History Main / ActorAllusion

-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940624/REVIEWS/406240301/1023 referring to]] Creator/JeremyIrons' role as Scar in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''.

** In celebration of ''VideoGame/LegoIsland''[='=] 15th Anniversary, the Brickster referred to himself as "Thumper" and quoted a number of lines from Smartass, the lead weasel of ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'''s Toon Patrol. David L. Lander, the original voice actor of the Brickster in ''VideoGame/LEGOIsland'', also voiced Thumper in ''WesterAnimation/ABugsLife'' and Smartass in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.

* At [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney World]], ''The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under new Management'' has [[MeaningfulName William calls Morris]] a "hockey puck", a famous insult of his voice actor Creator/DonRickles.
** At the ''[[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Raiders of the Lost]] [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi Temple]] [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom of Doom]]'' show, Boba Fett mistakes [[Creator/HarrisonFord India

* ActorAllusion/ProWrestling

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': Creator/ShannonMcCormick, the portrayer of Agent Washington, wrote two episodes where voiced Agent Iowa, his home state (who is friends with Ohio and Idaho, [[http://rootbeerflotsam.tumblr.com/post/172280156803/so-with-the-triplets-you-went-for-similar-names the two states it is often confused with]]), and once Idaho complains about Wash, Iowa replies "Well, I still think that guy's pretty cool".

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TropePantheons'': InUniverse, of course; and there are plenty of them.
[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:217:[[Creator/MichaelJFox https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/actor-allusion_8939.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:217:Coffee? [[Film/BackToTheFuture Where we're going]], [[Series/SpinCity we don't need coffee]].]]

Contrast with CelebrityParadox and MetaCasting where the actor themselves is the subject of reference. This is show business' InUniverse way of acknowledging JustForFun/RoleAssociation.

* The ''Wiki/TFWikiDotNet'' has made references to the actors who been involved in the [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} entire franchise]].

An Actor Allusion is the deliberate, yet typically rather isolated, throw-away references to previous works/roles of an actor in a work, say a joke or mannerism. The reference is unlikely to have much plot relevance, and is unlikely to be anything but a deliberate nod to the actor's previous work. Also note that it is for allusions to roles, not the actor themselves, with the equivalent being an ActorSharedBackground.

The exact nature of the allusion can vary, but tends to be either blink-and-you'll-miss-it or fairly blatant. To illustrate, say Alice played Nurse Beth in ''B Ward'' before going on to play Officer Cathy in ''C Division''. A more subtle example of an Actor Allusion might be having "Officer Cathy" mention that she once had to stay in the hospital that "Nurse Beth" worked at in the earlier show; in this case, viewers familiar with the earlier show and Alice's role in it will get the reference, but anyone unfamiliar with it likely won't notice that there's even been a reference at all. A more blatant example, however, might be having "Officer Cathy" have to dress up as a nurse to go undercover, only for her to show up dressed exactly like "Nurse Beth", to the point of even repeating {{Catch Phrase}}s and lines of dialogue from the earlier show. In this case, even viewers unfamiliar with the previous show will likely twig that ''something'' is being referenced, even if they don't know the full details.

Casting two or more actors who not only appeared together in a previous production, but spent a great deal of time onscreen together (especially alone) ''really'' reinforces the reference, as the page image demonstrates. For added irony value, it often tends to pan out that two characters who famously played friends or lovers will end up playing exes or enemies.

!!''Try to be sure a reference is blatant, specific, or otherwise confirmed by WordOfGod before committing yourself.'' Often times, entries are written that merely involve an actor playing the same profession and/or character archetype, which are less likely to be intentional. If, for example, actress Alice plays a cynical Dr. Beth in Work B, and then goes on to play a cynical Dr. Cathy in Work C, that alone is not necessarily this trope. What would be an example is if Alice, as Dr. Cathy, offhandedly uses Dr. Beth's CatchPhrase, or strikes an iconic pose that Dr. Beth is known for.

'''''Try to be sure a reference is blatant, specific, or otherwise confirmed by WordOfGod before committing yourself.''''' ''Often times, entries are written that merely involve an actor playing the same profession and/or character archetype, which are less likely to be intentional. If, for example, actress Alice plays a cynical Dr. Beth in Work B, and then goes on to play a cynical Dr. Cathy in Work C, that alone is not necessarily this trope. What would be an example is if Alice, as Dr. Cathy, offhandedly uses Dr. Beth's CatchPhrase, or strikes an iconic pose that Dr. Beth is known for. ''

!!Example Subpages:

!!Other Examples:

[[folder: Fan Works]]

* ActorAllusion/WebOriginal

** In celebration of ''[[VideoGame/LEGOIsland LEGO Island's]]'' 15th Anniversary, the Brickster referred to himself as "Thumper" and quoted a number of lines from Smartass, the lead weasel of ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'''s Toon Patrol. David L. Lander, the original voice actor of the Brickster in ''VideoGame/LEGOIsland'', also voiced Thumper in ''WesterAnimation/ABugsLife'' and Smartass in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.

->''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 "Film/ReversalOfFortune."''
-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940624/REVIEWS/406240301/1023 referring to]] Creator/JeremyIrons’ role as Scar in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''.

* [[ActorAllusion/AnimatedFilms Films - Animation]]
* [[ActorAllusion/LiveActionFilms Films - Live-Action]]

* ActorAllusion/ProfessionalWrestling

!!Example subpages:

!!Other examples:

[[folder:Opera]]
* In Mozart's ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'', there is a scene where the Don's musicians are playing music from real, then-contemporary composers while he eats dinner. Among them is a tune from Mozart's previous opera, ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro''; "Non piu andrai". Giovanni's servant, Leporello, remarks "I know this one all too well." He ought to have; the actor playing him was the original Figaro.

[[folder:Pinball]]
* ''Pinball/GodzillaSega'''s backglass art has some graffiti reading "Save Ferris" – referencing Creator/MatthewBroderick, who played the title character of ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'' before starring in the 1998 ''Film/{{Godzilla|1998}}'' film that inspired the game. (That said, he had no involvement with the game's production.)
[[/folder]]

* ActorAllusion/{{Opera}}

!!Examples:

* ActorAllusion/{{Pinball}}

* ActorAllusion/RoleplayingGames

* ActorAllusion/ThemeParks

It can be a little blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, such as Mary Albright (Jane Curtin) spotting some people in [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Conehead]] costumes at a sci-fi convention in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'', or it can be bigger and more blatant, such as when Creator/JohnLithgow repeated his entire anti-music rant from ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' in the same show. Casting two or more actors who not only appeared together in a previous production, but spent a great deal of time onscreen together (especially alone) ''really'' reinforces the reference, as the page image demonstrates.

* ActorAllusion/FanWorks

An Actor Allusion is the deliberate, yet typically rather isolated, throw-away references to previous works/roles of an actor in a work, say a joke or mannerism. The reference is unlikely to have much plot relevance, and is unlikely to be anything but a deliberate nod to the actor's previous work. Also note that it is for allusions to ''roles'', not the actor themselves, with the equivalent being an ActorSharedBackground.

''Try to be sure a reference is blatant, specific, or otherwise confirmed by WordOfGod before committing yourself.''

* ActorAllusion/FanWorks

-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940624/REVIEWS/406240301/1023 referring to]] Creator/JeremyIrons’ role as Scar in ''Disney/TheLionKing''.

Related to the ShoutOut, and is sometimes triggered by IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine or a CastingGag. But while a CastingGag relies upon casting an actor in a role that inherently has many comparisons to their previous roles or real life, an Actor Allusion uses only small details of only a previous plot or role for the actor. In either case, though, if the role being referenced was on a previous version of the show, it's a RemakeCameo.