Why Basil From Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny Looks So Familiar
The fifth "Indiana Jones" movie, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," already has a lot going for it. There's Harrison Ford, of course, who returns for his final outing as the titular adventure-loving archaeologist. Then there's the hilarious Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who appears as Helena Shaw, Jones' goddaughter. Then there's that iconic trumpet theme.
However, there's one character who has a lasting impact on the story, despite only appearing briefly in the film's trailer. Namely, that's Basil, who accompanies Jones on one of his many Nazi-fighting excursions — only to promptly shoot Jones by accident. He's also the father of Helena, who unexpectedly joins Jones as he searches for the legendary Dial of Destiny.
The actor who plays Basil isn't exactly an unknown figure in Hollywood. In fact, he's the critically acclaimed British character actor Toby Jones, who's lit up TV and movie screens since the early '90s. You've most definitely seen him before, and here are a few roles of his that might help jog your memory.
He aided Red Skull and Hydra in Captain America: The First Avenger
Movie lovers may not always remember Toby Jones' name, but they always remember his face. The pint-sized, vaguely impish Emmy nominee (for "The Girl") has appeared in some of the biggest movies of the last two decades. In fact, he even appeared as Dr. Arnim Zola in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger" as the worst kind of supervillain: a smart one. In the Phase One Marvel movie, his biochemist aims to help Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) in his mission to harness the Tesseract's power. The two dastardly men seek to use it to energize Zola's inventions and raise their terrorist organization, Hydra, to new heights. Of course, Captain America (Chris Evans) ultimately foils their plans and captures Zola.
However, in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Cap joins Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in the present to discover that Zola ultimately resurrected Hydra and helped transform Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) into a brainwashed assassin, before later preserving his own consciousness in a supercomputer. The story closely parallels one from Marvel comics, in which Zola similarly transfers his mind into a robotic figure.
He expertly commentated during the 74th Hunger Games
The Capitol residents in the "Hunger Games" movies are meant to be gaudy and larger-than-life; after all, they're victims of their own excess. As for Toby Jones' Claudius Templesmith, he certainly fits in with the crowd. With his yellow heart-shaped updo, flashy jackets, and booming voice, he's both unsettling and ostentatious. He's a perfect announcer for the deadly Hunger Games, even when experiencing terror at the sight of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) nearly undermining the whole institution in 2012's "The Hunger Games." While not your average sports commentator, he absolutely fulfills the role and even uses it to spare Katniss' and Peeta's lives once they threaten suicide.
Jones also appears in 2013's "Hunger Games: Catching Fire," but only briefly. Sitting next to the equally glib and flashy Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), he marvels at the fiery costumes that Katniss and Peeta rock during the presentation of the tributes.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
He unsuccessfully faced off with an Indoraptor in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Throughout his career, Toby Jones has amassed over 100 film and TV credits. Considering that several of these roles were in major franchises like the MCU, it also shouldn't come as a surprise that he appeared in the "Jurassic" series. In 2018's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," he starred as Mr. Eversoll, the ill-fated capitalist who bites off more than he can chew.
In the film, Eversoll attempts to auction off an Indoraptor, aka the "Jurassic" franchise's latest fictional contribution to paleontology. But when a greedy mercenary accidentally unleashes the Indoraptor upon the populace, Eversoll becomes one of its first victims. In a nail-biting sequence straight out of a horror movie, Eversoll attempts to escape from the Indoraptor onto an elevator, only for the clumsy Indoraptor to accidentally re-open the elevator's doors. The Indoraptor roars, Eversoll's combover comes undone, and the rest is left to the viewer's imagination.
He played a real-life games negotiator in Tetris
Though 2023's "Tetris" didn't make waves among cinephiles after its debut on Apple TV+, it still drew positive reviews from critics for its tight, entertaining storytelling. Perhaps some of that praise was due to the inclusion of Toby Jones, who plays Hungarian negotiator Robert Stein in the film. In his hard-headed negotiations over the Tetris distribution rights, Jones' Stein easily wins over viewers despite his many setbacks.
While Stein's real-life granddaughter has said previously that she was surprised by Jones' on-screen portrayal of her granddad, her shock was more directed at the movie's existence and not at Jones' actual performance. Overwhelmingly, Jones received notice for his dedicated, effective performance in the minor role of Stein, despite not having a major part in the film's overall arc. That said, Jones will likely have a similar impact on "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," where he'll no doubt bring expected gravitas to his relatively small role.