9 Actors Who Only Spent a Few Minutes Onscreen, but Still Stole the Spotlight

It might be hard to believe that some of our favorite actors could star in movies for minutes or even in only one scene. However, believe it or not, they have. Not only that, but some of them even got an Academy Award for best actor during their short screen cameo. Quality over quantity truly applies to these talented actors, so much so that they made a huge impact in the movies they appeared in.

1. Angelina Jolie starred in Eternals for 19 minutes.

• “I loved being part of the family, so I have no desire to separate from the family. But I would be happy to play her again and explore even more deeply the struggles that she has. I think it’s fun thinking of where they’ve been over the years. We’ve got thousands of years’ worth of material. We can take her anywhere. I think that’s fun, and I like the idea that we can pop up somewhere, maybe in other Marvel movies.”

2. Tom Cruise starred in Tropic Thunder for 9 minutes.

• The director of this movie, Ben Stiller, says: “Tom Cruise had the idea to play Les Grossman in the movie. That part did not exist. He said, ’Well, there’s no studio executive, and it would be really fun to be that guy.’ And he had this whole idea of what the guy should look like. It was his idea to dance. And I remember when we did a makeup test, someone handed him a Diet Coke, and then he just started moving.”

3. Tom Felton starred in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for 31 minutes across all 8 movies, which is about 4 minutes per movie.

• “I’ve never been on a single set for so long. It was such an important scene that they wanted to film it every which way possible, to give the 8 films the climax they deserved.”

4. Matthew McConaughey starred in The Wolf of Wall Street for 10 minutes.

• “I love music, and I think part of my performances and what I try to bring to these characters is a different type of music, tone, inflection, how they speak, what their words are.”

5. Ana de Armas starred in No Time to Die for 5 minutes.

• “This character, I think it didn’t exist in the film. It was just through talking to Cary that he really wanted me in the movie. And they just made it happen. So I was in the conversation a long time before it became real.”

6. Anne Hathaway starred in Les Misérables for 15 minutes.

• “I cry, but I think it’s because I’m still connected to the experience of making it, the process. Fantine’s so broken that I actually have to protect myself a little bit. So when I saw it, I did cry, but not because of what I was doing on-screen. It was because I was back in the process of making it.”

7. Rebel Wilson starred in Bridesmaids for 1 week.

• “My character wasn’t supposed to exist in the movie. The role lasted only 1 week. For the whole week, I had to wrap myself in cling wrap around the torso area so that I could have that tattoo in case I wanted to refer to it. We only used it on the first day, but just in case. So I didn’t really shower properly that whole week of Bridesmaids.”

8. Anthony Hopkins starred in The Silence of the Lambs for 16 minutes.

• “I’ve never admitted this publicly, but when I was in the Royal Academy, there was a teacher we had, a Stanislavsky method teacher, and he was lethal. He was very charismatic, and he was deadly. He would rip you apart. He would take you apart intellectually. He’d smirk, and he’d say, ‘No. Do it again.’ I based it on him. ’No, Clarice.’ This teacher had stayed in my conscience all my life. I got a phone call afterward: ‘Tony, it was a wonderful performance. Did you base that on me, by any chance?’”

9. Keanu Reeves starred in Always Be My Maybe for 15 minutes.

• “It was a lot of fun to get the invitation to play a version of myself in some alternate universe. I’m a fan of Ali, and to work with her and such wonderful artists on this movie was a really fun experience.”

Which actor surprised you most with their screen time? How shocked were you?

Tom Cruise’s unwavering dedication to his mother, Mary, has been a cornerstone of his life, both personally and professionally. Despite the allure of Hollywood, Cruise remained steadfastly devoted to his mother, offering her unwavering support and care. From a young age, he shouldered familial responsibilities, especially after his father’s departure. The actor’s early years were marked by frequent relocations and familial upheavals. After his parents’ divorce, Cruise, alongside his mother and three sisters, faced the challenges of life head-on. To support his family, young Tom took on various jobs, prioritizing their well-being over his own dreams. Even as his acting career took off, Cruise’s bond with his mother remained unbreakable, a testament to their deep connection.