Who plays the movie? "Actors" - you say, and you will be absolutely right. However, only professional actors do not always play in films. Representatives of other professions may appear in films, and no less famous than the most famous actors. You yourself can easily remember many similar examples. This technique is called a cameo.
Cameo and its varieties
Cameo (from English cameo - episodic) is the appearance of a famous person in a movie, theatrical production or, for example, in a video game. As the name suggests, this role is most often episodic. Guest stars can play both regular characters and themselves.
Cameo is an artistic technique used by many filmmakers. The roles themselves are called the same word.
The very term "cameo" was coined by producer Michael Todd.
Popular directorial cameo. Many directors love to film themselves in their films. So do not be surprised if at the next premiere, for example, of Quentin Tarantino, you suddenly see the director's familiar face in the frame. This will mean that you have seen another cameo.
No less often, famous actors appear in episodes of films and TV series, often in the role of themselves. How do you distinguish this from a simple cameo role? It is important to keep in mind the scale of the individual. If an actor has long been known and starred in many famous films, then his episodic appearance, especially not in the most ambitious film, should be perceived as a cameo.
Various celebrities are invited to act in episodes: athletes, singers, TV presenters, politicians, etc. Suffice it to recall, for example, the films "Brother" and "Brother-2". In this famous dilogy, the audience saw in the role of themselves many famous people - from Vyacheslav Butusov to Irina Saltykova and Valdis Pelsh.
Cameo history
The founder of the cameo was the famous filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, who himself starred in more than 30 films. Cameos became his signature style. Many of his colleagues followed the example of the classic, although the word itself has not even appeared in everyday life.
The first film, in respect of which they started talking about a cameo, was the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days. It was a film adaptation of Jules Verne's novel, which counted the appearance of as many as 44 celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich.
Cameos aren't always credited, and celebrities are often filmed for free.
Gradually cameo became a very popular technique. You won't surprise anyone with its use now. It's hard to find a celebrity who hasn't starred in any cameo roles. Even some heads of state (for example, former US President Bill Clinton) at one time were seen in motion pictures.