# The cheesy 1992 role Tommy Lee Jones played for the money: “We’re not performing ‘King Lear’”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-cheesy-1992-role-tommy-lee-jones-played-for-the-money-were-not-performing-king-lear/
- Published: 2026-11-10T07:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T07:19:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/cheesy-1992-role-tommy-lee-jones-played-for-money-not-performing-king-lear/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Jones took *Under Siege* for the money.
- He improvised a distinctive, flamboyant villain.
- The film was shot before its script was complete.

## Summary

Tommy Lee Jones took the role of rogue former CIA officer William Stannix in the 1992 action film *Under Siege* largely for the money, but treated the commercial film as a chance to create something distinctive. His performance helped make the villain a flamboyant presence alongside Steven Seagal and showed Jones was willing to embrace mainstream entertainment rather than reserve himself for serious dramas.

Jones said the film was not “King Lear” and argued that formula films still need fresh ideas and real content. Shooting began before the script was complete, so he had to adapt as it changed; he developed Stannix as a mix of menace and humour. The character’s style was shaped through a compromise between Elton John, Alice Cooper and blues musician Paul Butterfield.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.