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Have you ever been watching a film, suddenly noticed someone you think you recognise, and said to yourself, ‘wait, that can’t be …’?

If so, you may have spotted a ‘cameo’. That’s when a celebrity takes on a tiny role in a movie. Sometimes they’re in-jokes among the cast and crew, or the star might just be a huge fan of the movie in question.

����ý Bitesize grabbed it's magnifying glass and spotted six unexpected celebrity cameos.

Daniel Craig (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2015)

A James Bond/Star Wars crossover sounds like one of the most bizarre movie mash-ups of all time. But it did sort of happen in 2015 when 007 star Daniel Craig made an impossible-to-spot appearance behind the mask of a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He appears in a scene when Rey (Daisy Ridley) is captured and is awaiting interrogation by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

Craig, a big Star Wars fan, was at Pinewood Studios for a costume fitting for another movie when he asked if he could make a brief appearance. Although Craig is often seen in a dapper suit for his role as James Bond, he wasn’t a massive fan of the stormtrooper outfit. He said: “I had to wear the thing all day and I couldn't feel my hands by the end of the day.”

Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls, 2024)

Lindsay Lohan starred in the original Mean Girls, a high-school set comedy, back in 2004. She played Cady, a sweet, innocent girl who longs to fit in at her cliquey school. When the film was remade 20 years later, this time as a musical, she snagged a small role, much to the delight of fans.

She appears at the climax of the film, playing the moderator of a maths competition. The tiny role was kept secret until the film’s release, but fans got a clue she might be making an appearance when she walked the red carpet at the film’s premiere in New York.

Huey Lewis (Back To The Future, 1985)

Music megastar Huey Lewis made a brief appearance in 1985’s smash hit Back To The Future when he plays a megaphone-wielding judge in the ‘battle of the bands’ in which Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) competes towards the end of the film.

It’s particularly appropriate because the song Marty is playing is The Power of Love, which would become one of Huey Lewis And The News’ biggest hits. Robert Zemeckis, who directed the film, “thought it would be cool,” Lewis said. “He said, 'If we had any guts we’d put you in.' I resisted it, but agreed if I was uncredited and disguised. It was more of an in-joke."

Stan Lee (Marvel movies)

For Marvel fans, Stan Lee is a legendary figure. He created many of the MCU’s most beloved stars including Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man. When Marvel started making movies, fans were delighted that he started turning up regularly in blink-and-you’ll-miss them roles.

His cameos include: as a beauty-pageant judge in Iron Man 3 (2013), a barman in Ant-Man, (2015), a postman in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and a casino customer in Black-Panther (2018). His last cameo was a tribute after his death in 2018 when he appeared digitally de-aged in Avengers: Endgame (2019) driving a car.

Erin Brockovich (Erin Brockovich, 2000)

Often cameos are made by stars or celebrities. But Erin Brockovich is an example of the real-life subject of a movie having a tiny role in it.

Brockovich fought her local power company over pollution, a significant event in American consumer rights which was turned into a film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Julia Roberts starred as the heroic environmental campaigner.

But Brockovich herself makes a sneaky appearance as a waitress serving Julia Roberts in a diner. “Steven called me and asked me to do the cameo,” she later said. “I didn't want to be on camera. I'm not an actress, and he said you'll be glad you did it,” she added.

Princess Beatrice (The Young Victoria, 2009)

A royal cameo is something rather special and one occurred in 2009 when Princess Beatrice appeared in The Young Victoria, a film about her great-great-great-great Grandmother, Queen Victoria. Emily Blunt starred as the young monarch.

Beatrice’s mum, Sarah Ferguson, was a co-producer on the movie, and Beatrice made her film debut as one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting seen towards the start of the film.

This article was published in November 2024