Fine line of fool and foe
Love to hate and the anti-hero
See, this is what our stories apparently lack — bad characters instead of bada$$ characters. Instead of the elaborate James Bond villain, why not a scoundrel boss or nagging housewife?
Clichéd? Well, apparently, you probably will identify most with a sleazy manager type of fictional character than a hidden underworld empire of a Bond villain or Marvel universe alien adversories.
Similarity breeds contempt. Besides, we love to hate and in real life we can’t share our hatred openly unless we are talking of a fictional foe (or unless you just don’t give a d@mn anymore and throw the shit back at the bull — good for ya!).
Bad gone extreme becomes an anti-hero and sometimes, we love a murederous ‘guy’ such as V from ‘V for Vendetta’ or even ‘Jack Reacher’ — they are not complete vigilantes. There are some shades of grey obvious, but ‘guiltily’ we want them to succeed. Such anti-heroes make sense in a world where justice delayed is justice denied. Don’t ‘break bad’ yet!
Let’s focus on jerks and A-grade a$$holes.
Below is a very good, detailed article on a real subject in the fiction entertainment world. There are plenty of good examples shared. Do vent!
The Jerk Aficionados
Playing a sleazy, blustering buffoon the audience loves takes skill—just ask Adam Scott, Ben Stiller, or Julia Louis-Dreyfus