8 Of The Greatest Cameos in Film
Sometimes, a cameo can serve as the cherry on top for an amazing film. The best ones usually use well known figures to create a joke, show them appreciation, and showcase their talent. Here’s 8 films with cameos from some of the world's most loved people.
David Bowie in Zoolander
Known for the outlandish and camp outfits that make up his musical persona, David Bowie was a perfect choice to play a fashion judge in Zoolander. The faces he pulls as Derek Zoolander and Hansel walk down the catwalk are nothing short of iconic, and match the silly humour of the scene.
👉 Watch Zoolander on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Zoolander as DVD on Amazon
Stephen King in It: Chapter 2
It: Chapter 2 stands out from the many films adapted from Stephen King’s novels, as the legend himself makes a cameo in it. He plays the owner of an old shop in the fictional town of Derry, where one of the characters buys their childhood bikes back. Stephen King used the opportunity to make a joke about himself by telling the character, an author, that he doesn’t like the ending to his book. King, being notorious for being unable to complete a book with a good ending, displayed his great sense of humour in his cameo. The cameo also shows Stephen King’s approval of the film, given how he has never been afraid to voice his opinion on films based on his book in the past, most notably with Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining.
👉 Watch It: Chapter 2 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy It: Chapter 2 as DVD on Amazon
Bill Murray in Zombieland
There’s no better actor to play the cameo of the last surviving celebrity in zombie-ridden Hollywood than the legendary Bill Murray. Woody Harrelson’s character getting all giddy and excited when meeting Bill Murray is hilarious, as well as the group getting high with him and pretending to be Ghostbusters. His cameo ends with a bang, as he abruptly gets shot by Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) after pretending to be a zombie. With Bill Murray’s long breaths tricking the group into thinking he’s dead before he actually is, and Columbus going “I can’t believe I shot Bill Murray” makes the cameo the height of hilarity in the film.
👉 Watch Zombieland on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Zombieland as DVD on Amazon
Michael Cera in This Is The End
Michael Cera joins his former co-stars from Superbad, Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen, as a cameo in This Is The End, where he plays himself. The film features a host of other brief celebrity cameos, such as Rhianna, Emma Watson, and Channing Tatem as they attempt to survive post-armageddon Hollywood. What makes Cera’s cameo one of the better ones is the way he presents his real personality compared to the archetypes he’s played in the past. Known for playing the awkward character, Michael Cera is crude and completely self absorbed in This Is The End - spanking Rhianna and annoying everyone with his cocaine-fueled anger. Cera took the opportunity to joke about himself and all of Hollywood.
👉 Watch This Is The End on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy This Is The End as DVD on Amazon
Jimmy Buffett in Jurrasic World
Although we only see a glimpse of him, the Jimmy Buffett cameo is completely unexpected and hilarious. As the dinosaurs attack the park, Jimmy Buffett can be seen escaping wearing a Hawaiian shirt and holding two margaritas. The first thing we imagine when thinking about the musician is a relaxing day at the beach with cold margaritas, making him stand out in the crowd of fleeing tourists carrying their children.
👉 Watch Jurrasic World on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Jurrasic World as DVD on Amazon
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
You might not have recognized him at first due to the many prosthetics and the bald cap, but Tom Cruise played the studio director Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. Seeing Cruise play such a sleazy, hotheaded character compared to his past roles in action films is nothing short of brilliant. He even invented the character himself, according to Ben Stiller, showcasing his flexibility as an actor. Despite only being a cameo, many critics unironically called it Tom Cruise's best role.
👉 Watch Tropic Thunder on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Tropic Thunder as DVD on Amazon
Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2
Like Jimmy Buffett’s cameo in Jurrasic World, Brad Pitt’s only last for a quick glimpse. It’s far more unexpected, though. He plays the character Vanisher whose superpower is invisibility, meaning you don’t see the actor until the character gets electrocuted and dies. It feels like a funny joke, with an A-list actor playing an invisible character and only showing his face for a few seconds. Screenwriter Paul Wernick described the scene as a “pinch-me moment”, due to how unexpected it was.
👉 Watch Deadpool 2 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Deadpool 2 as DVD on Amazon
Pamela Anderson in Borat
One of the joys of watching Borat is trying to figure out what’s real and what isn’t, making the scene where he attempts to kidnap Pamela Anderson all the more enjoyable. Borat asks Anderson for her autograph at a signing-event, then pulls a sack over her head and tries to drag her out of the building. The long line of fans start attacking him, and eventually he gets tackled by security. Of course, Pamela Anderson and her security team were in on it. The fans weren’t, and in the first take none of them attempted to help her, so they did a second take hours later.
