play the role

phrase

: to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.

He often plays the role of the villain.

—often used figuratively

He was playing the role of (the) gracious host.

Examples of play the role in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mazino went on to play the role of Jesse in the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us, created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

To play the role, Cruise, as is his custom, has gone all in for the role and drastically transformed his appearance with facial prosthetics, thinning hair and belly-forward padding. — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Keiser, who runs a consulting firm called Wild Oat Hollow, would play the role of matchmaker—setting up the homeowners with farm animals that could graze their lands. — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

The two will play the role of father and son in the debut feature film from writer-director Evan Coury that started shooting this month northeast of Pittsburgh. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for play the role

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole