25 Non-Actors You Could Easily Mistake for Seasoned Veterans

Is acting a lot easier than we think?
25 Non-Actors You Could Easily Mistake for Seasoned Veterans
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Could you imagine a Major League Baseball game where they asked a random fan in the crowd to go up to bat, and they hit a home run? It’s a dream that many people have — until they see a 100 mph fastball up close, that is. 

Luckily for these non-actors, they were only asked to step up to a metaphorical plate. Their lives weren’t in danger, but there was some serious pressure, and they knocked it out of the proverbial park!

Nelson Mandela in Malcolm X

Nelson Mandela played a teacher in Malcolm Х. Не shows up near the end, in a scene in Soweto, South Africa, where kids in a classroom shout I am Malcolm X. Mandela then says the last lines of the by any means necessary speech by Malcolm X. CRACKED.COM

Darlene Cates in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

CRACKED DARLENE CATES WENT FROM A DAYTIME TALK SHOW TO THE OSCARS. WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE? After seeing her on the Sally Jessy Raphael episode Too Heavy to Leave Their House, Peter Hedges wanted Cates to play Bonnie Grape. Depp called her performance without flaw, and DiCaprio called her the best acting mama I ever had.

Snoop in The Wire

GRACKED FELICIA SNOOP PEARSON WAS A REAL-LIFE GANGSTER. THE WIRE Before playing Snoop, she was an actual drug dealer who spent years in prison. Michael K. Williams met her at a nightclub, and suggested that she audition. Creators and fans widely consider her one of the most authentic parts of the show.

Deliverance

CRACKED HERBERT 'COWBOY' COWARD WAS A THEME PARK EMPLOYEE. DELIVERANCE Burt Reynolds shot Gunsmoke at the Ghost Town theme park, where Coward worked as a cowboy. Reynolds recommended him for the role, and his line, He got a real purdy mouth, ain't he? haunts us all over 50 years later.

Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore

BOB BARKER CAN REALLY FIGHT BE GRAGKED.COM The Bob Barker and Happy fight was cool enough before realizing that Barker insisted on doing his own stunts. Не studied Tang Soo Do karate for decades and received a blackbelt under Chuck Norris. I trained with Chuck, Barker told Sandler. We trained every night. Не helps me with my punches and my kicks, but I have to win this fight.

Cornel West in The Matrix Reloaded

Philosopher Cornel West is on the council of Zion in The Matrix Reloaded. Lana Wachowski liked his books so much, she wrote a character based on him and asked him to cameo. CRACKED.COM

Hafpor Bjornsson in Game of Thrones

CRACKED HAFPÓR BJÖRNSSON WAS ASKED TO PLAY THE MOUNTAIN VIA FACEBOOK. GAME OF THRONES In 2014, producers sent him an unsolicited Facebook message. Не said, They asked me if I was strong enough to pick one of the guys up. I gave it a try, and they were surprised at how easily I lifted him overhead. Не was crowned The World's Strongest Man in 2018.

R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket

GRACKED R. LEE ERMEY WAS A REAL-LIFE DRILL INSTRUCTOR. FULL METAL JACKET After his military career of actually terrorizing recruits, he became a technical advisor on war-themed movies. Stanley Kubrick wanted the real deal, and cast him as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Many of the classic insults are Emery's originals.

Ke Huy Quan in Temple of Doom

CRACKED KE HUY QUAN WAS JUST A TAG-ALONG. TEMPLE OF DOOM Не went with his brother to an open casting call, and was completely unprepared when they asked him to audition. Не met Spielberg the next day, and began shooting Temple of Doom 3 weeks later.

Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips

CRACKED BARKHAD ABDI AS ABDUWALI MUSE. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass looked in the Somali-American community of Minneapolis, and discovered the completely unknown limo driver. Abdi won everyone over with, I'm the captain now, won a BAFTA, and was nominated for an Oscar.

Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives

GRACKED HAROLD RUSSELL WON AN OSCAR AS A DISABLED VETERAN. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES The WWII veteran who lost both hands was cast by director William Wyler in his film about veterans coming home from the war. In 1947, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Haing S. Ngor in The Killing Fields

GRACKED HAING S. NGOR WON AN OSCAR FOR RELIVING HIS REAL-LIFE HORRORS. THE KILLING FIELDS The Cambodian physician was discovered by a talent scout at a wedding, and was asked to play Dith Pran in a film about the genocide he had just himself survived 6 years earlier. Не is one of only 2 non-actors to win an Oscar.

Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild

CRACKED QUVENZHANÉ WALLIS IS A NATURAL. R BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD At six years old, and with no prior acting experience, she expressed seriously complex emotions as Hushpuppy, and became the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscars history.

Rosario Dawson in Kids

GRACKED ROSARIO DAWSON WAS NOTICED ON HER PORCH. KIDS While location scouting for Kids, Larry Clark and Harmony Korine saw 15-year-old Dawson on her porch. Harmony told her, I wrote this character for you without even realizing. You're perfect for this character. Her performance as Ruby launched her career.

Senator Patrick Leahy in The Dark Knight

GRACKED PATRICK LEAHY STOOD UP TO THE JOKER. THE DARK KNIGHT The man who tells the Joker, We're not intimidated by thugs is Patrick Leahy, the senior Senator from Vermont. As a hardcore Batman fan, he's had cameos in 5 Batman films, and even provided the voice for a character in Batman: The Animated Series.

Alice Cooper on That ‘70s Show

Eric feared Donna would dump him for ALICE COOPER THAT 70S SHOW CRACKED.COM It wasn't completely out of the question, but she would have had to find a way to get past the snake.

David Bowie on Extras

Always meet your heroes when they're DAVID BOWIE EXTRAS CRACKED.COM Gervais wrote the Extras scene about meeting your hero and him not being what you thought. And then he did the show and gave us exactly what Bowie was. Later he was doing a benefit in New York and he started in with, 'Chubby little loser... Please welcome Ricky Gervais.

Eminem on Entourage

Vinnie was asking to get his ass kicked by EMINEM ENTOURAGE CRACKED.COM Vinnie is drunk at Eminem's private hotel party, itching for a fight. When the rapper's security goes to throw him out, Vinnie shouts, What, are you too mainstream now to fight your own fights, Marshall? Let the ass whupping commence!

Prince on New Girl

Did U happen 2 с the 1 with PRINCE NEW GIRL CRACKED.COM I got a cold email from his manager, says Zoe Deschanel. Hello, I am manager to legendary artist Prince. Не is loving the show New Girl. Не would like 2 В on the show.' I'm like, this has to be a prank! Cast and crew weren't sure His Royal Badness would actually show up, but he was awesome.

Stevie Wonder on The Cosby Show

The kids were jammin' on the one with STEVIE WONDER THE COSBY SHOW GRAGKED.COM This episode is the single most influential moment in the history of hip-hop, says Questlove. It was the first time that 99 percent of us who went on to be hip-hop producers saw what a sampler was. It's not an exaggeration to say that this was the incident that truly sucked me into hip-hop.

MLB All-Stars on The Simpsons

MLB ALL-STARS THE SIMPSONS CITY CHAMPS CRACKED.COM Mr. Burns assembles a pantheon of all-time baseball greats for the company softball team. See Ken Griffey Jr. develop gigantism on an episode deservedly enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bill Buckner on Curb Your Enthusiasm

BILL BUCKNER CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM CRACKED.COM Buckner will live in sports infamy for allowing a ball to go through his legs in Game 6 of the '86 Series. Curb redeems Buckner when he passes a burning building and lays out to snag a baby tossed from an apartment window. Larry applauds: Nice catch!

Detlef Schrempf on Parks and Recreation

DETLEF SCHREMPF PARKS AND REC CRACKED.COM Producer Mike Schur's first choice for a basketball cameo was Larry Bird. But is there any funnier name in NBA history than Detlef Schrempf? The three-time All-Star practically became a recurring character, appearing in three seasons.

Wade Boggs on Cheers

WADE BOGGS CHEERS CRACKED.COM A rival bar owner sends Boggs to Cheers as a good-will gesture, but the gang thinks he's a fake and chases him into the streets. I got pantsed in 'Bar Wars,' the number-one rated episode of Cheers all time. I'm very proud of that.

Keith Hernandez on Seinfeld

KEITH HERNANDEZ SEINFELD CRACKED.COM Elaine Benes is seduced by the greatest athlete pickup line of all time: I'm Keith Hernandez.

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