Back to Whoopi Goldberg - I suspect that, because she was technically the biggest celebrity in the Star Trek films in which she appeared, she was entitled to top billing, and so declined credit because she was not the star of the show. That would simply be a matter of Whoopi being polite - not wanting her name to overshadow the Star Trek franchise.
Another possibility is that, because she has played the lead character in quite a few movies, taking less than top billing in Star Trek would be seen by those who care as a step down in status, and so going uncredited is preferable to taking less than top billing.
Of course, she was always billed as a “guest star” when she appeared on the TV show, but that’s a whole different set of rules I suppose.
Here’s something I wonder - in Star Trek:TNG, her character Guinan always has her head covered, hiding her hair. I wonder if this is done because, in all of her other roles, she has essentially played herself (much like Jack Nicholson always plays Jack Nicholson), and her distinctive hair is sort of a trademark. Hiding that trademark hair effectively ensures that Guinan’s character is not Whoopi - again keeping her star status from overshadowing Star Trek. Her demeanor as Guinan is distinctily different from her demeanor in all her other roles as well. I know that, when I’ve watched Whoopi’s other movies, I’m always fully aware that I’m watching “Whoopi Goldberg”. But when I watch Star Trek, I never look at Guinan as Whoopi.
Well, I’m only going by what I remember hearing and I’ll cheerfully admit if I’m wrong. But, hurt feelings can certainly be soothed by merry potfuls of cash, which may be an explanation for why Cheadle would sign on for an O-11 sequel.
Clooney, Damon, Pitt and Roberts I can see. But Andy Garcia??? Eh.
So – my take: apparently pissed because Garcia made the cut in the billboard, poster and newspaper ad campaign and he didn’t, Cheadle pulled his name from the film credits but participated in the rest of the publicity.
So he wasn’t mad at the director.
Cheadle’s name is on the poster for Ocean’s Twelve. However, it seems Bernie Mac has apparently been bumped to the top tier 6, if I’m reading the Ocean’s Twelve credits on imdb correctly.