BEST MOVIE CAMEO #3
One of the bravest roles an actor can choose to do is to play a skewed & heightened version of him or herself.
Usually it’s a small, one scene cameo like Keanu Reeves portraying himself as a pretentious, self satisfied actor in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE or Anna Farris playing a coked up wackadoo version of herself in, coincidentally enough, KEANU.
One of the best and most underrated examples of an actor (or in this case, a pair) in a taking-the-piss-out-of-themselves cameo is in Tony Scott’s DOMINO.
Not only does the arrival of Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green tie into an earlier Act 1 reference to Beverly Hills 90210, the duo play perfect comedic foils. Their self deprecating timing lends a lot of humor to the movie’s second half.
It takes a very good sport & a keen sense of self awareness – not to mention the comic chops to play the absurdity of the situation straight. Ziering & Green lean into the comedy curve in allowing themselves to be portrayed as meta versions of two former teen-idol actors hanging hopes on hosting a bounty hunting reality show will jumpstart stagnate careers. The boys from Beverly Hills deftly play themselves as vain, clueless, narcissists. However they do it with genuine chemistry no acting class can teach.
For Green, I would imagine it to be an honor & memorable high mark as an actor to have a scene where one of the greatest American actors of the 80’s, an icon himself, none other than living legend Mickey Rourke looks Green in the eye with casual menace, suggesting to Green:“Why don’t you just shut the fuck up?”
Green’s reaction is pitch perfect.
TINSELTOWN TAKEDOWN 