I just got around to seeing Star Trek: Nemesis today, and I was surprised when the credits rolled that Whoopi Goldberg’s name was nowhere to be seen. Hell, Wil Wheaton got a credit, and he barely managed to get his dorky mug onscreen at all. At least Whoopi had a line. What gives?
Maybe she has the same agent as Judson Scott.
She was also uncredited in Generations. IIRC, that was at her request.
I believe that the rules are if you have a speaking part, you get a credit.
If she wasn’t in the credits then that had to be arranged and approved by her.
That’s why I thought it was so weird: she did have a speaking part (if only one line), while Wil Wheaton, who was credited, did not.
Actors can request no credit. Ethan Phillips did the same thing in First Contact.
I believe Wheaton had filmed a scene with actual lines in it, and then they cut it before the final print.
It’s my understanding that the credits are negotiated along with the salary and such.
I think SAG the Screen Actors Guild has some standard rules for credit. Then you can negotiate on top of those rules. So I think if you speak you get a credit is a SAG rule.
Like vivalostwages said, actors can sometimes choose to go uncredited. Henry Winkler, for example, had a fairly significant role in the remake of Children of the Da… (er, Darned), yet his name appeared nowhere in the credits.
Sorry. I was thinking of Scream, not Children of the (ahem) Darned. Also, the remake was actually titled “Village of the Darned.” (“Children…” was the sequel to the original Village… movie.)
Billy Crystal and Robin Williams didn’t get a credit either. (I love those Star Trek Relief shows!)
For that matter, neither did I! Dr Laura claims to have been in a Trek (according to our own Ivylass, and yet she isn’t listed in any of the lists I’ve ever come across.
Sometimes (in movies, anyways) the actor opts out for some reason or another. On TV, it usually has to be a significant role to get on screen credit, but the actor’s names can usually be found somewhere, esp now that we have the internet on computers and whotnot.
I’ve always wondered why an actor would request their name not be in the credits. It’s not like say a director using Alan Smithee. You never see the director so you’ll have to go look it up if you’re curious. I don’t think too many people will say “Oh that wasn’t Whoopi her name wasn’t in the credits!”
Would you also say that Buffy Summers lived near a Heckmouth?
Well!
Such language!
SEV?
Sometimes if it’s a cameo done as a favor for the director or because the actor really wants to be involved or what-have-you the actor will just do a day’s work and not request credit. Other times the actor may have a dispute with the director and ask that his name be taken off. IIRC that was the situation with Don Cheadle on Ocean’s Eleven.
If that’s true, they seem to have made up. Don Cheadle is listed in the cast of Ocean’s 12.
That’s true, but it might just be temporary. IMDb just lists the cast without noting whether an actor is appearing uncredited up till the time that the movie’s actually released.
I just thought, it doesn’t appear very likely that Don Cheadle was so upset with Steven Soderbergh’s direction he refused to allow his name in the credits considering he agreed to appear in the sequel (also directed by Steven Soderbergh).
I would guess that there is another reason that Don Cheadle appeared uncredited besides pique at the director.
Well, what I’m saying is that the IMDb simply lists the actors who (as far as they know) appear in the film, credit or not. After a film’s come out, if an actor was uncredited they’ll adjust their entry accordingly. But right now, it’s not certain if he’s going to be credited or not, at least based on the IMDb entry.
Sorry, I’m not talking about whether or not he will be credited in Ocean’s 12. I was responding to Otto’s statement that Don Cheadle chose to be uncredited due to his anger at the director. I don’t think it’s very likely that he chose to be uncredited in Ocean’s 11 because he was angry at the director, considering he signed up to do a second film with the same person.
I am curious, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the reason.