Why would someone want to play an evil role in a movie?

If I had to guess… it’s because being the evil role in a story can be really, really fun. It’s also the highest good and potentially the most challenging. It’s true people perceive that role as bad and maybe think all kinds of bad things about that character, but the reason the actress does it all is to create something good. That is something that is unique to storytelling apart from real life. In real life you can’t be evil to be good to people because that would require divine understanding of what I call the “Story” with a capital “s”.

An author, a playwright, a screen writer, a video game producer, a musician, etc… all of that is a product a person’s, or group of people’s, boundless creativity which they have intimate knowledge of and can mostly modify how they please. I say mostly because in my experience there is a certain life to it that is its own which helps move it along.

Also, a lot of people don’t like to realize it, but there is a “dark” part of our nature the depths of which we keep in darkness where it happily belongs. It’s possible to bring that out as an expression of self, but usually (only?) if you are holding some of it back. It’s the part of a person that enjoys to hunt, to kill the prey, and the rush of it all. One that in the heat of battle surges with the frenzy of violence and destruction. One that likes to scare people with monsters and ghosts and dream up new horrors of the most evil possibilities.

Our inner “darkness” manifests different for people, but hopefully you get the idea. This nature isn’t itself evil. In fact it’s incredibly good and useful when have to survive against a predator or dangerous threat. A psychologist and expert on human consciousness and the mind can probably explain that better. An expert on dreams and dreaming may especially have insight on it.

My point is, being able to express it in healthy and safe ways is good. Maybe even necessary for optimal mental health. Maybe it’s even something that can be nurtured and used in a positive and productive way. It’s possible she enjoys letting that part of herself out while she acts, for the simplest reason of it being enjoyable and that’s all there is to it, which was my first point.

If you are asking this question because you are worried about her moral integrity, I wouldn’t find it concerning and recommend you don’t overthink it. More important is how people go about and participate in daily life and the way they think about others. It’s okay to hate people and be furious with them, but how you think about it makes a difference. For example, if I hate someone, am I wishing ill of them or that they will become good so that I will stop hating them? We aren’t perfect, but usually we know when we shouldn’t be thinking certain things about others i.e. in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Lord, I apologize.”

*amplifying info: imagine a drill sergeant. A real hard ass. The worst one who is putting their charges through hell with psychological beatings and physical punishments (through exercise). This is not being evil. That person is in the role of a master who does that to forge people into something that better serves a certain purpose, which in this example is to become a warrior and defend the nation, our home.

They don’t do that because they hate people and want them to fail. They may try to make people fail in certain ways, because if they do fail then they can’t be given the power to do the purpose. That’s okay because they couldn’t meet the requirements of that purpose, which is lawful and accountable to law. If that purpose isn’t being used lawfully, then that invites problems, but that’s another topic.

The point is, that hardness and intensity of the drill instructor isn’t evil because there is mature understanding of a specific purpose which is good. Not anyone can do it because it requires wisdom and mastery in order to have insight in what the people in their charge are going through so they can adapt to unique and unpredictable situations that may arise. We’re talking about human beings here, not lumps of clay.

A government with a Constitution like the USA, should not be allowed to deviate from that purpose which gives it authority to do what it does. There are supposed to be checks and balances throughout the three branches to prevent that, but for some reason they aren’t working the way they are supposed to.

I’m certain the US government is operating outside the bounds of its authorized purpose and have proved it Constitutionally. The fact that they disregard me is only further evidence. Nevertheless, when it gets brought to light, the ones responsible need to be put to justice and held accountable for breaking the form of law that binds them to their duty. I mention this because hopefully it helps illustrate the difference between the kind of thing a drill sergeant does and an evil tyrant or group of evil tyrants.