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From squeaky clean to deliciously dangerous! Join us as we explore male celebrities who transformed from charming heartthrobs into edgy bad boys. Our countdown features stars who traded their wholesome images for rebellious personas, whether through darker film roles or real-life controversies that shocked fans worldwide.
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00:00If I was your boyfriend, never let you go.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for the most notable male celebrities
00:10who began their careers as charming heartthrobs,
00:14but whose public image grew edgier and darker as they got older,
00:18be it in real life or through the roles they took on.
00:21Boys.
00:21No, probably not.
00:23But I appreciate your time.
00:24Y'all have a good day, all right?
00:25Drive safe.
00:26Number 10, Mickey Rourke.
00:30Although he initially planned to become a professional boxer,
00:34Mickey Rourke put those ambitions on hold in the early 70s to pursue acting instead.
00:39His career took off in the 1980s,
00:42with roles in films like Diner and Nine and a Half Weeks earning him widespread attention.
00:47I got this chick.
00:49I got this unbelievable chick on the side, see?
00:52I mean, she is so hot.
00:55Before long, Rourke became known as a heartthrob and sex symbol,
01:00particularly for his rugged good looks and charming smile.
01:04In the 90s, however, Rourke returned to his first love, boxing.
01:09This decision not only stalled his rise in Hollywood,
01:12it also altered his physical appearance significantly.
01:15Walk down the right back alley in Sin City.
01:18And you can find anything.
01:22That coat looks like Bad Bad.
01:25So's your face.
01:26Take off!
01:27By the time he returned to Hollywood,
01:29his once boyish charm had been replaced by a rougher, more unpredictable persona.
01:35He ultimately leaned into this transformation,
01:38taking on gritty roles in films like Sin City and The Wrestler.
01:41Now, I don't hear it as good as I used to do it.
01:44And I forget stuff.
01:47And I ain't as pretty as I used to be.
01:49But goddamn it, I'm still standing here.
01:52Number 9.
01:53Nick Jonas
01:54Nick Jonas began his career as the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers,
01:58a Disney-backed pop trio formed with his two older siblings.
02:02For your perusing, at times confusing, slightly amusing, introducing me.
02:13The group quickly became teen idols, and they decided to project a wholesome image,
02:19symbolized by their choice to wear purity rings.
02:22However, when the band split in 2013,
02:25Jonas set out to redefine himself as a solo artist.
02:28His 2014 self-titled album was influenced by moody R&B music
02:33and featured provocative lyrics, a completely new territory for Jonas.
02:46He leaned into this edgy persona with shirtless photo shoots
02:50and steamy music videos for songs like Chains and Jealous.
02:54Disney's golden boy was long gone.
02:56In his place was a more confident artist appealing to a grown-up audience.
03:08Number 8.
03:10Zac Efron
03:10For anyone who grew up during the golden age of Disney Channel,
03:14the high school musical films were impossible to miss.
03:17The franchise catapulted Zac Efron to stardom.
03:20As Troy Bolton, Efron won over young audiences with his bleach-blonde locks and magnetic smile.
03:27So this is your private hideout?
03:29Yeah, thanks to the science club, which means my buddies don't even know it exists.
03:34You pretty much have the school wired, don't you, Troy?
03:36But like all good things, the series eventually came to an end.
03:40Afterward, Efron made a conscious effort to distance himself from his Disney persona.
03:45He pivoted toward adult roles in films like Neighbors and Baywatch.
03:49These roles introduced a more risqué version of Efron,
03:53often portraying him as the charming bad boy.
03:56Are you following me?
03:57I was actually just going to ask you the same thing.
04:01Okay, look, you're hot.
04:03I may resist for a while, but we both know eventually I'll give in.
04:07So why don't we just skip that?
04:08Then he took things further with even darker performances,
04:12taking on serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
04:17He said he was going to get me.
04:19You aren't charged with.
04:20You got the indictment.
04:21That's all you're going to get.
04:22You are charged with two counts of murder in the first degree
04:25and three counts of attempted murder.
04:26You know what?
04:27I'll plead not guilty right now.
04:29Number 7.
04:31Penn Badgley.
04:32Who would have thought that the actor behind Dan Humphrey
04:34could also have brought Joe Goldberg to life so convincingly?
04:38On Gossip Girl, Penn Badgley played Dan,
04:41the likable bookish outsider whose charm made him a fan favorite,
04:44and solidified Badgley's image as the quintessential nice guy.
04:48You know, I can pay.
04:50It's not like I don't have the money.
04:52Yeah, I'm sure you do.
04:53You just shouldn't have to spend it here.
04:55I don't understand.
04:57Did I do something wrong?
04:58But that all changed with you,
05:00where Badgley stepped into the chilling role of Joe,
05:03a dangerously obsessive romantic who blurs the line between love and violence.
05:07And you know, I really do believe that things happen for a reason.
05:11That all the hard stuff and the craziness and frankly my own mistakes,
05:15they maybe all led me here.
05:18While Joe shares Dan's intellect and introspective nature,
05:22he's far darker and more disturbed.
05:25With the Netflix series, Badgley reinvented himself,
05:28shedding off his teen heartthrob image
05:30to become a compelling anti-hero audiences couldn't stop watching,
05:35even when they knew they should.
05:36We're together.
05:38I promise no more.
05:41No more bad things ever again, okay?
05:45Number 6, Shia LaBeouf.
05:47From his days on Disney channels,
05:49Even Stevens,
05:50to his teenage role in the Transformers franchise,
05:53Shia LaBeouf had a pretty wholesome start to his career.
05:56Let me explain something to you, okay?
05:57You ever see 40-year-old virgin?
05:59Yeah.
05:59Okay, that's what this is.
06:01And this is 50-year-old virgin.
06:02Okay.
06:03You want me to live that life?
06:04Hmm?
06:04No sacrifice.
06:05Yeah, no victory.
06:06You know, I got it.
06:06He went from lovable child star to teen heartthrob
06:09and seemed poised for a smooth transition into Hollywood-leading man territory.
06:14But as his star rose, so did his personal troubles.
06:18With a string of controversies,
06:20ranging from public intoxication and bar fights
06:23to plagiarism scandals and bizarre performance art,
06:26LaBeouf's behavior became increasingly unpredictable.
06:29That 27-year-old kid was allegedly drunk and disruptive during the show cabaret,
06:36right during the first act.
06:37Apparently, he was allegedly slapping and spitting on the audience.
06:41The eyewitnesses say the guy was out of control.
06:43As a result, his public image was quickly reshaped.
06:46He went from being seen as a promising star to a Hollywood rebel,
06:50brimming with raw talent, but seemingly unable to stay on course.
06:54And I'm hoping that maybe you've calmed, that you're dialing back a little bit?
06:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:00I'm going to stay away from Broadway for a little bit.
07:03Number 5.
07:04Johnny Depp
07:05It was the 80s police procedural 21 Jump Street
07:08that shot actor Johnny Depp to stardom.
07:11The show was a massive success,
07:13especially among younger audiences,
07:14and made Depp an instant teen idol.
07:17Then we said about the various high schools
07:19where we can use a good man undercover.
07:21Kind of like, uh,
07:23fast times that bust your buddy high?
07:25Kinda.
07:26Yeah.
07:27No thanks.
07:28But Depp was never comfortable with that image,
07:30and as soon as his time on the show came to an end,
07:33he did everything in his power to distance himself from it.
07:36He began cultivating a rebellious image with chain smoking,
07:40recreational drug use,
07:41and frequent brushes with the law.
07:43Even on screen,
07:45he deliberately moved away from heartthrob roles,
07:48opting instead for darker, offbeat characters,
07:51beginning with 1990s Edward Scissorhands.
07:55Oh, Eddie, is there anything you can't do?
07:59You take my very breath away, I swear.
08:02Look at this.
08:03Over the years,
08:05Depp's affinity for controversy deepened,
08:07culminating in an infamous legal battle
08:09with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
08:12I thought maybe I could bring her around,
08:15because the Amber Heard that I knew
08:19for the first year, year and a half,
08:22was not this.
08:24Number four, Justin Timberlake.
08:26This American triple threat first made waves
08:29as a curly-haired member
08:30of the wildly popular boy band, NSYNC,
08:33and became a heartthrob for millions of teenage fans.
08:43That image was only amplified
08:45by his high-profile relationship with Britney Spears,
08:47making them a prominent power couple in the early 2000s.
08:51When NSYNC went on hiatus in 2002,
08:54Timberlake launched his solo career,
08:56aiming for a mature and sultry R&B-driven sound.
09:00His debut album, Justified, delivered exactly that.
09:11Around the same time,
09:13his breakup with Spears made headlines,
09:16and he appeared to reference that
09:17in the hit single, Cry Me A River.
09:19Timberlake's subsequent music doubled down
09:21on this transformation,
09:23as he famously declared in his 2006 chart topper
09:26that he was bringing sexy back.
09:34Number three, Rob Lowe.
09:36Chiseled looks and an effortless charm
09:38were all it took for Rob Lowe
09:40to become a teen heartthrob in the early 1980s.
09:43It also helped that he starred
09:45in a string of coming-of-age films
09:47that earned him a spot in the iconic Brat Pack.
09:49I'm going to change.
09:52I'm going to get the right job.
09:55Look, there's going to be no more drinking
09:58and no more women.
10:00For most of that decade,
10:02he maintained a clean-cut image
10:04until 1988,
10:06when a sex tape involving a minor surfaced,
10:09triggering a public scandal
10:10that nearly ended his career.
10:12But you know what?
10:12I'd say I have nobody to blame but myself.
10:15You know, I really don't.
10:16And you've got to accept responsibility
10:20for what you do.
10:21That controversy,
10:23along with reports of partying
10:24and substance use,
10:26painted him as Hollywood's bad boy.
10:28But Lowe managed to turn things around.
10:31He entered rehab,
10:32quit drinking,
10:33and has remained sober ever since.
10:35By the 2000s,
10:36he had completely rebranded himself,
10:39largely thanks to his role in The West Wing.
10:41It's Sam.
10:43Hi.
10:44Sam Seaborn.
10:45Yeah, he called.
10:46Yeah.
10:47Actually, you called me.
10:50And that's because you have my pager.
10:52Number two, Brad Pitt.
10:54Brad Pitt's breakout role
10:55was in 1991's Thelma and Louise,
10:58where he played a cowboy hitchhiker
11:00who shares a brief sexual encounter
11:01with one of the titular characters.
11:04Are you a criminal?
11:05No.
11:05No, not no more, Thelma.
11:08Let's see.
11:09Besides busting parole,
11:10I haven't done one wrong thing.
11:11The small role turned him
11:12into an overnight sex symbol.
11:15Subsequently,
11:16Pitt built on that image
11:17with leading roles in dramatic films,
11:19but he was never content
11:20with being just a pretty face.
11:22By the mid-1990s,
11:24he began gravitating towards darker roles
11:26in films like Seven and Fight Club.
11:28What do you want me to do?
11:29You just want me to hit you.
11:30Come on.
11:30Do me this one favor.
11:31Why?
11:32Why?
11:33I don't know why.
11:33I don't know.
11:34Never been to fight.
11:35You?
11:35No, but that's a good thing.
11:36No, it is not.
11:37How much can you know about yourself
11:38if you've never been to fight?
11:39Offscreen,
11:40he cemented his bad boy status
11:42with his marriage
11:42and messy split
11:43from Jennifer Aniston
11:45and subsequent relationship
11:46with Angelina Jolie.
11:48Add to that a reputation
11:49for being rebellious
11:50and free-spirited,
11:51and you have one of the edgiest
11:53leading men in Hollywood.
11:55I don't want to be,
11:56I don't want to,
11:57at this point,
11:58to be running from anything.
12:01I want to be,
12:02I want to sit in it.
12:03I want to feel it.
12:04I want to get through the rough night.
12:06Before we continue,
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12:21Number one,
12:22Justin Bieber.
12:24Justin Bieber was
12:25only 13
12:25when a talent manager
12:26discovered him on YouTube.
12:28His rise was meteoric.
12:30By the time he released Baby,
12:32the lead single
12:33from his debut album,
12:34he had already become
12:35a global sensation.
12:44Back then,
12:45he was a fresh-faced teen
12:46adored by his massive fan base,
12:49the Beliebers.
12:50But as he grew older,
12:51the pressures of fame
12:52began to take its toll.
12:54In his late teens
12:55and early 20s,
12:57Bieber shed his charming persona,
12:59trading it for a more rebellious image.
13:01From run-ins with the law
13:03to public outbursts,
13:04Bieber's rather rapid transformation
13:06shocked many fans.
13:08Bieber's blood alcohol level
13:09was 0.04,
13:11only half the legal limit
13:12for driving,
13:13but double the legal limit
13:14for someone under the drinking age
13:16of 21.
13:17Bieber's just 19.
13:18Since then, however,
13:19he has channeled those challenges
13:21into personal
13:22and artistic growth.
13:24He became more open
13:25about his faith
13:25and mental health,
13:27using his music
13:27to explore deeper themes.
13:29Did we miss any other
13:38good boys turned bad?
13:39Shout them out
13:40in the comments below.
13:41I'm in no disrespect,
13:43it's not right to be hellish,
13:46I still get jealous.
13:48I'm in no disrespect,
13:51it's not right to be hellish,
13:53I still get jealous.
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