24 Times TV Shows and Movies Made Super Clever References To Actors' Other Roles

    Maddie auditioning for Sharpay on The Suite Life of Zach and Cody blew my 12-year-old mind.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    A while back, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite times TV shows and movies referenced other parts their actors had played. Here are some of the most clever!

    1. In The Gray Man, when Lloyd called Six a Ken doll — a seeming reference to Ryan Gosling's role as Ken in the upcoming Barbie film:

    Lloyd saying "Extra $10 million to the first guy to put a bullet in this Ken doll's brain" about ryan gosling's character in "the gray man," and a photo of gosling as ken in "barbie"
    Netflix / MEGA/GC Images via Getty Images

    2. When Living Single referenced the school Kim Fields' character attended on The Facts of Life, and Kim literally looked into the camera:

    On Living Single, Regine's ex's fiancé says "I went to a small private school called Eastland" and Regine replies "never heard of it" and then there's a picture of Kim Fields in Facts of Life, where her character attending Eastland
    Fox / Embassy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "There was an episode of Living Single when Maxine’s ex-boyfriend introduces his fiancé. Regine (Kim Fields) asks the fiancé where she went to school, and she responded, 'A small private school called Eastland.' Regine says, 'Hmmm, never heard of it,' despite the fact that her character Tootie attended Eastland on The Facts of Life.”

    —baobaopanda

    3. When Maddie auditioned for Sharpay in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody's production of High School Musical, a role that was also played by Ashley Tisdale:

    On The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Maddie says "Sharpay! People say I look just like her!" and Zack replies "really? I don't see it" and then there's a photo of Ashley as Sharpay in High School Musical
    Fred Hayes / Disney Channel / Courtesy Everett Collection

    —jessies4d5bf6ac6

    4. When American Housewife referenced Holly Robinson Peete's role in 21 Jump Street:

    On American Housewife, Tami says "Well, maybe she thought I was an undercover cop. I get that a lot" and then there's a photo of the actress as an undercover cop on 21 Jump Street
    ABC / Fox

    "A not-so-subtle reference to her role on 21 Jump Street!"

    —josephaloysiusc

    5. When One Tree Hill referenced Stephen Colletti's time on Laguna Beach:

    Julian thinks Nick Lachey was on Dancing with the Stars, then Laguna Beach, and Chase (played by Stephen Colletti) walks by and says "No, that was some other tool" and then there's a photo of him on Laguna Beach
    The CW

    —nicolef41c198aa0

    6. When Sky High referenced Lynda Carter’s many years playing Wonder Woman in the hit TV show:

    Lynda Carter's character says she can't do anything to help them because she's not Wonder Woman in Sky High, then there's a photo of her playing Wonder Woman in the Wonder Woman show
    Disney / ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection

    —josephaloysiusc

    7. When Dawson's Creek made a reference to The Mighty Ducks movies, which Joshua Jackson starred in:

    Pacey says "No way! Emilio Estevez, he was in those duck movies, remember? God, those were classics. So funny" and then there's a photo of him in the Mighty Ducks movies
    The WB / Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Pacey (Joshua Jackson) from Dawson’s Creek talking with Dawson about Emilio Estevez and saying, 'He was in those Ducks movies, I loved those!' when he’d starred in the Mighty Ducks movies when he was younger. Had a good chuckle over that one."

    —rachell11

    8. When Psych had a scene where Gus had trouble remembering Holes, which Dulé Hill (who played Gus) appeared in:

    Shawn tries to get Gus to remember "Holes," calling it the movie with Sigourney Weaver and Shia LaBeouf, but Gus can't remember — that's because the actor was in "Holes" as Sam
    USA / Buena Vista Pictures

    —clabblecrobble

    9. When Castle dressed as a "space cowboy" on Castle, donning a similar costume to his from Firefly:

    Castle's daughter asks him what he's supposed to be, and Castle says "space cowboy," donning his costume from "Firefly" — his daughter says he wore it 5 years ago
    ABC / 20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Nathan Fillion, as Rick Castle, put his Malcolm Reynolds costume back on for Castle's Season 2 episode 'Vampire Weekend.' He gets called out by his daughter, who points out that he wore the costume five years ago (when the Firefly movie Serenity was released)."

    —elinumber2

    10. When Legends of Tomorrow had Victor Garber make a comment on the architect of the Titanic — a person he actually played in Titanic:

    Dr. Martin Stein (played by Victor Garber) says, "Whoever built that ship ought to be shot" on Legends of Tomorrow, and then there's a photo of Victor playing the Titanic's architect in Titanic
    The CW / Paramount Pictures

    "On Legends of Tomorrow, the Legends are studying the Titanic, and Dr. Martin Stein (played by Victor Garber) says, 'Whoever built that ship ought to be shot.' Garber played the ship’s builder, Thomas Andrews, in Titanic. The character of Dr. Stein later dies after being shot in 'Crisis on Earth-X.'"

    —josephaloysiusc

    11. When the characters on Teen Wolf kept telling Liam to "be like Clark Kent" — a character actor Dylan Sprayberry (aka, Liam) had played in Man of Steel:

    Mason tells Liam to be like Clark Kent, and then there's a photo of Liam Sprayberry playing Clark in Man of Steel
    MTV / Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

    —roxannedsouza

    12. When Sam made this face on Supernatural after Dean admitted to not having seen House of Wax, which Jared Padalecki starred in:

    Dean says he's never seen House of Wax, and Sam looks offended — then there's a photo of Jared Padalecki in House of Wax
    The CW / Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection

    —haileyannes

    13. When "Pietro" on WandaVision made this blatant Kick-Ass reference — a movie he starred in with the actor who played the actual MCU Pietro:

    Evan Peters as Pietro says "Kick-Ass", and then there's a photo of the MCU Pietro, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the two actors in Kick-Ass
    Disney / Lionsgate / courtesy Everett Collection

    "In WandaVision, when Pietro says 'KICK-ASS!' in the Halloween episode. Not only is it a reference to the fact that Evan Peters was in Kick-Ass, but so was Aaron Taylor-Johnson, aka the original MCU Quicksilver."

    —meganhash13

    14. When The Good Place totally gave Michael a bartender scene exclusively because of Ted Danson's iconic role on Cheers:

    Michael as a bartender on The Good Place, and Ted Danson as a bartender on Cheers
    NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "It was an extremely obvious (and great!) nod to his Cheers character Sam Malone, especially when he threw a rag over his shoulder."

    —queenbavmorda

    15. When Kimmy on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt mentioned the Reverend (played by Jon Hamm) lying about writing a coke commercial...that Jon Hamm's character in Mad Men actually did write:

    Kimmy says the Reverend, played by Jon Hamm, said he invented the "buy the world a Coke" commercial — we then see Don Draper on Mad Men, played by Jon Hamm, coming up with the commercial
    Eric Liebowitz / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection, AMC

    —mollymcduck

    16. When The Rock's character gave Zac Efron's character this nickname in Baywatch, based on the teen film that made Efron famous:

    The Rock calls Zac "High School Musical," then there's a photo of Zac in that film
    Paramount Pictures / Disney Channel

    —naia8334

    17. When One Day at a Time made a genius reference to Rita Moreno starring in West Side Story:

    Rita Moreno's character in One Day at a Time says "I like to be in America" — then we see the actor singing that phrase in West Side Story
    Netflix / United Artists

    "In the episode of One Day at a Time when the family finds out that Lydia isn't a citizen, she says 'I like to be in America,' which is an awesome throwback to one of her big numbers in West Side Story."

    —chanush

    18. When 30 Rock cast Matt Damon as a character, then had Liz unable to remember that Matt Damon was in Invictus:

    Liz says "That's from Invictus. Wait, who was the white guy in that?" Then there's a photo of Matt Damon in 30 Rock and also Invictus
    Ali Goldstein / NBC / Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "After Liz dates Carol (played by Matt Damon), in the episode after they break up, Jack quotes the movie Invictus. To which Liz replies, 'Wait, who’s the white guy in that?' That white guy is Matt Damon."

    —kate3

    19. When Good Omens, which starred David Tennant, referenced The Doctor's home planet from Doctor Who, which also starred David Tennant:

    Amazon / Adrian Rogers / Sci-Fi Channel/BBC / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "On Good Omens, when Crowley is looking at different planets and contemplating them, Gallifrey is one of the ones in the background. David Tennent played Crowley and the 10th Doctor, whose home planet is Gallifrey."

    —alannahpema

    20. When Veep made a subtle Seinfeld reference by alluding to the episode where Elaine accidentally shows her nipple in her holiday cards:

    Seline says "So it doesn't look as if we've just airbrushed the nipples out of this thing" on Veep, and on Seinfeld, Elaine says "Oh my god! That's my nipple!" looking at her Christmas card
    HBO / NBC

    "There are TONS of tiny Easter eggs throughout Veep that reference Seinfeld — most notably, the reference of purposeful inclusion of information in the 'full disclosure' of government documents 'so it doesn't look as if someone airbrushed the nipples out of it' (Veep) alludes to Elaine's Christmas card mishap (Seinfeld)."

    —quart_knee

    21. When Arrow had Oliver make a comment about a vigilante in a hockey mask after the actor, Stephen Amell, played a vigilante in a hockey mask in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2:

    Eleanor says "What kind of vigilante wears a hockey mask?" And Oliver says he thinks it's cool on Arrow, then we see Stephen Amell wearing a hockey past in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
    The CW / Jessica Miglio / Paramount Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

    "In an episode of Arrow, Oliver (played by Stephen Amell) has a line about fighting crime in a hockey mask being pretty cool. That line came just after the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie came out, where Stephen Amell played Casey Jones, who fights in a hockey mask."

    —christinab44a37045e

    22. When Jon Cryer guest-starred on NCIS and referenced his Pretty in Pink character twice in one sentence:

    Jon Cryer says "That would be just ducky, Ducky" on NCIS, and then there's a photo of him playing Duckie in Pretty in Pink
    CBS / Paramount / Courtesy: Everett Collection

    —meld84

    23. When Married...with Children referenced Ted McGinley's roles on Happy Days and Love Boat:

    kids ask Jefferson what it was like being on Happy Days, and he says he wasn't on it, and his name is Jefferson — another kid asks if that was his name on Love Boat
    Fox

    —michaeldavid

    24. And finally, when The Haunting of Hill House made a subtle Twilight reference in a scene with Elizabeth Reaser, who starred as Esme in the franchise:

    Kevin says to Shirley on Haunting of Hill House, "Why not send her to Carlisle?" and then there's a photo of Elizabeth Reaser playing Esme (Carlisle's wife) in Twilight
    Netflix / Summit Entertainment

    —jenerosity

    Got any we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

    Note: Submissions were edited for length/clarity.