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 a rather thankless task.
00:08Sure, you get to grace the small screen with your presence and make your mark on TV,
00:13but outside of family and friends, very few people actually notice the people in the background, and that's by design.
00:20However, the modern viewership landscape is not what it used to be,
00:23with every tiny detail of a TV show being searched and analysed by fandoms and keen viewers.
00:30Yes, although the figures in the background are typically your everyday people,
00:34there are a few occasions where 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 didn'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 screen,
00:59and extra in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
01:03Really? What on earth was he in that? You'd think he'd be easy to spot, right?
01:08Well, as it turns out, his cameos seem to 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 of sociopaths.
01:21One of the most shocking and hilarious moments came when Charlie recalled his young Christmas days,
01:26when multiple men dressed as Santa would come along, give him a present, and cheer his mum up for a while.
01:33Yikes.
01:34But among the cascade of red-clad jolly men was an actor of high repute.
01:38During the montage of Santa's arriving, one of them is, of course, played by Christopher Lloyd.
01:43It's easy to miss as his beard covers most of his face, but you'll never be able to unsee it once you spot it.
01:49It's a hilarious cameo for sure, but still, you don't want to imagine the kind of things he did to Charlie's mum.
01:56Great Scott.
01:58Number 7, Lady Gaga in The Sopranos.
02:02The Sopranos is a series that needs no introduction.
02:05It's one of the biggest shows to ever grace the small screen.
02:09But more than simply boasting the greatest of all time status, it also features the acting debut of one of the biggest pop stars of the last decade, Lady Gaga.
02:19The episode The Telltale Moos Adele featured a scene that saw AJ Soprano and friends breaking into their school and messing around in the swimming pool.
02:27There, cheering them on in the background as Girl at Swimming Pool No. 2 was the future megastar.
02:33No one would blame you for missing this one, as the future Lady Gaga, credited here as Stephanie Gervinata, 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 to how much she has changed since then.
02:49Gaga herself has even critiqued this early role, stating that she could see exactly what she did wrong in that scene, and claimed that she has grown as an actor since then.
02:57Well, she certainly did leap out of the background and into the spotlight, and even has a Best Actress Academy Award nomination under her belt, so there's no arguments here.
03:07Number 6. Leonardo DiCaprio in Roseanne
03:11It's a little tough for the younger generation to imagine Leonardo DiCaprio as anything but the big, shouty, leading man he is today.
03:19But everybody's got to start somewhere, and DiCaprio definitely found himself some very interesting roles, way before he started chewing on Gilbert's grape.
03:29The future Oscar winner scored a hunk of minor, non-speaking parts when he was but a little seedling in the acting world, with one of the most notable being the classic 90s comedy hit Roseanne.
03:41Yes, you can spot the young Jack Dawson in the background of a scene from the episode Home Ec, playing one of Darlene's classmates.
03:49It's a well-known fact that the bonafide Hollywood star only takes top billing roles, with the exception to that rule being just about as rare as a bad Quentin Tarantino movie.
04:00Which is why it's all the more amusing to look back at this sitcom and see him playing a part that he didn't even get credit for.
04:06It might not have been the most glamorous of roles, but at least he was free from being torn apart by bears.
04:12Number 5. Mahershala Ali in CSI Crime Scene Investigation
04:17Mahershala Ali is one of the few actors to have won multiple Academy Awards, and he managed to do it all within two years.
04:24Talk about impressive.
04:26But like almost every other actor that came before him, he wasn't always a leading man, and this small part on that road is a big sign of that.
04:34When watching the CSI episode Lucky Strike, you'll be introduced to Tavian Toombs, a real piece of work who was in desperate need of protection, which he found in the character Toombs' security guard.
04:47Okay, that name isn't particularly impressive, but as you've probably guessed, the name behind that character most certainly is.
04:54That being Mahershala Ali.
04:56Suppose you ever find yourself binging a boatload of early CSI episodes.
05:01In that case, you'd likely feel pretty jarred at seeing this multiple-time Oscar winner playing the simple background role of a security guard.
05:09But naturally, he does a great job even without lines or camera focus.
05:1420 years later, and Toombs' security guard is now a vampire slayer in the MCU.
05:20I wonder if he's still on the payroll.
05:21Number 4, Danny Pudy in Cougar Town.
05:26Calling Danny Pudy a huge star might be a bit of a stretch, but the hilarious actor does have a big following thanks to his performance as Abed in the cult sitcom community.
05:37And he also made an appearance in the MCU, so who 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.
05:51The episode featured 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 Pudy playing the role of Abed inside Cougar Town.
06:04Talk about meta.
06:06Watching this scene must have been massively confusing for those who aren't fans of the cult sitcom,
06:11but 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 Dan Bird returned the favour by appearing in a crowd shot in the Community episode for a few paintballs more.
06:25Who knew the small screen was such a small world?
06:27Number 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 is search the background of The Sopranos,
06:37because it seems to be dripping with them.
06:40Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda?
06:42It's a bona fide all-star cast back there.
06:45But unlike Gaga, Miranda actually did have a few lines, so good for him.
06:50The future creator of Hamilton can be spotted in the Season 6 episode, Remember When.
06:56His blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo came as Tony and Paulie pulled up to a motel,
07:00only to find it replaced by a new hotel.
07:03There, they accosted a familiar-looking bellman, who gave them blank stares and a lack of information.
07:08Of course, this familiar face was that of Lin-Manuel Miranda, scoring his first acting job on a major television show.
07:15Interestingly, Miranda had already written one of his most notable projects,
07:19his debut musical In The Heights, when he scored this minor role,
07:23so he certainly had his fingers in some pies back in 2007.
07:27The man was certainly on his way to stardom after he portrayed this nameless character,
07:31and 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,
07:41then donning a mascot costume must turn your face into John Cena.
07:45Because nobody will see it.
07:47Taking on the role of a sports mascot on TV must be heaps of fun,
07:50but you can never really tell who is underneath that mask.
07:54This anonymity makes for a hilarious plot twist for anyone deciding to re-watch the classic
07:59Tony Shalhoub-led sitcom Monk, as one of their extras would go on to do great things.
08:05In the episode Mr. Monk and the Big Game,
08:08the titular character became a basketball coach whilst trying to solve a murder.
08:12During one sequence, Monk found himself getting irritated by an overly enthusiastic mascot dressed
08:17up as a lion. The moment was pretty funny, and the lion did a great job. However, after this came
08:22a brief moment where the mascot removed her head. And who happened to be underneath?
08:26Why, it was the future Oscar winner, Katniss Everdeen 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.
08:41Many sitcoms like to include celebrity cameos, and Curb Your Enthusiasm is no exception.
08:46In fact, the setting in the world of TV makes it essential.
08:50Thanks to this, the show has seen some truly epic guest spots, with highlights including
08:54Shaquille O'Neal, Wanda Sykes, and the previously mentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda.
08:59But there's one that you probably missed.
09:01Whether you love him or hate him, there's no denying that Ben Affleck is a big Hollywood
09:05star. That's what makes this guest spot such a surprise, as he simply acts as an extra
09:10leaving an apartment store in the episode Officer Krupke. That's it.
09:15He's literally on the screen for a second as he bolts out of the store.
09:19The man did more work as a basketball player on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
09:22It is a 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
09:32set, and Larry David asked him if he'd like to be an extra in the episode.
09:36It does go to show that you can never go wrong by asking.
09:39And that concludes our list. If you can think of any that we missed, then do let us know
09:43in the comments below, and while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap
09:47that notification bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found
09:51across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
09:55I've been Ellie with WhatCulture. I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you real soon.