Pop Rocks: 10 Actors Whose Former Creepiness We Can't Get Over

By Pete Vonder Haar Tue., Oct. 25 2011 at 8:00 AM

Categories: Pop Rocks

Pin It

Eww.

So I'm being forced to watch The Good Wife last Sunday, and I see that Colin Sweeney, a semi-recurring character Alicia once defended for murdering his wife, was apparently involved in testifying for Alicia's firm for one reason or other (give me a break, the entire hour was me wrestling the remote from my wife and trying to click over to Game 4 of the World Series).

Anyway, the character of Sweeney is played by Dylan Baker. Baker is one of those many actors you've seen in dozens of things and probably never knew his name (that, or you mistakenly called him "William H. Macy). He's played Dr. Curt Connors in the second and third Spider-Man movies, Robert McNamara in Thirteen Days and has probably been on every iteration of Law & Order or C.S.I at one time or another.

But Baker is forever ruined for me because of one of his earlier roles. The character of Sweeney is fairly unsympathetic, it's true, but he could be Santa Claus crossed with Buddha and it wouldn't matter. Because Baker is one of those actors who was so effective as a villain in a former role, I can never see him as anything else. It's such a pervasive phenomenon I've dubbed it "The Pollute of Happiness" (for the movie that started it all), though Baker is far from the only actor involved.

Dylan Baker
Recently Seen In: Spider-Man 2 and 3, Secretariat
Sinister Former Role Tainting All That's Come Since: Pedophile next door Bill Maplewood in Happiness

I think anyone who's ever seen any of his movies would agree Todd Solondz has some issues. Having said that, I admire anybody capable of writing a character as chillingly repugnant as Maplewood. And while I couldn't embed the scene that really brings Bill together, here's something a bit...milder.

Glenn Close
Recently Seen In: Damages. The Shield
Sinister Former Role Tainting All That's Come Since: Bunny boiler Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction

Thanks for driving that last nail in the coffin of the free love generation, Adrian Lyne.

David Patrick Kelly
Recently Seen In: Flags of Our Fathers, Louie
Sinister Former Role Tainting All That's Come Since: Bottle clanging gang leader Luther in The Warriors

Admittedly, until recently Kelly rarely played anything but crazy-eyed psychopaths ("I saw Enter the Dragon 87 times!"). The menacing, deranged and ultimately wheedling Luther will always be the best, though.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.