Wait, was that Ben Affleck?!
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00:00The primary purpose of an extra is to keep a scene lively and realistic, but it can be
00:06a rather thankless task. Sure, you get to grace the small screen with your presence
00:11and make your mark on TV, but outside of family and friends, very few people actually notice
00:17the people in the background, and that's by design.
00:20However, the modern viewership landscape is not what it used to be, with every tiny detail
00:25of a TV show being searched and analysed by fandoms and keen viewers. Yes, although
00:30the figures in the background are typically your everyday people, there are a few occasions
00:35where stars of a huge magnitude pop up.
00:38So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture, and here are 8 huge actors you
00:43didn't notice as extras in TV shows.
00:46Number 8, Christopher Lloyd in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
00:51Christopher Lloyd, the legendary Doc Brown, co-star to Danny DeVito in Taxi, icon of the
00:58screen, and extra in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Really? When on earth was he
01:05in that? You'd think he'd be easy to spot, right? Well, as it turns out, his cameos seem
01:11to fly over people's heads like Santa's sleigh itself.
01:15The Always Sunny Christmas special was a hilarious look into holiday life as led by this gang
01:20of sociopaths. One of the most shocking and hilarious moments came when Charlie recalled
01:25his young Christmas days, when multiple men dressed as Santa would come along, give him
01:29a present, and cheer his mum up for a while. Yikes.
01:34But among the cascade of red-clad jolly men was an actor of high repute. During the montage
01:39of Santa's arriving, one of them is of course played by Christopher Lloyd. It's easy to
01:44miss as his beard covers most of his face, but you'll never be able to unsee it once
01:48you spot it.
01:49It's a hilarious cameo for sure, but still, you don't want to imagine the kind of things
01:54he did to Charlie's mum. Great Scott.
01:58Number seven, Lady Gaga in The Sopranos. The Sopranos is a series that needs no introduction.
02:05It's one of the biggest shows to ever grace the small screen. But more than simply boasting
02:10the greatest of all time status, it also features the acting debut of one of the biggest pop
02:16stars of the last decade, Lady Gaga.
02:19The episode The Tell-Tale Moosadel featured a scene that saw AJ Soprano and friends breaking
02:24into their school and messing around in the swimming pool. There, cheering them on in
02:28the background as Girl at Swimming Pool Number Two was the future megastar.
02:33No one will blame you for missing this one, as the future Lady Gaga, credited here as
02:37Stephanie Germanotta, was only 15 when she took to those bleachers. Hell, even those
02:42who decide to watch the show back might struggle to recognize her, thanks to how much she has
02:47changed since then.
02:49Gaga herself has even critiqued this early role, stating that she could see exactly what
02:53she did wrong in that scene, and claimed that she has grown as an actor since then.
02:57Well, she certainly did leap out of the background and into the spotlight, and even has a Best
03:03Actress Academy Award nomination under her belt, so there's no arguments here.
03:08Number Six, Leonardo DiCaprio in Roseanne. It's a little tough for the younger generation
03:13to imagine Leonardo DiCaprio as anything but the big, shouty leading man he is today.
03:20But everybody's got to start somewhere, and DiCaprio definitely found himself some very
03:24interesting roles way before he started chewing on Gilbert's grape.
03:29The future Oscar winner scored a hunk of minor, non-speaking parts when he was but a little
03:34seedling in the acting world, with one of the most notable being the classic 90s comedy
03:40hit Roseanne. Yes, you can spot the young Jack Dawson in the background of a scene from
03:45the episode Home Ec, playing one of Darlene's classmates.
03:49It's a well-known fact that the bona fide Hollywood star only takes top-billing roles,
03:55with the exception to that rule being just about as rare as a bad Quentin Tarantino movie.
04:00Which is why it's all the more amusing to look back at this sitcom and see him playing
04:04a part that he didn't even get credit for.
04:07It might not have been the most glamorous of roles, but at least he was free from being
04:11torn apart by bears.
04:13Number 5. Mahershala Ali in CSI Crime Scene Investigation.
04:17Mahershala Ali is one of the few actors to have won multiple Academy Awards, and he managed
04:23to do it all within two years. Talk about impressive.
04:26But like almost every other actor that came before him, he wasn't always a leading man.
04:32And this small part on that road is a big sign of that.
04:35When watching the CSI episode Lucky Strike, you'll be introduced to Tavian Toomes, a real
04:40piece of work who was in desperate need of protection, which he found in the character
04:45Toomes' security guard.
04:47Okay, that name isn't particularly impressive, but as you've probably guessed, the name behind
04:52that character most certainly is.
04:54That being Mahershala Ali.
04:56Suppose you ever find yourself binging a boatload of early CSI episodes.
05:01In that case, you'd likely feel pretty jarred at seeing this multiple-time Oscar winner
05:06playing the simple background role of a security guard.
05:09But naturally, he does a great job even without lines or camera focus.
05:1420 years later, and Toomes' security guard is now a vampire slayer in the MCU.
05:20I wonder if he's still on the payroll.
05:22Number 4. Danny Pudi in Cougar Town.
05:26Calling Danny Pudi a huge star might be a bit of a stretch, but the hilarious actor
05:31does have a big following thanks to his performance as Abed in the cult sitcom Community.
05:37And he also made an appearance in the MCU, so who can argue against that?
05:41One of the funniest aspects of Abed's character was his obsession with the show Cougar Town.
05:46This reference paid off massively in Cougar Town's Something Good Coming Part 2.
05:51The episode featured a scene where Laurie and Travis were having a nice chat outside a subway,
05:56and behind them was an extra who seemed oddly interested in their conversation.
06:00Naturally, it was Danny Pudi playing the role of Abed inside Cougar Town.
06:04Talk about meta.
06:06Watching this scene must have been massively confusing for those who aren't fans of the cult
06:10sitcom, but for those who loved the show, this was a hilarious in-joke.
06:14Still, it was made even better when Cougar Town's Busy Phillips and Damn Bird returned
06:19the favour by appearing in a crowd shot in the Community episode for a few paintballs more.
06:25Who knew the small screen was such a small world?
06:27Number 3, Lin-Manuel Miranda in The Sopranos.
06:32Well, it would seem that if you're looking for a musical genius, all you've got to do
06:35is search the background of The Sopranos, because it seems to be dripping with them.
06:39Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda? It's a bona fide all-star cast back there.
06:45But unlike Gaga, Miranda actually did have a few lines, so good for him.
06:51The future creator of Hamilton can be spotted in the Season 6 episode Remember When.
06:56His blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo came as Tony and Paulie pulled up to a motel,
07:00only to find it replaced by a new hotel.
07:03There, they accosted a familiar-looking bellman, who gave them blank stares and a lack of information.
07:08Of course, this familiar face was that of Lin-Manuel Miranda,
07:11scoring his first acting job on a major television show.
07:15Interestingly, Miranda had already written one of his most notable projects,
07:19his debut musical In the Heights, when he scored this minor role,
07:23so he certainly had his fingers in some pies back in 2007.
07:27The man was certainly on his way to stardom after he portrayed this nameless character,
07:31and he definitely did not throw away his shot.
07:35Number 2, Jennifer Lawrence in Monk.
07:38If playing an extra helps you fade into the background,
07:41then donning a mascot costume must turn your face into John Cena.
07:45Because nobody will see it.
07:46Taking on the role of a sports mascot on TV must be heaps of fun,
07:50but you can never really tell who is underneath that mask.
07:54This anonymity makes for a hilarious plot twist for anyone deciding to re-watch the
07:59classic Tony Shalhoub-led sitcom Monk, as one of their extras would go on to do great things.
08:05In the episode Mr. Monk and the Big Game,
08:07the titular character became a basketball coach whilst trying to solve a murder.
08:11During one sequence, Monk found himself getting
08:14irritated by an overly enthusiastic mascot dressed up as a lion.
08:18The moment was pretty funny, and the lion did a great job.
08:20However, after this came a brief moment where the mascot removed her head,
08:25and who happened to be underneath?
08:26Why, it was the future Oscar winner, Katniss Everdeen herself, Jennifer Lawrence.
08:31Of all the first roles you could get, playing a mascot extra is one hell of a way to start.
08:37Number one, Ben Affleck in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
08:41Many sitcoms like to include celebrity cameos, and Curb Your Enthusiasm is no exception.
08:46In fact, the setting in the world of TV makes it essential.
08:50Thanks to this, the show has seen some truly epic guest spots,
08:53with highlights including Shaquille O'Neal,
08:55Wanda Sykes, and the previously mentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda.
08:59But there's one that you probably missed.
09:01Whether you love him or hate him, there's no denying that Ben Affleck is a big Hollywood star.
09:06That's what makes this guest spot such a surprise,
09:08as he simply acts as an extra leaving an apartment store in the episode Officer Krupke.
09:13That's it.
09:14He's literally on the screen for a second as he bolts out of the store.
09:19The man did more work as a basketball player on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
09:22It is a hilarious moment for those who managed to catch it,
09:25and plays into the show's loving mockery of celebrity culture.
09:29The cameo came about because Ben Affleck was visiting the set,
09:32and Larry David asked him if he'd like to be an extra in the episode.
09:36It does go to show that you can never go wrong by asking.
09:39And that concludes our list.
09:41If you can think of any that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below.
09:44And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe,
09:47and tap that notification bell.
09:49Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there,
09:51and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
09:55I've been Ellie with WhatCulture.
09:57I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you real soon.