15 Celebs Who Were Super Sneaky And Actually Slipped Into A Theater To Watch Their Movies And People's Reactions

    Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher sneaking into a theater just to watch the Star Wars: A New Hope trailer is absolutely perfect.

    Nora Dominick
    by Nora Dominick

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. First, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire snuck into a showing of Spider-Man: No Way Home on opening weekend, and they were both so excited to see the movie and fans' reactions to their epic returns as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

    Columbia Pictures / Sony / Everett Collection

    "I snuck into a theater on opening night and just watched with my baseball cap on and my mask. In fact, I was actually with Tobey," Andrew explained. "Me and Tobey snuck into a theater together and no one knew we were there. It was just a really beautiful thing to share together." They were also accompanied by Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts. This film marked the first appearances for both Andrew and Tobey in a Spider-Man film since their franchises ended. Andrew has spoken a lot about how much he loved getting to share the screen with Tom Holland's Peter Parker too.

    Here's a picture of Andrew, Tobey, and Jon after they watched Spider-Man: No Way Home:

    Sƿɿძ૯ylɿf૯ @SpideylifeOne

    Ladies and gentlemen! Here is the pic of Tobey and Andrew the night they snuck in to watch the reactions! Originally they had just stayed to see the reactions to their entrance, but ended up staying for the whole film lmao. #SpiderManNoWayHome

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    @SpideylifeOne / Via Twitter: @SpideylifeOne

    2. Michael B. Jordan snuck into a bunch of showings when Black Panther came out in 2018. In fact, it helped him "relax" and realize that people were loving the movie and his performance as a villain.

    Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images / Disney / Marvel / Everett Collection

    "Honestly, everybody was laughing," Michael recalled when talking about buying a ticket and secretly seeing Black Panther among normal moviegoers. "They were yelling at the screen. The gasps, the one-liners, everything was working. It was kind of cool to see it with a normal audience, not at a premiere, not at a press junket. They were really engaged and interacting with the film. So, it was good to see."

    3. Hugh Jackman wanted to experience The Greatest Showman alongside a bunch of fans, so he snuck into a sing-along screening back in 2018.

    Niko Tavernise / 20th Century Fox / Everett Collection

    "We like to say that we made the movie that Barnum would have liked to make," Hugh Jackman said while talking about The Greatest Showman, which was truly a passion project for him. After finishing playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies, Hugh wanted to do a project that wasn't about "selling lunch boxes or action figures." Speaking about working with Hugh on The Greatest Showman, Zendaya said she marveled at the warmth he brought to set and how he treated everyone — from the biggest costars to the production assistants and gaffers.

    Here's a video of Hugh singing at the screening and eventually waving to fans:

    Hugh Jackman @RealHughJackman

    Wanted to experience the singalong too! So I snuck in the back of the theatre. Then I got busted. @GreatestShowman

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    @RealHughJackman / Via Twitter: @RealHughJackman

    4. Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd tried to go unnoticed while attending a showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, but people immediately recognized Carrie.

    Barry King / WireImage / Getty Images / Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Studios

    While promoting Star Wars: The Last Jedi in late 2017, exactly a year after Carrie Fisher died, Billie revealed that she and her mother attempted to sneak into a showing of The Force Awakens on opening weekend, but it didn't go according to plan. Billie hilariously said there was "no chance" her mom was going to walk into a movie theater filled with Star Wars fans and not be recognized. Billie also recalled that Carrie tried to be casual and sneak into a screening of Scream Queens at Comic-Con — wearing "mismatched socks" and unbrushed hair — to support Billie, but fans immediately noticed her there too.

    5. And in 1977, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher snuck into a movie just to watch the first trailer for Star Wars: A New Hope that played before it, and they started loudly laughing in the theater.

    Araya Doheny / Getty Images / Lucasfilm / Everett Collection

    According to Mark, Carrie convinced him to try and get the manager of a movie theater to let them sneak in. "We went in and we watched [the A New Hope trailer]. It was so early they didn’t have John Williams’ score," Mark recalled. "They didn’t have very many special effects finished at all. A couple of shots of TIE Fighters, I think. It made a real impression on me because we hadn’t seen any of the footage." Mark continued, saying, "At the end of the trailer, it said, ‘A billion light years in the making. And it’s coming to your galaxy this summer.’ Big explosion. And somebody in the balcony yelled out, ‘Yeah, and it’s coming to the late show about two weeks after that.' Nobody enjoys a well-placed, snarky remark more than I do. So [Carrie and I] both laughed."

    6. Tom Felton bought a ticket and watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with a live orchestra at a theater in Vancouver in 2017.

    Warner Bros / Everett Collection

    In the recent Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special on HBO Max, Tom detailed his time on the Harry Potter films and how the cast really became a family. Speaking about filming The Chamber of Secrets alongside Tom, Jason Isaacs said, "I adored Tom from the second I met him. He was always just the biggest sweetheart." Tom also recalled how Jason was a little scary when he got into character as Lucius. In fact, during the first scene they ever filmed together for Chamber of Secrets, Jason accidentally sunk the teeth of Lucius's snake cane into Tom's hand.

    Here's a selfie with Tom — wearing all of his Slytherin gear — and his The Flash costar Jesse L. Martin at the screening:

    7. Jack Quaid, who plays Richie in the new Scream movie, went to see the film just to see people's reactions to this wild "requel."

    Phillip Faraone / Getty Images / Paramount Pictures / Everett Collection

    When casting Jack for Scream, director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin said, “He's got all the qualities we look for in an actor where he's not just one thing. When you watch him on The Boys, he can go from being covered in blood and terrified, to being funny and humorous within a moment." Ironically, Jack was terrified of the original Scream when it came out in 1996 — because someone scared him on Halloween dressed as Ghostface — and it was one of the reasons he avoided horror movies until his early 20s. Jack explained "I remember that scared the shit out of me when I was, like, 4 years old. So I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no. I don't want to watch that movie.'"

    Here's a pic Jack snapped while sitting in the theater:

    8. And Mason Gooding, who plays Chad in the new Scream, said he was planning on pulling "an Andrew Garfield and watch y'all watch Scream in theaters."

    NBC / Getty Images / Paramount Pictures / Everett Collection

    While in a general meeting for Scream 5, Mason mentioned to directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett that he wrote a six-page paper while at NYU, which argued why the Scream franchise should be rebooted. The directors then asked to read the paper. "I sent it to them and heard nothing for like two weeks," Mason recalled. A few weeks later, Mason heard from his agents that he had been cast in the new Scream without ever having to do an audition or a screen test. "I muted myself and screamed," Mason said.

    9. Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo snuck into a screening of the massive film on opening night at a theater in Los Angeles.

    Jesse Grant / Getty Images / Disney / Marvel / Everett Collection

    Joe and Anthony snuck into the Regency Village Theater at UCLA on opening night in 2019. Speaking about the epic moment when Captain America lifts Thor's hammer, the Russos said they informed Chris Evans of the moment very early in the film's development. They explained, "Needless to say, he was psyched. The crew on these films are filled with comic book lovers, so you can guess how excited everyone was the day we filmed this."

    Here's a video Joe Russo captured when he and Anthony snuck into a theater:

    Russo Brothers @Russo_Brothers

    Sharing #Endgame for the first time last year, with each and every one of you, was the most thrilling and rewarding moment in our careers. THANK YOU. We eagerly await the day that we can all be back together in a theater, sharing these experiences once again…#AvengersAssemble

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    @Russo_Brothers / Via Twitter: @Russo_Brothers

    10. And even though MJ doesn't appear in Avengers: Endgame, Zendaya did go to a theater and discreetly watched the movie.

    Getty Images / Marvel

    After watching Endgame, she shared a hilarious Instagram story of her screaming with the caption, "Me after watching Endgame and knowing what I know about FFH." At the time, nothing was known about Spider-Man: Far from Home, except that it would conclude the epic Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though Zendaya watched the movie in theaters, she did reveal in 2021 that Tom Holland actually spoiled Tony Stark's fate for her before she saw it.

    Here's the photo of Zendaya right after leaving an Avengers: Endgame showing:

    @Zendaya / Via Instagram: @zendaya

    11. In the Heights director Jon M. Chu went to several screenings of the film to see audiences' reactions to it, and he was not disappointed.

    Getty Images / Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    On directing In the Heights, Jon said he worked really closely with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music and starred in the original Broadway cast, and Alegría Hudes, who wrote the original book and the screenplay. "For me, it was a lot of listening," Jon explained. "The directors are one of the only people who can stop the shoot and change directions, or literally take the time to work on something. I'm the only one who really has the authority to do that. So it just put that as the highest priority. That authenticity."

    Here's a video Jon captured of the entire theater dancing during "96,000."

    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    I snuck into some theaters tonight to see how audiences are reacting… and OH MY GAWD the time has come for REAL!!! The movies are back!!! This energy was insannnnneeeeee. You must see it to believe it!!! #InTheHeightsMovie 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

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    @jonmchu / Via Twitter: @jonmchu

    12. And Gregory Diaz IV, who starred as Sonny in In the Heights, slipped into a screening alongside Jon M. Chu and did his moment from the "96,000" pool scene in the back row while audiences watched in front of him.

    Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images / Warner Bros

    Gregory said the pool scene was his favorite and not just because he got to rap. He recalled, "It was more so the environment as a whole was so hyped-up and the energy was so high. We had 500-plus extras on the set. It doesn't get any better than that. It honestly felt like a real pool party off of the camera." Gregory also loved representing Sonny's struggle as an undocumented immigrant. He said, "Ultimately Sonny just wants to be able to grow up and do big things. As an actor playing this undocumented person, it was something that I wanted to help uplift and show in a positive sense."

    Here's the perfect video of Gregory dancing in the back row:

    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    @therebeccasun @gregorydiaziv I’ll do you one better. We snuck into a theater last night and @gregorydiaziv himself did it at the back of the theater while the audience was watching the screen &I have never been more hyped trying to capture it!The audience had no idea. Ha. instant classic. #InTheHeightsMovie

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    @jonmchu / Via Twitter: @jonmchu

    13. Lewis Tan, who starred as Cole Young in 2021's Mortal Kombat, loved seeing fans' reactions so much when he snuck into a theater "to feel the energy and it was booming."

    Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Talking about being cast as Cole, Lewis said he loved getting to perform high levels of martial arts on screen and getting to add representation to this beloved franchise. He explained, "I feel like I can represent an authenticity level that many actors can’t bring. I also think it was an exciting challenge because I know what I’m up against, with playing a new character in an already beloved franchise with established characters. Normally, if this was 20 years ago, a white character would have been the lead surrounded with people of color."

    Here's Lewis tweeting his excitement about seeing the movie with fans:

    Lewis Tan @TheLewisTan

    There is no way you can find all the Easter eggs in the film, you have to watch it twice ;) Thank you fans going crazy on social, nothing is more satisfying and hilarious, snuck into a theater last night to feel the energy and it was booming, and sold out. ;) #MortalKombatMovie

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    @TheLewisTan / Via Twitter: @TheLewisTan

    14. Spike Lee snuck into a screening of BlacKkKlansman in 2018 just because he wanted to see the audience's real reaction to the end of the film.

    Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

    The final few minutes of BlacKkKlansman features real footage from the deadly Charlottesville rally in 2017. Spike explained his experience watching it with an audience and coming up with the ending, saying, "Every time when Charlottesville happens you could hear a church mouse pissing on cotton on a Christmas Sunday. It wasn’t on the script, but it happened August 10. We didn’t start shooting 'til the middle of September. I knew that when I saw that this was the ending. It was not a decision made by committee."

    15. And finally, Kumail Nanjiani said his parents were actually going to showings of The Big Sick and afterward explaining to random moviegoers that it was their son in the movie.

    Mike Coppola / Getty Images / Lionsgate / Everett Collection

    Kumail explained that his parents went and saw The Big Sick several times in 2017 and after the film was over, they let it be known that Kumail was their son. "People will tweet me, they're like, 'After the movie, this older Pakistani couple turned around and was like, 'Did you like the movie? That was our son!' They've just been going and seeing it at movie theaters and saying hi to people." The Big Sick is based on Kumail and Emily V. Gordon's real-life love story.

    We can't fit everyone into one post, so what other actors and/or directors do you know snuck into movie theaters to watch their own movies? Tell us in the comments below!