Groucho

I never saw Executive Decision but I had a lot of buddies who went out to see "the latest Seagal movie" and came back pretty disappointed.

davejt1

Liam Neeson in Battleship?

Randy Miller III

OK, this is probably more like "supporting role" than "glorified cameo", but Anthony Hopkins only has a little more than 15 minutes of screen time in The Silence of the Lambs.

Tarantino

Definitely wouldn't count that.

PenguinJoe

Samuel L Jackson is Deep Blue Sea.

Charlton Heston in True Lies.

PenguinJoe

These aren't movies but George Clooney once got a billing for playing a gay dog on South Park in which he woofed once.

And Elizabeth Taylor got a billing for doing Maggie Simpson on The Simpsons and I think all she said was one thing.

My Other Self

A friend of mine saw Executive Decision opening weekend back in theaters in 1996, solely based on the fact it was a cheesy Seagal actioner. After he was killed the theater was totally shocked. Some people walked up and left.

I recall some of the TV spots myself and definitely remember the marketing was catered to Seagal fans. When I first saw it on HBO in the late 90s I was surprised when he was killed off.

On another note, this isn't top-billing but I was shocked in theaters when The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson died in The Other Guys. I didn't expect that.

Groucho

Nah, he's in close to half the movie.

Quatermass

It's been a while since I saw it but if I recall, Angelina Jolie was only in one scene in Gone In 60 Seconds

Groucho

She was in more than that, but it was a pretty basic "love interest" role. But between the time it was shot and the time it was released she had become a much bigger star so the advertising did overplay her importance.

mrhan

Just as bad was when his friend used choreography training of Bruce in his own film "Fist of the Unicorn" without permission. I remember when it came out it was billed as co starring Bruce Lee. Obviously, it ended their friendship.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069445/...ef_=tt_trv_trv

Groucho

Jesse Eisenberg in Camp Hell.

Goat3001

You can't bring up this movie without posting the gif!

PatD

Ah, you beat me to it.

How about Kal Penn in Superman Returns? No dialogue of any kind (however there's some in the deleted scenes).

Traxan

This was a piss poor movie so I doubt many of you saw it, but a flick called 'Guilty by Association' came out about 10 years ago, prominently featured Morgan Freeman on the cover and ads and everything, when he was a minor player. I suspected Freeman was doing a favor for some young black filmmakers trying to make it in Hollywood (only a few did. That movie really sucked).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372311/?ref_=sr_2

RocShemp

Even though the trailer didn't give it away, given the way the scene was shot, I guessed that's what was going to happen when I saw the trailer. And that's the reason I wanted to see the movie because it seemed delightfully twisted to me. And it was.

The rest of the movie was fun too.

Alan Smithee

Jack Nicholson in "Little Shop of Horrors" (well, a lot of the video companies gave him top billing.)

tanman

lol

Well according to bunkaroo's definition they might fit as they don't talk.


Heath Ledger in Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

PenguinJoe

Sigorney Weaver in Cabin in The Woods. She has like first billing in the credits and is in the movie for maybe five minutes.

Also, Harry Dean Stanton in This Must Be The Place.

Ash Ketchum

In Seagal's last shot in the film as he's closing the hatch, he's got a smile on his face 'cause he's gone from the movie while Kurt Russell is stuck in it.

majorjoe23

I remember when I first saw the ads I assumed he would only be in about 5 minutes. When he was still in the movie about halfway through I thought "Maybe he really is the star."

Then:

Perkinsun Dzees

Why So Blu?

Harry Dean Stanton in Last Stand.


EDIT - nevermind, just re-read thread title.

Vipper II

Julianne Moore - The Fugitive

Rockmjd23

I don't remember her being billed at all. She was an unknown then.