Get ready for a hilarious journey through movie history as we explore the most epic cameos where actors brilliantly roasted their own iconic roles. From sci-fi parodies to unexpected comedy appearances, these self-referential moments will have you laughing out loud!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the actors who returned
00:10to the big screen to poke fun at their most iconic characters.
00:22Number 10.
00:23Liam Neeson – Ted 2 In this sequel, the main character receives
00:28an unlikely visitor at a grocery store.
00:31Liam Neeson plays a customer that's anxious about buying Trix cereal.
00:46With all the intensity of a take-in film, Neeson interrogates Ted about the tagline
00:51of the cereal.
00:52He even explicitly asks whether there'll be trouble if he, an adult, buys the product.
00:57Well, unfortunately, it seems that there does end up being trouble.
01:13Neeson returns after the credits, apparently having had quite the rough day, and returns
01:18the cereal.
01:19It's an absurd and hilarious way to utilize the prestigious talents of this acting legend.
01:25Number 9.
01:32Martin Sheen – Hot Shots Part 2 The Hot Shots sequel parodies many serious
01:51war movies.
01:52Though obviously they had to include a reference to Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 epic.
01:58A badass retired Navy soldier who found inner peace after discovering Buddhism, Charlie
02:03Sheen's topper Harley is pulled back in for one final mission.
02:07While ramboing his way through Iraq, he comes across Martin Sheen's character from Apocalypse
02:11Now, who might have taken a wrong turn on his way to Vietnam.
02:15As the father and son cross paths, they share a few words of encouragement.
02:24Number 8.
02:25Chris Evans – Free Guy As Ryan Reynolds' character plays with all
02:34sorts of iconic items, he conjures up one famous shield in the heat of battle.
02:39This just so happens to catch the eye of the real Chris Evans.
02:43The quick cutaway does half the work, but we also couldn't have asked for a more perfect
02:48reaction from the Avenger.
02:50At a time when MCU fans were really starting to miss Captain America, this cameo served
02:55as a fantastic pick-me-up.
03:05It's also emblematic of the fun energy employed throughout all of Free Guy, not to mention
03:10one of the movie's many winning pop culture jokes.
03:22Number 7.
03:23Johnny Depp – 21 Jump Street This film wasn't just funny, it also ingeniously
03:32brought the franchise full circle.
03:35As Schmidt and Janko find themselves cornered by bad guys, two other undercover cops were
03:40revealed themselves.
03:41One of the cops is played by Peter DeLuise, who you might know, and the other is played
03:45by Johnny Depp, who you definitely know.
03:51Reprising their roles from the original TV series, the partners reminisce about their
03:55Jump Street days before getting shot.
03:57Depp himself requested that his character be killed off, and the filmmakers gave him
04:01a truly uproarious send-off.
04:08Number 6.
04:09Hugh Jackman – X-Men First Class An X-Men movie apparently cannot be produced
04:16without an appearance from Wolverine, no matter how short it may be.
04:21Since the launch of the first movie, Hugh Jackman has made many physical appearances
04:25as Logan.
04:31While X-Men Apocalypse went for an extended and violent action sequence, Wolverine's
04:36best cameo lasted less than half a minute and featured no claws whatsoever.
04:41During X-Men First Class, Xavier and Magneto are looking for able mutants to join their
04:46cause, which leads them to a dingy bar in the middle of nowhere.
04:49Sadly, it was a wasted journey.
04:52Number 5.
04:53Neil Patrick Harris – Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
04:57This legendary cameo comes from an actor who first got famous for his role as TV's Kid
05:02Doctor Doogie.
05:03In a slightly less than wholesome role, however, NPH turns up during the titular duo's journey
05:08to this burger haven.
05:24The complete opposite of what anyone expected, this washed-up and creepy celeb-turned-hitchhiker
05:29punctuates the title stoner's quest for burgers in ways they couldn't possibly imagine.
05:33Number 4.
05:39John Hurt – Spaceballs
05:46In his send-up of sci-fi films, director Mel Brooks fills a diner with assorted misfits.
05:52This includes one patron that looks a lot like Kane from Alien.
05:56In yet another space movie, John Hurt's character has a stomach-churning encounter
06:00with an extraterrestrial.
06:02This version ends in a much more hilarious way, as the creature starts to sing and dance.
06:17Hurt leans into the moment, more than willing to poke fun at his former role.
06:21The acclaimed actor could have easily turned down this cameo, but we're glad he instead
06:26decided to die by aliens once more in this authentic parody.
06:34Number 3.
06:35David Hasselhoff – The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
06:43Confusing children and adults alike, David Hasselhoff arrives in the Spongebob Squarepants
06:48movie to give Spongebob and Patrick a much-needed ride across the sea.
06:53It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's hilariously campy, so we'll let it slide.
07:03Hasselhoff really sells his ability to sail across the water like a high-speed boat.
07:07All the while, he gives the surreal sequence a humor and charisma that can't be beaten.
07:21The actor even launches the characters out of his pecs in a moment that will have viewers
07:24of all ages laughing.
07:27Number 2.
07:28Bill Murray – Zombieland
07:33In a flick about the end of mankind, the last person anyone expects to see is zombified
07:38Bill Murray.
07:39But fear not, he's just playing dress-up to keep up with the Joneses.
07:44Once Murray drops the ruse, Woody Harrelson gives the appropriate, and some would say
07:47mandatory, fan-level freak-out.
07:50Too bad Bill takes his pranks too far, trying to get a laugh from a scared kid with a shotgun.
07:59Luckily, he's able to stay alive long enough to voice regret for starring in Garfield,
08:06the movie.
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08:30Number 1.
08:31Robert Patrick – Wayne's World
08:38Terminator 2 – Judgment Day took the world by storm in 1991, prompting Robert Patrick
08:43to revive the character for a brief cameo in Mike Myers' Wayne's World.
08:47Dressed up in his now-iconic beat-cop uniform, the T-1000 pulls over Wayne to ask whether
08:52he recently saw John Connor running around.
09:06Myers reacts exactly how anyone would in this situation – he screams and hightails it
09:11out of there.
09:12By the way, the T-1000 was actually meant to be portrayed by Billy Idol before he was
09:16ruled out due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident.
09:19Which actor would you most like to see reprise an iconic character on screen?
09:24Let us know in the comments.
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