The best stage performances are the ones that are completely unexpected, tucked in between innocent scenes or in the background as a curiosity you might miss. Directors often appear briefly in their own films, and some, like Alfred Hitchcock, appear in snippets of their filmography (including appearances as a telephone operator in “The Tenant” and walking down the road with a trumpet case in “Vertigo”). Like Hitchcock, several directors can be seen in their work – from Martin Scorsese to Peter Jackson – and they generally play minor roles with the exception of some characters who gain prominence for storytelling or budgetary purposes.
Others, like Steven Spielberg, quickly appear in films directed by their peers, such as the appearance of a man in a power wheelchair in “Gremlins” or an alien on the TV screen in “Men in Black.” This, of course, also applied to his own directorial efforts. For example, we hear Spielberg's voice as an Amity Point station worker in “Jaws” and see him as an airport tourist in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” If I told you that Spielberg made a quick cameo in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, you might treat the information like a fever dream grasping the edges of this particularly surreal film, but it's true.
For context, “Vanilla Sky” tells the story of one David Aames (Tom Cruise) who is a version of a billionaire playboy known for throwing lavish parties in Manhattan before his life is turned upside down by an inciting incident. David recalls a particular birthday party that became the catalyst for his ultimate fate, and that's where his friends and business partners show up, including the wild Steven Spielberg, who greets him with a cheerful “Happy Birthday, Son of Ab.” ****!” before you hug him. I don't remember how I shot this scene when I first saw Crowe's film, because it's part of a long montage leading up to the fateful encounter in which the expository narration gets most of the attention.
Spielberg's performance in Vanilla Sky was a favor to Cruise
According to Magazyn Daleko, Spielberg agreed to appear as a party guest on “Vanilla Sky” because he was working with Cruise on “Minority Report” around the same time.which was intended to showcase the quirks of Philip K. Dick's work along with the quintessential Spielberg sensibility that usually follows the blockbuster form. “Minority Report” ultimately turned out to be a successful adaptation and an intriguing piece of futuristic science fiction, with a cameo as a “thank you” from another director. Yes, Crowe can be seen in Spielberg's sci-fi thriller, playing a man on the subway who stares intensely at Cruise's John Anderton, a crime expert who is currently on the run.
Spielberg's performance in “Vanilla Sky” isn't exactly an Easter egg because it's there for all to see, but there are other aspects of the film that hide certain layers of symbolism that Crowe had in mind for the audience to decipher for themselves. It's uncontroversial to say that “Vanilla Sky” sparked mixed reactions upon its release (and in some cases still does), but the experience Crowe created has the hallmarks of a cult favorite, beloved by those who appreciate a film about appearances, deception and make-believe. It's worth knowing the Easter eggs that Crowe planted, as the director Vulture once said a little about the unexplored parts:
“There are a few things people haven't noticed. But there are many they have noticed. It's a bit of a game of appearances, trying to determine when the events in David Aames' life change and when the purchased reality or “dream” begins. (…) I don't think something like this has ever come out before: I've done a lot of subliminal musical cues.
If you want to discover more details that are usually missed on first viewing, it's time to take another look at “Vanilla Sky” – and maybe this time it will be a real eye-opener.
