The film cameo, it is something of a common practice and can either bring a moment of comedy or surprise to a movie that may endear the audience if accomplished well. In the past, filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock liked to appear in their own movies, disguised in costume as a moment of satire, or those such as Quentin Tarantino, who regularly cast themselves in roles that require dialogue. As such, the popularity with the cameo has extended to include various people from a range of different media into a film. Classics examples include media theorist Marshall McLuhans appearance in Woody Allens Annie Hall, provided an excellent sense of ironic humour, or more recently boxer Mike Tysons appearance in The Hangover. However, these appearances are only included if the execution of what was trying to be achieved is successfully done so. In the past, many cameos have been left out of a theatrical release. Leaving a cameo on the cutting room floor is not an unusual act and can be done for varying reasons, as the list will show. Mostly, it is due to either a bloated running time that needs refining or something that feels inconsequential to the plot. Either way, actors in the past have experienced their hard work subsequently reduced to nothing. Here are 12 cameos that were cut from theatrical release
Notable Mention:
Richard Branson Casino Royale
This appearance, while not cut from theatrical release, is an intriguing bit of trivia. Virgin tycoon Richard Branson managed to sneak his way into the 2006 Bond film Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig making his debut as the secret agent 007. Bransons appearance comes when Bond is searching through an airport with Branson being spotted while he is being searched though airport security. Admittedly this cameo is very easy to miss as the scene evokes a passive nature, British Airways however didnt feel this way and removed this short scene involving Branson for fear that it would upset customers. Go figure.