From unexpected appearances to scene-stealing moments, these celebrity cameos elevated already good scenes to legendary status. Join us as we celebrate the most memorable guest appearances in film history that left audiences stunned and delighted. Which surprise appearance was your favorite?
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00:00You want some? Yes! I knew you'd come. Hey mom! The meatloaf! We want it now!
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:10unforgettable guest appearances in movies that transformed good scenes into undeniably great ones.
00:16Are they all here? All but one. Well, I'm going anyway.
00:21Number 10. Danny Glover, Maverick
00:23By the early 1990s, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover had starred in three Lethal Weapons films,
00:29all directed by Richard Donner. Hey, no guns, no jiu-jitsu, just bring him down.
00:34Roger. What?
00:3610-4. Oh, okay.
00:43In 1994, Donner reunited with Gibson for the western comedy Maverick,
00:48in which Gibson played the titular gambler and con artist. In one scene,
00:52Maverick confronts a bank owner, only for a gang of misfits to storm in and rob the place.
00:58To his surprise, Maverick seems to recognize one of the robbers, who turns out to be Danny Glover.
01:03The film playfully references their Lethal Weapon partnership, as the two exchange a
01:08brief look of recognition while the franchise's music plays on. Give me that!
01:23To top it off, Glover's character then delivers his signature Lethal Weapon line before writing
01:28off on his getaway horse.
01:29Oh, I'm getting too old for this s***.
01:329. Matt Damon, Thor Ragnarok
01:35Taika Waititi's Thor Ragnarok didn't just revitalize the Thor franchise,
01:39it gave the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe a much-needed comedic jolt.
01:44Tell my story. Build a statue for me.
01:48We will build a big statue for you.
01:49With my helmet on. With the big bendy horns.
01:52One of the earliest and funniest scenes in the film features Loki disguised as his
01:57adopted father Odin, staging a rather creative retelling of his own death in the previous
02:03installment. The Asgardian actor who portrays Loki in this exaggerated reenactment is none
02:09other than Matt Damon, a cameo that left audiences both surprised and delighted.
02:14I'm sorry about that thing with the tesseract. I just couldn't help myself.
02:18I know.
02:19I'm a trickster.
02:19This is so mischievous.
02:22Sorry about that time I turned you into a frog.
02:25Damon hams it up in the play, delivering a performance so hilariously bad you'd
02:30almost forget he's an award-winning actor.
02:32His appearance takes an already funny scene and cranks it up to sheer absurdity.
02:37I didn't do it for him.
02:45Number 8. Keith Richards, Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End
02:50Johnny Depp has often credited Rolling Stone's guitarist Keith Richards as the inspiration for
02:55Jack Sparrow's swagger and voice in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
02:59Now you're talking, Jackie boy.
03:01Know what I mean?
03:04Open the cage and let the tigers out.
03:06For the third installment, Depp somehow worked magic by getting Richards to play his father,
03:11Captain T. Richards sauntered into the room in the scene,
03:15commanding everyone's respect before he even utters a word.
03:19You're in my way, boy.
03:21He doesn't stick around for long, but in under five minutes,
03:25Richards strums a guitar, silences the room with a single note,
03:28and drops what is arguably the most memorable line of the entire film.
03:32To survive, it's not just about living forever, Jackie.
03:41The trick is living with yourself forever.
03:46In a movie that otherwise struggled to stay afloat,
03:48seeing both the muse and the inspired share the screen was a rare bright spot.
03:53Yes, ma'am.
04:01She looks great.
04:03Number 7. Gene Hackman, Young Frankenstein
04:07Visitor's all I ask. A temporary companion to help me pass a few short hours in my lonely life.
04:16Thank you, Florence.
04:19This two-time Oscar-winning actor built his reputation on serious roles
04:23in films like The French Connection and The Conversation.
04:26However, eager to explore a different side of acting,
04:30he took an uncredited part in Mel Brooks' classic horror spoof, Young Frankenstein.
04:35Hackman plays a blind reclusive monk who prays for a companion and is visited by the monster.
04:41No, no, no, don't speak. Don't speak. Don't say a word.
04:44Oh, my joy and my prize from heaven.
04:48Oh, you must have been the tallest one in your class.
04:51Their encounter quickly turns disastrous as the monk accidentally
04:54pours hot soup on the creature and lights his finger on fire.
04:58Despite the slapstick nature of the scene,
05:00Hackman delivers his lines with a deadpan precision that makes everything much funnier.
05:05He even improvised his final line, which was so unexpectedly hilarious
05:10that the shot had to fade to black immediately to hide the crew's laughter.
05:14Wait. Where are you going? I was gonna make espresso.
05:20Number six, Mike Tyson, The Hangover.
05:23Who the hell are you?
05:23Who the hell are you?
05:25Quiet, quiet.
05:26Who the hell does the show?
05:30Mike Tyson?
05:31Few scenes in The Hangover can compete with the sheer brilliance of Mike Tyson's cameo.
05:35The legendary boxer plays a key role in helping the three friends retrace their
05:40steps and track down their missing buddy. But that doesn't mean the fun was lacking.
05:53Tyson portrays a fictionalized version of himself and does what he does best,
05:58knocking out Zach Galifianakis' character Alan in the first minute.
06:01It's an unexpected showing from the former heavyweight champ,
06:05but Tyson delivers, turning his brief appearance into one of the film's highlights.
06:10The cameo didn't just make the scene better, it also changed Tyson's life,
06:14as he later revealed that the experience motivated him to turn things around
06:18and embrace a healthier lifestyle.
06:21Again, we are so sorry we stole your tiger.
06:24Don't worry about it, man.
06:25Number five, Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder.
06:28The 2008 satire Tropic Thunder had no shortage of ridiculous characters and plot lines,
06:34but one of its biggest surprises was the bizarre cameo by Tom Cruise.
06:47Cruise was initially supposed to play another role, but he pitched an entirely new character,
06:52which he developed later with director Ben Stiller.
06:55As the foul-mouthed, hot-tempered producer Les Grossman,
06:58Cruise is near unrecognizable, not just in appearance, but also in his mannerisms.
07:03The universe is talking to us right now, you just gotta listen.
07:15In one of the film's few scenes set outside the jungle, Cruise completely steals the show,
07:20yelling expletives, chugging Diet Coke, and busting out dance moves to low.
07:25Take this scene away, and the movie feels incomplete.
07:27Take Cruise out of it, and it most likely wouldn't have worked at all.
07:31This is the good part, Pecker.
07:32It's when the job gets fun.
07:35Ask, and you shall receive.
07:38Number four, Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross.
07:42Alec Baldwin only appears in one scene in David Mamet's 1992 film adaptation of his stage play
07:48about a group of desperate real estate salesmen.
07:51Yet, that scene has become arguably the most memorable and quotable of the entire film.
07:56Put that coffee down.
08:02Coffee's for closers only.
08:03Baldwin's character, Blake, is a hotshot salesman brought in to galvanize the team.
08:08But instead, he doles out a brutal seven-minute takedown,
08:11threatening their jobs if they don't follow the ABCs of sales.
08:15A, B, C. A, always, B, B, C, closing.
08:20Always be closing.
08:22Always be closing.
08:25The role was created specifically for Baldwin,
08:28and with his razor-sharp delivery, it's clear to see why.
08:31Of course, Mamet deserves credit for coming up with the iconic lines,
08:35but without Baldwin's commanding performance, they wouldn't have hit nearly as hard.
08:39Go and do likewise, gents.
08:40The money's out there.
08:42You pick it up, it's yours.
08:43You don't, I got no sympathy for you.
08:45You want to go out on those sits tonight and close, close, it's yours.
08:49Not, you're going to be shining my shoes.
08:52Number three, Will Ferrell, Wedding Crashers.
08:55After his best friend falls in love and gives up wedding crashing,
08:59John Beckwith seeks advice from the legendary crasher, Chaz Reinhold.
09:03Hi, is Chaz here?
09:04Chaz, there's someone here to see you.
09:08The role of Chaz wasn't in the original script,
09:11but after Owen Wilson and director David Dobkin wrote him in,
09:14they knew only one man could do him justice, Will Ferrell.
09:18Why didn't you say so?
09:20Come here, brother.
09:21Give me a hug.
09:22Bring it in for the real thing.
09:24And they were absolutely right.
09:26From the moment Ferrell descends the staircase
09:28wearing a kimono with nunchucks around his neck,
09:30it was a never-ending flurry of hilarity.
09:33Every line that comes out of his mouth is delivered with such impeccable timing
09:37that he doesn't just steal the scene, but crashes the entire movie.
09:41And by keeping the cameo under wraps,
09:43the filmmakers ensured audiences were in for an unforgettable experience.
09:49Damn you, Roger.
09:56Roger.
10:00Number two, Christopher Walken, Pulp Fiction.
10:04Pulp Fiction is widely regarded not only as Quentin Tarantino's best film,
10:08but as one of cinema's greatest offerings.
10:11It was a teenage wedding in the old folks' way.
10:15It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished him well.
10:21You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle.
10:25One scene that burns itself into memory features Christopher Walken as Captain Coons,
10:30a war veteran who is entrusted to deliver a gold watch to the son of his fallen comrade.
10:35As Coons recounts the watch's long, almost mythical journey through generations,
10:39he reveals how he smuggled it inside his body for two years.
10:43He died of dysentery.
10:44Give me the watch.
10:46I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass two years.
10:50Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family.
10:55The nearly four-minute monologue starts off sincere,
10:58before taking an unbelievably absurd turn.
11:01Yet through it all, Walken plays it straight,
11:03his deadpan delivery making the ridiculous seem almost profound.
11:07Granted, this was always going to be Captain Coons' scene,
11:11but in lesser hands, it could have easily fallen apart.
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11:39This cameo was originally written for Patrick Swayze,
11:42but as he was undergoing cancer treatment at the time, Bill Murray stepped in.
11:46In the scene, the crew ventures to Murray's Hollywood home,
11:50where they encounter him posing as a zombie to blend in.
11:52You're not a zombie, you're talking to what you...
11:55You're okay.
11:56The hell I am.
11:58I'm sorry, I didn't know that it was you, you.
12:01While we had been fully invested in the main characters up until that point,
12:05Murray effortlessly steals the spotlight,
12:07firing off one hilarious line after another with references to his entire career.
12:12See you on the other side, Pete.
12:13Oh, he's so disgusting.
12:16He's like a limo.
12:18Don't cross the street!
12:22It all culminates in one of the funniest deaths in movie history,
12:26one that only Murray could have executed this well.
12:29Considering how beloved this appearance was,
12:32the filmmakers had no choice but to bring Murray back for another scene-stealing cameo
12:37in the 2019 sequel Zombieland Double Tap.
12:43I hate Mondays.
12:48What's the most unforgettable movie cameo you've seen?
12:50Share them in the comments below.
12:52I was up for Princess Leia.
12:54I was this close.
12:55So who gets it?
12:57The one who sleeps with George Lucas.
12:59Do you agree with our picks?
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13:12Thanks for watching.