The best celeb portrayals of musicians in videos

If musicians want more eyes on their music videos, it never hurts when they call on their famous friends to make some headline-grabbing cameos (re: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” and Drake’s “Nice for What” visuals). But every so often, artists take a rarer route — handing over both the screen time and very much muted mic to stars who lip-sync in their place. Other times, they step into the shoes of their musical peers or idols, transforming into someone else entirely.

From Jacob Tremblay playing a young Justin Bieber in the “Lonely” music video to Mariah Carey seemingly dressing as Eminem in her “Obsessed” music video, EW has rounded up all the iconic moments of celebrities embodying musicians on screen.

Zooey Deschanel as Katy Perry, “It’s Not the End of the World” (2020)

Zooey Deschanel just can’t escape the Katy Perry dopplegänger allegations…not even in this music video where she’s abducted by KatyCat aliens plotting Earth’s ruin. While the New Girl star initially tries to tell them they got the wrong blue-eyed brunette, she ultimately leans into the confusion, donning Perry’s iconic looks — blue wig, whipped cream, and all — to deliver a show-stopping, planet-saving performance as her pop-star twin. —James Mercadante

Jacob Tremblay as Justin Bieber, “Lonely” (2020)

Justin Bieber/Youtube Jacob Tremblay in the ‘Lonely’ music video by Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco

Then-14-year-old Jacob Tremblay (who first broke out as the little boy held captive in the Oscar-winning 2015 drama Room) slips into baby-Bieber drag — white denim, purple hoodie, flippy bowl cut — for Bieber’s warbling the-cheese-stands-alone lament. —Leah Greenblatt

Justin Bieber as Drake, “Popstar” (2020)

DJ Khaled/Youtube Justin Bieber in the ‘Popstar’ music video by DJ Khaled ft. Drake

Just weeks before the release of “Lonely,” Biebs did his own favor for fellow Ontarian Drake, subbing in as his quarantine understudy in a luxe L.A. mansion stocked with more swaggy gratuities (champagne, Lambos, “salmon with the lobster”) than a NAFTA trade deal. —L.G.

Charli XCX as the Spice Girls and TLC, “1999” (2018)

Way before their viral joint Sweat tour took off in 2024, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan honored the pre-Y2K era in their iconic “1999” music video. Featuring nods to Titanic, American Beauty, The Blair Witch Project, and other pop culture emblems, Charli appeared — thanks to deepfakes — as all five Spice Girls in their “Say You’ll Be There” video and channeled TLC from their “Waterfalls” visuals. —J.M.

Troye Sivan as Justin Timberlake and Eminem, “1999” (2018)

In the “1999” video, Sivan tapped into some Slim Shady realness with a blonde buzz-cut and white tee in a nod to the rapper’s Grammy-winning hit. Later on, he gained some boy band curls, channeling Justin Timberlake in his *NSYNC prime with a wink to their “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)” music video. —J.M.

Jason Bateman, Will Forte, Ed Helms, and Jason Sudeikis as Mumford & Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer” (2013)

Mumford & Sons/Youtube Ed Helms, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Will Forte in the ‘Hopeless Wanderer’ music video by Mumford & Sons

Give a man a banjo, and he’ll play for a day. Give four of Hollywood’s most willing oddballs beer, a barn, and a bunch of straw boater hats, and they’ll pretty much go ham forever. (Or at least until the last banjo’s smashed.) —L.G.

Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, and Elijah Wood as the Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise” (2011)

The celebrity whack-a-mole is particularly strong with this one: Kirsten Dunst, Will Ferrell, Rashida Jones, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Steve Buscemi, Amy Poehler, Orlando Bloom, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Chlöe Sevigny, Maya Rudolph, David Cross, and Ted Danson(!) are among the boldface Beastie friends who pass through the clip’s West Village streetscape — though it’s Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and Elijah Wood who bring the Boys to bodega-smashing, beer-spewing life. —L.G.

Rupert Grint as Ed Sheeran, “Lego House” (2011)

Ed Sheeran/Youtube Rupert Grint in the ‘Lego House’ music video by Ed Sheeran

If the world insists on constantly comparing two of England’s most beloved millennial redheads, why not lean in? The Harry Potter actor at first appears to be playing Sheeran straight-up, though be warned; there’s a very “Stan” twist coming midway through. —L.G.

Mariah Carey as Eminem, “Obsessed” (2009)

Mariah Carey/Youtube Mariah Carey in her ‘Obsessed’ music video

Maybe they dated, maybe they didn’t. But the diss-track battle that accompanied the pair’s ongoing feud was the gift that kept on giving, at least to fans — perhaps never better than in “Obsessed,” in which Mariah Carey appeared as both herself and a not-not Marshall Mathers in oversize sweatpants and chin-strap goatee, pining for a piece of Mimi he’ll never have. —L.G.

Justin Timberlake as Elton John, “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” (2001)

Elton John/Youtube Justin Timberlake in the ‘This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore’ music video by Elton John

Nearly two decades before Taron Egerton slipped into his Rocketman boots on the big screen, Justin Timberlake — in signature bedazzled Elton John goggles, altered hairline, and eerily on-point prosthetics — played out his own portrait of the artist as a young man. (Bonus points if you can spot Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Peewee Herman, as his sideburns-sporting manager.) —L.G.

John C. Reilly, Giovanni Ribisi, and Winona Ryder as the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Talk About the Blues” (1998)

Winona forever, but Spencer for a day: Winona Ryder, along with John C. Reilly and Giovanni Ribisi, stepped into the famously electric frontman’s shoes — and his signature button-down — in a raucous performance clip that may be the best strange thing she’s done since, well, Stranger Things. (And of course, this.). —L.G.

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