Directors often try their best to avoid the screen and focus on managing other aspects of the production process. However, once in a while, some of them feel the need to be part of a cast, and whenever they do so, it tends to be in their movies. The trend was popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, who, at the height of his career, made a habit of appearing ina cameo capacityin all his movies. Interestingly, a few directors were granted cameo or main roles in other filmmakers’ movies.
Casting a director is always a risk, as their skills are often unproven if it’s their first time in a role. Surprisingly, many of them do better than was expected. Better yet, their roles are rarely publicized before a film’s release, so their appearance comes as a pleasant surprise to fans. Sometimes, they play themselves in what is often a clever way to amalgamate fiction with reality, while on other occasions, they are offered fictional roles that are perfectly suited to their strengths.
10Quentin Tarantino in Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado (1995)
There aren’t many movie heroes cooler thanDesperado’s El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas). He carries guns in a guitar case, and he can sing as well as he can shoot. His goal is to track down the drug lord who killed his lover, and right before he shows up at a bar at the beginning of the film, an unnamed stranger arrives, orders a drink, and begins telling philosophical jokes. That person is played by none other thanQuentin Tarantino.
A Cameo Born Ought of Friendship
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have been friends for years, so the cameo must have been rather easy to pull off. Several years later, the two would collaborate on the double featureGrindhouse. Here, Tarantino’s character doesn’t shape the movie’s events in any significant way, but he helps spice up the dialogue. After all, his joke is not only clever but lasts for three minutes. And because Tarantino was familiar with the basics of acting (he had previously starred in his debut,Reservoir Dogs), he comes off as a natural fit here. At the moment, there arerumors of aDesperadosequel, and given how great the original is, fans will be hoping it happens.
Stream on Netflix
9Steven Spielberg in Jay Roach’s Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002)
Austin Powers in Goldmembersees the titular hero’s archenemy, Dr. Evil,traveling back in timeto 1975 to team up with gold-obsessed tycoon, Goldmemeber, who got his nickname after losing his genitals in a smelting accident. Austin Powers manages to stop their plan to pull a meteor to earth, and after these events,Steven Spielbergis shown making a biopic about the spy starring Tom Cruise.
Marvelous Cameo Fest
Mike Myers had become a major star by the first installment, so everyone wanted to taste his spy-parody ridiculousness. The actor, who also produced the film, thus managed to pull in big names like Quincy Jones and John Travolta for cameos. However, it was Spielberg who impressed the most. Known for being a rather serious person, Spielberg loosens up and delivers some incredible moments. When Powers suggests some changes to the biopic, Spielberg points to his Oscar trophy, implying that he knows what he is doing so the spy can take his advice and shove it. And when he is done, he backflips out of the set. No wonder Powers calls him “the grooviest filmmaker in history.”
Rent on Amazon Prime Video
10 TV Shows Created by Film Directors
The following TV shows were created by famous movie directors, and they are as fascinating as the movies that the filmmakers are known for.
8John Huston in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974)
InChinatown,private detective J.J. “Jake” Gittes (Jack Nicholson) believes he will be handling a normal infidelity case when a woman named Evelyn Mulwray hires him to dig into her husband’s activities. He quickly realizes the woman who hired him is an imposter when the real Mrs. Mulwray confronts him. Before he figures it out, he finds himself deep inside a conspiracy involving the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the tycoon Noah Cross, played byJohn Huston.
The Filmmaker’s Favorite Role
The book,Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers)by Robert Emmet Long quotes Huston as saying he felt he was a poor actor but a brilliant director. Some fans might agree. After all, this is the person who madeThe Maltese FalconandThe Treasure of Sierra Madre.However, after watchingChinatown, many will dispute his assertion that he is a poor actor. In the crime drama, Huston arguably shines more than Jack Nicholson, and for his great job, he earned himselfa Golden Globenomination for Best Actor, alongside other accolades. He would later state that this was his favorite role.
Stream on Paramount+
7Sam Raimi in The Coen Brothers’ Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Among theCoen Brothers’ most underrated moviesisMiller’s Crossing,which follows an up-and-coming Prohibition Era gangster as he gets up in a war between the Italian and Irish mobs. He happens to be in love with one of his boss’s love interests, too, which complicates things even further. The gangster flick has a few pleasant cameos, notably that ofSam Raimias a police officer.
A ‘Blink and You Miss It’ Moment
Miller’s Crossingwas released only a few days afterGoodfellas,hence the reason it never got much attention. Raimi’s role didn’t receive much press either since it lasted less than a minute, and the director wasn’t as big as he is now. Still, Raimi’s involvement adds value to the film as it helps accentuate the barbarity. After a group of men bombs a bar, Raimi’s character, credited as “The Snickering Gunman,” is shown laughing.
6Orson Welles in Carol Reed’s The Third Man (1949)
Set inpost-World War IIAustria, The Third Man centers around Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), who heads to Vienna to take up the job his buddy Harry Lime (Orson Welles) promised him, only to find that he died from a hit-and-run incident. Holly figures there is more than meets the eye, and as he digs into the matter, he ends up falling for Harry’s lover, Anna.
The Never-Ending Welles Rumors
Orson Welles was as good an actor as he was a director. Here, he gives another incredible performance, with the highlight coming from his character’s monologue about how chaos makes the world better. He issues an example of how polymaths like Da Vinci and Michelangelo emerged during the Borgias' disorderly reign in Italy, yet Switzerland had peace but “only came up with a cuckoo clock.” Rumors would later emerge that Welles had ghost-directed the movie. For the rest of his career, theCitizen Kanedirector would fuel these rumors without outrightly confirming them, and today, the debate remains regarding his involvement behind the scenes.
Stream on Tubi
5Roger Corman in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part II (1974)
It’s been argued thatThe Godfather: Part IIis better than the first installment, and many will agree, given how fluidly it tells two parallel stories from different timelines. The film covers Vito Corleone’s earlier years as well as Michael Corleone’s efforts to expand into Vegas. At some point, a Senate committee is set up to investigate the Corleone family, and one of the senators in attendance is played by none other thanRoger Corman. Known as “The Pope of Pop Cinema,” Corman is known forcreating many Hollywood careers.
A Long History
Coppola once served as Corman’s assistant. Corman also helped finance Coppola’s directorial debut,Dementia 13,so the cameo role inThe Godfather: Part IIdidn’t come as a surprise. The two always had great respect and admiration for each other. Friendship aside, Corman was perfect for the role because he had the skills and passion to pull it off. He had previously cameoed in nine other movies and namedThe Godfatherone of the greatest cinematic works he had ever seen.
4Martin Scorsese in Robert Redford’s Quiz Show (1994)
Corporate Conspiracy and the Need for Accountability
Scorsese’s character, Martin Rittenhome, serves as a modelfor corporate conspiracyand reminds everyone why accountability is important. He does everything in his power to ensure Stempel fails, and to some extent, he ends up having the last laugh. It’s an appropriate role for the director because he has handled many equally sinister characters before in his critically acclaimed crime movies.
Rent on YouTube
3Sydney Pollack in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Stanley Kubrick’s final movie,Eyes Wide Shut,revolves around Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise), who discovers an underground sex cult and decides to participate but realizes he might have bitten off more than he can chew. DirectorSydney Pollackstars as the movie’s villain, Victor Ziegler. Pollack had previously worked with Cruise on his legal drama,The Firm.
Harvey Keitel Was the First Choice
Harvey Keitel was the first choice to play the villain, who starts as Dr. Hartford’s patient only to pull him into extracurricular affairs. Keitel dropped out to focus on the movie,Finding Graceland,hence Kubrick had to make a quick call to a friend. It wasn’t a bad choice, as Pollack is menacing in the role. His character never poses any physical intimidation, but his words and stares communicate enough to let the audience believe he is a threat.
2Tim Burton in Cameron Crowe’s Singles (1992)
Events in Cameron Crowe’sSinglesoccur during Seattle’s grunge music era. The camera focuses on several young people living in the same building as they each deal with changes in their lives. There is a waitress obsessed with a bad boy musician, an environmentalist desperately looking for love, and a young man obsessed with studying traffic patterns. DirectorTim Burtonbriefly appears as Brian, a video dating service director.
Burton’s Only Credited Acting Role
This is Tim Burton’s only credited acting role. Given his failure to appear on-screen in another major project, it should be presumed that he didn’t enjoy the experience like many other directors. According to Crowe, Burton was filming another project in Seattle whenSingleswas filming, so he invited him to pass by the set. All that Brian does is thumb through a magazine before agreeing to film another character’s video for $20. It’s, therefore, impossible to judge his acting skills from this scene alone.
10 Great Movies Written by Famous Directors (But Not Directed by Them)
The following Hollywood movies are known for having been written by famous directors.
1George Lucas in John Landis' Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
In the third installment of the popularaction-comedy franchise, Detroit lawman Alex Foley (Eddie Murphy) learns that his boss was killed, and the killer has ties to a Los Angeles amusement park called Wonder World. Once again, he returns to Beverly Hills, reuniting with Detective Rosewood. Together, the two uncover a counterfeit money operation headed by park manager Orrin Sanderson (John Saxon).George Lucasbriefly shows up as a man in an amusement park who openly expresses his disappointment after being cut off by Foley.
Average Movie, But Fun Cameos
Beverly Hills Cop IIIis an average movie compared to the other two, but it has plenty of fun cameos. Apart from George Lucas, Barbet Schroeder, Robert B. Sherman, Joe Dante, Arthur Hiller, John Singleton, and Peter Medak also play supporting characters. Lucas, specifically, gives a more natural performance as this isn’t his first time appearing in a film. The filmmaker has had cameo roles in movies likeHook, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, andMen in Black,
