British Villains: Unraveling the Unstoppable Obsession Americans Can’t Resist!

Rory Kinnear, though yet to star in his own detective show, is a quintessentially British actor. His repertoire spans from Shakespeare to “Cranford,” “The Thick of It” to James Bond. He’s portrayed Frankenstein’s monster in “Penny Dreadful,” Tom Bombadil in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Winston Churchill in “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” dual pirates in “Our Flag Means Death,” and an array of eerie English villagers in Alex Garland’s “Men.”

Recently, he’s joined a cherished group in the film and TV world: the company of the British villains.

The British villain is easy to spot. With an Oxford accent and captivating anecdotes, he passes around the port and cigars while scheming the protagonist’s downfall. He could be a remorseless military officer with a monocle and swagger stick, sending his troops to pointless deaths or betraying his own. He could be a nobleman mourning the “loss” of India, hiding his wrongdoings under the Official Secrets Act. Or, he could be a young MI5 officer or financial broker, willing to lie, cheat, and steal to maintain his status.

No matter his status or demeanor, the British villain personifies a rotten social system.

This year, Rory Kinnear had the privilege of portraying this character. Twice.

In Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” Kinnear embodies the role of (fictional) Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge, an ambitious and volatile man-child who becomes increasingly menacing as the second season progresses.

In “Say Nothing,” FX’s adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s nonfiction book about the most violent era of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Kinnear plays Gen. Frank Kitson, a real-life officer tasked with suppressing the Irish Republican Army using various counterinsurgency tactics in the 1970s. Kitson is far from humorous. Using brutality learned from his time in Kenya, he employs torture to cultivate informants who often end up executed by the IRA. He justifies his actions saying, “We’re either getting vital information, or we’re driving them to murder their own men. Either way we win.”

The two roles, although distinct, both necessitate the characteristics of a British male villain: refined accent, precise diction, immaculate posture, and a neutral gaze that grows more icy with each passing silent moment.

And, of course, an infinite capacity for ruthlessness.

While Nazis continue to be the ultimate villains in film and TV, the British Bad Guy holds a special place in our hearts.

Many of them are strikingly attractive: Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films or in Netflix’s “The OA”; Rufus Sewell as a jealous knight in “A Knight’s Tale” or an American Nazi in “The Man in the High Castle”; Samuel West as the treacherous Anthony Blunt in “The Crown” or a corrupt Member of Parliament in “Slow Horses.”

Even the most brutish among them — Tobias Menzies as Captain Jack Randall in “Outlander,” Jeremy Irons’ Adrian Veidt in “Watchmen” — captivate us with their self-assuredness. We are left wondering, how can they be so unscrupulously evil?

Kinnear, with his amiable face, may not seem the typical choice for such villainous roles. However, his tranquil exterior makes his characters’ malevolent actions even more unsettling; his ability to pull his mouth into a stern, unyielding line is unparalleled.

And there’s no specific physical prerequisite for these roles. Despite not being physically intimidating, Tom Hollander elevated the fraternity of villains with his chilling performance as Lord Cutler Beckett in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, and later as Lance “Corky” Corkoran in “The Night Manager.”

Talent, undoubtedly, is a key factor behind why certain actors make such convincing villains. Mark Strong’s menacing performances in “Young Victoria” and “Sherlock Holmes” contrast with his portrayal of the good guy, Merlin, in the “Kingsman” franchise and a cautious Emperor in “Dune: Prophecy.” Menzies showed his range in “Outlander,” playing the loving husband Frank and the horrific Black Jack, as well as a weary Prince Phillip in “The Crown.”

However, the accent undoubtedly plays a part. It’s no coincidence that Benedict Cumberbatch voiced Smaug in “The Hobbit,” Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in “The Lion King,” and George Sanders, a veteran British villain, played Shere Khan in “The Jungle Book.”

There’s something about a well-educated British accent that strikes Americans as both comforting and slightly ominous. Charm is often a distraction.

The British are well aware of this. In “Slow Horses,” the least trustworthy characters often have the most aristocratic accents. Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb speaks in pure London dialect, while West uses high posh as Home Secretary Peter Judd.

In both “Say Nothing” and “The Diplomat,” Kinnear uses his accent to differentiate his characters from the protagonists — various IRA members in the former, and U.S. ambassador to the U.K. Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) in the latter. (Sewell, playing Kate’s husband, Hal, still keeps things interesting despite an American accent, with a somewhat villainous, “dark horse” vibe.)

While “Say Nothing” is a limited series, “The Diplomat” will return for a third season, along with Kinnear’s Trowbridge. Whether the prime minister will redeem himself or descend further into villainy remains to be seen. Having proven his versatility in this uniquely British subgenre, Kinnear runs the risk, like Sewell, Strong, and others, of being typecast.

Or perhaps, in true British fashion, someone might pen him a compelling detective series.