When two apparently very different and light-years distant elements find themselves linked in an unexpected way, we can’t help but surprise ourselves and be amazed. How many times have we paused episodes of TV series after having found ourselves in front of each other to actors whose presence we never expected? It happened to us often, sometimes in front of new products, sometimes in front of retrospectives or a rewatch of historical programs that hid the presence of actors who were then little known but who later became very famous, such as Bryan Cranston o Rami Malek. In this article we will tell you about some of these epic moments!
From Anthony Hopkins in Mythic Quest to Bryan Cranston in Murder, She Wrote, here are 7 TV series actors who have starred in series in which we never expected them to appear.
Anthony Hopkins in Mythic Quest
Sir Anthony Philip Hopkins: wonderful stage actor, winner of two Academy Awards, 1985. The best of acting, known not only for film roles but also for serials (impeccable for example his interpretation of Dr. Ford in Westworld), despite the aura of seriousness that surrounds his figure, doesn’t like to take itself too seriously. It is no coincidence that we remember all his fantastic dances on Tik Tok and le performance singing in Italian in the swimming pools of Tuscany. And yet, we never, ever expected him to appear in a comedy series like Mythic Quest. In reality, more than an extra in the flesh, the actor played the role of narrator for the special episode Everlight of the show of Apple TV +, which earned him a nomination garlic Emmy thanks to his incredible acting skills and his unmistakable voice.
Giancarlo Esposito in Community
We loved him madly for his dramatic roles, especially when he plays gods villain: let’s talk about talented Giancarlo Espositobest known to most for the iconic role of the fearsome Gus Fring in Breaking Bad e Better Call Saul, but the actor’s career is not limited to this. In fact, his participation in Community was particularly interesting, the last TV series in which we would have expected to find him, in which he plays Pierce’s half-brother, even if for very few episodes (SPOILER), as well as the illegitimate son of the racist and unbearable Cornelius Hawthorne . In the episode in question, made unforgettable for being set much of the time in an 8-bit video gameEsposito manages to give depth to his character by mixing humor and introspection: truly incredible!
Eric Stonestreet in American Horror Story
If until now we have talked about actors known above all for dramatic roles who participate in more comical and irreverent products, in this situation we are witnessing the exact opposite. This is indeed the case with Eric Stonestreet, best known for playing the irresistible, theatrical and hilarious Cameron Tucker in Modern Family. In fact, the actor took part in an episode of the first season of American Horror Story, where he plays a patient of Ben Harmon. In the episode in question the character will try to face his fear of a monster known in urban legends as the Pig Man.
Who would have ever expected to see Stonestreet in such a role?
Burt Reynolds in My Name is Earl
And who would have ever imagined seeing an actor like Burt Reynolds in a series like My Name is Earl? In fact, the famous Hollywood actor participated in three episodes of the showduring which he plays the character of Richard Chubby owner of Club Chubby, one strip club local of Cadmen where Earl goes to ask for money for a friend. Reynolds will also later appear in other products demonstrating a great self-deprecating veinas happened in 2016, when it will dub the version cartoonesca of himself in an episode of the irreverent animated series Archer.
The Rock in That ’70s Show
In our Netflix serial catchups we came across That’s the 70’s Showfun sit-com relatively little known in Italy. We don’t hide from you that for us it was really a show so we find ourselves in front of a young man Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, complete with a mustache and a hairstyle that rivals the Country Cousins. This is an amusing appearance that actually hides a deeper meaning: the actor in fact plays his father here, Rocky Johnsonaround you wrestler active since the 1960s. What The Rock defined as “a love letter to his father” was also his first acting part in a series: a great debut, don’t you think?
Rami Malek in Gilmore Girls
Even the most avid serialized may have forgotten it, but before becoming famous for his starring role in Mr. Robot, the now-Oscar winner Rami Malek participated in episode 4×11 of A mum for a friend in which he plays the character Andy, a member of Lane’s (Keiko Agena) Bible study group. The dismay of finding ourselves in front of Malek during a very common rewatch of the series was really great. This episode was particularly important since it represents the first acting debut for the actor, who we would soon see again at the cinema in 2006 with the film A night at the museum.
Bryan Cranston in Murder, She Wrote
How many times have you found yourself willingly or unwillingly to see episodes of Murder, she wrote, even just casually? The surprise in seeing an infinite number of faces of actors who would later become known always amuses us, especially if we see these episodes in hindsight. So imagine our amazement at seeing Bryan Cranston appear in the series not once, not twice, but three different times, in three different roles, during the adventures of our beloved Jessica Fletcher. Perhaps this shouldn’t surprise us all that much, given the deluge of roles in which the famous and talented actor appeared during the years of apprenticeship before the roles that made him iconic, but see him go from perpetrator to victim time and time again and play alongside Angela Lansubry priceless.
