After 50 years of Stephen King big screen adaptations, it’s only natural that quite a few of them have featured actors who were either soon to hit the A-list or were already on it and showing up for a day’s shoot. Those are the types of performers we’re looking at today, the ones whose roles in a King movie were so miniscule you’d be forgiven for forgetting they were a part of it at all. The only caveat was that the actor had to have been (or currently is) a lead performer. That means no Alan Tudyk, who had a brief role in Hearts in Atlantis, Kelly Preston, who was in a few scenes of Christine, Saturday Night Live‘s James Austin Johnson, who has a vocal cameo in the new The Running Man, or Violent McGraw, who had cameos in both Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck. Though, in McGraw’s case, it’s quite likely she’ll hit the A-list sooner rather than later.
You also need to have been able to barely notice the actor’s presence. If you leave the room for a bathroom break at a particular time, you’ve missed it. Furthermore, just because a role was limited doesn’t mean it wasn’t memorable. Case in point, John Cusack in Stand by Me. He’s barely in it, but we feel his presence in terms of how his death affects Wil Wheaton’s Gordie Lachance. But these actors? If you leave the room to dump the pasta in the now-boiling water, you risk missing them.
7) Richard Gere in Creepshow
During the Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen fronted “Something to Tide You Over,” there’s a blink and you’ll miss it uncredited cameo from Richard Gere, who starred in An Officer and a Gentleman the same year. You can also hear the voice of Superman‘s Ned Beatty during “They’re Creeping Up on You.” He plays Bob Bean, one of the people E. G. Marshall’s tyrannical Upson Pratt speaks with on the phone.
In spite of the fact that Gere has been working steadily for over 40 years, he’s never had a genuine role in a King movie or miniseries. However, when Gere’s Unfaithful came out, King did compliment the actor’s work, so perhaps that will have to count as their second bit of connective tissue.
Stream Creepshow for free on Kanopy.
6) Giancarlo Esposito in Maximum Overdrive
The wonderful Giancarlo Esposito spent decades working in the industry until finally getting his breakthrough role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad. His ’80s big-screen output included very minor roles in some excellent films, including Trading Places, The Brother from Another Planet, and, most notably, Do the Right Thing.
King’s Maximum Overdrive, the one movie he ever directed, is not one of those excellent movies. That said, without it we wouldn’t have Esposito getting mesmerized by the lights of an arcade game and electrocuted by the time-passer. Also popping up at one point is Marla Maples, the second wife of a certain divisive political figure.
Stream Maximum Overdrive on Prime Video.
5) Holt McCallany in Creepshow 2
Like with the original Creepshow, Stephen King had heavy involvement in the sequel. The second of the three underrated segments, “The Raft,” was based on an excellent short story of his from Skeleton Crew. The first of the three, “Old Chief Wood’nhead,” was written for the film, with King providing an outline and some of the dialogue.
And it’s in “Old Chief Wood’nhead” that we find our pre-fame star: Mindhunter‘s Holt McCallany. This was McCallany’s very first movie and only his second on-screen performance after an episode of All My Children. Six years after this he would collaborate with Mindhunter executive producer for the first time in Alien 3, then later Fight Club.
Stream Creepshow 2 on Prime Video.
4) Mark Hamill in Sleepwalkers
Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers is certainly an odd duck. Not just because it’s one of the few cases of King writing a screenplay not based on a previous work, but rather because of its tone and often hilariously out-there plot.
But it’s also one of the few cases out there where a ton of cameos is a major part of its charm. However, most of them aren’t actors as much as they’re horror directing auteurs. Hellraiser‘s Clive Barker, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Tob Hooper, An American Werewolf in London‘s John Landis, Gremlins‘ Joe Dante, King himself, they all have bit roles (King’s is genuinely funny, too). But right at the beginning, playing a police officer called to the scene of a house surrounded by dead cats, is none other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who also has plenty of experience playing more memorable roles in King adaptations, including in the next entry on our list.
Stream Sleepwalkers for free with ads on The Roku Channel.
3) Lauren LaVera in The Life of Chuck
The Life of Chuck may very well be the most star-studded Stephen King adaptation yet. Many of them have primary roles in the undervalued treasure, including Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, the aforementioned Mark Hamill, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘s Mia Sara, and Nick Offerman, who narrates the film.
And, just as with Sleepwalkers, it’s also a movie with a proclivity for cameos from the world of horror. Scream‘s Matthew Lillard, A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Heather Langenkamp, Prisoners‘ David Dastmalchian, What We Do in the Shadows‘ Harvey Guillén, they all pop up for a bit. Anyone of them would be worthy of having their name in the header, but we’re giving the entry to Lauren LaVera, who has a plug-your-ears-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as an Italian reporter. She may not be an A-lister in the traditional sense (though that could very well happen), but as Sienna Shaw in Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 she immediately announced herself as an A-lister of horror cinema, no doubt about it.
Stream The Life of Chuck on Hulu.
2) Joshua Jackson in Apt Pupil
After playing Charlie Conway in the first three The Mighty Ducks movies, and the very same year he started playing Pacey Witter on Dawson’s Creek, ’90s heartthrob Joshua Jackson played the role of Joey in Apt Pupil. A classmate of Brad Renfro’s Todd Bowden, Jackson isn’t given much to do outside have some tense standoffs with his peer.
The actor has continued to work steadily throughout the past few decades, putting in an appearance in Karate Kid: Legends and had lead roles in the small screen’s Fatal Attraction and Doctor Odyssey. Never say never to him getting attached to a meatier role in another King project now that we’re in a bit of a King renaissance.
Stream Apt Pupil on Prime Video.
1) Gary Sinise in The Green Mile
Few actors are as adept at bringing Stephen King characters to life as Forrest Gump and CSI: NY‘s Gary Sinise. Outside of those projects, Apollo 13, and Of Mice and Men, it may very well be what he’s most known for.
But the main reason he’s known as such a King legend is for his role as Stu Redman in The Stand. And yet his three or so minute role in The Green Mile seems to get forgotten when looking back at the actor’s output, which is strange considering it’s some of his best work. He plays Burt Hammersmith, John Coffey’s defense attorney who wrongly assumes his client was guilty (and draws a woefully hateful and misguided connection to the mongrel dog that took his son’s right eye).
Stream The Green Mile on YouTube TV.
Can you think of any other big stars’ bit roles in a Stephen King movie from the past? How about in any of the many TV miniseries adaptations? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!