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There are a handful of actors and actresses who automatically elicit distinct emotions. When most people see Reese Witherspoon, they feel more bubbly. When people see Samuel L. Jackson, they feel adventurous. When they see Johnny Depp, they probably want to put on more bracelets. Michael Kelly fits into this category as well. Why? Because he’s a category five onscreen creeper.
I’m sure Kelly is delightful in real life, but if you see the House of Cards actor in a show or movie, get ready. Chances are things are about to get intense. This wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time on The Sopranos, Kelly was the (relatively) good guy when he played Agent Ron Goddard, Agent Harris’ (Louis Lombardi) new partner. However, Kelly moved on to land the role of Jonathan ‘Prophet’ Sims in Criminal Minds in 2010. Since then, it seems like his creepiness kind of stuck.
This certainly isn’t a criticism of Kelly’s work or a roast of him as a person. The fact is that Kelly is amazing when it comes to playing creeps. Take the actor in perhaps his best known role, Doug Stamper in House of Cards. Because anyone surrounding Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is dirty by definition, it was clear from “Chapter One” that there was something sinister hiding behind Doug’s tight smile and willing attitude. As the Netflix Original’s first season progressed and Doug lied for Frank more and more, you could still defend the character. It wasn’t Doug’s fault, you said, simultaneously distrustful of and lulled by Frank’s soothing Southern colloquialisms. It was all Frank. But then you saw how Doug manipulated and tormented poor Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan), how he essentially jailed her in motel room and controlled her life as he became more and more obsessed with her. That’s when Michael Kelly did something truly remarkable. He made Doug the most hated character on a show full of despicable people.
This isn’t a one time thing. When Kelly recently appeared in the Black Mirror episode “Men Against Fire,” guess what? He pretended to be a good guy but ended up being the villain. When he appeared on FX’s Taboo, guess what? He (Spoilers!) starts as the good guy and becomes another morally murky bad dude. When I see Kelly appear onscreen, preened and with a small smile that begs for people to trust him, I know what’s going to happen. And yet I watch every since time. Watching Kelly’s particular brand of typecast is like watching a spider expertly build a web. You know the end result is going to be death and pain at the hands of this monster, but you can’t look away.
This is all to say that Michael Kelly is really good at being the stuff of prestige TV nightmare fuel. Also? If you see him in your favorite show, someone is probably about to die. You’ve been warned.
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