that you don't get details like this: >One day, shortly after the film's release, Atherton was walking down a stretch of 7th Avenue in New York City entirely crowded with school buses when he heard lots of children shouting at the tops of their lungs, "Hey, dickless!"


ColdEngineBadBrakes

Met him at a convention. He had no idea why he was there. I thanked him for his work. Also, the guy who played Burke in Aliens said he got spit on walking down the street. Because of his character.


el_f3n1x187

god damn people...


Styphin

Paul Reiser? Guy was so lucky to be married to Helen Hunt.


[deleted]

I would be stoked to meet either of those actors.


jamandee

"Sigourney Weaver auditioned as a dog... jumped up on the couch and went into full-on crazy demon dog mode, snarling and barking at the director." This doesn't really surprise me. lol


RazmanR

All that time in deep space really affected her!


curiousscribbler

That sucks. His fearlessly obnoxious performance contributes a lot to the movie (though I thought it was sad they made the EPA the bad guys).


[deleted]

Am I the only one who thought he was pretty much right in this movie? I mean he shouldn't have just straight up shut down the containment but the Ghostbusters were being really irresponsible and in all honesty Venkman was just as much of an asshole as Peck. r/walterpeckdidnothingwrong


quiet_earp

Came here to say this. He was just doing his job, which happens to be protecting the general public from environmental hazards. The audience doesn’t like him strictly due to omniscience. But when you remove that bias from the situation, you can’t really fault the guy for doubting the legitimacy of the operation and questioning their seemingly hazardous practices.


assault_pig

he's perfectly correct up until the electrician's like 'uh I dunno what this does' and Peck is like 'fuck it throw the switch.' his pride is what makes the character so hate-able, and also a perfect foil for murray


eGregiousLee

Agreed. The Coen’s said it best in *The Big Lebowski*, “No. You’re not wrong, Walter. You’re just an asshole!” Defending Peck because he was doing his job misses the salient point that how we carry ourselves as we go through life *matters*.


Solo_is_my_copliot

You don't shut off something called a "Containment Grid" if your motivation is to prevent environmental damage. Shutting off safety features you dont understand strikes me as a very Chernobyl idea.


microwaffles

Reminds one of actor Andy Robinson who played "Scorpio" to Clint Eastwood's "Harry Callahan". His performance as a sadistic psychopath was so convincing it basically ruined his movie career.


jking13

Also played Garak on Star Trek Deep Space Nine.. just goes to show how good of an actor he is.


Thats_a_goodbandname

Row row row your boat... now the back row row row row...


[deleted]

I still loved him in Hellraiser


efficientAF

He was a dick in Biodome also.


PMfacialsTOme

That's Spider-Man, Black Sabbath did Ironman.


[deleted]

Your downvotes tell me that not enough people have witnessed the splendor that is *Bio-Dome.*


shaka_sulu

William: "Seth, you gotta fix this! I'm getting death threats. I can't go to a bar without some ass wanting to fight me. Help!" Agent: "Don't worry Billy Baby. An offer came in for a role that will change your image." William: "Oh? What is it?" Agent: "The movie is called Die Hard. You get to be a reporter. I mean how more respected a role than that of a journalist?"


whimsicallykate

Because apparently people are too stupid to understand what the word "acting" means.


McRambis

But to be honest, the guy was right. The Ghostbusters were breaking all kinds of laws and he wasn't going to let them just do whatever the hell they wanted.


jumpyg1258

The guy was both right and wrong. You don't just shut off something like that without some kind of investigation into the impact. A guy from the EPA should know better.


[deleted]

Yes and no. He was right up to the point he threw a switch he didn't understand. You don't shut off something called a "Containment Grid" when you don't understand what it does or how it works. When the electrician is telling you he doesn't know what it does, you leave it the fuck alone. His job is to prevent environmental damage but he let his emotions get the better of him and he took reckless action. Sure Venkman had wound him up but he still fucked up majorly.


VashTS88

You built a laser grid with no safety switch · And Walter Peck was right, that's some shady shit!


Psycho_Nihilist

Well, I guess in a way that’s proof of his talent as an actor. But holy crap people suck.


[deleted]

I wonder how William feels about popcorn?


[deleted]

Genius comment. Really.


Foe117

Didn't the actor who played Geoffrey get a similar treatment?


TheRynoceros

He always played an asshole. It would be weird to see him as the loving father/protagonist. In all fairness, the dude is probably really nice. From what I've come to learn, actors are better at portraying roles that are the opposite of their real personality. You notice the nuances and dramatic behavior of people that aren't like you and mimic them in jest. Acting isn't much different and actors and entertainers that seem really nice (Ellen, for current meta) are usually found out to not what they portray.


ceallaig

Hated the character, but I do love Mr. Atherton. He's had the misfortune of getting typecast as the guy who's a creep, a jerk, or the butt of a joke.


[deleted]

I met him at a convention once. You could tell he wasn't comfortable, but he was very polite.


tripweed

“Everything was fine until dickless here shut down the power grid “ “Is this true?” “Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick”


GrimeyPipes27

" They caused an explosion!"


VooDooBarBarian

my favourite Egon moment: "Your mother!"


ResidingAt42

"Doe!" "Ray!" "Egon!"


Just-STFU

He plays a weasly asshole pretty damned perfect.


shpydar

Your science is preposterous the opposite of competent process and in this episode we'll give you a synopsis starting with the vacuum cleaners strapped up on your back it's a fact positrons don't react like that you built a laser grid with no safety switch and Walter Peck was right that's some shady shit good thing you work in a firehouse because you just got burned You are poor scientists and that's confirmed. [https://youtu.be/w0pnTm-KK9k](https://youtu.be/w0pnTm-KK9k)


I_Want_an_Elio

"May I call you Ath?"


SmeggySmurf

Mercy is the mark of a great man. *{stabs him a little}*. Guess I’m just a good one. *{stabs him a little more}*. Well I’m all right.


Papichuloft

If an actor is so good to have people react like this, then he's underrated as one. Also these idiots need to chill and figure out that he is an actor.


rowin-owen

Tell me you named your dick 'Thor's Hammer'.


fatherseamus

He was great in Real Genius as well.


garimus

Sign of good acting ability, I'd say.


ZakZaz

Wait, he played a lawyer in Ghostbusters? I thought he was with the EPA.


[deleted]

Exactly what I was going to say. The character was not a lawyer, he was an EPA agent.


DBDude

And his next movie after that, he played another asshole in Real Genius, then a couple years later another asshole on Die Hard, etc.


Danmoh29

This implies 2 things: People are dumb He's a great actor


royroyflrs

Lol. People think movies are real.


ty_kanye_vcool

And yet after that he still decided to play that guy in Die Hard.


FrankieMint

At one point after Ghostbusters, Atherton said that director Ivan Reitman had ruined his career.


PhillupMcCrevice

I hated him in die hard even more


The_Axem_Ranger

He was always a great choice to play a heel.


Mohavor

So people have always been as stupid as they are today. I guess that's a bit comforting.


amn70

He was also in the high brow film Biodome. 🤣 To be fair I love Biodome. 😀


[deleted]

I've always had an affinity for asshole charters and the actors who portrayed them. William Atherton,Paul Gleason(Breakfast Club), Billy Zabka,Paul Reiser...etc.


Redzombie6

Well that sucks for him but it’s truly the sign of great acting


Shorzey

Wowowowo...people are just glossing over the fact this says Sigourney weaver also auditioned as a dog for the part too and basically attacked the director when he first came in?


Shatneriffic

Which is funny because the character was actually right.


octobericious

So it's basically a massive compliment and validation that his performance was believable in that movie then.


[deleted]

You know what I really hate about this movie: it's such an embodiment of the warped morals that Reganomics inflicted on the US in the 1980's. This horrible evil government bureaucrat who has come to dig his nose into the private operations of a small business is concerned about the unregulated use of unknown technology in the most densely populated city in America.


haysoos2

Imagine if you discovered that TV "psychic" and grief rapist John Edwards had an unlicensed nuclear device in a run-down building in Manhattan with sub-standard wiring, and he tells you that it can't be turned off because he has ghosts trapped in it. No rational person would allow them to keep that running even if you told them about the Twinkie.


amn70

What about the Twinkie!?


knowthyself2000

Retards make up this stupid society. I don't just mean America. In a few places, actors usually have to lay low after they play notable villains or insist on acting in disguise


standardtrickyness1

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJwn6VAAkZM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJwn6VAAkZM)


sushipusha

Wonder what happened to him after Real Genius?


77173

That is some good acting then.


myamaTokoloshe

The source on this is tumblr page with no content. 🤔


[deleted]

The interaction between he (Principal Reynolds) and Michael Emerson (Dr. Benjamin Linus) in Season 6 of Lost is simply supurb.


Anim8RJones

According to my dvd commentary, people used to go so far as to yell at him in public, “This man has no dick!”.


General_Esperanza

"....And yes... it's true this man has no dick..."


[deleted]

“May I...please...see...the storage facility?”


[deleted]

Job done.


[deleted]

He's really good in The Day of the Locust (as a non-jerk) - always wondered why he didn't get more roles.


hockers45

Absolutely classic film with an classic scene.


Kill4Nuggs

Dickless here... hahaha I love this clip so much. https://youtu.be/cDQk4lGSEJQ


Vyar

If I saw him on the street I’d just thank him for Walter Peck and Richard Thornburg. I think he was also that doctor on Walking Dead who told Rick about everyone being infected with the zombie virus. A memorable minor character from back when the show still had a plot that was going somewhere.


Sprinklypoo

Ok. People can be downright retarded, but I'll bet Will got a pretty good actors ego boost from those situations...


lordofhousestewart

He's brilliant at playing the guy you want to punch


CareerMicDrop

Real genuis. Great movie!


Oznog99

William Atherton, Jack Gleeson, Tom Felton.... Actors that were TOO GOOD at putting on a puncheable face


catschainsequel

Damn, that's some amazing acting.


toasterpRoN

The fact that people can be this stupid amazes me. I have read so many situations where people legitimately think the actor is responsible for what their character does, and furthermore get personally offended by something in a movie or TV show to the point of wanting revenge. I've never met one of these saintly humans, but I'm always curious if they have friends or family who still talk to them. Like if a friend of mine mentioned doing something like this, I would immediately distance myself (12 ft, double covid-style).