When Henry Fonda, the great nice-guy leading man of 20th century American cinema, stepped out as villainous Frank in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West, audiences were enthralled. Squeaky clean, whiter than white Fonda, gunning people down in cold blood. It was a subversion of casting norms that would become typical – from Bryan Cranston following Malcolm in the Middle with Breaking Bad, to Robin Williams going full psycho in One Hour Photo – which captivated Fonda’s fans. The Crowded Room, a new Apple TV+ 10-parter, is but the latest instalment of this trend, with baby-faced Tom Holland playing a man accused of a series of heinous crimes.
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