Billy Bob Thornton is more than pleased to play a foul-mouthed Santa (“Unhealthy Santa”) or a highschool soccer coach (“Friday Evening Lights”) or a NASA scientist (“Armageddon”), however one factor he gained’t do on the large display is kill Tom Cruise. Throughout an interview on The Playlist’s “Bingeworthy” podcast, the actor remembered turning down two huge Hollywood villain roles: Inexperienced Goblin in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” and the arms vendor Owen Davian in “Mission: Inconceivable III.”

“I don’t have a lot curiosity in these sorts of roles,” Thornton stated. “With the Inexperienced Goblin, I didn’t really feel like getting up at 4am for 5 or 6 hours of make-up. And with ‘Mission: Inconceivable III,’ I didn’t need to be the man attempting to kill Tom Cruise. In case you’re the dangerous man in an enormous film like that, audiences keep in mind it endlessly. I favor to maintain issues looser and fewer predictable.”

Willem Dafoe famously took on the position of Inexperienced Goblin, whereas Philip Seymour Hoffman was solid to go face to face with Cruise in “Mission: Inconceivable 3.” Each films had been field workplace successes, with Dafoe’s flip because the Spider-Man villain being thought of one of the iconic turns in a comic book ebook film. Dafoe reprised the character in “Spider-Man: No Means Residence” and has expressed curiosity in enjoying Inexperienced Goblin a 3rd time.

“If every little thing was proper, certain,” Dafoe informed Inverse final 12 months. “I imply, that’s an important position. I preferred the truth that it’s a double position each instances. Twenty years in the past, and pretty lately, each instances [were] very totally different experiences, however I had fun on each.”

Throughout his press tour for “Spider-Man: No Means Residence,” Dafoe stated that his most important stipulation for reprising the villain was that he not be a cameo look.

“I actually didn’t need to do a cameo,” Dafoe informed The Mary Sue on the time. “I wished to ensure there was one thing substantial sufficient to try this wasn’t only a tip of the hat. And the opposite factor was, I stated I really need there to be motion — I need to participate in motion scenes. As a result of that’s actually enjoyable for me. It’s the one strategy to root the character. In any other case, it simply turns into a sequence of memes.”

As for Thornton, he at present headlines the Paramount+ authentic drama “Landman.” He has stayed away from Hollywood comedian ebook films for now.