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Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

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Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Old 05-09-13, 12:18 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by Dean Kousoulas
Most DTV movies plaster the stars with top billing and on the cover, when most of the time they have a small part or cameo.
Yep, I immediately thought of all crappy DTV horror flicks from the last 15 years that 'star' Lance Henriksen.
Old 05-09-13, 12:57 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by maxfisher
Yep, I immediately thought of all crappy DTV crime-drama flicks from the last 15 years that 'star' Ray Liotta.
Fixed.
Old 05-09-13, 01:40 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by inri222
They probably had more screen time but this is Malick we are talking about.
IMDB trivia:
In the script, the part of Cpl. Fife (Adrien Brody) was one of the meatiest, although he barely speaks a line in the finished film.
Old 05-09-13, 01:44 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by filmerp
IMDB trivia:
I remember reports that Adrien Brody was practically (if not outright) the lead of that movie until Malick cut almost all of his scenes out.
Old 05-09-13, 01:58 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Batman Returns-Vincent Schiavelli
Speed-Glenn Plummer

Both guys recieve high billing in the opening credits and aren't in the movie for no more than a full minute.
Old 05-09-13, 02:09 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

I think a lot of these being mentioned are not cameos.

Looking at Wiki, a cameo can be loosely defined as:

A brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, typically unnamed or appearing as themselves. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly either appearances in a work in which they hold some special significance (such as actors from an original movie appearing in its remake), or renowned people making uncredited appearances. Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common. A crew member of the show or movie playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo as well.
Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross was mentioned - I don't see how that can be see as a cameo. Sure he's only in the one scene, but it's a crucial scene and it sets the table for the rest of the story. It's not like Baldwin only had a few lines - it is one of the most memorable monologues of the past 25 years.
Further, I'm pretty sure he was nominated for an Oscar for it, and I don't think they typically give awards for a cameo.

To me, a cameo is something like Danny Glover in Maverick or Lou Ferrigno in the Hulk movies.

That said, I don't think a cameo is ever really "highly-billed", so I think the thread is more about actors getting marquee billing for a smaller than expected role.
Old 05-09-13, 02:11 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

I believe that's why the OP used the word 'glorified'
Old 05-09-13, 02:12 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Point taken.
Old 05-09-13, 02:48 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by Goat3001
I believe that's why the OP used the word 'glorified'
That's why I picked William Hurt. He is a major character and gets third billing in A History of Violence. But he has less than 10 minutes of screen time and was nominated for an Oscar.
Old 05-09-13, 03:05 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

This one actually pissed me off:

Alan Rickman in "Bottle Shock".

I mean he was in it, but it seemed like more of a "book end" type situation.
Old 05-09-13, 03:08 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Not highly billed, but Mel Gibson's cameo in "Fathers Day" was just awful. What an awful movie. Just wanted to point out how awful it was. Billy Crystal and Robin Williams...awful. What bullshit "actors."
Old 05-09-13, 03:09 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by inri222
Orson Welles - The Third Man
Orson Welles - Transformers: The Movie
Old 05-09-13, 03:14 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by Rockmjd23
Seagal in Executive Decision.
Seagal has no billing in Executive Decision. In fact he insisted on it. He felt it would be a ripoff to fans expecting to see him.
Old 05-09-13, 04:27 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Halle Berry's breasts in Swordfish.
Old 05-09-13, 07:30 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Tippi Hedren in Birdemic. She gets third billing in the credits. She appears on a TV in the background of one scene.
Old 05-09-13, 08:03 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

"Interstate 60" had a ton of cameos, even though James Marsden and Amy Smart were the main characters. Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, Kurt Russell, Chris Cooper, Amy Jo Johnson, Ann Margret...
Old 05-09-13, 08:14 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by Mr. Flix
Totally correct, and completely well-done. It's a shame now that every knows Neve Campbell is the main star of the Scream series. I saw the original when it was still in theaters, and was led to believe (via the previews) that Barrymore was the star of the movie. It made the opening scene all the more shocking.

Too bad the rest of the movie didn't quite live up to that opening scene.
One of the things I admire about Scream 4 is how

Spoiler:
they took this concept one step further by playing up the younger cast as a "next generation" of sorts only to have the heir apparent turn out to be the killer. I've been lucky enough to see all 4 without knowing spoilers and 4 was the only one that surprised me. Whether directly or indirectly they managed to perpetuate the notion that Sidney's cousin would take over right off the bat and people didn't question it.


Not exactly a case of misleading billing but certainly a similar case where there was a something of a meta red herring.
Old 05-09-13, 11:43 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Tommy Lee Jones was in MIB 3 for less than 10 minutes I read and billed as a lead.
Old 05-09-13, 11:50 PM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by rw2516
Seagal has no billing in Executive Decision. In fact he insisted on it. He felt it would be a ripoff to fans expecting to see him.
No, he was the star inititally. It was a typical Seagal-actioner. He and the director butt heads during filming and he and Kurt Russell ended up switching roles. The original one sheet has Seagal on it, but this of course was to lure people in to the theater.

Old 05-09-13, 11:55 PM
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It's funny to think there was a time when Steven Seagal lured people to the theaters.
Old 05-10-13, 02:12 AM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Yul Brynner in Futureworld. 4th billed - box around his name credit - yet he appears near the end, in a dream sequence, for a couple of minutes.
Old 05-10-13, 06:32 AM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by mcfly
No, he was the star inititally. It was a typical Seagal-actioner. He and the director butt heads during filming and he and Kurt Russell ended up switching roles. The original one sheet has Seagal on it, but this of course was to lure people in to the theater.

Don't know about the pre-production role switch. However, that is not the original release one sheet. Not U.S. anyway. The original one sheet shows only Russell and Seagal's name appears nowhere on it. The dvd has original one sheet art also, no Seagal image or credit. Seagal has no on screen credit either.

Did some checking and that art was used in asian markets. That poster was never actually used or distributed in the U.S. to market the movie. Much like the pulled Aliens poster with Sigourney Weaver. She wouldn't let it be used because she thought it made her look like Michael Jackson. Some were printed for U.S. and never distributed, became collector items. The art was still used in some foreign markets.
Bottom line: if you lived in Thailand and went to see Seagal, you got ripped off. If you lived in the U.S., the only way to know he was in the movie was to see it or by word of mouth.

According to imdb Seagal's face was added to the theatrical/video posters in Germany because of his popularity there.

Last edited by rw2516; 05-10-13 at 07:46 AM.
Old 05-10-13, 07:52 AM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Originally Posted by rw2516
Bottom line: if you lived in Thailand and went to see Seagal, you got ripped off. If you lived in the U.S., the only way to know he was in the movie was to see it or by word of mouth.
Or unless you saw the trailer, which shows him throughout and mentions "...and Steven Seagal."

I think you're remembering incorrectly, rw.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3dyQBOBTmHw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Old 05-10-13, 08:25 AM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

The role switch is news to me. As far as I recall, Seagal was always intended to die during the first act. The issue was with how he was to die. Originally the idea was to have Seagal's head explode due to the decompression (or whatever the technical term is) when the sleeve between the stealth jet and the 747 was being ripped. While the movie was already in production, Seagal refused to film the death scene until it was changed because he claimed it'd hurt his fans. He actually held up production for like a day or two. Finally, the director agreed to the version that was eventually shot.
Old 05-10-13, 09:01 AM
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Re: Highly billed parts that are merely glorified cameos

Yeah, Seagal in Executive Decision qualifies. He's specificaly mentioned in trailer voice over. I'll call that billing.

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