%%
%%
%%
%%
%%
%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
%%
%%
%%
%%
%%
%%
[[index]]
* ''CelebrityParadox/DCExtendedUniverse''
* ''CelebrityParadox/MarvelCinematicUniverse''
[[/index]]
----
!!Film -- Animated
* In ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'', Max and Goofy play Twenty Questions (well, more like Goofy was playing and Max was ignoring him), and it's revealed that Goofy was thinking of Creator/WaltDisney. So if Mr. Disney existed in this universe, then did he make any WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} cartoons?
* In ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'', Wilbur tries to cover up the real identity of his father Cornelius Robinson by telling Lewis that he looks like Creator/TomSelleck. We later meet Cornelius near the end, and he's voiced by Tom Selleck. When the film was dubbed in other languages, Wilbur says that his father looks like whatever actor voices him in that version.
* A joke in the sixth ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' film has Prince Pegasus being encouraged to confess his romantic feelings to Princess Blue and struggling to say his line, only to [[AbortedDeclarationOfLove cop out at the last second]] and say "I love watching ''Pleasant Goat''!" instead. If this quote is anything to go by, the ''Pleasant Goat'' TV show (and presumably the films, {{manhua}}, merchandise, etc. as well) somehow exists within the ''Pleasant Goat'' universe itself.
* In ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', [[TomboyPrincess Vanellope]] meets the {{Franchise/Disney Princess}}es. Vanellope is technically a Disney Princess herself, but not in this movie, since she's a video game character.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', there’s an arcade game that is basically ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' with Donkey Kong (who is real) replaced with a yeti and Mario (ditto) replaced by the titular Jump Man (Mario’s original name). Later, Mario plays ''VideoGame/KidIcarus1986'' on an NES, showing that Creator/{{Nintendo}} exists in this world; the company for which Mario is ''the'' mascot in RealLife.

!!Film -- Live Action
* In ''Film/ColourMeKubrick'', Alan Conway (played by Creator/JohnMalkovich), a ConMan who went around London claiming to be Creator/StanleyKubrick, tells a group of people at a restaurant that he plans to cast John Malkovich in his next film.
* ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin'':
** In one scene, one of Andy's crushes claims that he looks like Luke Wilson. The year before the film was released, Wilson had a memorable cameo in ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', which also starred Creator/SteveCarell (Andy), Creator/SethRogen (Cal) and Creator/PaulRudd (David).
** Cal at one point mentions the movie ''Film/LiarLiar'', which starred Creator/JimCarrey. Carell had previously starred with Carrey in ''Film/BruceAlmighty'' and would eventually take the lead role in [[Film/EvanAlmighty the sequel]].
** Andy owns a massive collection of action figures, including several Creator/MarvelComics superheroes; his prized ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/IronMan figures are particularly highlighted in two scenes, and Trish references his love of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] in another. Creator/ElizabethBanks (Beth) played Betty Brant in the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' shortly before the film came out, while Creator/PaulRudd (Cal) and Creator/KatDennings (Marla) would go on to appear in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (which includes the ''Film/IronManFilms'') as Scott Lang in ''Film/AntMan1'' and Darcy Lewis in ''Film/{{Thor}}'', respectively.
* The plot of ''[[Film/SiebenZwerge 7 Zwerge - Der Wald ist nicht genug]]'' centers around [[TwiceToldTale the seven dwarves searching for Rumplestilskin's name in order to save Snow White's baby]]. On their journey, they travel to the real world and end up in a fairy tale theme park, where they are mistaken for actors and encounter someone playing Rumplestilskin, doing his famous dance (which naturally gets interrupted before he says his name).
* In ''Film/EightMile'', Rabbit writes "Lose Yourself", which mentions both autobiographical elements of Music/{{Eminem}}'s own life that ''don't'' apply to Rabbit, and gives a shout-out to Mekhi Phiper (who plays Rabbit's best friend Future).
* A rather funny nod is made at the beginning of ''Film/AboutABoy'', when its young protagonist Marcus wishes in voiceover that he was "as rich as Creator/HaleyJoelOsment from ''Film/TheSixthSense''" so that he could afford a private tutor and avoid having to go to school where he's being bullied. Marcus' mother Fiona in ''About A Boy'' is played by Creator/ToniCollette, who also played Haley Joel's mother three years earlier in ''The Sixth Sense''.
* In ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', Ace Ventura (Creator/JimCarrey) mentions ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' in one scene. Creator/BobGunton is featured in both of these movies as different characters.
* ''Film/Adam2019'': Leo Sheng plays Ethan, and the cast watch ''Series/TheLWord''. He later played Micah Lee on ''The L Word: Generation Q'', the SequelSeries.
* ''Film/{{Adaptation}}'', starring Creator/MerylStreep and Creator/NicolasCage, is a cross of this and PostModernism. Cage plays screenwriter Creator/CharlieKaufman, the film's actual playwright. He's struggling to adapt Susan Orlean's book ''The Orchid Thief'' to film -- the book and author are real, although Streep plays Orlean. Kaufman even visits the set of the previous film he wrote, ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich''. And the screenplay the film's Kaufman is written turns out to be [[spoiler:the screenplay for the actual film you are watching]].
* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension'' averts this by treating the movie as a documentary of the real life of Buckaroo Banzai, who also has his life's stories printed in comic book form and uses his fan club as a spy network.
* In ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle'', as Karen is being arrested (thanks to Boris and Natasha), Rocky protests that she's an FBI agent, to which the officer replies "Yeah, [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba and I'm]] Creator/JohnGoodman". Guess who plays him.
* Subverted in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', in which Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers, played the co-pilot Roger Murdoch. The kid visiting the cockpit recognizes Kareem and tells him how much he admires him; Murdoch denies that he's Kareem. Then the kid tells him [[BrilliantButLazy what his dad thinks of him as a player]], prompting Kareem to [[BerserkButton angrily defend himself]]. By the time "Murdoch" passes out and is dragged out of the cockpit, he's suddenly in full Laker uniform (including the iconic goggles he played in). The writers did this because the film they were spoofing, ''Zero Hour'', had football star Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch playing the pilot.
** MTV reversed this scene (right down to the dialogue) in their first ''Rock and Jock Basketball'' game, where a fan mistakes Kareem for the famous pilot Roger Murdoch.
* In ''Film/AllAboutLilyChouChou'', one of the boys points out that his friend's mother looks just like Izumi Inamori. This makes sense considering who plays the part.
* The comedy ''Film/AnalyzeThis'' has Mafia boss Paul Vitti (Creator/RobertDeNiro) seeing a psychiatrist to cure his panic attacks. The psychiatrist then dreams that he and Vitti reenacts a scene from ''Franchise/TheGodfather''. Creator/RobertDeNiro played the young Vito Corleone in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''. This is lampshaded by Don Vitti:
-->'''Vitti:''' I was Fredo? I don't think so!
* At the end of ''Film/AnyWhichWayYouCan'', the cast is musing over their drinks in a bar, where the lounge singer is singing the song, "You're Just a Coca-Cola Cowboy," with the line "You've got a sexist smile and Robert Redford hair." The ''actual'' line in the song is "You've got an Eastwood smile and Robert Redford hair."
* In ''Film/{{Armageddon|1998}}'', ''Film/PulpFiction'' exists in that universe as told in a small joke. Creator/BruceWillis and Creator/SteveBuscemi appear in both films.
* Creator/NicolasCage exists in the universe of ''Film/ArmyOfThieves'' due to Brad Cage basing his alias on him. Creator/OmariHardwick (Vanderhoe in ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'', which is set in the same universe) played Sgt. Marcus Williams in ''Film/KickAss'', in which Nicolas Cage played Big Daddy.
* Part One of ''Film/AtlasShrugged'' shows us that heroine Dagny Taggart has a photo of the original book's author Creator/AynRand on her computer.
* In ''Film/TheATeam'', Hannibal is played by Liam Neeson. At one point, the A-Team needs to get through airport security, so they all dress in disguise (much like [[MythologyGag in the original show]]). Face is a beatnik, Murdock is a rabbi, B.A. is an African in tribal dress (HilarityEnsues), and Hannibal is... Creator/LiamNeeson. Isn't he trying to ''sneak'' past airport security?
* Several examples from the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' series:
** Huey Lewis makes a cameo appearance as an audition judge, but Marty has a Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews poster on his bedroom wall. The song Marty and his band play for the judges in this scene is a version of "The Power of Love", a song Huey Lewis wrote and recorded specifically for the film and which is featured prominently in the soundtrack. He tells them [[HypocriticalHumor they're "just too darn loud"]]. And Marty's clock radio plays the Huey Lewis song "Back in Time", although not the bits of the song that directly reference the film.
** The Cafe '80s scene in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' shows brief clips of ''Series/FamilyTies'' and ''Series/{{Taxi}}'' -- featuring Creator/MichaelJFox and Creator/ChristopherLloyd, respectively. However, whether the actors were featured in the shows of the universe is subject to debate.
** Also in ''Part II'' is the Jaws 19 advertisement. His mother is played by Creator/LeaThompson who had a part in ''Film/Jaws3D'' as Kelly who was attacked but survived. Marty doesn't like the shark which might be a reference to the part.
** A [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Roger Rabbit]] plushie can be seen in ''Part II'' at the store where Marty buys the sports almanac. Creator/CharlesFleischer, the voice of Roger, appears as a worker gathering donations in the movie (and is the one to give Marty the idea of buying said alamanac).
** ''[[WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture Back To The Future: The Animated Series]]'' does it too; Marty sarcastically claims to be Michael J. Fox (to which Verne notes a resemblance), and a brief shot of a movie theater marquee in Hill Valley lists ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' as a current attraction.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** The fact that Bruce Wayne is a public figure with an InUniverse profile on par with the likes of Creator/HowardHughes, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk can lead to this. One wonders how often he gets mistaken for [[Series/Batman1966 Adam West]], [[Film/Batman1989 Michael]] [[Film/BatmanReturns Keaton]], [[Film/BatmanForever Val Kilmer]], [[Film/BatmanAndRobin George Clooney]], [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Christian Bale]], [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse Ben Affleck]], or [[Film/TheBatman2022 Robert Pattinson]] and vice / versa with the actor.
** From ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' (1989) alone:
*** Knox is jokingly handed a goofy cartoon of a bat in a suit, which happens to be signed by Batman's original creator Bob Kane. In fact, Kane was supposed to have a cameo as the guy who hands Knox the cartoon, but was unable to due to issues with his health. The character is still credited as "Bob the Cartoonist" in tribute to Kane.
*** ComicBook/TheJoker and his gang enter the Flugelheim Museum carrying a boombox that plays "Partyman", a song Music/{{Prince}} wrote for the "pop" soundtrack and which includes sound clips from the 1989 film itself. The Joker spots Vicki Vale and stops the recording seconds before it would have played one of Vicki's lines from later in the film. When the Joker turns the tape back on, it's suddenly playing a different song.
* ''[[Film/TheBeastmaster Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time]]'' shows what happens when you [[AvertedTrope avert]] this trope. The eponymous Beastmaster, Dar, winds up in 1990's America, and as the car he's in is driving down a street, he sees a movie theater showing that they're playing ''Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time.'' Dar looks as confused as the audience is.
* In the British behind-the-scenes documentary ''Behind the Magic'', which aired before the release of ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part I'', Creator/DanielRadcliffe -- who plays Harry -- mentioned that the scene set in a café was shot in a real café, with walls that were covered in posters for West End plays and musicals. He decided to add a couple more – all of which featured pictures of himself as the lead in ''Theatre/{{Equus}}'' from a few years earlier.
* ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'' plays with this trope. While characters recognize Malkovich ([[AsHimself who is playing himself]]), they can't seem to correctly identify which movies he was in.
* Subverted in ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance''. Early on, mention is made of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, but not the Hulk, who was briefly played by Creator/EdwardNorton (who plays Mike Shiner in this film). But it gets complicated as Creator/MichaelKeaton appears as the Vulture in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''. In addition, the fictional ''Birdman'' franchise seems to take the place of the 90s version of ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'', the first two of which starred Creator/MichaelKeaton (Riggan Thomson), and served as the first wildly popular and successful superhero films.
* In ''Film/BladeTrinity'', the Nightstalkers use ''ComicBook/TheTombOfDracula'' to show the Daywalker who the BigBad is. The character ComicBook/{{Blade}} first appeared in ''The Tomb of Dracula'' #10.
* ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' happily [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]] with no regard for the celebrity paradoxes it creates. Among other things:
** Taggart yells "I'm working for Creator/MelBrooks!" -- who was indeed the writer and director of the film, but also appears in the movie in two different roles.
** Hedley Lamarr, Sheriff Bart, and the Waco Kid all break out of their film set and go to the theater to see ''Film/BlazingSaddles''.
** The famous RunningGag regarding Hedley Lamarr's name is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by the governor when he points out that it's 1874, meaning that "You'll be able to sue ''Creator/{{he|dyLamarr}}r!''"
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'': While waiting for Jake and Elwood to arrive at the Palace Hotel for their concert, Curtis and the Blues Brothers Band perform "Minnie the Moocher" by Music/CabCalloway, who played the role of Curtis.
* In ''Film/Bombshell1933'', Creator/JeanHarlow plays Lola Burns, a Hollywood movie star. At one point Lola has to do retakes for ''Film/RedDust'', which was a real movie that Jean Harlow starred in.
* The novel ''Literature/BridgetJones' Diary'' is based in part on the plot of ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' -- the love interest is named Mark Darcy, and the title character is obsessed with Creator/ColinFirth's portrayal of the original Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. In the film, ''Pride & Prejudice'' isn't mentioned, but Mark Darcy is played by... Colin Firth. A scene from the book's sequel (but [[DeletedScene deleted from the movie]]) shows Bridget interviewing Colin Firth.
* Creator/NatalieWood appears AsHerself in ''Film/TheCandidate'', in a scene where she meets Senate nominee Bill [=McKay=], played by Creator/RobertRedford, and says she likes everything he stands for. She does not wonder why Bill looks so much like her co-star in ''Film/InsideDaisyClover'' and ''Film/ThisPropertyIsCondemned''.
* ''Film/TheCannonballRun'' has a running gag in which eccentric competitor Seymour Goldfarb Jr. obsessively impersonates Creator/RogerMoore, both to attract women and to justify his use of 007-style gadgets to get an edge in the race. Goldfarb, naturally, is played by Roger Moore... who sends up both his actual celebrity status ''and'' his past in-character behavior as Film/JamesBond. They could only hint at Bond, though, because they couldn't get permission to actually use Bond's name.
* In ''Film/CedarRapids'', [[BlackAndNerdy Ronald Wilkes]] is a fan of "[[InsistentTerminology the HBO program]], ''Series/TheWire''". Wilkes' actor, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., played State Senator [[SleazyPolitician Clay Davis]] on that show.
* One of the most surreal aspects of ''{{Film/Chappie}}'' is the way the members of South African rap group Music/DieAntwoord, Ninja and Yo-landi Visser, play a pair of South African gangsters named Ninja and Yo-landi, who listen to the music of Music/DieAntwoord. At the end of the film, Ninja is seen wearing a Music/DieAntwoord shirt which names Yo-landi Visser as a member [[spoiler:which is oddly poignant, considering this is after her character has died]]. WordOfGod [[http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=19896 is that]] the characters are former musicians who had to turn to crime to get by, so it is possible that these are their own music and memorabilia, mementos of their better days.
* In Creator/AlanParker's ''Film/TheCommitments'', some of the characters visit a video store. A prominent display reveals it's having a special promotion on Alan Parker movies.
* ''Film/CoolCatSavesTheKids'' is probably the most bizarre and recursive example in film history. To break it down: In real life, Cool Cat is a children's book character created by Derek Savage. ''Saves The Kids'' has a scene where Cool Cat writes a kids book and creates a character called Trolly Trout. Trolly Trout is ''another'' kids book character created by Derek Savage in real life. And Derek Savage [[CreatorCameo appears in the movie itself]] playing himself... ''as Cool Cat's father''. Derek Savage, a real life human being, is identified as the father of a fictitious anthropomorphic cat that his real world self created for a children’s book series and that same cat is depicted as writing books that Savage wrote himself in real life. And as if all this wasn't crazy enough, Cool Cat is not only credited [[CharacterAsHimself as playing himself]], but as he's also credited as ''an associate producer for his own movie''. It is the very definition of MindScrew.
* ''Film/CopOut'': Creator/BruceWillis' character, after naming the sources of several other movie quotes, fails to recognize [[Franchise/DieHard "Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker!"]].
* In ''Film/CrankHighVoltage'' a witness is asked to describe Creator/JasonStatham's character, Chev Chelios, and refers to him as "like the man from those ''[[Film/TheTransporter Transpointed]]'' movies." Guess who plays the Transporter.
* In ''Film/CurseOfTheCrimsonAltar'', Robert is being shown around the lodge by Eve, and remarks that it feels like something out of a horror movie, and that he almost expects to run into Creator/BorisKarloff. Not long afterwards, he is introduced to Professor Walsh, who is played by Creator/BorisKarloff. Strangely, Robert makes no comment on the Professor's resemblance to the actor.
* In ''D3: Film/TheMightyDucks'', team captain Charlie references the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, a pro hockey team named after them. Why a pro team would name itself after a youth team -- even one that did win the under-18 world championship in the previous film -- is not addressed. In RealLife, there was an NHL team called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, which was owned by Disney and named after the ''Mighty Ducks'' movie. (When Disney sold the team, it was rechristened Anaheim Ducks, mitigating the connection.)
* ''Film/DemolitionMan'':
** Creator/SteveKahan appears as Spartan's boss Captain Healy in the ActionPrologue, but later on, a ''Film/LethalWeapon3'' scene can be seen Huxley's office. Kahan played Captain Ed Murphy through the whole series.
** Later on, Simon Phoenix calls a soldier statue ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'', referencing a character Creator/SylvesterStallone also played.
* The cheesy Hong Kong comedy ''Film/DiaryOfABigMan'' has a SelfDeprecation joke from it's playboy protagonist, Chow (played by... Creator/ChowYunFat), mentioning how he finds ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'' (also starring Chow) "totally overrated" and he doesn't get "what's the big deal about that Chow guy". He even spoils the then two-year-old film by saying "Everyone knows [[spoiler: TheHeroDies]] in a hail of bullets, all the time..." referencing Chow's status as a ChronicallyKilledActor in various gangster films.
* In ''Film/DickTracyMeetsGruesome'', Dick's sidekick Pat says (referring to Gruesome), "He's weird. If I didn't know better, I'd say we were dealing with Creator/BorisKarloff." Guess who plays Gruesome.
* In ''Film/DieHard2'' the old woman Holly sits next to and befriends on the plane is reading a magazine with an ad for ''Film/LethalWeapon2'' on VHS. The movie's score was composed by Music/MichaelKamen, who also composed the score for ''Die Hard 2''!
* In ''Film/DinnerAtEight'' one of the people going to the dinner grouses that he'd rather go see the new Creator/GretaGarbo movie. One wonders if that's ''Film/GrandHotel'' -- and if so, how some of the characters from ''Dinner at Eight'' (Oliver Jordan, Larry Renault, Dan Packard) feel about having movie actors (Creator/LionelBarrymore, Creator/JohnBarrymore, Creator/WallaceBeery) who look just like them.
* ''Film/DirtyHarry'' intervenes to stop a bank robbery. A nearby theatre is playing ''Film/PlayMistyForMe''.
* In ''Film/Dracula2000'', Lucy stands in front of a row of Vitamin C [=CDs=] at her workplace, the [[ProductPlacement Virgin Megastore]]. Lucy was played by Colleen Fitzpatrick, aka pop singer Vitamin C.
* In ''Film/EagleEye'', posters for ''Film/{{Disturbia}}'' can be seen in the Circuit City store. ''Disturbia'' was the previous project directed by DJ Caruso and starring Creator/ShiaLaBeouf, which then begs the question why nobody noticed that Jerry looks a lot like Shia.
* Creator/ChrisRock stars in ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' as Rufus, the 13th apostle who was written out of the Bible. He also appears {{as himself}} in the {{sequel}}, ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack''.
* The infamous 1996 Creator/MattLeBlanc comedy ''Film/{{Ed|1996}}'' at one point shows the characters watching ''Series/{{Friends}}'', the sitcom [=LeBlanc=] starred on as Joey Tribbiani.
* In ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', while Prince Edward, played by Creator/JamesMarsden, is atop a bus in Times Square and impaling it (ItMakesSenseInContext), a billboard for ''Film/SupermanReturns'', in which Marsden appears, can be seen behind him. There are also billboards for ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' and ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'', both of which star Creator/IdinaMenzel, who also has a supporting role in ''Enchanted.''
* During the final battle in ''Film/TheExpendables2'', [[Creator/ChuckNorris Booker]] comes in and mows down some of the terrorists. [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger Trench]]'s reaction is, "Who's next? ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}''?" Rambo was played by Creator/SylvesterStallone, who is Barney Ross.
* ''Film/EvanAlmighty'' uses the LenoDevice, with ''Series/TheDailyShow'''s Creator/JonStewart commenting on the situation. Oddly enough, he fails to notice that the title character, up until recently, strongly resembled former correspondent and close personal friend of his Creator/SteveCarell. There's also a movie theatre marquee advertising ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin''.
* The 2013 dark comedy ''Film/TheFamily'' has the main character (a former gangster played by Creator/RobertDeNiro) watch the movie ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' in which De Niro also had a starring role.
* ''Film/{{Fanboys}}'' is a gleeful celebration of this trope. Although it centers around a group of ''Franchise/StarWars'' fanboys trying to get a sneak peek at ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', there are a number of cameos from ''Star Wars'' actors, including Creator/CarrieFisher as a doctor, Creator/BillyDeeWilliams as a judge, and Creator/RayPark as a security guard.
* Creator/StanLee is known for cameos in movies based on his creations, sometimes credited AsHimself. Although he's rarely mentioned by name in these films, he does exclaim, "I'm ''Stan Lee''!" when trying to crash Reed and Sue's wedding in ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer''. [[note]]The same thing happens [[ComicBook/FantasticFourAnnualThree in the comics]] along with Creator/JackKirby, which adds a new layer to the paradox.[[/note]]
* ''Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious'':
** "Area Codes" by Music/{{Ludacris}} is being played in the house party in ''Film/{{The Fast and the Furious|2001}}'', despite Ludacris playing the character Tej from the second movie onward. This begs the question of who made the song they were listening to in the movie's universe.
** In ''Film/Furious7'', Luke Hobbs (Wrestling/DwayneJohnson) is laid up in a hospital, and he's watching a football game before a breaking news bulletin alerts him that his team is in trouble. The game footage used for said football game? Miami vs. Florida State, 1993--specifically, a play in which Florida State's Heisman-winning quarterback Charlie Ward was sacked by Miami defensive end ''Dwayne Johnson''.
** ''Furious Seven'' also introduces the character Ramsey, portrayed by Creator/NathalieEmmanuel, and Ramsey returns in the ''Film/TheFateOfTheFurious'' alongside new antagonist Rhodes, portrayed by Creator/KristoferHivju. In the spin-off ''Film/HobbsAndShaw'', which is set after these films, several references are made to ''Series/GameOfThrones'' - which Emmanuel and Hivju both appeared in.
* In ''Film/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'', while walking through a rock club in a flashback within the film, [[spoiler:Creator/JohnnyDepp as Thompson narrates, "There I was...," suddenly stopping when he spots the ''real'' Dr. Creator/HunterSThompson in the shot, exclaiming, "Mother of God, there I am! Holy fuck..."]].
* Used to effect in ''Film/FightClub''. When Marla and the Narrator are talking outside a movie theatre, the movie playing is ''Film/SevenYearsInTibet'', starring Creator/BradPitt, who also plays Tyler Durden in ''Fight Club''. Given that this scene [[spoiler:takes place after the Narrator discovers that Tyler is his split personality]], the film serves as [[spoiler:a subtle reminder that Tyler is invisibly present in this scene]].
* ''Film/FinalDestination''. It's VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory. Nobody remarks about the extremely similar 747 crash four years earlier.
* ''Film/FoolishWives'' by Creator/ErichVonStroheim features a character reading a book called ''Foolish Wives'' by Erich von Stroheim.
* Robby the Robot in ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' was the [=R2D2=] or [=C3PO=] of its day and has been used almost like a live action {{animated actor|s}}, making this one of the few times this trope applies to a nonhuman character. The Blu-Ray/HD home video version of the movie includes a ''Thin Man'' episode and a movie ''The Invisible Boy'' where Robby appears, under his own name; needless to say, characters are astonished by the robot but never associate it with a movie.
* In ''Film/TheFreshman1990'', Creator/MarlonBrando plays a character very similar in appearance to his role in ''Film/TheGodfather''. The gag is that the other characters all notice the resemblance, with the main character being a film student whose professor keeps showing clips from ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII'' (which didn’t feature Brando but is part of the same series). It’s implied the Brando character is deliberately capitalizing on the resemblance (and perhaps consciously imitating the older movie character’s mannerisms) to intimidate and manipulate people. The film student is told by the man’s daughter that the ''Godfather'' character was based on her dad, though as she’s a con artist, we don’t know if she’s telling the truth.
* ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'': During the montage of released ghosts terrifying NYC, Louis!Vinz walks past a movie theater in Times Square showing ''Film/TradingPlaces'', which starred Creator/DanAykroyd (Ray Stantz).
* In the Music/ElvisPresley movie ''Film/GIBlues'', Elvis' character is singing with a band in a bar when a guy goes to the jukebox, saying "I want to hear an original," and plays [[CoveredUp Elvis' version of]] "Blue Suede Shoes".
* ''Film/Godzilla2014'': In the prologue, young Brody is shown playing with Franchise/{{LEGO}} ''Franchise/StarWars'' sets, including a Snowspeeder. Director Gareth Edwards, himself a big Star Wars fan, would go on to direct ''Film/RogueOne''. Creator/SamuelLJackson, who plays Preston Packard in the Monsterverse entry ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', also plays Mace Windu in the ''Star Wars'' prequels.
* In ''Film/TheGoonies'', some of the kids are watching a video on TV of Music/CyndiLauper singing "The Goonies R Good Enough", meaning the song exists in the movie's universe. Although they are not seen (as what's shown on TV is not actually one of the music videos), the kids and producer Creator/StevenSpielberg are shown as characters in the music videos for this song.
* Played with in the Polish movie ''Film/{{Haker}}'', where one of the characters, played by Bogusław Linda, complains about looking just like his actor and being mistaken for him.
* The [[SettingUpdate 2000 film]] of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' presents [[ShowWithinAShow "The Mousetrap"]] as Hamlet's experimental student film. For the [[CatchTheConscience crucial imagery]], he uses clips from an old black-and-white silent movie which in reality is obviously another production of ''Hamlet''.
* In ''Film/HeartOfDragon'', a Creator/BruceLee poster is prominently shown in the police precinte. Said movie stars Creator/JackieChan, Creator/SammoHung and Lam Ching-ying, all of them who starred alongside Bruce at different points of their careers.
* Played with in ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', which is based on the [[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} comics]]: the eponymous demon is actually a pretty popular myth, on par with stuff like Yeti and Bigfoot (though perhaps slightly more believed), and has comics based on him, prompting a supporting character, upon meeting him, to be surprised that his comics hero from childhood is real, and for Hellboy himself to comment that he dislikes the comics as they get his eyes wrong.
** On the other side of the canon, the graphic novel ''Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus'' has articles detailing the title character's in-world media appearances, all of which were [[AdaptationDecay highly inaccurate]] and SoBadItsGood ''at best''. One of the articles mentions that "acclaimed Mexican director Creator/GuillermoDelToro" had expressed interest in remaking the largely inexplicable Mexican films (the ones that portrayed Lobster Johnson as a MaskedLuchador).
** Referenced in ''Webcomic/AbeAndKroenen'', where Kroenen mentions that the Hellboy clone had gotten himself a job as a Hellboy impersonator. Abe asks if the clone has a partner impersonating him and Kroenen mentions that there is an Abe impersonator "but she's not very good at it."
* Possibly the earliest example after ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'': In the 1940 film ''Film/HisGirlFriday'', a character played by Creator/RalphBellamy is described as looking a lot like "that fellow in the movies, Ralph Bellamy".
* In the ''Film/{{Hitman}}'' film, during 47's escape from the hotel, he bursts into a room where two guys are playing one of the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' games.
* ''Film/HotShotsPartDeux'' features a memorable example in which Charlie Sheen's character meets Martin Sheen's character in ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' and they tell each other, "I loved you in ''Film/WallStreet''," a movie in which this father-and-son duo appeared.
* ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'': When the group meets Blaine, Jacob mentions ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII''. Creator/WilliamZabka, best known for the role of Johnny Lawrence in ''Franchise/TheKarateKid'', later appears as Rick, the man Lou makes a bar bet with.
* In ''Film/HowHigh'', in which Method Man plays one of the two main characters, another character mentions that he listens to Wu Tang Clan on his headphones.
* In ''Film/HowToMarryAMillionaire'', main character Schatze Page, played by Creator/LaurenBacall, tries to reassure her older beau, played by Creator/WilliamPowell, that young women happily marry older men all the time: "Look at Roosevelt, look at Churchill, look at old fella what's his name in ''Film/TheAfricanQueen''." Which raises the question -- what younger woman is the "old fella in ''The African Queen''" married to if it isn't Lauren Bacall?
* One [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyEcjLFZ0Q8 viral video]] for ''{{Film/Independence Day Resurgence}}'' plays with this trope. In it, Creator/JeffGoldblum and David Levinson are put face-to-face, to prove once and for all that they’re not the same person.
* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', this is done with a landmark rather than a celebrity. The film uses the Petra ruins in Jordan as the entrance to the temple at the end. However, there is nothing apart from solid rock behind the facade in Petra, and the context in which it appears in the film would imply that the actual ruins do not exist in the movie's reality.
* From ''Film/JamesBond'':
** The original [[Literature/JamesBond Bond novels]] describe Bond as looking like a cross between Hoagy Carmichael and Creator/DavidNiven. The latter got to play him in 1967's ''Film/{{Casino Royale|1967}}''.
** In ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', Bond snipes the assassin Krilencu as the latter tries to escape by climbing from a hatch hidden inside the teeth of Anita Ekberg on a billboard for ''Call Me Bwana'', another movie produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Creator/EonProductions, who made the Bond films.
** In ''Film/LicenceToKill'', Bond goes at the house of Creator/ErnestHemingway in Key West, Florida. Creator/MaryamDabo, the actress who played Kara Milovy in the previous film ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', played alongside Ernest's granddaughter Creator/{{Margaux|Hemingway}} in the BMovie ''Film/DoubleObsession''.
** The film ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' faithfully reproduces a scene from [[Literature/CasinoRoyale the original novel]] where Bond orders a very specific kind of martini -- three parts Gordon's gin, one part vodka, a half part Lillet. In the real world, this drink, called a "Vesper" after Bond's love interest in the novel, has become well-known enough to have an entry on [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} That Other Wiki]], and a bartender presumably wouldn't need to be instructed on how to make one. But in the movieverse, the James Bond novels don't exist, so presumably nobody has ever heard of a Vesper martini.
* Grigg and Jocelyn from ''Film/TheJaneAustenBookClub'' first meet at a hotel that's hosting a ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' con. Prudie from the book club is married to Dean, played by Mark Blucas, who played Buffy's boyfriend Riley Finn.
* Used as a twist in JeanPhilippe. At the beginning, FabriceLuchini (hint: TheDanza) is JohnnyHallyday's biggest fan. Then he wakes up in a world where Jean-Philippe Smet never became famous singer Johnny Hallyday. At the end, he wakes up to find Johnny famous again, so he goes to work... and everybody wonder why famous actor Fabrice Luchini is working in the office.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] in Creator/KevinSmith's ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'':
** The film is about Jay and Silent Bob getting a movie made about them (and not getting paid for it). They discuss who should star in the movie. Ben Affleck's character Holden suggests that because it's Miramax, it's probably Creator/BenAffleck and Creator/MattDamon.
** Affleck then shows up later as himself, along with Damon, shooting ''Film/GoodWillHunting 2: Hunting Season''. Damon mentions that Affleck talked him into doing ''Film/{{Dogma}}'', a previous Kevin Smith film in which Jay and Silent Bob also appear as important characters. Interestingly, on the DVD commentary the writers mention that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen they considered]] having different actors play Affleck and Damon, including the Wayans brothers.
** For the hat trick, at the very end, two characters compare ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'' and ''Film/ChasingAmy'' -- the latter of which had Affleck playing the same character he does in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack''. This scene also features the mind-screwery of Creator/JoeyLaurenAdams' character Alyssa Jones, who in ''Chasing Amy'' mentions having sex with Gwen Turner -- a character Adams played in ''Mallrats''.
** Even outside Film/TheViewAskewniverse, things get strange. Creator/MarkHamill, who played in ''Franchise/StarWars'', shows up as himself and references the film. Creator/CarrieFisher, who also played in ''Franchise/StarWars'', shows up to play a nun.
* At one point in ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', there's an extended shot of the back of Music/HenryRollins' head, and the small Music/BlackFlag tattoo on his neck is prominently visible.
* It isn't easy to see in ''Film/{{Jurassic Park|1993}}'', but the cover for Dr. Grant's book shows that the foreword was written by Sir Creator/RichardAttenborough, who plays John Hammond in the film.
* ''Film/TheKingOfComedy'': Rupert, played by Creator/RobertDeNiro keeps a cardboard cutout of Creator/LizaMinnelli in his basement. Minnelli had previously starred with De Niro in ''Film/NewYorkNewYork'', which was also directed by Creator/MartinScorsese.
* In Creator/PeterJackson's 2005 version of ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}'', when Carl Denham is searching for an actress to appear in his film as a love interest, somebody shouts, as a possibility, "What about Creator/FayWray?" Somebody else responds, "She's doing a picture for [[Creator/RKOPictures RKO]]!" Fay Wray played Ann in the original 1933 version of ''Film/{{King Kong|1933}}'', which was made by RKO Pictures.
* Creator/KeystoneStudios silent comedy ''Film/TheKnockout'' (1914) has in one scene a clearly visible poster for Keystone production ''Caught in a Cabaret'', which starred several castmembers from ''The Knockout''.
* ''Film/KungFuJungle'' is a martial arts movie starring Creator/DonnieYen... and clips from Yen's earlier movie, ''Film/SevenSwords'', can be seen playing on a television screen. Being watched by Donnie himself, no less.
* In the Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger flick ''Film/LastActionHero'', the real world contains the same actors and movies that we know in reality. In the [[ShowWithinAShow universe of]] ''Jack Slater IV'' (starring Schwarzenegger), Danny finds a poster for ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' with Creator/SylvesterStallone as the T-800 (earlier in the film, the T-1000 makes a brief cameo), ostensibly to explain why no one thinks Slater bears an uncanny resemblance to the cyborg from the future. This is itself a bit of a HistoricalInJoke, since Stallone was one of the actors considered for the Terminator role. And then the eponymous hero Jack meets Schwarzenegger himself, who is impressed enough to ask Jack to be his body double (though Jack can only pronounce his last name as "Arnold Braunschweiger"). Stallone pays Schwarzenegger back in ''Demolition Man'', where his character John Spartan learns that Arnold was apparently President when he was in hibernation.
* ''Film/LazerTeam'', being made by Creator/RoosterTeeth, has background characters dressed up in WebAnimation/RedVsBlue and WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} cosplay, RWBY stickers on Mindy's laptop, and the fact that two of the main characters are played by Team [[Creator/GavinFree Nice]] [[Creator/MichaelJones Dynamite]].
* One scene in ''Film/LethalWeapon2'' shows Roger flipping past a promo for ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'' on television. The show is produced by Creator/RichardDonner, the director of the ''Lethal Weapon'' movies, indicating he exists in the ''Lethal Weapon'' universe.
* In ''Film/LookWhosBack'', a montage of clips making fun of Hitler includes the famous "Hitler rants" scene from ''Film/Downfall2004'', which featured both Fabian Busch and Thomas Thieme.
* In ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'', DJ Drake claims to have been Creator/BrendanFraser's stunt double in ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy''. At the end of the movie, Drake runs into the real Fraser (also played by Fraser, obviously) and punches him in the face for acting like a dick.
-->'''DJ:''' (to Daffy) Have you seen those ''[[Film/TheMummyTrilogy Mummy]]'' movies? I was in them more than Brendan Fraser was!
* In ''Film/LoveActually'', Creator/LiamNeeson's character makes several jokes about having Claudia Schiffer appear and start a relationship with him. [[BrickJoke Towards the end of the movie]], he meets a woman named Carol, played by Claudia Schiffer.
** Also, the Prime Minister character mentions ''Literature/HarryPotter'' in his speech about what makes Britain great. But Creator/AlanRickman, Creator/EmmaThompson and Creator/BillNighy all appear in the film. If the Harry Potter films were made in the universe of ''Love Actually'' as well, one might wonder who replaced those actors as Severus Snape, Sybil Trelawney and Rufus Scrimgeour.
* A particularly complex example is ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', a {{Biopic}} of Creator/AndyKaufman. Creator/DannyDeVito plays Kaufman's agent George Shapiro. [=DeVito=] was also a producer of the film, and explained in a making-of short that he had wanted to play Shapiro from the beginning -- not realizing that this paradox would be created because he had played Louie [=DePalma=] on ''Series/{{Taxi}}'', which was Kaufman's biggest mainstream success and thus had to be brought up in the film. [=DeVito=]'s characters in the movie and ''Taxi'' were visually and dramatically distinct enough that he might have been able to play them both, and they may have been going this way in early drafts. Eventually, though, they chose to write out Louie (and thus the real [=DeVito=]) from the ''Taxi''-related scenes. At least one critic admitted [[FridgeLogic he hadn't noticed Louie's absence until later]], perhaps in part because most of the other ''Taxi'' cast members appeared as themselves. (Creator/VincentSchiavelli, who appeared in several episodes of the show as a priest, also plays an unrelated role in the film.)
* Near the end of ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth'', an ad for the Music/DavidBowie album ''Music/YoungAmericans'' is prominently displayed in a record store that Bryce visits. Bowie also stars in the film as its lead protagonist, Thomas Jerome Newton.
* ''Film/MarriageStory'' has an interesting case. Charlie Barber's son openly plays with ''[[Toys/Bionicle2015 BIONICLE sets]]'' and calls them by name. LEGO created BIONICLE in 2001 as a direct response to the popularity of their ''Franchise/StarWars'' license, so they could make a set without having to pay George Lucas royalties. BIONICLE depends on the existence of Star Wars. And given the set shown, the film is set no earlier than 2016, which means Charlie resembles Adam Driver exactly from that movie.
* Presumably invoked intentionally in ''Film/TheMartian'' with the secret meeting known as Project Elrond, named after the meeting in ''Franchise/TheLordOfTheRings'' in which Elrond discusses destroying the One Ring. As Mitch Henderson and Boromir respectively, Creator/SeanBean was at both meetings.
** Mark gets to "fly around like Franchise/IronMan" in his suit. Creator/MattDamon made a cameo appearance in ''Film/ThorRagnarok''; also appearing with him here are Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor (Karl Mordo), Creator/MichaelPena (Luis in the first two ''Film/AntMan'' films), Creator/KateMara (a cameo as a U.S. Marshall in ''Film/IronMan2''), Creator/SebastianStan (The Winter Soldier) and Creator/BenedictWong (the sorcerer Wong), the latter two having had screen time with Creator/RobertDowneyJr as Iron Man himself.
* In ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'', the Tank has a ''Film/FightClub'' t-shirt. John Smith is played by Creator/BradPitt, who was Tyler Durden in ''Fight Club''.
* ''Film/MyFavoriteBlonde'' has one scene in which Larry (Creator/BobHope) turns on the radio and hears Bob Hope's radio show.
-->'''Larry:''' I can't stand that guy.
* In ''Film/NearDark'', directed by Creator/KathrynBigelow, the protagonist is seen passing in front of a movie theater screening Creator/JamesCameron's ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. There was a point where Bigelow and Cameron were married in real life, making you wonder who married James Cameron in ''Near Dark'''s universe.
* In ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Series}}'', the witch Alisa is played by the actress/model Creator/JeannaFriske. In the film, it turns out that she really is Jeanna Friske, except her real name is Alisa Donnikova, while "Jeanna Friske" is a cover identity.
* The original ''Film/Oceans11'', starring the Creator/RatPack, played with this trope. In the final shot, the characters played by Music/FrankSinatra, Music/DeanMartin, Creator/SammyDavisJr, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford walk past the marquee of the Sands hotel, advertising the Sands' featured entertainers: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Despite this, Dean Martin plays a completely different singer named Sam Harmon, who does a few shows in Vegas without anyone mentioning he looks familiar.
** The remade ''Film/OceansEleven'' flirted with this in one of the earliest scenes, when Danny and Rusty walk out of the club where they've been teaching celebrities to play poker. It's very surreal to see Creator/TopherGrace and Joshua Jackson get mobbed by squealing fans, while Creator/GeorgeClooney and Creator/BradPitt stroll by unnoticed.
** ''Film/OceansTwelve'' had Tess Ocean, played by Creator/JuliaRoberts, infiltrating a museum by impersonating Julia Roberts... badly. And complains that it's "too personal" to impersonate someone else who's out there somewhere. And then she has to interact with several other celebrities like Bruce Willis who know Julia Roberts. The fact that Danny Ocean, played by Creator/GeorgeClooney, couldn't do the same implies that this is a case of OneShotRevisionism.
* In ''Film/ThePlayer'', a dark satire of the film industry, a notable number of recognizable actors [[CelebrityCameo appear in the film]] [[AsHimself as themselves]]. Notably at the end (delivering the punch line to the movie's main BrickJoke) are Creator/BruceWillis and Creator/JuliaRoberts. No mention is made of the film's principal actors, notably Tim Robbins (who would later co-star with Julia Roberts in ''Film/PretAPorter''), Creator/WhoopiGoldberg (who had co-starred with Bruce Willis in an episode of ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'') and Lyle Lovett (who for awhile was married to Julia Roberts in real life). Also making a cameo in this movie is Creator/SusanSarandon, with whom Tim Robbins was romantically involved at the time.
* The 2017 ''Film/{{Power Rangers|2017}}'' movie features mentions of Creator/MarvelComics properties (namely, ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' and ''ComicBook/IronMan'') and Jason at one point says to a yellow car, "Sorry, [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Bumblebee]]." Creator/ElizabethBanks, who plays Rita, also played Betty Brant in the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and Creator/FredTatasciore, who voices Goldar and the Putties, is Marvel's go-to guy for voicing the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], and voices a number of Marvel and ''Transformers'' characters including filling-in for Creator/JeffBridges as the Iron Monger for the tie-in game to ''Film/IronMan1'', Jeff Foxworth as Ratchet in the tie-in games for the first and third films in the ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'' (the latter game also having Tatascioe as Bumblebee), and Creator/ThomasHadenChurch as Sandman in ''VideoGame/SpiderManFriendOrFoe'', as well voicing [[VideoGame/SpiderManEdgeOfTime J. Jonah Jameson]], [[VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows the Rhino]], and [[VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron Megatron]] (including filling-in for Creator/HugoWeaving for [[VideoGame/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the tie-in game for the third movie]]).
* ''Film/PromisesPromises1963'': Babette, putting on a little show for the girls at the baby shower, does an impersonation of none other than Creator/JayneMansfield, doing her slinky mannerisms and high, breathy voice. Sitting next to Babette is Sally, played by Jayne Mansfield, the star of the movie. Sally says "I can do her too!", and gets up and does the same impersonation. So that's Jayne Mansfield, in character as Sally, doing an impersonation of Jayne Mansfield.
* The first ''Film/PuppetMaster'' film plays on a TV in the original ''Film/DemonicToys'' (though only briefly in the background, but the two franchises would later cross over.
* ''Film/{{Ready Player One|2018}}'' is directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg; to avoid seeming too egotistical, he [[http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1525840/one-steven-spielberg-reference-thats-definitely-going-to-be-in-ready-player-one cut out several references to his own movies from]] the [[Literature/ReadyPlayerOne book]], though others are left in.
* In the famous opening scene of ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', where the robbers have a SeinfeldianConversation about the true meaning behind Music/{{Madonna}}'s "Like a Virgin", nobody seems to notice that Madonna's former brother-in-law is sitting at the table sipping coffee; "Nice Guy Eddie" is played by Chris Penn, the younger brother of Madonna's ex-husband Creator/SeanPenn.
* In ''Film/RockyIII'', the opening montage features footage from Creator/SylvesterStallone's appearance on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' with Kermit dubbed to say Rocky Balboa's name instead.
** The spin-off ''Film/{{Creed|2015}}'', features a scene where Adonis quotes ''Film/TheGodfather'', which featured Creator/TaliaShire, who played Rocky's wife Adrian, and Joe Spinnell, who played Gazzo, the loan shark Rocky worked for in the first two movies.
* In ''Film/RosemarysBaby'', Rosemary tells Terry, the girl she meets in the basement laundry, "I thought you were Victoria Vetri, the actress." Of course, Terry is played by Victoria Vetri, using another name. In the book, Rosemary briefly mistakes Terry for Anna Maria Alberghetti. Alberghetti was about thirty at the time and looked younger; she could have played Terry, but perhaps they couldn't get her.
* This trope appears in ''Film/{{Salo|OrThe120DaysOfSodom}}'' of all places. The works of Marquis de Sade are quoted at certain points. Sade wrote the novel on which the film is based.
* ''Film/SavingFace'': Gao (played by Joan Chen) watches ''Film/TheLastEmperor''. Joan Chen also had a role in the film.
* The ''Film/{{Scream}}'' franchise made it big in part because it was a horror movie that acknowledged that people will know about horror movies and thus display at least some GenreSavvy, compared to all the horror films that take place in universes where apparently [[GenreBlindness no such things exist]].
** ''Film/Scream2'' has the [[ShowWithinAShow film-within-a-film]] ''Stab'', which was based off the events of ''Scream''. Different actors portray the characters this time around, but having Tori Spelling play Creator/NeveCampbell's character Sidney Prescott finishes a BrickJoke where Sidney hopes to be played by Creator/MegRyan, but [[TemptingFate knowing her luck she'd probably get Spelling]]. Creator/CourteneyCox's character also mentions that Creator/DavidSchwimmer and Creator/JenniferAniston (two of Cox's co-stars on ''Series/{{Friends}}'') are in ''Stab'' as well. Additionally, Creator/SarahMichelleGellar's character references ''Series/PartyOfFive'' - which Neve Campbell starred in at the time of the film's release.
** In ''Scream'', a VHS copy of the movie ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' can be seen in the party scene at the end of the movie. In ''Film/Scream3'', ''Clerks'' characters Jay and Silent Bob appear as in-universe characters who take a tour of the movie studio and run into Gale Weathers. To top it off, ''Scream'' director Wes Craven appears in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'' as the director of a fictional version of ''Scream 4'' that has nothing to do with the real ''Film/Scream4'' that was made years later.
** Creator/CarrieFisher cameos in the third film as an archivist working in a studio. She gets mistaken for the real Carrie, grudgingly saying that she was called back several times to play Princess Leia - but that it went to [[CastingCouch "the one that slept with George Lucas"]]. She [[SelfDeprecation apparently wrote most of the lines herself]].
** In the original ''Scream'', the characters are watching the original ''Halloween''. ''Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' (which was also written by Kevin Williamson) returns the favour by having a group of students watching ''Scream 2''. But if they watched the first movie, they would see a film version of the murders from twenty years prior starring their [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis headmistress]].
** An indirect example here. Also in the original film, ''Film/{{A Nightmare On Elm Street|1984}}'' is referenced, as are its sequels (namely to [[SelfDeprecation bash them]]). One of those sequels, ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'' stars Creator/PatriciaArquette, the sister of series co-star Creator/DavidArquette.
* ''Film/SeedOfChucky'' is all about this, as Chucky and Tiffany are revived as prop dolls used for a film adaptation of them, and Tiffany (voiced by Jennifer Tilly) attempts to transfer her soul into the real-life Jennifer Tilly's body.
* In ''Film/TheSevenYearItch'', when Richard Sherman is being questioned about who [[NoNameGiven The Girl]] (played by Creator/MarilynMonroe) is, he says, "Wouldn't you like to know! Maybe it's Marilyn Monroe!"
* In the film ''Film/SexKittensGoToCollege'' Creator/MamieVanDoren plays a super-smart professor who is described as looking like MamieVanDoren.
* Much of the oeuvre of Creator/JohnHughes takes place in [[TheVerse a shared universe]] called the "Shermerverse", all of which feature the same high school. This causes issues sometimes:
** Both ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' and ''Film/SixteenCandles'' take place at that school, and both prominently star Creator/MollyRingwald and Creator/AnthonyMichaelHall -- who both play completely different characters in each film. One wonders how two girls who look exactly the same could run in completely different social circles and never be mistaken for each other, or how Farmer Ted could never meet fellow geek Brian Johnson.
** In ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'' Neal's wife is seen watching ''She's Having A Baby'', another John Hughes film. This raises the question of whether or not Hughes himself exists in the Shermerverse, and if he wrote and directed any respected and memorable teen films there.
* Film/ShazamFuryOfTheGods: Shazam says "I've seen all of the Fast and the Furious movies, lady" to an ancient Greek goddess played by Creator/HelenMirren, who also portrays Queenie Shaw (Creator/JasonStatham's character's mother) in said movies, one of many actors who have roles in both the [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DCEU]] and the [[Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast and Furiverse]] as listed on the Film/ShazamFuryOfTheGods page.
* ''Film/{{Shortcomings}}'': Creator/JacobBatalon's character loves the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse and specifically says "nothing beats the new ''Spider-Man''; Batalon rose to prominence as Ned Leeds in the MCU ''Spider-Man'' films, beginning with ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''.
* In the silent film ''Film/ShowPeople'', a satire of Hollywood movie-making, Creator/MarionDavies has a cameo as Marion Davies in addition to starring as aspiring actress Peggy Pepper. Davies as Pepper meets Davies as Davies and is not impressed.
* In ''Film/{{Shrink}}'', Creator/RobinWilliams plays actor Jake Holden. Another character in the film is a fan of classic movies, and in one scene she's watching ''Film/TheGraduate'', so we know Creator/DustinHoffman exists as himself in the film. The question is: did Jake Holden star alongside him in ''Film/{{Hook}}'' in this universe? Was he also the star of ''Film/GoodMorningVietnam'', ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'', and many others? He must have been, because no one comments on how he looks just like Robin Williams.
* ''Film/{{S1m0ne}}'' mentions Creator/MerylStreep and Music/{{Madonna}} and incorporates elements of both actresses into Simone - which makes one wonder how Creator/AlPacino acted with both of them in ''Theatre/AngelsInAmerica'' and ''Film/DickTracy'' respectively.
* ''Film/{{Smarty}}'': In one of several discussions about how it's okay for men to smack women around, Tony mentions that he saw a movie where a man shoved a grapefruit in a woman's face, and it was no big deal. That's a reference to ''Film/ThePublicEnemy1931'', which co-starred Creator/JoanBlondell (Mae Clarke took the grapefruit to the face).
* ''Franchise/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|FilmSeries}}'':
** ''Film/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|2020}}'':
*** Sonic is seen reading ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' comics, and ComicBook/{{Batman}} is mentioned in the sequel, meaning Creator/DCComics exists in this world. Creator/JimCarrey (Robotnik) played the Riddler in ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Creator/IdrisElba (Knuckles) would go on to play Bloodsport in ''Film/TheSuicideSquad''.
*** The Wachowskis are shown to frequently watch ''Film/{{Speed}}'', with Sonic claiming Creator/KeanuReeves is a national treasure. Reeves would go on to voice Shadow the Hedgehog in the third film.
*** Sonic is also shown to be a fan of ''Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious''. Idris Elba (Knuckles) played Brixton Lore in ''Film/HobbsAndShaw''.
** ''Film/{{Sonic the Hedgehog 2|2022}}'':
*** During the confrontation in Siberia, Sonic refers to Knuckles as [[Creator/MarvelComics the Winter Soldier]]. Sonic therefore appears to be familiar with the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, which features Idris Elba as Heimdall.
*** Professor X is mentioned in this film. Creator/JamesMarsden (Tom) played the older Cyclops in the Film/XMenFilmSeries.
* 1947 short film ''Film/SoYouWantToBeInPictures'', part of the "So You Want..." long-running series of short films, has series protagonist Joe [=McDoakes=], played by George O'Hanlon, trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood. He gets a part as a stand-in for, you guessed it, George O'Hanlon, who is on set shooting a Joe [=McDoakes=] short called ''So You Want to Hold Your Wife''. So just to recap, an actor playing a fictional character is shown appearing as a stand-in for the actor playing the fictional character.
* Creator/MelBrooks did it again in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', when the villains try to track the heroes by picking up a VHS of ''Spaceballs'' and watching it to see where they wind up, HandWaving the technology that allows you to see forward in time like that (sort of).
* ''Film/SpiderMan1'':
** Aunt May tells Peter "You're not Franchise/{{Superman}}, you know!", and Peter half-jokingly yells out "ComicBook/{{Shazam}}!" and [[Franchise/{{Superman}} "Up, up, and away!"]] when he's trying to figure out [[HowDoIShotWeb how to fire his web]]. This seems to imply that whether or not there are Creator/MarvelComics in this universe, Creator/DCComics certainly exist.
*** Marvel itself seems to be a thing in-universe, as well. At the very least, ComicBook/DoctorStrange is a copyrighted character: while spitballing names for Otto Octavius' new supervillain persona, Hoffman comes up with "Doctor Strange" and Jameson loves it, then realizes that it's already taken and goes with "Doctor Octopus" instead. Unless he meant the Batman villain...
* At one point in the Creator/FritzLang film ''Film/{{Spies}}'', the protagonist runs by a wall covered with posters for Lang's previous film, ''Film/{{Metropolis}}''. So presumably, in this version of Berlin, Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou exist but aren't working on ''Spies''. Fair enough. However, nobody seems to notice that the wheelchair-bound criminal mastermind [[spoiler: or the clown he often disguises himself as]] bears an uncanny resemblance to Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who played the mad scientist Rotwang in ''Metropolis''. Oh well, foreign agents probably don't go to the movies much anyway.
* Early in ''Film/{{Spring}}'', a character mentions ''Film/EightMile'', in which Creator/AnthonyMackie had a role. ''Spring'' is in the same universe (via connections with ''Film/{{Resolution}}'' and ''Film/TheEndless'') as ''Film/{{Synchronic}}'', which stars Mackie.
* ''Film/{{Stakeout}}'': Has a memorable LampshadeHanging of this trope when to pass the time while on stakeout, Emilio Estevez and Creator/RichardDreyfuss's characters are playing a guessing game where they cite memorable lines of dialogue and quiz the other as to what movie it's from. Emilio Estevez's character, in a [[LargeHam hammish]] way, recounts the line: "''This'' was not a ''boating accident!''" Dreyfuss, after a moment's pause, replies "I don't know." The line is from ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', spoken by Matt Hooper--a character played by Richard Dreyfuss. Apparently, they put this in the movie because [[ThrowItIn it actually happened on the set.]]
* The Australian musical ''Film/{{Starstruck}}'', which had sets designed by Brian Thomson, shows teenage protagonist Jackie standing in her bedroom next to a pop art mural that prominently features the ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' RKO/swimming pool set, designed several years earlier and an ocean away by Brian Thomson. Another RHPS connection; ''Starstruck'' screenwriter Stephen [=MacLean=] has said that he wrote the film intending for his pal, RHPS's Little Nell, to play the lead -- however, by the time the film was greenlit, she was a few years too old to pass for 18.
* From ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** In ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', we're shown a wall of pictures of all the vessels ever called the ''Enterprise'', including the Federation flagship -- and the real life NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter. However, the real ship only got its name because of ''Star Trek'' (even though it wasn't the first vessel of ''any'' kind to be called ''Enterprise''). In the ''Star Trek'' universe itself, it's the other way around -- the flagship was named after the real-life orbiter.
** In the 2009 ''Film/{{Star Trek|2009}}'' movie, a young AlternateUniverse Kirk listens to "Sabotage" by Music/BeastieBoys, a band who in RealLife would make frequent reference to ''Star Trek''.
* ''Film/StayTuned'' stars Creator/JohnRitter as a TV lover who's TrappedInTVLand. In one instance, he inadvertently finds himself on the set of ''Series/ThreesCompany'', a show in which Ritter played a main character. The others mistake him for the character he played.
* ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'''s entire plot is based around the aversion of this trope.
* Creator/ClintEastwood was in the Italian AnthologyFilm ''Film/LeStreghe'' in which he played a LazyHusband, while his frustrated wife attempted to get him to take her out to see ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars''. Perhaps a legitimate artistic point?
* In the 2007 ''Film/{{St Trinians|2007}}'':
** Creator/ColinFirth plays the Minister for Education -- which means that we get jokes about a dog named "Mr. Darcy" and a reference to ''Film/GirlWithAPearlEarring''.
** Additionally, Colin Firth himself gets a mention. That mention being that his character in ''Girl with a Pearl Earring'' was right to want to shag the title model.
** When Headmistress Fritton (Creator/RupertEverett) encounters Geoffrey Thwaites (Firth) for the first time in years, they reminisce that they first met so long ago, it seems like it was "Another Country". This happens to be the title of the 1984 film in which they played roommates.
* ''Film/SWAT2003'' has a rather bizarre example of this. The [[Series/SWAT1975 original TV series]] clearly exists in the movie's setting; the team [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage sings the theme tune]] when they pass the SWAT test, and Boxer is seen watching a DVD or rerun of the show. And yet somehow nobody noticed that their team has the exact same names as the TV show team, or that Deke's father bears a remarkable resemblance to the original Deke from the TV show.
* The first scene of ''Film/TangoAndCash'' has Tango reply to a uniformed officer's claim that Tango "thinks he's Rambo" with "[[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Tango___Cash_1989.aspx Rambo is a pussy.]]" Creator/SylvesterStallone played both Rambo and Tango.
* {{Invoked|Trope}} with Music/JelloBiafra's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyKzdvZU3pg cameo]] in ''Film/{{Tapeheads}}''. He plays an FBIAgent arresting the main characters on obscenity charges, a CastingGag referencing a famous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Kennedys#Frankenchrist_and_obscenity_trial_.281985.E2.80.931986.29 obscenity trial]] involving the artwork to the Music/DeadKennedys' ''Music/{{Frankenchrist}}''. Then he gets the line "Remember what we did to Jello Biafra?".
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Film/{{Targets}}''. Creator/BorisKarloff plays aging actor Byron Orloff, so it's Orloff who plays the Karloff roles in ''Film/TheCriminalCode'' and ''Film/TheTerror''.
* In ''Film/TigerOnBeat'', Francis (played by Creator/ChowYunFat) tries flirting with a girl while claiming his name is Mark Gor - that's the name of Chow's character from the ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'' films. He even immitates a pose from Mark in the latter film.
* In the 2002 adaptation of ''Film/{{The Time Machine|2002}}'', a holographic museum tour guide in the protagonist's future knows not just about the novel and its author Creator/HGWells, but even sings a line from the (in real life non-existent) [[ShowWithinAShow Broadway musical]]. Adding to the paradoxical madness is that the film was directed by Wells' real-life great-grandson.
* Creator/MichaelBay liked doing this in his ''Film/{{Transformers|FilmSeries}}'' films:
** In [[Film/Transformers2007 the first film]], ''Film/{{Armageddon|1998}}'' is mentioned, which Bay also directed. Toys such as "Furby" and "My Little Pony" also appear; these are made by Hasbro, who also makes Transformers toys.
** In [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen the second one]], Sam scribbles on a poster for ''Film/BadBoysII'', another film Bay directed.
** In [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the third one]], Wheelie is watching an episode of the orginal ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}'' ("it's the one where Spock goes nuts"). Sentinel Prime appears later in the film, voiced by Spock himself, Creator/LeonardNimoy.
** In ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'', one of the voice clips Bumblebee uses is "I am calm" from ''Film/TheBigLebowski'', said by the character Walter Sobchak. Sobchak was played by Creator/JohnGoodman, who voices Autobot Hound in the film.
** In ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'' Mirage comments to Noah that ''[[Creator/MarkWahlberg Marky Mark]]" is moving away from rapping to acting. Wahlberg played Cade Yaeger, the protagonist of two of the Transformers films that were set after this one before Bumblebee.
* The third ''Series/{{Trick}}'' movie has a scene where a bystander comments on how Naoko (played by Yukie Nakama) looks quite similar to Yukie Nakama, while another disagrees with him.
* ''Film/TreasureHunt'' starring Creator/ChowYunFat have another character reference ''Shanghai Bund'', a TV series with Chow as the lead. Said character even hums the theme song at one point!
* In ''Film/TropicThunder'', Kirk Lazarus mentions several films in which characters have mental illnesses, including ''Film/RainMan'', which starred Creator/TomCruise in the lead role. Cruise also appears as fictional film producer Les Grossman.
* In ''Film/TrueRomance'', Clarence mentions ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', a film starring Creator/ChristopherWalken. However, Walken also appears in ''True Romance'' as Vicenzo Conccotti.
** He also mentions ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. Creator/DennisHopper was in both movies.
* ''Film/TurkeyShoot'': The 2014 film has the original playing in a hotel room at one point. Carmen Duncan and Roger Ward had roles in both films, as completely different characters.
* In the UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} movie ''Film/VaahLifeHoTohAisi'', Sanjay Dutt plays the God of Death, Yamraj. The other characters mistake him for Sanjay Dutt (or other characters he played). Sanjay Dutt himself appears later in the film for a cameo in which he's mistaken for Yamraj.
* ''[[Film/LesVisiteurs The Visitors II: The Corridors of Time]]'': During the scene set at the gas station, when Ginette is talking to the employee working there, there are several movies on VHS behind the employee. One of them is ''WesternAnimation/AsterixAndTheBigFight'', a movie where Impedimenta is voiced by Marie-Anne Chazel (the actress who played Ginette) in the French version.
* In ''Film/TheWackness'', Method Man plays a drug supplier who gives the main character a copy of [[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Biggie's]] ''Ready to Die'', an album he himself was featured on.
* ''Film/WalkDontRun'' starred Creator/CaryGrant (in his last film). Some kids watch a HongKongDub of ''Film/TheManFromLaramie'' on Japanese TV. So [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] exists in this universe, which raises the question of whether or not ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' exists in this universe and why the guy who played C.K. Dexter Haven looks so much like Sir William.
* In the 2011 film ''Film/{{Warrior}}'', The UFC exists in this world. Several UFC fighters appear as themselves, while other current and former UFC fighters appear as fictional characters.
* In ''Film/WhiteHouseDown'', tour guide Donnie makes reference to the White House being destroyed in ''Film/IndependenceDay'' -- which was directed by ''White House Down'''s director Creator/RolandEmmerich.
* The K-Horror film ''Film/WhiteTheMelodyOfTheCurse'' features K-Pop group After School playing a supporting role as a K-Pop group called "Pure". They open the film by performing After School's real-life song "Bang", but with any mention of After School in the lyrics edited out.
* In Creator/JeanLucGodard's ''Film/AWomanIsAWoman'' this trope is [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] and PlayedForLaughs twice. Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo's character excuses his late arrival by claiming he was watching ''Film/{{Breathless}}''. Later, he asks a character played by Creator/JeanneMoreau how's it going with ''Film/JulesAndJim'', which deliciously [[LampshadeHanging has a comparable plot]]. Moreau then looks [[BreakingTheFourthWall directly]] into the camera, [[TrollingCreator grinning]].
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'': Played for meta-laughs since the eponymous character (who is portrayed by Creator/RyanReynolds) [[MediumAwareness is fully aware that he's in a movie and played by Ryan Reynolds]]. Creator/HughJackman (who plays Wolverine), Creator/PatrickStewart and Creator/JamesMcAvoy (who both played Professor X) have also been mentioned by name.
** ''Film/Deadpool2'' takes it even further in TheStinger, with Deadpool traveling back in time and [[spoiler: [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong shooting Ryan Reynolds before he can take the role of]] ''Film/{{Green Lantern|2011}}'']]. There's also a running gag about how "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' sounds identical to "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" from ''Film/{{Yentl}}''. Creator/BarbraStreisand who sings the song in the latter is Creator/JoshBrolin who plays ComicBook/{{Cable}}'s stepmother.
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' is featured in the film. Three actors in the film franchise have appeared on a ''Franchise/StarWars'' film; Creator/RayPark in its prequel, ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', Creator/RoseByrne in its second prequel, ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', and Creator/OscarIsaac in its chronological sequel, ''Film/TheForceAwakens''.
* In ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', [[spoiler:Creator/BillMurray]] cameos AsHimself. He doesn't seem to notice how much Tallahassee looks like [[spoiler:the guy he starred with in ''Film/{{Kingpin}}''.]] There's also a poster for ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'', a film in which Creator/WoodyHarrelson starred.
* When Tallahassee and co. head into the White House in ''Film/ZombielandDoubleTap'', they see a stack of planned pardons, including for Creator/WesleySnipes, which listed the film ''Film/WhiteMenCantJump'' among his credits. Tallahassee's actor, Creator/WoodyHarrelson, co-starred with Snipes in ''White Men Can't Jump''.
----