For many, movie cameos are a special treat in films. Sometimes we expect them, and other times they are complete surprises. Seeing noteworthy people make short appearances in movies can add hype, excitement, intrigue or amusement. However, we’ve noticed that some of the coolest cameo roles are occasionally missed by audiences. So, we took to Reddit and compiled our favorite 15 movie cameos that users explain are easy to miss. This may mean rewatching some of our favorite films to spot the cameos we never notices or completely forgot about.
1. Stephenie Meyer in “Twilight”
Worlds collided when the author of the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer, made a cameos in both Twilight and Breaking Dawn-Part 1. In fact, she played a wedding guest at Bella and Edward’s wedding.
2. Donald Glover in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
As if Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse wasn’t exciting enough, we’re pretty pumped to share this Donald Glover cameo from Community. Most fans know that Glover voiced Uncle Aaron in Spiderverse , but what they may miss is that he gets a moment to appear as his Community character, Troy. It’s an appropriate scene, considering his character is in Spider-Man pajamas during an episode that’s playing on Uncle Aaron’s TV. This cameo also pays homage to Glover always wanting to play Spider-Man . He was told that the famous hero couldn’t be Black, but Into the Spiderverse changed the narrative.
3. Tom Hanks’ daughter in “Forrest Gump”
Here’s another family member cameo that people tend to miss. The little girl in Forrest Gump that refuses to let Gump sit next to her on the bus is actually Tom Hanks’ real-life daughter, Elizabeth Hanks.
4. Joseph Gordon Levitt voiceover in “Knives Out”
We must say that we’re grateful for all of the Joseph Gordon Levitt cameos in Rian Johnson films. Including this subtle one in Knives Out, when we get a glimpse of Levitt on television as a detective. It’s small, but a fun detail to notice.
5. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s teacher in “tick, tick…BOOM!”
It would be an understatement to say that tick, tick…BOOM! is the master of cameos. There are so many iconic Broadway appearances throughout the film, it’s hard to choose a favorite. While many of the cameos seem obvious, audiences may have missed this one. Lin Manuel Miranda’s elementary school music teacher, Barbara Ames, is seen handing Michael flowers.
6. Kathryn Stockett in “The Help”
While it’s unlikely that many viewers would be familiar enough with the author of The Help , (which the 2011 film of the same name was based on) to spot her immediately, she’s there. Author, Kathryn Stockett, makes an on-camera appearance at one of the Junior League meetings in the movie.
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7. James Gunn’s dog In The Suicide Squad
We can’t think of a cuter cameo out there. Fans may have missed when James Gunn invited his dog to be in The Suicide Squad. With the elaborate name, “Dr. Wesley von Spears,” it would seem that Gunn really loved his dog. Sadly, his pup died in 2020 at the age of 16.
8. Director Ron Howard in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
While it’s not unusual for a director to make a cameo in their films, this one may have escaped some people’s radars. Ron Howard decided to make an appearance as one the villagers in How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. We’re sure it must have been a merry and festive occasion.
9. Jodie Benson (voice of Ariel) in “Enchanted”
It was pretty magical when the princess film, Enchanted , paid homage to the Ariel voice actor from The Little Mermaid. Jodie Benson didn’t appear in the movie as a singing mermaid though, she portrayed a real-life woman working as a secretary.
10. Taylor Swift’s cats in “Deadpool 2”
Deadpool 2 had an adorable and unexpected cameo. Wade wore a shirt that said, “Olivia & Meredith” with two cats next to each other and the caption “best friends purrrrr-Ever.” Those cuddly kitties just so happen to be Taylor Swift’s pets. The production crew put in a formal request to Swift to use their images, and it’s safe to say that they got approval.
11. Sid in the movie Robots
In the Ice Age movies, Sid is the silly and lovable sloth that people can’t get enough of. So, it’s not shocking that they decided to include a robot version of him in the animated film, Robots. From an ice age to high-tech robots, it looks like Sid is living a long life.
12. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in “The Incredibles”
We can’t get over attention to detail like this, especially when it’s in honor of those that helped pay the way for others. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston worked as animators for Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and their animated doppelgangers appeared in The Incredibles.
13. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter in “Maleficent”.
The adorable little girl version of Aurora in Maleficent came from some very intentional casting, as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are her parents. However, their five-year-old mostly landed the role because she was the only potential young Aurora not afraid of Jolie in the Maleficent costume. Even when she’s dressed as one of the fiercest Disney villains, her daughter is still Jolie’s number one fan.
14. Elon Musk in “Iron Man 2”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, made a cameo in Iron Man 2 for a comical moment when one of the world’s biggest businessmen in real-life asked the fictional genius and hero, Tony Stark, about his idea.
15. Every Stan Lee cameo
Okay, so these may be obvious in most Marvel films. However, there are some cameos that are more subtle and off the grid. This includes his cameo in T he Trial of the Incredible Hulk in 1989, and appearances people may have forgotten, like 2014’s Big Hero 6 cameo.
Let us know in the comments what you think of these 15 cameos that you may have missed and if any or all are new to you.