History Main / AwesomeDearBoy

* While preparing for the role of Piccolo in ''Film/DragonballEvolution'', Creator/JamesMarsters had become a fan of Dragon Ball himself. So much so that, years later, he would again become involved in the series, voicing breakout villain Zamasu in ''Anime/DragonballSuper'' under an alias (as he had to work a non-union job below his pay grade to take the role). His enthusiasm for the role is evident, as his performance is arguably the best in the history of the Dragonball franchise's English dubs.

* This is why Creator/JamesWoods agreed to play Hades in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' and all of its various spinoffs. He's gone on record as it being the one role he would agree to play again anytime, anywhere, for any amount of money (and he has, to this day, played that character every time he has appeared, with only one exception due to a focus on singing: [[WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse House of Villains]], where instead Hades was voiced by Creator/RobPaulsen.)

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Creator/WillFriedle provides an animated example when his agent called him to ask how he felt about being Batman. He didn't even know what the story was for ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''; he just wanted to be Batman.
** Creator/MarkHamill was a [[PromotedFanboy comic book geek and Batman fanboy]] ''decades'' before he got cast as ComicBook/TheJoker. He even played The Trickster on the 1990s ''Series/TheFlash1990'' show.
* Also from the Bruce Timm DC animation works, Creator/TimDaly later admitted that his big motivation to play Franchise/{{Superman}} in the 1990s solo series was because he thought it would be fun to play a superhero in a kid's cartoon.

* Joe Mantegna was originally content to have his first appearance as Fat Tony on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' be a one-time thing, but ultimately came to love the character. On the DVD commentaries, the producers have recounted many times that he insists on voicing the character whenever he appears, "even if he just burps or sneezes". He's obviously serious, as one appearance amounted to him being choked by a plastic bag.

* John De Lancie has yet to pass up the opportunity to reprise his role as Discord on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He agreed to voice the character for his debut two-part episode, but asked to be left uncredited since he thought it would be a one-and-done voice acting gig that would be nothing more than a ParentalBonus. After the episodes aired, De Lancie received tons of fan mail praising his performance as Discord, and wondering if the character was due for any reappearances - and by that point, he'd forgotten having ever been on ''My Little Pony'' to begin with. Once he found out how big a deal the show and his character was to many fans, De Lancie decided to take it more seriously. He immensely enjoyed coming back to voice Discord any time the character is featured.

Some actors [[OldShame hate their past gigs]] because they [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously seriously misjudged the quality at the time]], [[MoneyDearBoy only did them for the paycheck]], or [[ContractualObligationProject were required by contract to do so.]]

* Creator/BillMurray had a particularly odd case of this that resulted in him becoming the titular character of the ''Film/{{Garfield}}'' movie. By his own admission, he jumped on the offer after being told it was written by a "Joel Coen" as he loved Creator/TheCoenBrothers and was excited to work with them... but then realized too late that it was actually [[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas a completely unrelated writer]] named Joel Cohen. Not surprisingly, he doesn't consider '' Garfield'' or its sequel [[OldShame highlights of his career.]]

* ''Film/KissMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'' might be an OldShame for the titular band, but actor Terry Lester (who played Sam in ''Phantom of the Park'', and who would later go on to a very successful career in soap operas) has no problem admitting that he was in this film, and loves it when fans mention it to him. His attitude seems to be, "What's to be ashamed about? I did a movie with KISS!"

* When the American Olympic Selection Committee was putting together the original DreamTeam in 1992, some top players were initially reluctant to sign on for various reasons. Michael Jordan would rather have been playing golf, and Larry Bird's health issues were forcing him to the brink of retirement. It was only after some others, particularly Magic Johnson, enthusiastically answered the call that the unique historical potential of the team became apparent. By the time the roster was set it was obvious this would be a team like no other, and in the years since many of the players, including even Jordan, have stated that it was the most important and memorable experience of their careers.

** Speaking of Nichelle Nichols, Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel to space, cited Uhura as her own childhood inspiration and the reason she became an astronaut. Upon learning this, Creator/LevarBurton reached out to Jemison and asked if she would be interested in appearing in a ''TNG'' episode; Jemison happily agreed and played Lieutenant Palmer in "Second Chances," which Burton himself directed. To honor the occasion, Nichols visited the set and stayed for the entirety of the shoot.

* Creator/RaulJulia was in the SoBadItsGood ''Film/StreetFighter'' movie as a combination of this, MoneyDearBoy, and SoMyKidsCanWatch. He already knew that he was dying of cancer, so he wanted to do a well-paying film to provide for his family's financial security. Among several well-compensated roles, he chose the ''Street Fighter'' role because his sons were fans of the game series -- and then he [[SpotlightStealingSquad completely stole the movie]]. [[HamAndCheese M. Bison's scenes]] are the best parts of the film.

** The pool party scene was cast when Al simply sent an email to his friends asking if they'd want to spend a day shooting it. The final result features Creator/JackBlack, Creator/DavidDastmalchian, Creator/ConanOBrien, Creator/EmoPhilips, [[Music/TheLonelyIsland Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer,]] Creator/PaulFTompkins (Creator/{{Gallagher}}), and Nina West (Creator/{{Divine}}), among others, all playing various '80s pop culture icons.

* When auditions began for ''Film/TheHebrewHammer'' ([[BlaxploitationParody a Jewish twist on Blaxploitation]] taken to extremes), Adam Goldberg, who played the titular hero, was given the script and wound up opening to a page with the epic line "[[ChewingTheScenery Shabbat Shalom,]] [[PrecisionFStrike motherfuckers!]]". He immediately agreed to do the film.

** Creator/GlennClose said that she [[http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/glenn-close-on-guardians-of-the-galaxy.html didn't hesitate for a moment]] when being offered ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', saying she always wanted a movie like that, and to play an authority figure similar to Nick Fury or [[Film/JamesBond M]]. She later said she needed the money for smaller personal projects but, by all accounts, she enjoyed working on the film very much. Given how many things she's done -- theater, television, and both independent and high budget films -- Mrs. Close says her career is fueled by this trope.

* Kasuka Heiwajima of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' got his start in the extremely campy anime ''[[ShowWithinAShow Vampire Carmilla Saizou]]''. He was listed in the "top ten actors who don't get to choose their roles," and most people treat it as an OldShame. Kasuka, however, claims that Carmilla Saizou is an awesome character, and insisted on reprising his role in the movie.

* Creator/NicolasCage was a PromotedFanboy for his role as ''Film/GhostRider''. Basically anytime you ask Cage to play a superhero, he's there. [[JustForFun/OneOfUs He named his kid]] ''[[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kal]]-[[WhoNamesTheirKidDude El]]!'' Not to mention naming ''himself'' after ComicBook/LukeCage. He also plays a superhero in ''Film/KickAss''.

* Creator/HelenMirren loved working on ''Film/Red2010'' so much, thanks to the action-heavy role she had in the film, that she said "I'm there!" to any planned sequel. And she did indeed return for ''Red 2''. She later revealed that she really wanted to star in the ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' series, purely because it looked like so much fun. And sure enough, she was later cast in ''Film/TheFateOfTheFurious''.

* When it was announced that they were [[Film/TheMuppets bringing the Muppets back to the screen]], so many celebrities asked for cameos that they couldn't actually fit all of them into the movie.
** Creator/ChrisCooper, when asked why he agreed to perform a rap song in ''Film/TheMuppets:''

* Even though Creator/TroyBaker hasn't been active in anime and Japanese-related media voice acting for a long time and has primarily been working on AAA video game titles, Baker stated that [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia Yuri Lowell]] is one of his favorite voice roles in Japanese video games and stated he would love to reprise his role if he was contacted about it. Unfortunately for him, Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment didn't contact him about the UpdatedRerelease of ''Vesperia'', and his role of Yuri [[TheOtherDarrin was recast]] with Creator/GrantGeorge in the extra scenes. In addition to his fondness of his role as Yuri, he also had fond memories of his roles in Japanese-related media as [[VideoGame/{{Persona4}} Kanji]] and [[Videogame/{{Catherine}} Vincent Brooks]], as evident with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJFVxxdvbOM his reaction to WatchMojo's top ten list of his video game roles]]. This can more or less explain why Creator/{{Atlus}} managed to get him to reprise his role as Vincent Brooks in the UpdatedRerelease of ''Catherine'' along with his anime role as the titular character in the 2019 anime adaptation of ''[[Manga/{{BakiTheGrappler}} Baki]]''.

* Creator/HenryCavill was not going to let anyone else play the role of Geralt of Rivia in ''Series/TheWitcher2019'' if he could help it. A passionate fan of the video games, it's obvious Cavill finds Geralt an awesome character. Script writer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said Cavill was "really annoying" seeking the part before the script was even finished.

** When ''Film/HomeAlone'' was looking for a composer, Creator/ChrisColumbus thought there was no way the great Williams would be interested in a modest family film. To his surprise, Williams loved the rough cut of the film and was looking for the opportunity to create a Christmas-tinged score and quickly signed up.

** Polish arthouse director Jerzy Skolimowski said that he accepted the tiny acting role of Colonel General Luchkov in ''The Avengers'' (he's the guy leading the Russian thugs in Black Widow's introductory scene) because he just wanted to see how a blockbuster movie was made.

* Creator/BillMurray had a particularly odd case of this that resulted in him becoming the titular character of the ''Film/{{Garfield}}'' movie. By his own admission, he jumped on the offer after being told it was written by a "Joel Coen" as he loved Creator/TheCoenBrothers and was excited to work with them... but then realized too late that it was actually [[NamesTheSame a completely unrelated writer named Joel]] ''[[NamesTheSame Cohen]]''. Not surprisingly, [[OldShame he doesn't consider]] ''[[OldShame Garfield]]'' [[OldShame or its sequel highlights of his career.]]

** Creator/HitomiNabatame, another popular voice actress, had been there during the auditioning of ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure''. Another fan of the series, she literally burst into tears when she got the role of [[Anime/DokiDokiPreCure Mana Aida]] and even got congratulatory calls from Creator/MisatoFukuen ([[Anime/SmilePrettyCure Miyuki Hoshizora]]) and Creator/AmiKoshimizu and Creator/FumikoOrikasa ([[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Hibiki Hojo and Kanade Minamino]]).

* ''Film/KissMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'' might be an OldShame for the titular band, but for actor Terry Lester (who played Sam in ''Phantom of the Park'', and who would later go on to a very successful career in soap operas) has no problem admitting that he was in this film, and love it when fans mention it to him. His attitude seems to be, "What's to be ashamed about? I did a movie with KISS!"

* ''Film/KissMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'' might be an OldShame for the titular band, but for actor Terry Lester (who played Sam in ''Phantom of the Park'', and who would later go on to a very successful career in soap operas) has no problem admitting that he was in this film, and love it when fans mention it to him. His attitude seems to be, "What's to be ashamed about? I did a movie with Kiss!"

* While preparing for the role of Piccolo in ''Film/DragonballEvolution'', Creator/JamesMarsters had become a fan of Dragon Ball himself. So much so that, years later, he would again become involved in the series, voicing breakout villain Zamasu in ''Anime/DragonballSuper'' under an alias (as he had to work below his pay grade to take the role). His enthusiasm for the role is evident, as his performance is arguably the best in the history of the Dragonball franchise's English dubs.