“The Bubble,” now streaming on Netflix, follows a group of actors as they try to pull together an action blockbuster in the pandemic. And, as expected from a comedy directed by Judd Apatow, it’s full of hilarious — and sometimes, disgusting — hurdles.
More unexpected is the slew of other famous faces that show up in the movie. With a core cast boasting names like Karen Gillan, Leslie Mann, David Duchovny, Pedro Pascal and more, it’s a bit hard to see how they’d get even more actors in there. But they do.
So, we’ve rounded them all up for you.
Daisy Ridley — “Star Wars” actress Daisy Ridley is one of the first major cameos of “The Bubble” and she actually bookends the movie. She first appears virtually, as Dieter’s (Pedro Pascal) online fitness instructor Kate, who he hallucinates having sex with while on drugs. In the final minutes of the film, we see that Dieter actually tracked her down, and brought her to his movie’s premiere. She has no idea why she’s there.
John Lithgow — John Lithgow briefly pops into “The Bubble” as Tom, the studio chairman. He’s Kate McKinnon’s boss, and he spent his pandemic in Fiji.
John Cena — With as many action movies as he’s done, it’s only fitting that John Cena showed up as Steve, the stunt coordinator for “Cliff Beasts 6.” Steve’s not very good at his job, and definitely not great at technology, but he sure did his best. And fortunately, no one got badly hurt while performing the stunt he choreographed.
Benedict Cumberbatch — Granted, Benedict Cumberbatch’s cameo wasn’t a total surprise, as fans learned of his cameo in the trailer. But in context, it was certainly jarring to the actors on Cliff Beasts 6. In their drug-induced hallucinations, the actors see Cumberbatch’s face on one of their crew members, and it seriously trips them out.
Beck — What can you do when your entire cast is fed up with conditions and wants to leave? You can give them a virtual private concert. In the case of “Cliff Beasts 6,” the studio brings in Beck, as himself, to perform for the actors.
James McAvoy — Aside from Beck, James McAvoy is the only celebrity who gets to cameo just as himself in “The Bubble.” In the story, he apparently went on a date with Carol (Karen Gillan) but has no recollection of it. It’s a wonderfully awkward encounter between the two Scots.
Rob Delaney — Comedian Rob Delaney’s role in “The Bubble” is definitely more than just a cameo, but not by too much. He appears in the beginning and briefly in the middle as Carol’s agent. But, like Steve, he’s not very good at his job.
Maria Bamford — Iris Apatow may star alongside her real life mother Leslie Mann in “The Bubble,” but her on-screen mother is actually played by comedian and “Lady Dynamite” star Maria Bamford. She appears briefly on a video chat with her daughter, adorably asking if there’s anyone on set that she’s crushing on.
