Characters who wear sunglasses... all the time?

FrankLad

FrankLad

What are your thoughts on film characters who wear sunglasses all (or most) of the time?
(I'm talking mostly about protagonists / "good guy" types here.)

Did not being able to see their eyes detract from the character? (ie. keep you from engaging/empathizing/etc, etc...)

Did it actually help in some way? (ie. likability, etc.), or did you think it was gimmicky?
 
I don't like it. Without eyes you have no emotion. That's why Cyclops in the X-Men movies has always been a bit cheesy. When you can only emote with your mouth, it's hard.
 
Sunglasses are there for a reason other than providing shade for your eyes. They break the connection between the character and the viewer, makeng it harder to relate. In a protagonist, that might be a bad thing. Nevertheless when setting the bad guy, or a character whose non-attachment is key, they are the perfect resource. Think the Agents in The Matrix. An excellent performance by Hugo Weaving, where glasses hide the humanside of the character so well that, at least in my case, when I first saw the agent without his shades, it was kind of shocking.
 
Not for a protagonist. Eastwood, McQueen, even those guys can barely pull it off -- and only for brief scenes. I think it can work for minor characters -- worked for that guard in Cool Hand Luke. I think use them sparingly, and at your peril.

If you have to use them, I like Rayban Wayfarers and Aviators. And for God's sake, avoid those fascistic Oakleys...
 
I don't think sun-glasses work well for the main protagonist, but it could work for a sub protagonist (excuse me for my lack of terms)

for example, if you have a kind of team of good guys against a team of bad guys. One of the team member in the good team can just have that really cool, alien, sort of personality to them. They may not even talk through out the movie. There may be some special reason for that person being that way. But somewhere near the end, for some reason, they could take off that sunglasses, which would result in a strong impact to the audience, when a more human side of them is shown.

However, i just don't think the main protagonist will be able to pull that off.
 
proto from "k pax", main character, wore glasses for an entire movie, but it really suited his mysterious character.
does it suit your character though? is there a reason why he needs to wear sunglasses?
 
Great replies, everyone! Thank you all!

I tend to feel the same about sunglasses (that they create somewhat of an emotional "disconnect" between the character and viewer). But I was also hunting for exceptions, where it may have worked.
 
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