Top Ten Actors Playing Themselves- A Mexican Standoff

There seems to be something freeing about an actor portraying themselves. Sometimes it allows them to create a neat little sub-character out of themselves. The best example of this is Carl Weathers’ incredibly frugal turn as Carl Weathers on Arrested Development. Also of note is Bill Murray in Zombieland, which is a twist that was spoiled for me so now I’m spoiling it here for anyone who hasn’t seen it. Oh, vengeance is sweet.

There’s also the very fun incarnation of this where a celebrity gets a rare chance to subvert their public persona for laughs. Ricky Gervais has basically made a career out of this, on shows like Extras, giving us scenes that delight us with giddy glee, like Daniel Radcliffe unfurling a massive roll of condoms clad in a boyscout uniform, which is, admittedly, exactly what anyone would carry around if they were Harry Potter.

Unfortunately, that Extras shoutout means it won’t be showing up on this list, but I hope I’ve assembled enough good stuff here to still make it worthwhile.

10.)    Tobey Maguire, Tropic Thunder