Why Rasputin From The King's Man Looks So Familiar

After literally years of waiting, Matthew Vaughn's latest spy thriller "The King's Man" has finally made its long-awaited premiere. The third installment of the "Kingsman" film series, which was initially set to release in 2019 before a series of setbacks (per Variety), is the original story of the Kingsman organization, the first independent intelligence agency. Unlike the first two modern-day films "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the latest film is set back in World War I. It's a new direction for the franchise, noticeably without the spy heroes Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton) and Harry Hart (Colin Firth). But the cast of "The King's Man" is still pretty star-studded. 

"The King's Man" stars Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson as the father-son duo of Lord Oxford and Conrad, who must attempt to stop a major disaster planned by some of the most villainous criminals from around the globe. The film features many renditions of real-life historical figures, including the intimidating and infamous Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, portrayed by Rhys Ifans. Ifans will be a part of the "Game of Thrones" franchise in the future, as he's set to star as Otto Hightower in "House of Dragon" (via IMDb). But prior to his latest roles, Ifans has had quite a diverse history in Hollywood. 

Rhys Ifans has had roles in some of the biggest fantasy franchises from the past few decades (including a brief appearance in "Harry Potter" a few years ago). The Welsh actor has been performing for decades, but he's probably best known for his role as The Lizard aka Dr. Curtis Connors in "The Amazing Spider Man." Connors is a scientific mastermind who formerly partnered with Peter Parker's late father. In an attempt to perfect a regeneration serum that would alter the medical community as we know it, something goes horribly wrong, turning Connors into a cold-blooded monster. 

More recently, Ifans reprised his role in  "Spider Man: No Way Home," making a major cameo in the film that stars Tom Holland and Zendaya. While there have been a seemingly endless number of villains in the "Spider-Man" universe, Ifans' take on the nefarious reptilian beast has clearly been memorable.  

Rhys Ifans has portrayed an assortment of dark characters, but his humorous charm is epitomized in the 1999 rom-com "Notting Hill" starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. In the film, Ifans plays Spike, the over-the-top roommate of William Thacker (portrayed by Grant). Spike is a goofball to the extreme. While his intentions are pure, his execution isn't always great, and he might be in the running for the worst wingman of all time. Additionally, he's nothing short of a slob — forcing himself to wear a wetsuit when all of his other clothes or dirty, or accidentally mistaking mayonnaise as yogurt. 

Ifans' role as Spike shows his range, as the character is responsible for some of the film's most significant moments. In fact, there's rarely a time that Ifans appears on screen and fails to make the audience laugh out loud. But in the end, Spike is the only one able to knock some sense into Will, with the short but impactful insult of calling him a "daft prick." 

Every Adam Sandler movie comes with a reputation. They're almost always guaranteed to feature a unique balance of slap-stick and off-color humor that can manifest in a multitude of ways — ranging from comedic masterpieces to offensive flops. And they star not only Sandler, but a goofy cast of characters to boost each film's odd storyline. One Sandler movie that was a total disaster according to Rotten Tomatoes featured a pretty significant role from Rhys Ifans — his portrayal of Adrian in "Little Nicky." Adrian is as devious as they come, and a major driving force in the plan to transform Earth into the new Hell with his tricky brother Cassius (Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr.). 

Aside from its dismal box office numbers and negative criticisms, "Little Nicky" does boast some hilarious cameos. In fact, legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne portrays himself, as he's summoned by Nicky (Sandler) to bite the head off of Adrian when he's in bat form. We haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the absurdity, but "Little Nicky" was an important part of Ifans' trajectory of portraying fantasy villains with over-the-top personalities.