The Better and Best
One of the TV/film industry’s most beloved actors, Ray Stevenson has had many roles since his debut on the big screen with the TV crime drama Band of Gold (1995), where he acted alongside his future wife, Ruth Gemmell. Tragically, he passed away at the age of 58 while early in the production of Cassino in Ischia, where he suddenly felt ill, was rushed to a hospital, and died shortly thereafter.
Since attracting international attention with his roles in the films King Arthur (2004) and HBO’s Rome (2005), Ray Stevenson rose the ranks as an actor, playing more warrior-esque roles across a more varied set of films, including his role as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone (2008), his recurring character Volstagg starting in Thor (2011), and his depiction of the dreaded pirate Blackbeard in Black Sails (2014). This article will go over his 10 best roles across multiple film franchises and TV series throughout his time as a star in the film industry.
10. Marcus Eaton – Allegiant (2016)
At the bottom of this list is Ray Stevenson’s Marcus Eaton performance in Allegiant, the second entry in both the popular young adult book and movie series Divergent. Granted, Stevenson’s acting as Marcus Eaton isn’t horrible. It is genuinely a very good performance, being an impressive antagonist with the charisma to pull off the villainous role he plays. However, the main detriment that causes his casting as Marcus Eaton to be ranked at number 10 is partly due to the sudden drop in villainous charisma later on in the film and overall problems with the franchise. For readers of the original Divergent trilogy, they will likely spot the same plot holes and unanswered questions still present throughout the film, distracting from each actor’s overall performance. Being infamously known as a book and movie that were liberally inspired by the novel and film series The Hunger Games, the script pulls the same basic beats and ideas from it, making Stevenson’s Marcus Eaton very flashy but unoriginal and bland, especially for a sequel film.
9. Porthos – The Three Musketeers (2011)
Ray Stevenson’s portrayal of a member of arguably one of the world’s most famous trios is a rather impressive one, being able to capture the characteristics of Porthos incredibly well and brilliantly act the character’s honesty and guile, along with his sometimes comedic nature and bravery of a musketeer. Stevenson’s Porthos perfectly exemplifies Porthos’ bonds with Athos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan, his loyalty being quite evident through the great delivery of Porthos’ dialogue. This performance could have been ranked higher on this list if it were not for the lack of seeing Porthos present throughout the movie. Since the film focuses mostly on D’Artagnan’s adventurers instead of the other three musketeers, the character of Porthos isn’t fully explored in the 2011 The Three Musketeers, and Ray Stevenson’s performance does not fully cover Porthos’ features and flaws, or his character development, in the scenes where Stevenson’s Porthos is present.
8. Marcus Eaton – Divergent (2015)
Slightly above this list’s placement of Marcus Eaton in the sequel film, Ray Stevenson performs a better job of playing Marcus Eaton in the original Divergent movie. With more panache in this performance than in Allegiant, Stevenson’s Marcus Eaton is elevated to slightly higher highs, with less issues imposed upon his character from the story progression. Marcus Eaton invokes a variety of emotions in the audience and provides a charismatic character, being able to provide the narrative with a bit more impact than he did in Allegiant. Once again, however, Stevenson’s acting as Marcus Eaton is tarnished with the plot of the film, not only being very much like a Hunger Games clone, but there are fairly numerous issues with the worldbuilding which poses questions for the audience that are never answered, distracting from the performance. Unfortunately, these recurring issues in the Divergent film series is the biggest issue holding back Stevenson’s Marcus Eaton from ranking any higher on this list.
7. Redridge – The Book of Eli (2010)
One of Ray Stevenson’s more nuanced characters, Stevenson wonderfully portrays the intimidating character of Redridge, the right-hand man to the ruthless Carnegie. However, beneath the cold-hearted, violent enforcer’s heart is a complex and interesting character, brought to the eyes of the audience with Ray Stevenson’s performance. Stevenson is able to demonstrate all of Redridge’s spectrum of emotions even without dialogue. Through Stevenson’s acting, the audience sees the vast array of emotions and desires through Redridge’s unspoken words. Such an impressive performance would have earned a higher spot on this list if it were not dragged down by the sometimes middling performances of other characters and less than stellar cinematography that were also present in The Book of Eli (2010). Most notably is one of the most dramatic sections of the film prominently featuring Redridge, where the camera work was rather faulty and too many cuts between scenes were made, leaving very little cohesion and not giving the audience enough time to appreciate Ray Stevenson’s performance as Redridge.
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6. Danny Greene – Kill the Irishman (2011)
Based on a true story involving a real Irish thug under the employ of mobsters and evading arrests and assassination attempts, Ray Stevenson elevates his craft to bring the history of the notorious Cleveland gangster into an impressively dramatic performance that can be found extensively throughout the 2011 biographical crime thriller Kill the Irishman. Casted as Danny Greene, Ray Stevenson perfectly plays the part of a mastermind in the criminal underworld, going through a turbulent, crime-filled life in a very breathtaking fashion. It takes the audience on a rough journey through the life of a criminal and follows Greene’s experiences through multiple murder plots aiming for his head and his own attempts to balance his normal civilian life with the dirtier illegal acts that stain his past through the voice of Stevenson, bringing much-needed depth and character to the role he plays. However well this character was played, a large chunk of the film suspiciously resembles the 1990 film of the same genre as Goodfellas, making Ray Stevenson’s performance as Danny Greene dubiously and liberally inspired by Goodfellas.
5. Volstagg – Thor series
Coming with a refreshing amount of levity to add to an otherwise serious situation, Ray Stevenson’s Volstagg in Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017) adds additional depth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fleshes out the history of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, introducing Thor’s past with a character who balances both comedy and heroism, taking part in key events that would eventually lead to the formation of the Avengers in The Avengers (2012). While Volstagg is definitely not one of the most remembered characters across all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ray Stevenson’s performance elevates the Asgardian comrade of Thor to be a welcome addition to the ever-expanding cast of heroes and villains. Volstagg remains a well-liked character amongst many fans. However, the inconsistent performances between each of the Thor movies does slightly hamper Ray Stevenson’s execution of Volstagg’s character, and with Volstagg not making a reappearance in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), fans of the character would understandably be disappointed.
4. Frank Castle – Punisher: War Zone (2008)
Bringing one of media’s most violent, gun-toting comic book vigilante heroes to life on the big screen, Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle, better known as The Punisher. For a film that sometimes sacrifices words in favor of bombastic, explosive, and quite bloody action sequences, Stevenson is fully able to embody the ruthless pursuit of justice that the Punisher enforces with blade and bullet, without sacrificing the almost-villainous charisma which radiates around him. One of the key issues that keeps his performance as the Punisher not nearly as high on this list is the lack of dialogue at certain points. While it is understandable that the Punisher might not speak as he commits murders for the sake of righteousness, it deviates from what comic readers would expect the character to be by a fairly large margin and removes moments from which the audience could glean more information on Frank Castle’s character. Overall, this performance was a good one but could be much better, such as the following entries on this list.
3. Dagonet – King Arthur (2004)
For one of Ray Stevenson’s very first performances in the film industry that earned him international attention, it is worthy of being number three on this list for being one of Stevenson’s best performances. Throughout the film, Stevenson embodies Dagonet’s status as a noble warrior worthy of being one of King Arthur’s knights with heroic deeds and masterful acting to fit the part, making his character distinct even amongst the other knights among the Round Table. However, the most important thing that keeps Ray Stevenson’s Dagonet at number three in this list is that not enough of him is seen in the film. With such a well-done performance, it leaves the audience disappointed that they do not see more of Dagonet throughout the film.
2. Titus Pullo – Rome (2005)
Ray Stevenson’s ticket to the red carpet cast as Titus Pullo in this TV series can truly be considered deserved with the extremely impressive performance as a Roman Centurion in the very last days of the Roman Empire. With his ability to pull off the characteristics of an honorable warrior, Stevenson has proven to be perfectly capable of executing dramatic, visceral moments across multiple episodes that truly embody the spirit of the ancient Roman Empire, from his ruthless bout in the gladiator arena to slaughtering foes on the battlefield. His scenes are accentuated with blood and gore, emphasizing Titus Pullo’s willingness to kill and die for his comrades and country, a characteristic Stevenson manages to capture exceptionally well on camera. Ray Stevenson’s performance as Titus Pullo was truly worthy of the fame he garnered from this role, but the next entry on the list can be considered to be a role played as well as this one, if not better, with more experience throughout the years of Ray Stevenson’s acting career.
1. Blackbeard – Black Sails (2014)
A brilliantly done portrayal of the famously feared legendary pirate, Ray Stevenson brings Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard, to life better than the depictions before Black Sails (2014), blending together the historical myth with a dramatic performance. In his portrayal of Blackbeard in Black Sails (2014), the audience no doubt sees the ruthless charisma and complex character be explored thoroughly and vividly depicted on screen by Ray Stevenson’s masterful acting. With even the most minute and subtle details throughout the film surrounding Blackbeard, which make very clear how feared Blackbeard is, Ray Stevenson’s masterwork of a performance as Blackbeard strikes the heart of the audience like a harpoon fired at a whale, reminding them that the notorious Blackbeard is not simply any other pirate.
Black Sails (2014) Official IGN Trailer
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Author
Cailen Fienemann is a current student at Le Moyne College pursuing her BA in English and Communications with a film studies minor and a creative writing concentration. Though uncertain about her career end-goals, any job that allows her to write is a cherished one indeed.