20 times actors cleverly referenced one of their more famous roles in another film

Julie Andrews is best known for her iconic roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, and she referenced the latter in one of her later movies, The Princess Diaries 2. While mattress surfing, Andrews’ character said that she did plenty of flying in her day, referencing all the flying she did as Mary Poppins. 

During a scene in Dawson’s Creek, Joshua Jackson as Pacey mentioned that Emilio Estevez was in The Mighty Ducks movies, which he loved. Funnily enough, Jackson was also in The Mighty Ducks movies. 

In Django Unchained , Jamie Foxx, who plays the title character, has a conversation with a character played by Franco Nero, the man who played Django in the 1966 Western of the same name. The two characters discussed how the "D" in Foxx’s character’s name is silent. 

While doing some of his best work in Psych , Dulé Hill as Gus struggled to come up with the movie that Sigourney Weaver and Shia LaBeouf were in, Holes. Hill was in Holes, too, as Sam. 

Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier made a reference to his character in Pulp Fiction , or his headstone did, rather. After faking his own death, Nick Fury’s headstone includes a quote from Jackson’s character in the iconic Quentin Tarantino movie. 

In Legends of Tomorrow, Victor Garber’s character made a reference to the architect in Titanic, saying that the person who built that ship deserves to die. Garber, of course, didn’t build the ship, but he did play the man who did in Titanic. 

Harrison Ford got to make a reference to one of his most iconic roles, Han Solo in Star Wars, while playing his other most iconic role, Indiana Jones in the eponymous series. As Jones in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ford said, “I have a bad feeling about this,” which is a line that’s mentioned in every Star Wars film and has been uttered by Han Solo four times. 

Rita Moreno played Lydia Riera in the television series One Day at a Time, and in one episode, the other characters learn that Lydia isn’t a U.S. citizen. Moreno’s character says the line “I like to be in America,” which are lyrics that Moreno sang in her Oscar-winning role as Anita in West Side Story. 

Keanu Reeves is another actor who has multiple iconic roles to his name. While playing John Wick in the third installment in the series, Reeves quotes one of the most famous lines he said while playing Neo in The Matrix. 

In an episode of Arrow, Stephen Amell as Oliver says that he thinks it’s cool for a vigilante to wear a hockey mask. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, Amell was the vigilante in a hockey mask. 

Give Michael Imperioli a role in a mafia project, and it’s bound to be good. While acting in The Sopranos , Imperioli, after shooting someone in a bakery, said the line “It happens,” which is a reference to his role in the famous Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas.

Jon Cryer showed up to guest star in an episode of NCIS and snuck in a reference to one of his old movies. Cryer’s character said, “That would be just ducky, Ducky,” which is a nod to his role as Duckie in Pretty in Pink. 

While playing a role in the film River’s Edge, Dennis Hopper made a reference to his younger days as a biker. What seemed like character backstory was actually a reference to his role in the film Easy Rider, which he directed and starred in as a biker. 

In the third installment of the Die Hard series, Bruce Willis, as John McClane, mentioned smoking cigarettes while watching Captain Kangaroo. The line was a reference to his role in Pulp Fiction, which had just been released the year prior. 

Some references are quite subtle. In The Blues Brothers, Carrie Fisher shoots a bazooka, and the sound it makes sounds almost exactly like the sound made by a blaster in the Star Wars series, of which Fisher is an icon. 

In Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart’s character famously says, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” In The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Bogart’s character referenced that iconic line by saying, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful hatred.”

In Michael Bay’s The Rock , Sean Connery’s character explains that he acquired all the skills necessary to perform his job by training with British Intelligence. The exposition is a thinly veiled reference to his iconic work as James Bond. 

In the 1960 film Eyes Without a Face, Édith Scob wore a terrifying porcelain mask to obscure her real face. In the film Holy Motors, Scob’s character makes a reference to the horror film by donning a similar mask. 

In the mid-2000s, few pieces of media were as popular as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody or High School Musical. Having been in both, Ashley Tisdale, as Maddie in The Suite Life, mentioned that people tell her she looks just like Sharpay, her character in High School Musical, while auditioning for the part in their school’s production of the stage adaptation. 

Old movie references are not limited to live-action films. In Shrek 2, Antonio Banderas’ character, Puss in Boots, carved the letter P in a tree, just like Banderas did with the letter Z as Zorro.