8 Huge Actors You Didn’t Notice As Extras In TV Shows

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Wait, was that Ben Affleck?!

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00:00The primary purpose of an extra is to keep a scene lively and realistic, but it can be

00:06a rather thankless task. Sure, you get to grace the small screen with your presence

00:11and make your mark on TV, but outside of family and friends, very few people actually notice

00:17the people in the background, and that's by design.

00:20However, the modern viewership landscape is not what it used to be, with every tiny detail

00:25of a TV show being searched and analysed by fandoms and keen viewers. Yes, although

00:30the figures in the background are typically your everyday people, there are a few occasions

00:35where stars of a huge magnitude pop up.

00:38So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture, and here are 8 huge actors you

00:43didn't notice as extras in TV shows.

00:46Number 8, Christopher Lloyd in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

00:51Christopher Lloyd, the legendary Doc Brown, co-star to Danny DeVito in Taxi, icon of the

00:58screen, and extra in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Really? When on earth was he

01:05in that? You'd think he'd be easy to spot, right? Well, as it turns out, his cameos seem

01:11to fly over people's heads like Santa's sleigh itself.

01:15The Always Sunny Christmas special was a hilarious look into holiday life as led by this gang

01:20of sociopaths. One of the most shocking and hilarious moments came when Charlie recalled

01:25his young Christmas days, when multiple men dressed as Santa would come along, give him

01:29a present, and cheer his mum up for a while. Yikes.

01:34But among the cascade of red-clad jolly men was an actor of high repute. During the montage

01:39of Santa's arriving, one of them is of course played by Christopher Lloyd. It's easy to

01:44miss as his beard covers most of his face, but you'll never be able to unsee it once

01:48you spot it. It's a hilarious cameo for sure, but still, you don't want to imagine the kind

01:54of things he did to Charlie's mum. Great Scott.

01:58Number seven, Lady Gaga in The Sopranos. The Sopranos is a series that needs no introduction.

02:05It's one of the biggest shows to ever grace the small screen. But more than simply boasting

02:10the greatest of all time status, it also features the acting debut of one of the biggest pop

02:16stars of the last decade, Lady Gaga. The episode The Tell-Tale Moosadel featured a

02:21scene that saw AJ Soprano and friends breaking into their school and messing around in the

02:26swimming pool. There, cheering them on in the background as Girl at Swimming Pool Number

02:31Two was the future megastar. No one would blame you for missing this one, as the future

02:35Lady Gaga, credited here as Stephanie Germanotta, was only 15 when she took to those bleachers.

02:42Hell, even those who decide to watch the show back might struggle to recognise her, thanks

02:46to how much she has changed since then. Gaga herself has even critiqued this early role,

02:51stating that she could see exactly what she did wrong in that scene, and claimed that

02:56she has grown as an actor since then. Well, she certainly did leap out of the background

03:00and into the spotlight, and even has a Best Actress Academy Award nomination under her

03:05belt, so there's no arguments here.

03:08Number six, Leonardo DiCaprio in Roseanne. It's a little tough for the younger generation

03:13to imagine Leonardo DiCaprio as anything but the big, shouty leading man he is today. But

03:20everybody's got to start somewhere, and DiCaprio definitely found himself some very interesting

03:25roles way before he started chewing on Gilbert's grape. The future Oscar winner scored a hunk

03:31of minor, non-speaking parts when he was but a little seedling in the acting world, with

03:36one of the most notable being the classic 90s comedy hit Roseanne. Yes, you can spot

03:42the young Jack Dawson in the background of a scene from the episode Home Ec, playing

03:47one of Darlene's classmates. It's a well-known fact that the bona fide Hollywood star only

03:52takes top-billing roles, with the exception to that rule being just about as rare as a

03:57bad Quentin Tarantino movie. Which is why it's all the more amusing to look back at

04:02this sitcom and see him playing a part that he didn't even get credit for. It might not

04:07have been the most glamorous of roles, but at least he was free from being torn apart

04:11by bears.

04:13Number five, Mahershala Ali in CSI, Crime Scene Investigation. Mahershala Ali is one

04:19of the few actors to have won multiple Academy Awards, and he managed to do it all within

04:23two years. Talk about impressive. But like almost every other actor that came before

04:29him, he wasn't always a leading man, and this small part on that road is a big sign

04:34of that. When watching the CSI episode Lucky Strike, you'll be introduced to Tavian Toomes,

04:40a real piece of work who was in desperate need of protection, which he found in the

04:44character Toomes' security guard. Okay, that name isn't particularly impressive, but as

04:50you've probably guessed, the name behind that character most certainly is. That being, Mahershala

04:55Ali.

04:57Suppose you ever find yourself binging a boatload of early CSI episodes. In that case, you'd

05:02likely feel pretty jarred at seeing this multiple-time Oscar winner playing the simple background

05:08role of a security guard. But naturally, he does a great job, even without lines or camera

05:13focus.

05:14Twenty years later, and Toomes' security guard is now a vampire slayer in the MCU. I wonder

05:20if he's still on the payroll.

05:23Number four, Danny Pudi in Cougar Town. Calling Danny Pudi a huge star might be a bit of a

05:29stretch, but the hilarious actor does have a big following thanks to his performance

05:33as Abed in the cult sitcom Community. And he also made an appearance in the MCU, so

05:39who can argue against that?

05:41One of the funniest aspects of Abed's character was his obsession with the show Cougar Town.

05:46This reference paid off massively in Cougar Town's Something Good Coming Part 2. The episode

05:52featured a scene where Laurie and Travis were having a nice chat outside a subway,

05:56and behind them was an extra who seemed oddly interested in their conversation.

06:00Naturally, it was Danny Pudi playing the role of Abed inside Cougar Town. Talk about meta!

06:06Watching this scene must have been massively confusing for those who aren't fans of the

06:10cult sitcom, but for those who loved the show, this was a hilarious in-joke.

06:14Still, it was made even better when Cougar Town's Busy Phillips and Damn Bird returned

06:19the favour by appearing in a crowd shot in the Community episode for a few paintballs

06:24more. Who knew the small screen was such a small world?

06:28Number 3, Lin-Manuel Miranda in The Sopranos.

06:31Well, it would seem that if you're looking for a musical genius, all you've got to do

06:35is search the background of The Sopranos, because it seems to be dripping with them.

06:40Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda? It's a bona fide all-star cast back there!

06:45But unlike Gaga, Miranda actually did have a few lines, so good for him!

06:51The future creator of Hamilton can be spotted in the Season 6 episode Remember When. His

06:56Blink and You'll Miss It cameo came as Tony and Paulie pulled up to a motel, only to find

07:01it replaced by a new hotel. There, they accosted a familiar-looking bellman, who gave them

07:06blank stares and a lack of information. Of course, this familiar face was that of Lin-Manuel

07:11Miranda, scoring his first acting job on a major television show.

07:15Interestingly, Miranda had already written one of his most notable projects, his debut

07:20musical In The Heights, when he scored this minor role, so he certainly had his fingers

07:24in some pies back in 2007. The man was certainly on his way to stardom after he portrayed this

07:30nameless character, and he definitely did not throw away his shot.

07:35Number 2, Jennifer Lawrence in Monk.

07:38If playing an extra helps you fade into the background, then donning a mascot costume

07:43must turn your face into John Cena. Because nobody will see it. Taking on the role of

07:48a sports mascot on TV must be heaps of fun, but you can never really tell who is underneath

07:53that mask. This anonymity makes for a hilarious plot twist for anyone deciding to rewatch

07:59the classic Tony Shalhoub-led sitcom Monk, as one of their extras would go on to do great

08:04things.

08:05In the episode Mr. Monk and the Big Game, the titular character became a basketball

08:10coach whilst trying to solve a murder. During one sequence, Monk found himself getting irritated

08:14by an overly enthusiastic mascot dressed up as a lion. The moment was pretty funny, and

08:19the lion did a great job. However, after this came a brief moment where the mascot removed

08:24her head, and who happened to be underneath? Why, it was the future Oscar winner, Katniss

08:29Everdeen herself, Jennifer Lawrence.

08:31Of all the first roles you could get, playing a mascot extra is one hell of a way to start.

08:37Number 1, Ben Affleck in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Many sitcoms like to include celebrity cameos,

08:44and Curb Your Enthusiasm is no exception. In fact, the setting in the world of TV makes

08:49it essential. Thanks to this, the show has seen some truly epic guest spots, with highlights

08:54including Shaquille O'Neal, Wanda Sykes, and the previously mentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda.

08:59But there's one that you probably missed. Whether you love him or hate him, there's

09:03no denying that Ben Affleck is a big Hollywood star. That's what makes this guest spot such

09:08a surprise, as he simply acts as an extra leaving an apartment store in the episode

09:12Officer Krupke. That's it. He's literally on the screen for a second as he bolts out

09:18of the store. The man did more work as a basketball player on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is

09:23a hilarious moment for those who manage to catch it, and plays into the show's loving

09:27mockery of celebrity culture. The cameo came about because Ben Affleck was visiting the

09:31set and Larry David asked him if he'd like to be an extra in the episode. It does go

09:36to show that you can never go wrong by asking. And that concludes our list. If you can think

09:41of any that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below. And while you're there,

09:45don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell. Also, head over to

09:50Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias just by

09:53searching Ellie Littlechild. I've been Ellie with What Culture, I hope you have a magical

09:58day, and I'll see you real soon.

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