Not all Hollywood celebrities are willing to turn the camera on themselves literally. It’s one thing to play a fictionalized character, but to play a representation of your own public image? That’s a tightrope act that can either fall spectacularly or yield pure pop culture treasure.
When it works, it’s not exactly a wink to the audience it’s a full-on conversation between the star, their life, and the public who think they know them. This kind of performance often blurs the lines between fact and fiction, spoofing celebrity legend while giving actors room to have an aspect of themselves we never see.
From action stars skewering their own machismo to comedy greats going full-on absurd, these are some of the most iconic moments when A-listers played themselves and showed that they’re all in on the joke.
1. Nicolas Cage – The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Few actors have been as self-aware and as bold as Nicolas Cage in this 2022 meta-comedy. Here he plays a caricature of himself broke, in desperation, and willing to accept a million-dollar salary to attend a superfan’s party only to discover that the host is the leader of a drug cartel. The film commits to his weirdness reputation by even making him have a CGI de-aging alternate self named Nicky. As he explained to The Hollywood Reporter, in real life, he is much more subdued (“I have a lot of quiet time at home with just me and my cat, reading”), but that would not be a good movie. Rather, he embraces the anarchy, giving a performance that is both funny and strangely moving a place that solidifies him as a master of self-deprecation.
2. Keanu Reeves – Always Be My Maybe
Hollywood’s own nicest guy, Keanu Reeves subverts this rom-com by acting out an over-the-top, hyper-styled version of himself. Wearing skinny scarves and lens-less glasses, his Keanu is smug, aggressive, and outrageously over-the-top so much so that Randall Park’s character ends up punching him. As co-star Ali Wong broke, Reeves improvised lines to be even more infuriating, showing willingness to dismantle his own saintly image. The reward? An instant meme cameo and a reminder that Reeves is as good at being funny as he is stuffy.
3. Bill Murray – Zombieland
Bill Murray’s cameo in this zombie-comedy is the stuff of legend. Playing himself in self-imposed exile during the zombie apocalypse, Murray survives by posing as one of the undead in order to move about unobtrusively. It’s a great extrapolation of his off-screen image as a pleasant weirdo who might just drop in unexpectedly at a stranger’s party. The joke is most preposterous when a misunderstanding gets him accidentally murdered, resulting in one of the film’s most memorable lines “Do you have any regrets? Murray’s deadpan reply “Garfield, maybe” is comedy genius.”
4. John Malkovich – Being John Malkovich
Spike Jonze’s surreal dramedy is dependent on whether Malkovich will be willing to get odd. Cast as an arrogant, snobbish version of himself, he is the object of an odd business proposition selling 15-minute rides into his head through an unearthly gateway.” The meta madness reaches its peak when Malkovich travels through the portal himself, to find himself in a world inhabited by nothing but iterations of Malkovich.
It’s a great spoof on fame and identity, and as Malkovich himself joked when first reading the script, “Why can’t it be called Being Tom Cruise? “The answer is clear it wouldn’t with anyone else.
5. Michael Jordan – Space Jam
In the 1996 cult classic, Michael Jordan imports his off-court NBA stardom into the realm of Looney Tunes. Based on a Nike commercial, the film had Jordan perform almost solely in front of a green screen responding to actors who weren’t present. It’s surprisingly demanding a job, but his friendly charm keeps the many preposterous assumptions flying. “While the $20 million paycheck surely oiled the wheels, Jordan’s willingness to blend sports legend and cartoon chaos helped make Space Jam a retro cultural touchstone among ’90s kids.
6. David Bowie – Zoolander
In a film chock-full of celebrity cameos, David Bowie’s is one to remember. Popping up out of nowhere to resolve a high-stakes ‘walk-off’ between Ben Stiller’s Zoolander and Owen Wilson’s Hansel, Bowie is cool as a cucumber. The absurdity of his presence no one ever asks himself why Bowie is at a rave warehouse reigning supreme over a battle among models is exactly why it is transcendent. They had the part with Bowie in mind, Stiller explained, when they were struck by inspiration by his song “Fashion,” and were thrilled when he signed on. It’s as preposterous as it is iconic.
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Last Action Hero
By the early ’90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger had perfected the action hero caricature. In Last Action Hero, he giddily deconstructs it, both playing fictional cop Jack Slater and a version of himself. The film satirically send-ups his catchphrase-spouting manner and even fantasizes about him starring in an action-oriented version of Hamlet. While it tanked at the box office, the parody has become cult material, fans appreciating Arnold’s willingness to make fun of his own iconography.
8. Neil Patrick Harris – Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Before his Barney Stinson breakout, Neil Patrick Harris was still best known as goody-goody teen doc Doogie Howser. His appearance in this stoner comedy flipped that image on its head. As a caricature of himself, drug-addled and womanizing, Harris steals the show, setting the course for a career rebirth. The part was so successful that it prompted cameos in the sequels to the film, demonstrating that the quickest way out of a squeaky-clean reputation is at times to burn it at the box office.
9. Michael Cera – This Is the End
Michael Cera’s performance in this end-of-the-world comedy is a lesson in debasement. Best known for his spastic, awkward turns as nice guys, Cera is instead cast as a coked-up, outrageously inappropriate version of himself in this film slapping Rihanna, stalking around to strange bathroom music, and meeting an unpleasant demise. It’s a dark, side-splitting departure from his typical roles, and one that illustrates how far he’ll go to defy audience expectations. When performers depict themselves in the flesh on screen, the most interesting scenes result from a mix of bravery, self-consciousness, and a desire to disassemble their own myths. These performances are not cameos in the traditional sense they’re cultural studies, offering winking subtext on stardom while making room for spectators to engage with a familiar star anew. And in a business built on lies, there’s something refreshing about a star who can satirize the one they’ve constructed.
