Films and TV shows with prescient casting

[Stumpy Pepys]

AKA assmebling an ensemble cast, many of whom would later become very successful.

I rewatched The Rutles the other week. Of course, the producers had roped in various Monty Python alumni and their associates (Idle, Palin, Innes), but I'd compltely forgotten that Dan Akroyd, John Belushi and Bill Murray were also in it. Obviously they were knownn in the US for Saturday NIght Live, but this was before the likes of Caddyshack and The Blues Brothers made them world-famous. (Although, to be honest, Ron Wood's cameo made me laugh the most.)

The other one that springs to mind is Nathan Barley (which age has been kind to). which features Ben Whishaw, Richard Ayoade and Benerdict Cumberbatch, among several others.

[Guy Profumo]

Given Innes was one of The Rutles, he was hardly "roped in"?

[Jah Womble]

If we're allowed to broaden the brief beyond dramatised pieces, then I'd maybe cite The 11 O'Clock Show, which was made in the offices below us at Talkback, I mean, okay, it wasn't exactly a great show, but it offered the first major TV launch pad to Sacha Baron Cohen, Ricky Gervais and Mackenzie Crook. (To a slightly lesser extent, it also somewhat aided the careers of Iain Lee, Alex Zane, Sarah Alexander, John Holmes, Marc Wootton and [our former receptionist] Daisy Donovan.)

[3 Colours Red]

The sketch show Bruiser starred Mitchell & Webb, Olivia Colman and Martin Freeman before they all made it big, Matt Holness pre-Darkplace... and Charlotte Hudson, who later went on to be one of Richard Hammond's stooges on Brainiac. Can't all be winners, I suppose.

[Stumpy Pepys]

There was an ITV sketch comedy in the early eighties called Alfresco, which I remember, but don't remember watching. Not particularly fondly remmebered, but it featured Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

There was an ITV sketch comedy in the early eighties called Alfresco, which I remember, but don't remember watching. Not particularly fondly remmebered, but it featured Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.

I remember that. That group, of course, would pop up in guest parts in quite a lot of each other's half-forgotten stuff at that time, like Filthy Rich and Catflap and that Young Ones episode.

[ad hoc]

Wasn't there also a series that predated Alfresco called There's Nothing to Worry About with the same group in?

[ad hoc]

Here you go

[WOM]

There was a dead-amateur theatre production in Toronto in 1972 that was expected to run for a couple of weeks, but which caught fire and ran for over a year. The cast included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, and Victor Garber, with music direction by Paul Schaffer.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The other one that springs to mind is Nathan Barley (which age has been kind to). which features Ben Whishaw, Richard Ayoade and Benerdict Cumberbatch, among several others.

I found Nathan Barley almost completely unwatchable. It also turned out to be almost 100% accurate in its predictions of the future. It's terrifying

[Hot Pepsi]

There was a dead-amateur theatre production in Toronto in 1972 that was expected to run for a couple of weeks, but which caught fire and ran for over a year. The cast included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, and Victor Garber, with music direction by Paul Schaffer.

I think it was Godspell.

[WOM]

I think it was Godspell.

Well done.

[Wouter D]

The 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not that great a movie, but had Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicholas Cage, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Anthony Edwards.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

American Graffiti does well here - Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams and (at a push in terms of her profile in the film) Suzanne Somers all went on to clock up a lot of film box office and/or TV ratings between them.

And similarly The Last Picture Show.

[Ginger Yellow]

The one that always gets mentioned is Platoon, which had early performances from Willem Dafoe, Forest Whittaker, Johnny Depp, Keith David, John C McGinley and of course Charlie Sheen.

Dazed and Confused is similar for the early 90s - McConaughey, Affleck, Jovovich, Posey, as well as several less famous ones

[elguapo4]

The daddy of these is 1983's The Outsiders , with C Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane and of course The Cruiser. Also featured a very young Sofia Coppola.

[Snake Plissken]

1986 saw a wonderful film with Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, Clancy Brown, Jeff Goldblum plus supporting roles for IT'S THAT GUY!'s Ronald Lacey, Vincent Schiavelli, Jonathan Banks and Dan Hedeya, plus Damon Hines first role and a cameo voiceover from Jamie Lee Curtis.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension.

[pebblethefish]

There was a dead-amateur theatre production in Toronto in 1972 that was expected to run for a couple of weeks, but which caught fire and ran for over a year. The cast included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, and Victor Garber, with music direction by Paul Schaffer.

I know I'm not very film-y, but I have no idea who any of these people are.

[Hot Pepsi]

The very short-lived Dana Carvey show in 1986 had Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and Robert Smigel.

[WOM]

I know I'm not very film-y, but I have no idea who any of these people are.

Possibly more NA-centric than I'd thought. All of them are big in '80s / '90s comedy films and TV shows. Paul Schaffer was tv host David Letterman's band leader for 30+ years. Levy and O'Hara are 'currently' starring in Schitt's Creek.

[Mr Cogito]

Barry Levinson's directorial debut, Diner (1986) had Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly and Ellen Barkin - prompted for me by the mention of Barkin by Snake, above.

[Ginger Yellow]

Ronald Lacey, Vincent Schiavelli, Jonathan Banks and Dan Hedeya, plus Damon Hines

Some of these names are vaguely familiar but I couldn't put a face to a single one other than Banks (assuming it's the Breaking Bad one). I'm terrible with actors.

[Amor de Cosmos]

The Lords of Flatbush (1974) featured early starring roles for Sylvester Stallone (might in fact be his best performance,) Henry Winkler (pre-Fonzie), Susan Blakeley and Armand Assante (in a bit part.)

[Snake Plissken]

Some of these names are vaguely familiar but I couldn't put a face to a single one other than Banks (assuming it's the Breaking Bad one). I'm terrible with actors.

Ronald Lacey



Vincent Schiavelli



Dan Hedaya

[jwdd27]

As elguapo4 notes, The Outsiders is a pantheon in prescient casting, but Wet Hot American Summer (2001) runs it close. It's a (really quite poor) parody of summer camp/teen coming of age/sex films, but the cast...
David Hyde Pierce would have been a billboard name due to Frasier, but it also starred Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Chris Meloni (SVU), Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, and a fair few others from various comedy troupes (mainly The State, but also SNL) who I'd probably recognise by face if not name.