Sometimes, when a book is adapted into a movie, filmmakers decide to give a little nod to the original author by having them appear in the movie. Not only is this fun for the fans of the novels, but it’s also surreal for the authors, too. Let’s be real, how would you feel speaking face-to-face to a character that you made up?
Still,some of these unexpected cameos are a little bit hard to spot. Some have speaking lines, some are just there to look nice in the background while the action goes on elsewhere. Whatever the case, this is not anything new, as this can be observed in dozens of different movies.
10S. E. Hinton
‘The Outsiders’ (1983)
S. E. Hintonwrote her 1967 novelThe Outsiderswhen she was in high school. The short young adult novel is a story about social cliques in the deep south of America during the 1960s. The story features two primary gangs: the Greasers, who wear leather jackets, grease their hair and are rough around the edges, and the Socs (short for “socials”), who are more preppy. 16 years after her hit novel was released, Hinton’s first (and arguably best) novel was adapted for the silver screens, starringthe Brat Pack.
Towards the end of the movie, the characters Dally (Matt Dillon) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) are hospitalized. Dally is never one to conform to standards or social norms, and is found lying in his hospital bed in nothing but his tighty-whities.He has a short conversation with his nurse, who is disgusted by the fact that he got rid of his hospital gown and is sitting there in his underwear. Dally tells her off and she leaves.This nurse is none other than S. E. Hinton herself, now a grown woman, and seeing her creation come to life firsthand. On top of this minor role, she also participated in location scouting for the movie.
The Outsiders
Set in a small town, a group of underprivileged teenagers known as the Greasers constantly clash with the affluent Socs. The stark contrast in their socioeconomic statuses leads to a tragic chain of events, testing the bonds of friendship and the notion of loyalty among the Greasers.
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9Stephenie Meyer
‘Twilight’ (2008)
Stephenie Meyeractually appears twice throughout theTwilightmovies.She can be seen front-and-center in the first movie, sitting at a table on her laptop, writing. What else would she be doing? No doubt she’s busywriting a future book.She also appears inBreaking Dawn–Part 1as one of the wedding guests. More specifically, she can be found sitting right next to Seth (Booboo Stewart).
Whether or not Meyer actually wanted to be in the movies is a mystery.Some sources claim she was talked into the role by the studioas they thought her appearance would be a fun little Easter egg for the fans. Whether or not she was truly enthusiastic about appearing on-camera, a fun little Easter egg it certainly was.
‘The Joy Luck Club’ (1993)
Amy Tanwrote her novelThe Joy Luck Clubbased on her own experiences growing up as a Chinese-American woman.While the film heavily revolves around the Chinese-American identityand the family ties surrounding it, it also paints a harrowing picture of loss, love, and friendship.
Tan’s cameo in the movie is very brief and is very easy to miss if you’re not expecting it. She can be found in the crowd during the Mahjong party at the very beginning of the movie. Of course, with all the other family members and friends mingling around, she can be hard to pinpoint unless you know exactly where to look.
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7Stephen King
‘It Chapter Two’ (2019)
Stephen Kinghas actuallyappeared in numerous adaptations of his work. Buthis most notable (and most recent) appearance is as the creepy shopkeeper inIt Chapter Two. Being a horror writer, King has mastered the art of appearing creepy and foreboding, so he fits in perfectly with the movie.
He has also appeared inThe Shiningminiseries (1997),Maximum Overdrive(1983),Pet Sematary(1989), and several more. His roles extend from creepy shopkeeper to minister, to a guy using an ATM, to a random guy eating a sandwich. But few of these roles ever truly captured what King is all about until his recent appearance inIt Chapter Two.
It Chapter Two
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6Peter Benchley
‘Jaws’ (1975)
There are still a lot of people who don’t realize thatJawswas indeedbased on a novel. The book came out the year before the movie and was written by onePeter Benchley.Benchley also happens to appear in the movie. He talks directly to the camera ashe plays a newscaster reporting on the killingshappening on the beach.
Why did he get this role? Simple:he used to be a newscaster before writingJaws. Go figure. So, with him being a natural at being on camera and all, it makes sense that he doesn’t seem all that different from the professional actors in the movie. Still, if you know who he is, it’s a nice reminder that the movie has a book behind it.
5John Green
‘Paper Towns’ (2015)
John Green’s romance novels are immensely popular with teens and adults alike. He is known for several books, a couple of which have been adapted into movies. The most successful of these wasThe Fault in Our Stars(2014), but he is also known for 2015’sPaper Towns. Whilethe former was received better than the latter,the latter boasts an appearance by the man himself.
He was, apparently supposed to appear inThe Fault in Our Stars, but his scene didn’t make the final cut. Luckily,his appearance inPaper Townsdid make the final cut, and he can be observed in a real blink-and-you’ll miss it moment.He appears as nothing but a shadowy figure, screaming at another character about how he is armed. This moment is so subtle that apparently,Green’s own wife didn’t even catch it.
Paper Towns
4Lee Child
‘Jack Reacher’ (2012)
Lee Child is the author of the very extensiveJack Reacherseries of novels, which currently spans28 individual books. andmade cameos in both movies. In the first,she plays a police officer who has a short conversation with her titular character, who is played byTom Cruise. She seems suspicious of him for some reason. Which she should be because, as the author, she knows Jack better than he knows himself.
She also appears inJack Reacher: Never go Back(2016). In fact, she seems to be pretty savvy at appearing on camera, asshe even made a cameo in a season finale of theReacherTV series.She’s practically a seasoned veteran with the whole cameo thing by now.
Jack Reacher
A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.
3Kathryn Stockett
‘The Help’ (2011)
Kathryn Stockettpenned her novelThe Helpback in 2009 to an astounding amount of success. So it was only a matter of time beforeDisneyscooped up the rights to the movie and adapted it into a film.Disney was kind enough to allow Stockett to appear in the movie.
She can be seen in the crowd during a church sermon, sporting a period-appropriate beehive hairstyle and very fine clothing. While her appearance is minor, it must be nice to see yourself in the story that you’ve created, even if the story isn’t even primarily about you.
Based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel, The Help chronicles the lives of two black maids in 1963 Mississippi through the lens of an aspiring white journalist attempting to write a book about them. Emma Stone stars as Eugenia Phelan, with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson. The further ensemble cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, and Sissy Spacek.
2Sir Michael Morpurgo
‘War Horse’ (2011)
Sir Michael Morpurgowrote the originalWorld War InovelWar Horsea while ago now. Butit seems he’s no stranger to appearing in adaptations of it. He’s actuallyappeared in Broadway adaptations of it multiple times, typically playing a member of the crowd, without any speaking lines.
His film cameo is a little extra special though, because not only does he get to join in on the action, but so does his beloved wife,Clare Morpurgo. WithJawsandWar Horseboth having author cameos, it seems like directorSteven Spielbergis a real fan of throwing out fun little easter eggs like this.
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Dozens of Marvel Movies
This one is perhaps the most famous writer to appear in movie adaptations of his own work. WhileStan Leewas alive, it wasnearly impossible to get through aMarvel-licensed movie without looking for him somewhere in the movie. He appeared in several movies both inside and outside of theMCU’s canon. In fact, compiling all the clips from various films with him in it might even be enough to make a movie of its own. His most hilarious appearance occurs in Sony’sThe Amazing Spider-Man(2012), where Lee plays a librarian who blissfully goes about his duties while listening to music through noise-cancelling headphones. Meanwhile, Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) is having a huge, destructive fight with the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) in the background.
Stan Lee’s multiple appearances throughout Marvel movies have become a huge part of his legacy. While the roles were almost always minor and without any speaking lines whatsoever, it’s a great way to memorialize a well-beloved and influential figure in comic book history.
The Amazing Spider-Man
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