These A-listers are all Hollywood royalty in their own right. When they appear on the big screen or on stage, they steal the show. But sometimes, they’re a little harder to recognize, as is the case with many surprise cameos. These brief appearances involve your favourite stars in loads of makeup, popping up at the most unexpected times.
And sometimes, they don’t even want you to know it’s them at all. Following on from our previous list of fun celebrity movie cameos, here are some more cameos by your favourite stars.
Cate Blanchett: Hot Fuzz
If you have a crush on Cate Blanchett and you’re wondering how you missed her in “Hot Fuzz,” here’s why: she was covered from head to toe in surgical gear. The cameo came about when director Edgar Wright learned about the actress’s love of “Shaun of the Dead.”
Years later, she’s become an even bigger success (she was pretty big then) and has starred in some major blockbusters like “Ocean’s 8” and “Thor: Ragnarok.”
Dolly Parton: Miss Congeniality
Dolly Parton’s cameo in this hilarious 2005 film is so much more than just a brief appearance. Some would probably say that it’s the funniest scene in the movie. The country music star plays herself, though there are imposter Dollys afoot as well, which leads to the real Dolly being mistakenly tackled by an FBI agent. Whoops!
The country music star has recently been in the news for modestly turning down a proposal that a statue of her be placed at the Tennessee Capitol building. After all, she already has Dollywood!
Mike Myers: Bohemian Rhapsody
Funnyman Mike Myers appears in the Queen biopic film “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a fictional record exec who delivers the line “no one is going to be headbanging in the car to Bohemian Rhapsody,” – a nod to one of his other famous films, “Wayne’s World,” in which he does just that.
“Wayne’s World” helped popularize Queen’s music again in the US after the death of Freddie Mercury.
Elon Musk: Iron Man 2
It’s pretty fitting that tech billionaire Elon Musk appears in a cameo on “Iron Man 2.” After all, Robert Downey Jr. spent quite some time studying the SpaceX CEO to basically portray him on screen, and, in the process, the two became friends.
Although it’s not a very large part, Musk can be seen having a conversation with the main character, Tony Stark, during his party, where he even tries to pitch him an idea for a new electric jet. Parts of the movie were filmed at the SpaceX facilities.
Jimmy Buffett: Jurassic World 2
The Margarita Man himself served up drinks in one scene of the “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” film. The musician is a longtime friend of the film’s producer, Frank Marshall, who thought he’d add a little extra to the movie, and he did. In the film, he can be seen carrying two margaritas through a bar as he works.
Other than working on his Margaritaville tour, Jimmy Buffett has also been seen on the screen in small roles in various production. The most memorable one is, perhaps, the recurring character of Frank Bama in “Hawaii Five-0.”
Glenn Close: Hook
Long before Glenn Close was winning Academy Awards for her dressing up as a man in films like “Albert Nobbs,” she was making an appearance in the 1991 Steven Spielberg film, “Hook.” She plays a bearded pirate named Gutless, who winds up getting thrown in the “Boo Box” by Hook himself.
Close was up for a Golden Globe in the 2021 award show, thanks to her skills on screen in “Hillbilly Elegy.” Close is the president of her own production company, called Trillium Productions, and has produced a number of films, including the award-winning 1995 TV film “Serving in Silence.”
Jeff Bezos: Star Trek
As one of the richest people in the world, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos can pretty much do anything he wants. This apparently includes making a cameo on “Star Trek,” a show he’s been a fan of since his childhood.
In an interview with GeekWire, Bezos said that he begged Paramount to let him be in one of the films for years, though when he got on set, he was a natural! Later, he said he’s happy to have crossed that item off his bucket list.
Tom Cruise: Tropic Thunder
You may not recognize Tom Cruise in the 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder,” starring Ben Stiller. That’s because make-up did an excellent job of disguising him for his role as Lee Grossman – a role that’s been called his best yet.
Cruise first saw the script for the film while he was hanging out with its star and said he wanted a part of it, as long as he could have “fat hands, and free reign to dance.”
Paul McCartney: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Yet another famous musician made it into the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. If Keith Richards wasn’t enough, Paul McCartney also appeared in one of the installments.
McCartney was so heavily disguised that even the most observant Beatles fans might have missed him at first glance. He played Jack Sparrow’s uncle and he even managed to sneak in a Beatles song when his character sang the song “Maggie Mae.” The song was actually featured on the “Let It Be” album.
Daniel Craig: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Star Wars franchise is known for a long list of actors, some well-known, others unknown and some that are nearly impossible to distinguish due to their costumes, makeup, and prosthetics. And one actor that probably through without public perception is James Bond himself, Daniel Craig.
In the rebooted franchise, Craig appeared as a stormtrooper but, because of the iconic mask, most probably would not have known it was him until the credits. Craig asked director J.J. Abrams if he could have a part in the film and Abrams enthusiastically agreed, offering for Craig to appear in a scene alongside the main character, Rey.
Did we forget any of your favourite surprise celebrity movie appearances? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
