While not up to the level of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of critical approval and box office success, the DCEU has been able to pull in some big-time actors. With names like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, it is no surprise that Warner Bros. finds quality, and often, award-winning actors to take on the roles.
However, whether big stars are critically acclaimed actors, these performers have some movies in their past that people don’t talk about enough. From Batman himself, who starred in more blockbusters than almost anyone in the DCEU, to supporting heroes, villains, and friends, here is a look at 10 forgotten gems starring the DCEU’s biggest names.
BEN AFFLECK - GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
Ben Affleck has been in a lot of big movies. He was in several blockbusters before his career cratered after his relationship with Jennifer Lopez overtook the headlines. Since then, he rebounded, but he also had some quality movies before the blockbuster era.
Head back to the film that he earned his Oscar for. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won the Best Screenplay Oscar for this film about two Boston kids who are trying to find their way in the world. Robin Williams also won an Oscar for his supporting role.
HENRY CAVILL - THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Henry Cavill’s Superman might be equal to Batman on the DC hierarchy, but the actor’s film career has been much shorter. While Cavill has been making his name with big-screen blockbusters (Mission: Impossible - Fallout) and small-screen favorites (The Witcher), one of his best movies is often overlooked.
In 2015, Cavill starred alongside Armie Hammer in the big-screen adaptation of the classic TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Moviegoers might have dismissed it as another remake. However, it sits at 73% fresh based on audience votes on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics cited “charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces.”
JASON MOMOA - THE ROAD TO PALOMA (2014)
Released in 2014, Jason Momoa starred in a movie called The Road to Paloma, a film that the majority of the filmgoing audience is likely to have never heard of. The film, though, holds a special place in the heart of the Aquaman star, who made his directorial debut with the movie.
Momoa stars as a man on the run after he avenged the murder of his mother. With one critic calling it a throwback to movies like Easy Rider and another recognizing the “naturalism and strong acting,” this is a movie that deserves a look from fans of Momoa.
EZRA MILLER - THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012)
In 2012, Ezra Miller starred alongside Harry Potter’s Emma Watson and Percy Jackson’s Logan Lerman in a coming-of-age story that was on a level above the rest. The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a fantastic Rotten Tomatoes rating, certified fresh at 86% while holding an even higher 89% rating from the audience.
Lerman stars as a high school student with clinical depression and anxiety issues while Watson and Ezra star as two students who take him in and accept him as one of their close circle of friends.
AMY ADAMS - ARRIVAL (2016)
Amy Adams got her start in 1999, even though it seems she had been around much longer than that. However, throughout her career, Adams has built a quality list of movies and films that range from Oscar-worthy to crowd-pleasing fan favorites.
On movie that everyone who loves Amy Adams needs to see hit in 2016 with the science fiction movie Arrival. The film received eight Oscar nominations and helped director Denis Villeneuve get the chance to create a sequel to Blade Runner and remake Dune. The film stars Adams as a linguist making contact with aliens.
MARK STRONG - TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011)
Mark Strong is one of those actors who have shown up in several big-budgeted movies, and he almost always shows up as a villain. The DCEU saw him as the antagonist Dr. Sivana in Shazam!, and he was also the future villain Sinestro in Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern.
However, one Mark Strong movie that any film lover needs to see is the spy flick Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film was a 2011 release that was an Oscar nominee, but not one that enough people talk about. Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight) also stars in the John le Carre adaptation.
JESSE EISENBERG - THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (2005)
Jesse Eisenberg showed up in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as Lex Luther. It was a performance that it seemed the majority of fans rejected, as Lex was no longer the industrial genius that played the role of a master manipulator, but instead was a petulant manchild who always needed to get his way.
Eisenberg has a massive backlist of films that his fans need to check out, but one that no one seems to talk about is the 2005 movie The Squid and the Whale. The film is a Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) family drama with Eisenberg as one of the sons of a disconnected professor (Jeff Daniels).
MARGOT ROBBIE - ABOUT TIME (2013)
Margot Robbie has skyrocketed to fame thanks partially to her role as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey movie. However, there is a lot more to her career than just playing a fun DC Comics character.
In 2013, the time travel movie About Time hit and was an eclectic, romantic drama with a sci-fi twist. Domhnall Gleeson is Tim, a man who learns he can travel through time. He chooses to use it to try to find love. Margot Robbie is Charlotte, a woman that tells Tim he waited too long to ask her out, but when he travels back in time, she tells him he asked to soon, showing the conflicting nature of time travel.
JARED LETO - REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000)
Jared Leto has an exciting past in entertainment. He has been acting since 1992, with a significant role in My So-Called Life. His first movie role was in 1995, and he appeared in cult favorites like Fight Club and American Psycho.
In 2000, Leto took on a role in the movie Requiem for a Dream. This was the second film for Darren Aronofsky and the movie that made the director one of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood. Requiem is a cautionary tale of drug abuse and addiction, and Leto is one of three friends (and a mother) who find their lives destroyed.
VIOLA DAVIS - PRISONERS (2013)
The Suicide Squad was a DCEU movie that brought together a group of DC Comics villains, forced to complete a mission for the U.S. government or die. While the big stars were Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the film also featured the puppet master Amanda Waller, and Oscar-winner Viola Davis took on the role.
There is a lot of movies with Davis for people to love. However, one that everyone should check out is the 2013 crime movie Prisoners. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film stars Hugh Jackman as the father of an abducted child who takes matters into their own hands. Davis stars as the mother of another abducted child.
