There’s an art to cursing. When done well, it can provide dialogue with added emphasis, intensity, aggression, or rebelliousness. Pop culture seems to have transitioned relatively quickly from foul language being seen as taboo and worthy of censorship to its use being seen as an effective tool and worthy of praise for its level of creativity. There are certain writers and directors that seem to throw caution regarding censorship to the wind and become known for their expletive-heavy films. But the performers who we get to see and hear using this colorful language possess the voices that we typically associate with our favorite movie curse words, and scenes that employ said curse words. Those who exercise this theatrical muscle the best are unsurprisingly some of the most widely appreciated performers in the business.
It is hopefully an obvious point to make that these actors are more than just profanity factories; everyone one of them is a talented performer who also happens to be an especially skillful swearer. Indeed, it’s likely a result of their exceptional way with words that they’re able to use strong language beautifully, reaping it for all its power and effectiveness for the sake of whatever they’re meant to accomplish in a given scene or story.
So here are 10 actors who are especially adept at adopting obscene vocabulary for their dramatic exploitation—in other words, suppliers of the best movie swearing. And consider this a redundant word of warning regarding the use of profane language in this list. That is, after all, kind of the point of the thing.
