15 Actors Who Weren’t Always In On The Joke
![15 Actors Who Weren’t Always In On The Joke](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/6/880696_320x180.jpg)
Turning a flaw into a strength must be some kind of superpower, because most people would crumble into oblivion after realizing that their work, their quirk, or even their entire personality have become public fodder. They were just trying to use their abilities to make something of note. Something we could all enjoy at home. And they did, to some extent. Just not in the way they’d hoped. We all got a solid chuckle at their god-awful movies, or their strange personality quirks, but (like Skynet) they became self-aware and showed us mere mortals what they were made of.
A movie role, a cameo, or even a one-off joke showed us all that they realized the public’s perception of them, and they leaned right into it. They proved to all of us that they had a great sense of humor, and for that, we tip our caps to these 15 actors who weren’t always in on the joke.
Tommy Wiseau
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Tommy Wiseau unwillingly accepted his cringeworthiness. Wiseau was trying to make a great film, but after The Room was dubbed The Citizen Kane of Bad Movies, he joined the ironic screenings and Q&A's, and gave his blessing to make The Disaster Artist. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/6/880706.jpg)
Wiseau-Films
William Shatner
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke PARA 20 BASE Everyone (including William Shatner) has a William Shatner impression. His choppy Shatnerisms burst through Captain Kirk and every other character he's played. Не knew it as well as we did with a self-aware SNL sketch, and a role as Pompous Space Captain in Airplane II: The Sequel. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/2/880712.jpg)
Paramount Pictures
Justin Timberlake
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Justin Timberlake uses his power for good. Timberlake's boy band persona was only for teenage girls. Using his voice to hilariously parody The Bee Gees, Bon Iver, and give us Dick in a Box on SNL proved he was so much more than a frosted-tipped teeny bopper. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/9/880709.jpg)
NBCUniversal
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Kristen Schaal
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Z8A-8N6 FALTON Kristen Schaal's weakness became her greatest asset. After years of torment, her voice teacher even told her she'd never make it with that atrocious voice. Schaal doubled down on her unique voice, and it helped put her stamp on hit shows like Flight of the Conchords, 30 Rock, and Bob's Burgers. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/0/880710.jpg)
NBC, 20th Television
Ryan Reynolds
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Ryan Reynolds jabs at Green Lantern. In the 4th-wall-shattering Deadpool 2, Reynolds displays his awareness of the flop that was Green Lantern. While Ryan Reynolds reads a Green Lantern script, Deadpool shoots him in the head and says, You're welcome, Canada. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/1/880711.jpg)
20th Century Studios
Neil Patrick Harris
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Neil Patrick Harris killed Doogie Howser. Over a decade later, NPH was still known as Doogie Howser. Self-aware of his good-boy image, he played a coke-snorting, stripper-crazed version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and stole the show. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/3/880713.jpg)
New Line Cinema, 20th Television
Paris Hilton
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Paris Hilton knows people want her dead. To promote her 2005 movie House of Wax while also acknowledging that she knows people would probably enjoy seeing her get brutally murdered, Hilton wore a See Paris Die t-shirt to her D.J. gig. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/7/880707.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Chuck Norris
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Chuck Norris' thumb can carry your movie. After nine seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris was a B-or even C-list action star at best. In a stroke of comedy genius, the team in Dodgeball needed a thumbs up from Chuck, and his participation became a highlight of the film. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/8/880708.jpg)
20th Century Studios
Natasha Lyonne
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Natasha Lyonne rose from tabloid fodder to acclaim. After a string of '90s hits, Lyonne became known more for her speedball addiction. Her comeback role of a drug addict in Orange Is the New Black leaned right into her bad girl image and got her an Emmy nomination. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/4/880704.jpg)
Netflix
Gilbert Gottfried
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke A watered- down Gilbert Gottfried voice just didn't work. On SNL in the early '80s, Gottfried had a quiet, slimy voice. After much disdain from writers, fans, and critics, he went full force with his now-iconic voice, and (with roles like lago in Aladdin) became world-famous for it. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/0/880700.jpg)
Syfy, Disney
Benedict Cumberbatch
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Benedict Cumberbatch owns his unique look. SNL is the place to tackle your insecurities, because in the sketch Why Is Benedict Cumberbatch Hot? the host can't even fathom his sex appeal. Cumberbatch agrees, likening his looks to Sid the sloth from Ice Age. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/5/880705.jpg)
NBCUniversal
Michael Cera
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Michael Cera is a good boy gone bad. Everyone in This is The End plays themselves, but Michael Cera's version of himself is a drug addicted, threesome-having psycho who spals Rihanna's ass. Known for nerdy roles, this is clearly an ironic nod to his own public image. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/9/880699.jpg)
Columbia Pictures
Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke This Christmas, Santa's gal a What happens when teen actors grow up? In very meta cameos, Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek come of age in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Biggs rants about only being known as the pie f-er, and Van Der Beek says, Listen pie f-er, you wouldn't last a day on the Creek. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/3/880703.jpg)
Dimension Films
Halle Berry
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Halle Berry was honored to win a Razzie. For her role in Catwoman, Berry earned a Razzie Award for Worst Actor, and she actually showed up to accept it. She gave a hilariously ironic speech as if it were an Oscar, and received a standing ovation for being such a good sport. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/2/880702.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures, DFree/Shutterstock
Nicolas Cage
![Actors Who Weren't Always In On The Joke Nicolas Cage had five decades to prepare for Nicolas Cage. From Moonstruck to The Wicker Man, Cage's over-the-top distinctive style made him a caricature of himself. Poking fun at himself on SNL and playing himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent proved that he was more than cool with it. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/8/880698.jpg)
Lionsgate