At this point, the Fast & Furious is one of the longest-running franchises in film history. The 2001 movie about illegal street racing in Los Angeles has spawned a 10 sequel series (as well as spinoffs and shows). And that many movies need a ton of actors. The franchise cast has grown to include retired WWE wrestlers, multi-platinum recording artists, and four Oscar-winning actors: Rita Moreno, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren. The final two dedicated their acting chops to creating some of the most unique villains in the series.

Charlize Theron is credited as acting in over 70 films. She won the best actress Oscar for playing a serial killer in 2004’s Monster.

She first appeared as Fast and Furious villain “Cipher” in 2017’s Fate of the Furious. Cipher is a hacker and terrorist mastermind for hire. Though Cipher is a tech genius, Charlize Theron has brought a lot of physicality to the role and created a villain unafraid to go toe-to-toe with the heroes of the Fast and the Furious. But she never has to, because she always seems to be one step ahead.

She was a major villain in the Fate of the Furious and returned in Fast 9. Cipher and Dominic Toretto found they had a common enemy in Fast X, so we got to see a different side of Cipher.

Helen Mirren won an Oscar for 2006’s The Queen, in which she plays Queen Elizabeth II. According to Mirren, that success cemented her place as Hollywood royalty, but she always wanted her first major franchise to be The Fast and The Furious.

Mirren recalled meeting Vin Diesel at a function and “begging” for a role. Why? Because she loves cars and loves driving them fast.

The filmmakers recognized that Mirren would be perfect for the matriarch of the Shaw crime family. Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) was the villain of Furious 6. His brother, Deckard (Jason Stratham) was revealed at the end of that film and has been a major villain and anti-hero ever since. 

Mirren thought hard about the first two characters and the Shaw family. She ended up borrowing a name from her aunt, “Aunt Queenie” and Queenie Shaw came alive. Mirren said she also based the character’s accent and mannerisms on the side of her family that hailed from London’s East End.

Queenie Shaw added a fresh new personality to the franchise and has become a fan favorite who has appeared in multiple films. We first saw her broker a deal with Dominic Toretto that had the two families team up. Since then she has been a sort of anti-hero, both in and out of jail and even got a driving scene.

Obviously, not all the great actors have Oscars. So the small club of actors who do have Oscars are not necessarily the best in the world. That said, the two Fast and Furious actors who do have Oscars have created some of the most interesting villains in the franchise’s long history.

What’s incredible is that all four Oscar winners who have acted in the Fast and Furious franchise appeared in Fast X. That makes part one of the finale one of the most Oscar-winner-heavy films around. Let’s hope they all come back for part two!