10 Actors Hidden in Your Favorite Movies

It goes without saying that actors are often front and center. Movies and TV shows usually make them as prominent as possible. These thespians want to be seen and remembered. Doing so enables them to stay relevant in the industry, score more gigs, and expand their craft. Not to mention, it feeds their inherent vanity. Some defy that mantra, however.

Certain actors take jobs where they’re largely hidden from the camera. Often, this is because they’re new to the industry and not yet established as stars. Not all cases fall into that category, though. Sometimes, even the most decorated performers just want to have fun by popping in for a sneaky cameo. Whatever the circumstances, these actors are extremely hard to spot. If you blink, you just might miss them.

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10 Elijah Wood

Some actors are in big flicks from the start. That certainly goes for Elijah Wood. His first movie was Back to the Future Part II. During the opening sequence, Marty goes into a café and sees two young boys booting up an old arcade game. He gets a high score to show off, but the kids lambaste him for playing with a “baby’s toy.” Wood plays one of those kids. Needless to say, it’s not a huge role.

It certainly contrasts with the prominent parts he’d score later. Today, fans mainly know him as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, but he’s also appeared in other genre projects. He’s played Kevin in Sin City, Mumble in Happy Feet, Ryan in Wilfred, Beck in Tron: Uprising, and Spyro in the Legend of Spyro trilogy. He usually occupies the starring spot or other significant role, so his brief beginning in Back to the Future seems pretty quaint in hindsight. At the risk of sounding self-indulgent, you never know what the future may hold. ^[1]

9 Jason Scott Lee

The other oddity in the film’s cast is Jason Scott Lee. Also in the early futuristic sequence, his role is slightly more substantial. He’s a member of Griff Tannen’s gang. Like the rest of his family, this bionic bully has a crew of thugs backing him up. They basically just yell, laugh, and repeat their boss’s stupid comments. Lee does that as well as anyone, but he’d quickly do more.

This actor has occupied all kinds of characters throughout his career. His starring roles included Bruce Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and an adult Mowgli in 1994’s The Jungle Book, both of which came soon after his Back to the Future bit part. Since then, he’s had supporting parts and guest spots in a number of other projects, from Lilo & Stitch to Hawaii Five-0 to 2021’s Mulan. None of them have been as small as his futuristic role, though, leading to the same amusing hindsight as Wood.^[2]

8 Salma Hayek

Four Rooms is a comedic anthology movie, so it contains a plethora of unexpected appearances. However, the most bizarre part goes to Salma Hayek in the “Misbehavers” segment. She pops up on a dirty TV program, which the naughty children watch out of curiosity. That’s silly enough, but you don’t even see her face. The camera just lingers on her scantily-clad body as she dances. It’s a cartoonish cameo.

Then again, the segment comes courtesy of director Robert Rodriguez. Hayek frequently has memorable roles in his hyperactive flicks, the most famous being Carolina in Desperado and Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn, but that’s not the extent of her filmography.

The actress also charmed audiences in other hits. Examples include Frida Kahlo in Frida, Kitty Softpaws in the Puss in Boots movies, and Sonia Kinkaid in the Hitman’s Bodyguard flicks. That’s not including her early days in small Mexican productions. Despite that success, one of her first Hollywood parts amounted to nameless eye candy.^[3]

7 Bruce Spence

Some performers make their mark as character actors. Bruce Spence is one such performer. He’s filled his career with quirky figures like Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander in Legend of the Seeker, Mr. Wall in Dark City, and the wily gyro pilot in two Mad Max flicks: The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome. At first glance, he seemed to do the same in The Lord of the Rings.

Spence shows up in the third entry—Return of the King—as the Mouth of Sauron. Leading up to the grand finale, the Fellowship rides to Mordor and demands that the Dark Lord Sauron come to discuss terms. Emerging from the gate is a cloaked rider who tries to taunt and demoralize the heroes. However, it’s nearly impossible to see Spence in this character. Only the lower half of his face is visible, showcasing a malformed mouth with sharp teeth. Plus, the sound team deepens his voice to a hellish growl. For the cherry on top, this scene is only in the Extended Edition. These factors make it a challenge just to find Spence in this four-hour epic, let alone recognize him.^[4]

6 Cate Blanchett

Talk about being out of your league in more ways than one. Early in the absurdist action-comedy Hot Fuzz, stalwart cop Nicholas Angel faces ostracization for his one-track mind and annoying need for perfection. Among those washing their hands of him is his ex-girlfriend, played by Cate Blanchett. With such a high-profile talent, you’d think the filmmakers would draw attention to her, but she’s completely covered from head to toe. Her character is part of the forensic team, so only her eyes are visible. That’s not even the weirdest part.

Audiences mainly know Blanchett for her dramatic work. She’s made her name playing regal, serious figures like Queen Elizabeth I in the Elizabeth films, Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings, Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator, and Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hot Fuzz is not her kind of movie. The fact that she’s in such an elusive, inconsequential part is baffling. Of course, that’s probably part of the joke.^[5]

5 Maude Hirst

The Harry Potter films are a veritable “Who’s Who” of acclaimed English actors, but they also house several fresh-faced child stars who would go on to other projects. Among them was Maude Hirst, who appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Her character isn’t named; she’s simply one of the many Hogwarts students. Thankfully, that changed as she got older.

Though she’s had other projects over the years, Hirst’s career largely stays in the family. She’s the daughter of Michael Hirst, the writer of such historical dramas as the Elizabeth films, The Tudors, and Vikings. Maude had recurring roles in the latter two projects. In The Tudors, she played Kat Ashley, a lady in waiting, while Vikings saw her as Helga, the wife of a pivotal boatbuilder. Given her historic wheelhouse, it’s funny to think that Hirst’s first role was a fantasy flick.^[6]

4 Daniel Webber

An actor who’s quietly emerged in recent years is Daniel Webber. He’s made a name for himself playing young, troubled souls like Paul Large in Danger Close, Vince Neil in The Dirt, and Lewis Wilson in The Punisher TV show. His most high-profile role has been Jesse Evans in 2022’s Billy the Kid series, where he acts as the former friend and fierce rival of the titular outlaw. During that show, though, he stepped into a much smaller part.

Webber briefly pops into Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Namely, he’s one of the War Boys: the pale, devoted followers of merciless cult leader Immortan Joe. The villainous despot has hundreds of these guys at his command, and their designs make them all look the same. It’s virtually impossible to pick Webber out from the crowd. Such an insignificant part may seem beneath him, but he’s Australian by birth. Because of that, he probably thought it was a treat just to dip his toe in the Mad Max world.^[7]

3 Garret Dillahunt

Another character actor, Garrett Dillahunt, has been virtually unpredictable in his film and TV choices. In addition to countless guest spots and supporting roles, fans know him as Burt Chance in Raising Hope, John Dorie in Fear the Walking Dead,, and two AI entities in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

He also appeared as two characters in the Deadwood TV show. In the first season, he played the sleazy Jack McCall, the drunkard who shoots Wild Bill Hickok. In the second season, he returned as Francis Wolcott, an unhinged agent employed by the crooked George Hearst before being fired. This makes his movie cameo all the more ironic.

In what must be a private joke, Dillahunt donned yet another new face in Deadwood: The Movie. One of the final scenes sees Hearst beaten by an angry mob. Among the attackers is a drunk guy with a bushy beard. He mumbles about how Hearst tried to kill him. This quick cameo could be a reference to how Hearst’s harsh words drove his previous character to death. Considering Dillahunt’s other colorful appearances, though, it’s probably just par for the course.^[8]

2 Timothy Olyphant

In many ways, Rango is an animated tribute to classic westerns. It makes no secret of that through its familiar story of an intrepid lawman coming to town and saving it from outlaws. When that lawman is at his lowest, though, he wanders the eerie desert and discovers a man in a golf cart. He’s the very image of a gunslinger—decked out in dusty cowboy garb and a ragged poncho. Rango even refers to him as “The Man with No Name.” This guy is clearly supposed to be Clint Eastwood from the Dollars trilogy, but that’s not who plays him.

Instead, Timothy Olyphant voices the mythic figure. He’s not exactly a starving actor, so you wouldn’t expect him to settle for such a small part, especially one where he’s easily mistaken for someone else. On the other hand, maybe he considers it an honor. Many of Olyphant’s best-known characters have been cowboys and/or lawmen. Just look back at Seth Bullock in Deadwood, Raylan Givens in Justified, and Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian. Stepping into Eastwood’s shoes must have been a dream come true. Of course, he’s not the only Western star on the list.^[9]

1 John Wayne

John Wayne was one of the biggest movie stars who ever lived. The Duke headlined countless classics over his long career. The Ringo Kid in Stagecoach, Jacob McCan in Big Jake, Sean Thornton in The Quiet Man, Ethan Edwards in The Searchers, Hondo Lane in Hondo, and Rooster Cogburn in 1968’s True Grit were just a few of his iconic characters. Most of his projects were westerns, which is why people saw him as indicative of the genre. It’s also what made his last movie so unexpected.

Technically, John Wayne was in Star Wars. During the 1977 original, the heroes attempt a stealthy escape from the seedy desert planet of Tatooine. Unfortunately, a spy informs the Galactic Empire of their plans. The hooded rat is an alien who only speaks in indeterminate squeaks. Sound designer Ben Burtt revealed that those sounds are actually unused audio samples from the Duke’s movies. He fished them from the trash and distorted them to produce this strange noise. It’s impossible to tell, so one wonders why the filmmakers bothered. Whatever the reason, this Western icon’s last movie was a sci-fi space adventure. There’s something poetic in that.^[10]