28 Cameo Appearances In Movies That Are So Perfect, They're Award-Worthy
Surprise celebrity cameos: the positive version of a jump scare.
A while back, we asked members of our BuzzFeed Community, "If there was an Academy Award for Best Cameo Appearance, which actors would've 100% won?" and they did not disappoint! So here are just a few famous faces who'd like to thank the academy:
Also, WARNING: There are light SPOILERS ahead for several of these films! Please proceed with caution!
1. Stephen King, It Chapter 2 (2019):
"King pokes fun at himself by making fun of the Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) character’s inability to write good book endings. It was cool to see the man who made everyone afraid of clowns make a funny cameo in his own story!"
2. Donald Glover, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017):
3. Dustin Hoffman, The Holiday (2006):
"You see him browsing behind Kate Winslet while Jack Black is talking about The Graduate. It's such a funny little visual gag!"
4. Glenn Close, Hook (1991):
"It blew my mind when I found out it was her."
5. David Bowie, Zoolander (2001):
"It was so cool to see him as the judge of the walk-off between Derek and Hansel!"
6. Matt Damon, EuroTrip (2004):
"The 'Scotty Doesn't Know' sequence is an obvious choice."
7. Alan Tudyk, Zootopia (2016):
"He voices a character named 'Duke Weasleton' in Zootopia — a delightful play on his equally awesome role as Duke of Weselton in Frozen. His character is trying to sell a bootlegged version of Moana (a movie he also acted in)."
8. Keanu Reeves, Always Be My Maybe (2019):
"He was so hilarious in that!"
9. Chris Evans, Thor: A Dark World (2013):
"He played Loki playing Captain America, and he was excellent!"
10. Michael Cera, This Is the End (2013):
"It absolutely has to be Michael Cera in this one. 'Who took my f***ing cellphone, man?!'"
11. Billy Idol, The Wedding Singer (1998):
"He's 100% the best."
12. Dan Aykroyd, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984):
"He's only in it for a split second and helps Indy, Short Round, and Willie get on a plane in Shanghai!"
13. Bill Murray, Zombieland (2009):
"This one would definitely have been nominated! The 'Do you have any regrets?' 'Garfield, maybe' moment gets me every time."
14. Jodi Benson, Enchanted (2007):
"She's the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid!"
15. Peter Jackson, the Lord of the Rings trilogy:
"My friends and I always had fun trying to spot him."
16. Jimmy Buffett, Jurassic World (2015):
"He's only in it for a second, but he's holding two margaritas while evading dinos!"
17. Will Ferrell, Wedding Crashers (2005):
"It was such a fun surprise, and don’t tell me you don’t yell, “MOM, THE MEATLOAF” at least once a week!"
18. Keith Richards, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007):
"He's legendary, and it's really awesome that they made him Jack Sparrow's dad, when Johnny Depp based his performance on Richards himself!"
19. Brad Pitt, Deadpool 2 (2018):
20. Anna Faris, Keanu (2016):
"You're made to think she's just playing some random person at a house party, then they reveal later it's a lot more meta and it's actually her playing herself."
21. J.K. Simmons, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019):
"In a word? Iconic."
22. Mike Myers, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018):
"He shows up and references his own character, Wayne Campbell. It was hilariously subtle."
23. Sarah Michelle Gellar, She's All That (1999):
"I always thought her showing up randomly in a nonspeaking role for like five seconds was pretty cool!"
24. Hugh Jackman, X-Men: First Class (2011):
25. Neil Patrick Harris, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004):
"A classic!"
26. Ming-Na Wen, Mulan (2020):
"She was the voice actor in the animated movie, so it was cool to see her show up in the live-action version!"
27. Kevin Bacon, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987):
"He has a quick battle for a taxi with Steve Martin, and it's just so damn good!"
28. And finally, of course: Stan Lee in every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie:
"Every. Single. Cameo. Each one is so funny, and it's devastating that he passed!"
Now it's your turn! If there was an Oscar specifically for Best Cameo Appearance, who would YOU nominate? Share yours in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.