8 of the most surprising celebrity film cameos of all time: from Elon Musk in Iron Man 2 and Michael Jackson in Men in Black, to Eminem ‘coming out’ in The Interview and Tom Cruise as Austin Powers
To a movie-goer, few things are more delightful than a celebrity cameo. The very best ones either catch us completely off guard, or see our favourite stars sending themselves up by playing against type.
So whose cameos have been the most surprising over the years? We’ve rounded up eight of our favourites.
1. Eminem in The Interview
In 2014, the controversial North Korea-centred comedy The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogan, featured a cameo by Eminem – coming out as gay. Franco’s character sits down with the rapper to ask him about his controversial lyrics, to which Marshall Bruce Mathers III replies: “When I say things about gay people and people think my lyrics are homophobic … you know, it’s because I’m gay.”
Franco’s “wait, what?” reaction to the unlikely revelation even spawned one of the internet’s favourite gifs.
2. Keith Richards in Pirates of the Caribbean
9 famous names spotted at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Singapore
3. Matt Damon in Eurotrip
Matt Damon is the king of comedy cameos, making it hard to pick his most surprising – from his brilliant “I’m F****** Matt Damon” skit with Sarah Silverman on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, to his hilarious cameo in Marvel’s Thor.
However, his most incongruous appearance may still be in 2004’s Eurotrip. Never before had audiences seen this Matt – fully committed to the bit as a punky Green Day-esque rocker – skinhead, nail varnish, piercings, the whole bit.
4. Glenn Close in Hook
This one is surprising if you were a fan of the 1991 film, watched it over and over on VHS, and still didn’t realise that one of the bearded male pirates who gets into trouble with Dustin Hoffman’s Hook was in fact none other than Oscar-winning actress Glenn Close!
5. Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe
6. Michael Jackson in Men in Black II
Michael Jackson was reportedly offered a part as an alien in the original 1997 Men In Black film, but turned it down. After seeing the movie in the cinema, however, he begged director Barry Sonnenfeld to let him be in the next one as one of the black-suited agents, the director recounted. In the end, they appear to have come to a compromise …
Who is Paul McCartney’s mini-me musician son, James McCartney?
7. Tom Cruise in Austin Powers in Goldmember
Cruise also delighted audiences in Ben Stiller’s 2008 film Tropic Thunder as a grotesque, Diet Coke-guzzling caricature of a film executive, suitably named Les Grossman.
8. Elon Musk in Iron Man 2
“I have a good idea for an electric jet,” he says to Stark in the film. “You do? Then we’ll make it work,” the Marvel superhero replies.
- Tom Cruise and Matt Damon are the kings of unexpectedly funny cameos, while Elon Musk and Glenn Close had blink-and-you-miss-them turns in Iron Man 2 and 90s film Hook respectively
- Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards played Jack Sparrow’s father in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after Johnny Depp admitted his character was based on the ageing rocker