COUNTDOWN: 10 MORE actors we still can’t believe starred in Transformers films (part 1)

We recently compiled a list of actors who we still couldn’t believe had starred in the live-action Transformers film series thus far. 

Many of these names were notable for how prestigious their reputation is or the kind of cinematic fare they typically favour over giant robots doing unspeakably horrible things to one another. Yet for whatever reason, they have all starred alongside the robots in disguise and participated in the big-screen phenomena known only as ‘Bayhem’.

Well, now we’re back with 10 more examples, once again ranked from least to most astonishing… although in this case, sometimes for very different reasons!

#10: Mitch Pileggi

Go on. Name the Transformers movie that X-Files alum Mitch Pileggi appears in. I’ll wait. Even if you got that correct, given that there’s a photo of it right above, could you describe the role he played? Honestly? For my part, this was one of the actors I had wholly forgotten was part of these films when it came time to prepare the original list. I had to look up the scenes in question to confirm it for myself, and even then, my eyes didn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Considering it all takes place in a film I witnessed in the cinema not six years ago, it’s remarkable how foggy it all is. However, yes, Pileggi appears in the back end of 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, although even more surprisingly, it’s in an unnamed role known only as ‘TRF Group Leader’. The fact that he barely has any screen time (nor much dialogue) in an already overstuffed, chaotic and frankly confusing finale to a 149 minutes adventure probably explains why it isn’t all that memorable. Still, it happened. 

#9: Odette Annable

Odette Annabelle isn’t the biggest name on either of these lists, yet she’s recognisable and well-known from roles in film and TV shows such as House, Cloverfield, Banshee, Supergirl and more. Oh, and Transformers, obviously. Well, maybe not ‘well-known’ in this case. After all, can you remember her role? Or even which film she was in? This is another one I had to check to confirm, but Annable has a very brief turn (credited under her maiden name, Yustman) as ‘socialite girl’ in the 2007 flick. Her entire screen time amounts to a little over six seconds, but it’s surprisingly memorable when you see it, for she is the driver attacked by the steering wheel robot that transforms and attaches itself to her face. Annable is even granted a full line of dialogue and a rather convincing scream, making that six seconds count for something. 

#8: Patrick Dempsey

I’m sure most people remember that Patrick Dempsey was in a Transformers film if pressed for the information. Yet, like Kelsey Grammer in our previous list, there’s something so oddly against-type and mismatched about this casting that it still sticks out like a sore thumb, especially in a film as bombastically topsy-turvy as Dark of the Moon. Despite forever being known to many as the lovable Dr Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy, Dempsey crops up in the robs-franchise as Dylan Gould, the main human villain. He’s the CEO of a large accounting firm and recruits Mikaela Banes Carly Spencer to take care of his car collection, which soon turns out to be a trap designed to ensnare her boyfriend, Sam Witwicky and learn about the Autobot’s plans. Or something. Ultimately, it all gets a bit hazy come the third act, which dispenses with the formalities and becomes a total OTT explosion fest. However, Dempsey remains a presence throughout, going full mask-off and fighting alongside the Deceptions before meeting a grizzly end by being electrocuted. Derek would be ashamed. 

#7: Bernie Mac

In fairness, you can likely quote more than a few lines that the late, great Bernie Mac utters during his time as Bobby Bolivia in 2007’s first Transformers film. “The driver don’t pick the cars, the cars pick the driver”, perhaps. Well, either that or threatening to bust his mammy’s head open with a rock. Yet if entries such as Odette Annable are present on this list for being part of the franchise before they became a big name, Mac is arguably the other end of the spectrum. In fact, Transformers was one of the final film roles of his lifetime, released a little over twelve months before his untimely death. Yet, as synonymous or memorable as he is in the role, it’s still an oddity in many regards. After all, who expected the stand-up comedian most famous for the eponymous The Bernie Mac Show to turn up in a film about giant alien robots? Yet somehow, it’s equally hard to imagine it without him now. RIP. 

#6: Rainn Wilson

When you think of Rainn Wilson, there’s probably a handful of roles that most prominently come to mind, assuming it isn’t just immediately his turn as the legendary Dwight Schrute from The Office. However, it’s equally likely that very few people so quickly recall him popping up in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as one of Sam’s college professors. Yet here we are. In this case, Wilson plays “Professor Colan” (which I have little doubt speaks to Michael Bay’s sense of humour), a surprisingly suave and seemingly quite alluring astronomy lecturer who spends more time trying to appeal to some of his students in rather unsavoury ways than he does actually teaching the subject at hand. The whole thing is rather baffling when viewed through fresh eyes, especially considering how little Wilson impacts the actual plot, yet he manages to remain the alpha and the omega when he’s on screen, at least.

Be sure to join us for part 2!

TTFN