Hailing from Britain and residing in Australia, Hugo Weaving has established himself as quite a versatile actor who plays a whole lot of diverse characters. From big-budget franchises like Captain America and The Lord Of The Rings to offbeat indie cinema like Mystery Road, he has appeared in a variety of roles with most of his filmography drawing critical acclaim.
This list attempts to rank the finest productions that he has been a major part of, based on their Rotten Tomatoes ratings. Hence, blockbuster films like Mortal Engines (which managed only 26%) and the Transformers series (which almost always fail to score high) where Weaving voices the antagonist Megatron will not be included.
V For Vendetta (2005)- 73%
Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore, V For Vendetta stars Weaving as V, a masked vigilante who resorts to anarchy to punish the miscreants behind a dystopian and totalitarian Britain of the future. The movie was praised for its philosophical themes, dark visuals, the depiction of an Orwellian reality, and the performances of its lead actors, Weaving and Natalie Portman.
For most of the film's duration, Weaving never shows his face and always dons a Guy Fawkes mask (which became very iconic after its release). But it's fine oratory that adds a dramatic flair to the character of V.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)- 80%
Captain America: The First Avenger, the film that introduced Chris Evans' rendition of Captain America to the world also featured Weaving as Johan Schmidt (aka Red Skull), one of Marvel's greatest villains. He's Adolf Hitler's head of advanced weaponry as well as the commander of the terrorist organization called Hydra.
Wearing heavy layers of prosthetic to literally look like a "red skull", Weaving also spoke in a German accent which he apparently based on director/actor Werner Herzog.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)- 85%
Serving as Mel Gibson's directorial comeback vehicle, this biographical war drama stars Andrew Garfield as Desmond T Doss, a combat medic who enlists in the Second World War just to save lives and nothing else. So strong is his pacifist belief that he refuses to pick up any guns while serving in the war.
Hugo Weaving features in a small supporting role in Hacksaw Ridge as Tom Doss, the protagonist's father. In a role that seems similar to his performance in the miniseries Patrick Melrose, Weaving plays a disgruntled father and a war veteran from WW I who laments on his son joining the military.
The Matrix (1999)- 88%
An iconic genre-defying film for the ages, The Matrix is a sci-fi action film starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, along with Hugo Weaving as the villain Agent Smith. It deals with the protagonist trapped in a simulated reality called the Matrix which is constructed by intelligent machines that use human bodies as an energy source.
Weaving plays Agent Smith, a self-replicating program whose main responsibility is to prevent humans from escaping the Matrix. A role that cemented the actor's position in pop culture, Weaving went on to play Agent Smith in the film's two sequels too.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)- 91%
Another popular trilogy that Weaving has been a part of is Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings, a trendsetter for future fantasy epics. The actor plays the role of Elrond, the Elven-Lord of Rivendell who initially plans to destroy the titular ring for its negative effects. Later, Elrond presides over the council that recruits members for the titular Fellowship.
Initially, singer David Bowie expressed his interest in playing this role but director Peter Jackson felt uncomfortable with a famous star playing a famous character like Elrond (who was popular amongst readers of J R R Tolkien's original novel).
Mystery Road (2013)- 92%
An Australian neo-Western, Mystery Road is a crime thriller that revolves around a detective (played by Aron Pedersen) investigating the murder of a young girl. Instead of focusing on just the murder, the film also reveals the subtle as well as the outright racism that many indigenous populations in Australia face. The thriller was praised for its slow-burn atmosphere and social themes.
Hugo Weaving has a sketchy character as Johnno, the hero’s partner at work. Initially, Johnno seems like a scheming police official with a corrupt and villainous side but as the plot progresses, the viewer realizes that there’s more than what meets the eye.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)- 93%
In the final chapter of the aforementioned The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Hugo Weaving’s Elrond’s major part is to convince the warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) to take up the throne and lead his forces against the forces supporting the tyrant Sauron. The film is regarded as one of the best third installments in cinema and swept the 2004 Academy Awards winning all the 11 awards for which it was nominated.
This is a change in his character as initially, he is more skeptical of Aragorn in terms of his skills to lead the Men of the West and the courtship of his daughter. Otherwise, this skepticism isn’t that detailed in the original books.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)- 95%
The middle film in the trilogy, The Two Towers features Weaving’s Elrond yet again in a doubtful mood with Aragorn, mainly around his daughter Arwen’s romantic fascination with Aragorn. He forces Aragorn to end his engagement with Arwen so that his daughter can leave for the Undying Lands. However, she defies her father and eventually makes the decision to stay with Aragorn in Middle Earth.
Giving up on his stubbornness, he also offers a heavily armed army to the Battle Of Helm’s Deep to aid Aragorn and his allies, an act that was again introduced for the movie, unlike the novels.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)- 95%
Hugo Weaving stars as a drag queen who embarks on a life-changing road trip in this road comedy-drama. His performance was widely acclaimed along with those of his co-stars Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp.
While the film has been found to be racist by some viewers for its portrayal of a Filipina character, this Australian production is widely praised for breaking stereotypes in its time and spreading awareness of LGBTQ themes to mainstream audiences. Even in the closing ceremony of 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney, a parade of Australian pop culture featured images from Priscilla.
Babe (1997)- 97%
Arguably one of the best feel-good films of all time, Babe revolves around its titular pig who roams around in a farm with a bunch of sheepdogs. Torn apart from his family and befriending the animals on the farm, Babe makes it his mission to become a sheepdog himself! The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for its innovative work with animatronic animals.
Hugo Weaving voices a sheepdog by the name of Rex, a character who’s often brooding because of his tragic backstory. Rex was once a very talented and efficient sheepdog helping his farmer but as he attempted to rescue a flock of sheep on one rainy night, Rex caught a lethal fever and as a result, turned partially deaf. He later serves as a moody mentor to Babe.