Surprise Scene Stealers: Wild Celebrity Cameos You Never Saw Coming
Billy Idol in 'The Wedding Singer'
Billy Idol had his four-minute screentime in the Adam Sandler-led film The Wedding Singer. He played himself and convinced Sandler's character, Robbie, to try to win back Drew Barrymore's Julia.
Idol helped the male lead by holding Glenn (Matthew Glave) back.
Idol told Contact Music, "My son loved Adam Sandler and I thought: 'I'm going to have to see it anyway, so why not be in it?'"
Cate Blanchett in ‘Hot Fuzz’
Hot Fuzz featured over 10 surprising cameos, including Cate Blanchett, whose face was never shown in the film as she wore a forensic jumpsuit and mask during her scene. She played Janine, Nicholas' ex-girlfriend, in Edgar Wright's film.
Celine Dion in 'Muppets Most Wanted'
Celine Dion made her big screen debut in the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted. She appeared when Piggy needed help before her wedding to Kermit the Frog. The pair also sang "Something So Right" in one of the scenes.
"Singing with Miss Piggy was a huge thrill for me," Dion told Variety after her cameo. "With due respect to all the great singers out there, Miss Piggy may have the best voice in the world."
Cynthia Nixon in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'
Forgetting Sarah Marshall offered a quick cameo of Cynthia Nixon when Jason Segel's character spoke about S-- and the City's Miranda passing behind him as he delivered the line in front of the camera.
James Brown in 'Rocky IV'
In 1985, Rocky IV viewers witnessed James Brown's performance of "Living in America" when Apollo Creed entered the ring before his fight against Soviet Union boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
The film pushed the track to the Billboard chart's No. 4 slot, becoming Brown's second biggest hit after "I Got You (I Feel Good)" in 1965.
Jimmy Buffett in 'Jurassic World'
Legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who died on September 1, 2023, briefly appeared in Jurassic World. When the dinosaurs let loose in the park, visitors started running quickly.
Buffett also fled the bar, but he remembered to bring two margaritas with him.
"We were excited to go and hand pick who was going to be on the main street and on the boardwalk, and we were lucky enough to get Margaritaville as the marquee restaurant," producer Frank Marshall said of Buffett's cameo.
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Justin Bieber in 'Zoolander 2'
Justin Bieber not only made a brief appearance in Zoolander 2, but his character also surprised the viewers when he died after taking his selfie and saying, "Peace, world."
According to Ben Stiller, they needed to kill Bieber's character in the end.
"We wrote the first script for it in 2010, and he was in it, but he was young, new Justin Bieber. But now he's this cultural lightening rod so his death in the movie, people just fill it — it's sort of like a Rorschach Test for people," he told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
Lady Gaga in 'Muppets Most Wanted'
Lady Gaga also appeared in Muppets Most Wanted with Tony Bennett when they performed the opening number at the beginning of the film.
"We had run into each other at the MTV Awards a few years ago, and always said we'd like to work together. I was just very happy that she thought of the Muppets to be part of this holiday special she did. I'd also seen those photographs where she wore that cloak made entirely of Kermit pelts. Those weren't actual Kermit pelts. They were little Kermit toys," Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire) said of Lady Gaga in his interview with Variety.
Madonna in 'Die Another Day'
The James Bond franchise welcomed Madonna on the set of Die Another Day. The Queen of Pop, who also performed the film's title song, played the role of a fencing instructor named Verity who got flirty with the main star.
Matt Damon in 'Thor: Ragnarok'
Chris Hemsworth successfully brought his friend Matt Damon to the set of Thor: Ragnarok to play the role of an Asgardian actor who portrays Loki in a stage play.
Screenwriter Eric Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter, "It was one of those, 'Don't tell your wife. You cannot tell anyone.' Brad [Winderbaum; Marvel Studios executive] took me over to the side, and showed me the picture [of Damon] in full costume and I lost my mind."
Meanwhile, director Taika Waititi added, "It's not a scene that is so important that cameos are going to be distracting. It was just a little bit of flavor. It was acknowledging the other films and kissing them goodbye in a fun way, with fun people."
Michael Jackson in 'Men In Black II'
Michael Jackson appeared in a scene from Men In Black II as Agent M, although director Barry Sonnenfeld initially wanted the King of Pop to play the role of an alien in Men In Black I.
"Jackson said he would love to be in Men In Black II wearing the black suit, all that mattered to him was that he wore that black suit," Sonnenfeld told BBC. "It was very funny and it was entirely Michael's idea."
Phil Collins in 'Hook'
Appearing in Hook as Inspector Good, Phil Collins' character was the same police inspector who informed the family about the potential prank after the children went missing.