“It was probably the most daunting challenge I’ve ever had in 43 years of my life and in filmmaking. I was terrified.”
Those are the words of Nicolas Cage, one of the most fearless actors alive today. During his career, Cage has played a face-changing criminal, a sad-sack screenwriter and his twin brother, a man who believes he is slowly transforming into a vampire, an alcoholic trying to drink himself to death, and a brilliant chef turned hermit hunting for his invaluable pig, along with about 100 other difficult roles.
So what part made Cage so nervous? The role of “Nick Cage” in the comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Playing a stunt biker possessed by the demonic spirit of vengeance? No problem! Playing himself? A daunting challenge!
That sort of puts things in perspective. If the brilliant Nicolas Cage had trouble playing himself, no wonder so many other celebrities — not just actors, but musicians, celebrity chefs, athletes, and assorted other famous people — have struggled to convincing portray fictional versions of themselves onscreen. The list below collects ten of the most notable, uncomfortable, embarrassing, and unintentionally hilarious examples. Sometimes you really do need massive talent to pull this kind of thing off.
Celebrities Who Couldn’t Convincingly Play Themselves Onscreen
The very famous people struggled to play fictional versions of themselves in movies. Apparently, that is not as easy to do as it looks.
