The celebrity music-video cameo is an easy way for artists to draw attention to their video and prove they've got enough clout to land a big name. Sometimes, like Christopher Walken in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice," they make weird and wonderful sense. Other times, they do not. Here are nine examples of those times that left us wondering, why?
Jack Black in Die Antwoord's "Ugly Boy"
In a video filled with random celebrity cameos—Marilyn Manson? ATL Twins? Cara Delevingne???—none is stranger than Jack Black's cameo towards the end, as a disfigured Jersey guido smoking a grotesquely long cigar. Okay, then.
Chris Pine in Paul McCartney's "Queenie Eye"
If Paul McCartney wants every famous person on the planet to show up in his music video, all he has to do is ask. He is Paul McCartney. So that's exactly what he did, wrangling big names like Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Meryl Streep, and a bunch more to dance and lip-sync in this weirdly goofy video. But of all the famous faces here—and there are a lot—one of them is eating away at us. Why are you here, Chris Pine? Please explain yourself.
Shia Labeouf in Sia's "Elastic Heart"
This.
Ron Howard in Jamie Foxx's "Blame It"
File this one under WTF. The last person you'd expect to see in Jamie Foxx's ode to getting faded in da club is the dude who directed A Beautful Mind, but that's why they call it Hollyweird.
Pamela Anderson in Kanye West's "Touch the Sky"
At the time, this seemed pretty straightforward: Kanye West playing a daredevil and Pamela Anderson playing his buxom companion. Sure. But looking back on it today—with Kanye the dominant, dark prince of hip-hop and Pamela Anderson the animal activist who just divorced her third husband—this feels like an especially odd pairing.
Megan Fox in Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie"
Watching this hyper-stylized domestic violence drama play out—with its stop-start makeouts and shouting matches—makes us uncomfortable enough. Add to it that Megan Fox just isn't a very convincing actress and this just hits all the wrong notes.
Scarlett Johansson in Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around"
If you're going to cast someone in the thankless role of wayward girlfriend whose sole job is to smolder, then why cast Talented Actress Scarlett Johansson? And more pressingly, if you're Scarlett Johansson, then why accept?
Shaquille O'Neal in Owl City's "Vanilla Twilight"
Remember Owl City? They had that one hit that sounded a lot like that other band. They also had NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal making one of the most bewildering cameos in music video history as a very tall man staring up at some magical formation in the sky. No matter how hard we try, we can't figure this one out.
Mickey Rourke in Enrique Iglesias' "Hero"
Back in 2001, Mickey Rourke was a pretty tough dude (he is no longer a said tough guy), so there's something pathetic about seeing him lay into poor Enrique Iglesias here, who just wants to serenade Jennifer Love Hewitt in peace like the rest of us.