Created by and starring Seth Rogen, The Studio is an Apple TV+ comedy series that needs to be on your watchlist if you love films, the way films are made, and a whole lot of celebrity cameos. Rogen plays a bumbling Hollywood producer who has a series of misadventures, dabbling in the behind-the-scenes circus while making a big-budget blockbuster.
Ever since Apple premiered the show’s first two episodes, The Studio made headlines for its exciting cameos, from director Martin Scorsese to actors like Charlize Theron and Anthony Mackie. If you want to know more about the cameos fronting this acclaimed sitcom, our guide offers you a closer look at some of The Studio’s biggest names.
Martin Scorsese – (Killers of the Flower Moon, Taxi Driver)
Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese headlines the pilot episode of The Studio as a snobby version of himself. The filmmaker behind visionary thrillers like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas plays as a disgruntled director who wishes to retire with his final film, a period drama on the Jonestown Massacre. But when Rogen’s Matt Remick accidentally contributes to this project’s cancellation, “Marty” Scorsese lets out some explicit rants (just like his foul-mouthed antiheroes). While Scorsese has spent most of his career in the director’s chair, he has had some cheeky cameos in his own films. You can spot him in Taxi Driver as a bearded passenger in the backseat, as well as appearances in Hugo and The Age of Innocence as a photographer. More recently, he had a meta cameo as a radio show host in his Apple TV+ historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon, where he sums up the film’s storyline and its own hypocrisies.
Greta Lee (Past Lives, The Morning Show)
Greta Lee has had supporting roles on TV shows such as Apple TV+’s own The Morning Show, but it was her turn as a Korean-origin author in the romantic drama Past Lives that proved to be her breakout role in cinema. In The Studio, Lee plays a fictionalised version of herself as an actress fresh off the success of Past Lives. She jokes on how she could hardly earn “two dollars” from the A24 film and she wishes to get more VIP treatment after her recent success. In the second episode of The Studio, she can be seen filming a lesbian drama directed by Sarah Polley, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of Women Talking also appears as herself.
Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood)
Paul Dano opens the first episode of The Studio as he’s shown acting in a violent Western action film. Dano displays his typically emotional dialogue delivery and proves yet again why he’s so good at playing conflicted characters. Dano has endured in Hollywood as a gifted character actor, whether it is playing the troubled villain Riddler in The Batman or an angsty teenager in Little Miss Sunshine. Some of his other supporting roles include identical twin brothers in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, Steven Spielberg’s fictionalised father in The Fabelmans, and finance influencer Keith Gill in Dumb Money.
Charlize Theron (Mad Mad: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde)
South African actress Charlize Theron is Hollywood royalty, briefly appearing in The Studio’s second episode. Even though her role is brief, the show’s characters talk a lot about Theron’s fancy parties. Rogen’s hero somehow makes it to her big bash, only to be kicked out moments later. Theron needs no introduction for action genre fans, having played Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road and the leads in Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard. But beyond action, she’s also accomplished in dramas, having won an Oscar in 2004 for playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. She even co-starred with Rogen as a Presidential candidate in the rom-com Long Shot.
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle)
While most cameos in The Studio have celebrities playing themselves, Bryan Cranston appears as a money-minded producer who makes Rogen’s Matt Remick the head of the studio. Cranston is effortlessly funny, a trait that was on full display throughout his hilarious turn as a middle-aged dad in the cult favourite comedy series Malcolm in the Middle. But Cranston also has immensely powerful dramatic chops, as we saw in Breaking Bad. Having won multiple Emmys for his performance, Cranston led the series as chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin Walter White. In films, he has had supporting parts in Drive and Kung Fu Panda 3, and an Oscar nomination for playing the acclaimed screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in Trumbo.
Anthony Starr (The Boys, Banshee)
Best known for playing the roguish superhero Homelander in Amazon's The Boys, Anthony Starr plays a Golden Globes awards presenter in The Studio. Starr initially broke out with a lead role in the crime drama Banshee, but The Boys turned him into a household name for playing the show's most iconic character. The adult superhero show on Prime Video has Starr playing an evil, power-hungry version of Superman-like heroes. As Homelander, his intimidating screen presence, manic energy, and intense dialogue delivery has drawn much critical acclaim.
Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Brave New World, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier)
Anthony Mackie is one of the many celebs in The Studio that play parodied versions of themselves. Mackie started out with supporting roles in films like 8 Mile and The Hurt Locker. Marvel fans began recognising him as the winged superhero Falcon ever since Mackie first played the character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Over time, as Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers retired from his duties as Captain America, the superhero mantle passed on to Mackie. The TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier portrayed Falcon’s transformation to Captain America, which leads onto the 2025 MCU film Captain America: Brave New World, which marked Mackie's first solo superhero movie as the new Cap.
Zac Efron (High School Musical, The Iron Claw)
High School Musical fans will rejoice when seeing Zac Efron's cameo in The Studio. The beloved actor had been a heartthrob throughout the 2000s due to his role as the basketball-playing, music-loving teen Troy Bolton. Over the years, Efron began acting in more adult-oriented comedies like Baywatch and Dirty Grandpa. He showed off his talent as a singer once again in The Greatest Showman, and has recently rebranded himself with more mature roles in serious dramas. The best example is his emotional turn as pro-wrestler Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw.
Zoë Kravitz (The Batman, Divergent)
Multi-franchise star Zoë Kravitz plays herself in The Studio, a year after having made her directing and writing debut with the thriller Blink Twice. But Kravitz is also an established actress, with supporting roles in multiple franchises like the Divergent and Fantastic Beasts movies. In the superhero genre, she’s known for playing Catwoman in The Batman and as the mutant Tempest in X-Men: First Class.
Adam Scott (Severance, Parks and Recreation)
Adam Scott is having quite a roll on Apple TV+, first starring in the streaming service’s smash hit series Severance and now cameoing as himself in The Studio. Scott has been a regular TV actor for years, first gaining prominence as the socially awkward politician Ben Wyatt in Parks and Recreation. In his comedic roles, Scott has an uncanny ability to deliver funny moments with just a straight face. But as a lead, Scott gained popularity as the ominous office worker Mark in the dystopian sci-fi workspace drama Severance.
As you can see, the stellar celebrity cast of The Studio can be found in a variety of feature films and streaming series. You can find out where to watch all of the movies and TV shows on this list below, which includes the latest streaming offers in India.
