Actor Allusion



"The movie makes a sly reference to a famous earlier role by Irons. When Simba tells him, "You're so weird," he replies "You have no idea," in exactly the tone he used in "Reversal of Fortune.""

- Roger Ebert referring to Jeremy Irons’ role as Scar in The Lion King.

An Actor Allusion is a joke or reference which is specific to one of the actors in a show. It can be a little blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, such as Mary Albright (Jane Curtin) spotting some people in Conehead costumes at a sci-fi convention in 3rd Rock from the Sun, or it can be bigger and more blatant, such as when John Lithgow repeated his entire anti-music rant from Footloose in the same show.

Related to the Shout-Out, and is sometimes triggered by I Want You to Meet An Old Friend of Mine or a Casting Gag. But while a Casting Gag relies upon casting an actor in a role that reflects on their Real Life history, an Actor Allusion sets up a character or plot to reference a previous plot or role for the actor. If this role was on a previous version of the show, it's a Remake Cameo.

Contrast with Celebrity Paradox and Meta Casting where the actor themselves is the subject of reference. If in animation, can be the result of Talking to Himself. This is show business' way of saying Hey, It's That Guy! and Hey, It's That Voice!.

Before adding examples, bear in mind that if an actor is sufficiently versatile, almost any string of words could be taken as a reference to a role he or she has played; conversely, if an actor is sufficiently typecast, pretty much all his or her roles will be more or less the same. Try to be sure a reference is blatant, specific, or Word of God before committing yourself.


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