Top 20 Most Expensive Celebrity Cameos
#20: Mike Tyson as himself
“The Hangover” (2009)
As far as we know, he hasn’t lost any more tigers, but this former boxer definitely has some cash. Especially after appearing in “The Hangover” films! Tyson was paid six figures for his brief but memorable appearance in the comedy. His fee doubled for the sequel, and while it may not seem like that much compared to some boxing payouts, it reportedly helped Tyson a lot during some economic uncertainty. Given how iconic Tyson - and his tiger - are in the franchise, we’d say he was worth every penny.
#19: Alec Baldwin as Blake
“Glengarry Glen Ross” (1992)
Coffee is for closers, and paydays are for memorable cameos. That’s the verdict of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which added a new character to the film adaptation, and created a legendary scene in the process. Alec Baldwin nails the intensity of his character. But, he didn’t show up for free. Despite allegedly filming his work over just three days, rumors say he walked away with around 250,000$. That’s pretty good for a role that wasn’t even in the original play! Then again, after seeing Baldin own the role, we’d have offered him that much, too.
#18: Glenn Close
“Hook” (1991)
You may be asking, “wait, Glenn Close was in “Hook?’” Yes, she was! Though, we don’t blame you if you missed her. Even though Close earned hundreds of thousands for walking onset, she’s completely unrecognizable. In fact, her appearance can barely even be considered a cameo. She plays a random pirate, and is buried underneath so much swashbuckling makeup, you have to really be looking to notice her. With how much Close demands, we have to wonder why they didn’t give her a more notable appearance. But, at least she got her bag!
#17: Charlie Sheen as Charlie Sanders
“Scary Movie 5” (2013)
It may not have Cindy, Brenda, comedy, or entertainment value, but this five-quel does bring back Charlie Sheen! And, even more surprisingly, he actually made a good chunk of change off it. “Scary Movie 5” paid him a quarter million dollars for a single day of work. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, since at the time, Sheen was still dealing with his very public departure from “Two and a Half Men.” He wasn’t exactly pristine goods, is all we’re saying. Although, he allegedly donated his earnings, so either way, the money went to a good place.
#16: Sean Connery as King Richard
“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991)
As one of the most legendary Bonds immortalized on film, you may think cameos are below Sean Connery. But, he made an exception to join his buds for a walk-on role in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” He got paid a quarter million dollars to show up, say a few lines, and disappear. In the 90s, that kind of payday was unheard of! But, that was actually a low fee, since Connery usually only appeared for a flat million. What’s more, he ended up donating his paycheck, anyway. He only cameo’d for the fun of it, and you can tell by his whimsical performance.
#15: Laurence Olivier as Zeus
“Clash of the Titans” (1981)
Anyone showing up to this fantasy epic for Laurence Olivier was left sorely disappointed. He earned star billing, but in reality, only had a few scant minutes of screentime. It makes sense when you learn he filmed all his scenes in a single week. That doesn’t mean Olivier wasn’t paid, though. He earned top dollar for the glorified cameo. That may sound strange, but the producers used his name to attract other cast members, as well as general audiences. So, when you think of it that way, you realize they paid for Olivier’s name, not his performance.
#14: Harry Styles as Eros
“Eternals” (2021)
Even back when Marvel post credit scenes still held some cultural cachet, it’s safe to say no one expected part of “One Direction” to show up. Harry Styles popping up on the big screen is definitely enough to turn a few heads. So, it’s not too surprising to hear he commanded nearly 400,000 dollars for his brief, one-minute appearance in “Eternals.” Rumors say his initial contract came with deals for reprisals, too. But, those have yet to materialize, and you can’t help but wonder if Styles’ high fee for “Eternals” plays a part in that.
#13: Lindsay Lohan as a Mathlete Moderator
“Mean Girls” (2024)
Half a million dollars for an afternoon of work is a pretty good tradeoff, we’d say. But, really, Lindsay Lohan deserved it. Whether it’s October 3rd or not, Cady Heron is a totally fetch member of teen movie royalty. No “Mean Girls” remake would be complete without a wink at the OG, and having her play a supportive mathlete moderator is a perfect passing of the burn book. Still, given the musical’s somewhat restrained budget, Lohan’s payday is even more impressive. Clearly, someone really wanted her to cameo, and to them, we want to offer a big thank you.
#12: Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker
“Scream” (1996)
In the 90s, if you wanted teens to see your movie, you wanted Drew Barrymore. “Scream” knew this, and initially hired her to play leading lady Sidney Prescott. You can imagine the fee she got for that! But, in an ingenious creative choice, Barrymore decided to play Casey Becker, the first victim, instead. It reduced her screentime to a little under fifteen minutes at the top of the film. But, rest assured, she was still the face of the marketing campaign, and paid very well for her five days of work. The gambit paid off, literally, and her opening death remains one of horror’s greatest sequences.
#11: Michael Biehn as Corporal Dwayne Hicks
“Alien 3” (1992)
No, you didn’t miss Hicks. He isn’t in “Alien 3;” at least, not physically. The character is unceremoniously killed offscreen, and was only supposed to appear as a corpse. Biehn wasn’t exactly thrilled by this development, especially since he didn’t give permission for the film to use his likeness. As a result, the studio dug deep in their pockets, and convinced Biehn to let them use a digitized headshot. Theories say Biehn made about as much off that photo as he did for all his work in “Alien 2,” combined.
#10: Cicely Tyson as Ola Jones
“Why Did I Get Married Too?” (2010)
For generations, Cicely Tyson delivered some of the best performances the industry would ever see. Unfortunately, Hollywood didn’t always recognize that. But, Tyler Perry sure did. He paid her an eye-watering million dollars for a single day of work on his film, “Why Did I Get Married Too?” Perry claimed he only gave her what she was worth, and highlighted how underappreciated she’d been in her career to that point. We can’t argue with that! Even if it took Perry opening his own wallet, it’s nice to know Tyson finally got the payday she’d been overdue for.
#9: Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones
“And Just Like That…” (2021-25)
Decades of scandal, drama, and rumors made it seem like the “Sex and the City” stars would never reunite onscreen. But, despite it all, “And Just Like That…” got Kim Cattrall back for a glorious cameo. It wasn’t cheap, though. Let’s just say Cattrall basically set her own price, and that number was around a million dollars. It’s worth noting that Samantha only interacts with Carrie over the phone, and appears onscreen for less than two minutes, total. And just like that, it makes sense why TV budgets are so high these days!
#8 Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
“Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens” (2015)
The force was strong with this one, and it has the record-shattering box-office to prove it. But, Disney had to spend money to make money, especially when it came to legacy characters. Take Mark Hamill. There’s no way they could make “Star Wars” without Luke Skywalker, and that meant paying him north of a million dollars to appear. Even if that appearance only lasted for about a minute. To be fair, this paycheck was probably more for his legacy than his work on this specific film, but it’s still fun to compare.
#7: Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Assembling a group of heroes is hard work! Not to mention expensive. Samuel L. Jackson was the original glue holding the Marvel Cinematic Universe together, with his roles in post-credit scenes setting up much of the ongoing story. However, this is Jackson we’re talking about. He doesn’t come cheap. Reports say he gets a high rate no matter if he’s a full on supporting player, or just there for a few lines in a post-credit scene. The crazy part isn’t just that he makes millions for each cameo, but that they still kept bringing him back for more!
#6: Julia Roberts as Captain Kate Paddington-Hazeltine
“Valentine's Day” (2010)
Love is in the air… and so is money. Sure, “Valentine’s Day” is an ensemble film made up of various vignettes. But, there was one star who definitely earned her time onscreen. Julia Roberts apparently got around three million dollars for her work on the film. You may be wondering, for that much, surely she played a central character in several scenes, right? Nope! Roberts has barely six minutes of screentime, total. That’s a tenth of the film’s runtime. Given all that, we have to wonder if Roberts' salary left any money for the rest of the cast!
#5: Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan-Carmichael
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018)
Look, if anyone deserves millions for walking through the door, it’s Meryl Streep. Now, Streep returning to the world of “Mamma Mia?” Yeah, we get why she earned three million. Honestly, it seems kind of low, all things considered. It’s an iconic actress in an iconic role. Even if she only had a few minutes of screentime, that’s priceless! To be fair, “Here We Go Again” had to spread its budget among a lot of great performances, including a fantastic appearance by Cher herself! That was another million dollars right there. Money, money, money, indeed!
#4: Bruce Willis as Himself
“Ocean's Twelve” (2004)
Good careers die hard. Okay, pun aside, the early 2000s proved Bruce Willis was a bonafide megastar. His name drew attention, so you can bet he didn’t cameo in “Ocean’s Twelve” as a simple favor. Willis was close to the top of his game, and even small appearances reportedly cost in the millions. For a film like “Ocean’s Twelve,” which certainly had the budget to throw around, we can only imagine how much Willis earned. It’s funny considering they didn’t even hire him to act that much, since he just played a dramatized version of himself.
#3: Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (2011)
It’s clear that, when it comes to franchise filmmaking, loyalty matters more than actual days on set. That was certainly the case for Ving Rhames. He sat out most of “Ghost Protocol.” But, his influence in the franchise meant that, when he agreed to pop in for an uncredited easter egg, he got paid big time. Like, 7.7 million dollars, big time. That’s over three million per day, and even more for each minute he actually appears onscreen. It’s no wonder Rhames keeps coming back to this franchise! It treats him very well.
#2: Dwayne Johnson as Detective Christopher Danson
“The Other Guys” (2010)
This action-comedy lured audiences to theaters with the promise of a great cast bouncing off one another. But, it shocked everyone by killing off Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character in the first fifteen minutes. It’s a bold storytelling move and all, but given how much Sony paid him, you have to ask if they knew he’d play such a small part. After all, while The Rock is certainly recognizable, nine million dollars for an extended cameo is an interesting financial decision. If you ever wanted to know how much a movie star is worth at their prime, we think we have our answer.
#1: Lady Gaga as Rosaline Rotwood
“Wednesday” (2022-)
This one goes down in the casting hall of fame. Seriously, “Wednesday’s” whole vibe feels like it was made for Lady Gaga. So, fans around the world rejoiced at the news she’d appear in the Netflix original series. Admittedly, the result was a touch underwhelming, with Gaga only showing up for about two minutes. For someone of her stature, though, it was still a big investment. There’s no official word on how much she made, but the estimates out there make it clear the cameo was well-worth it for Gaga’s wallet. If Netflix wants her back for another, they better write a check with at least seven zeroes.
Do you think any of these cameos were worth the price? Let us know your take in the comments below!
