If musicians want more eyes on their music videos<\/a>, it never hurts when they call on their famous friends to make some headline-grabbing cameos (re: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”<\/a> and Drake’s “Nice for What”<\/a> visuals). But every so often, artists take a rarer route \u2014 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.<\/p>\n From Jacob Tremblay<\/a> playing a young Justin Bieber<\/a> in the “Lonely” music video<\/a> to Mariah Carey<\/a> seemingly dressing as Eminem<\/a> in her “Obsessed” music video<\/a>, EW has rounded up all the iconic moments of celebrities embodying musicians on screen.<\/p>\n Katy Perry\/YouTube<\/p>\n Zooey Deschanel in the ‘Not the End of the World’ music video by Katy Perry<\/p><\/div>\n Zooey Deschanel<\/a> just can’t escape the Katy Perry<\/a> doppleg\u00e4nger allegations<\/a>…not even in this music video<\/a> where she’s abducted by KatyCat aliens plotting Earth’s ruin<\/a>. While the New Girl<\/a> star initially tries to tell them they got the wrong blue-eyed brunette, she ultimately leans into the confusion, donning Perry’s iconic looks \u2014 blue wig, whipped cream, and all \u2014 to deliver a show-stopping, planet-saving performance as her pop-star twin. \u2014James Mercadante<\/p>\n Justin Bieber\/Youtube Jacob Tremblay in the ‘Lonely’ music video by Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco<\/i><\/p>\n Then-14-year-old Jacob Tremblay (who first broke out as the little boy held captive in the Oscar<\/a>-winning 2015 drama Room<\/a>) slips into baby-Bieber drag<\/a> \u2014 white denim, purple hoodie, flippy bowl cut \u2014 for Bieber\u2019s warbling the-cheese-stands-alone lament. \u2014Leah Greenblatt<\/p>\n DJ Khaled\/Youtube Justin Bieber in the ‘Popstar’ music video by DJ Khaled ft. Drake<\/i><\/p>\n Just weeks before the release of \u201cLonely,\u201d Biebs did his own favor for fellow Ontarian Drake<\/a>, subbing in as his quarantine understudy<\/a> in a luxe L.A. mansion stocked with more swaggy gratuities (champagne, Lambos, \u201csalmon with the lobster\u201d) than a NAFTA trade deal. \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n Charli XCX\/YouTube (2)<\/p>\n Charli XCX in the ‘1999’ music video by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan (2)<\/p><\/div>\n Way before their viral joint Sweat tour took off in 2024, Charli XCX<\/a> and Troye Sivan<\/a> honored the pre-Y2K era<\/a> in their iconic “1999” music video. Featuring nods to Titanic<\/a>, American Beauty<\/a>, The Blair Witch Project<\/a>, and other pop culture emblems, Charli appeared \u2014 thanks to deepfakes<\/a> \u2014 as all five Spice Girls<\/a> in their “Say You’ll Be There” video<\/a> and channeled TLC<\/a> from their “Waterfalls” visuals<\/a>. \u2014J.M.<\/p>\n Charli XCX\/YouTube (2)<\/p>\n Troye Sivan in the ‘1999’ music video by Charli XCX and Sivan (2)<\/p><\/div>\n 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<\/a>. Later on, he gained some boy band curls, channeling Justin Timberlake<\/a>\u00a0in his\u00a0*NSYNC<\/a>\u00a0prime with a wink to their “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)” music video<\/a>. \u2014J.M.<\/p>\n Mumford & Sons\/Youtube Ed Helms, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Will Forte in the ‘Hopeless Wanderer’ music video by Mumford & Sons<\/i><\/p>\n Give a man a banjo, and he\u2019ll play for a day. Give four of Hollywood\u2019s most willing oddballs beer, a barn, and a bunch of straw boater hats, and they\u2019ll pretty much go ham forever. (Or at least until the last banjo’s smashed<\/a>.) \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n BeastieBoys\/YouTube<\/p>\n Seth Rogan, Elijah Wood, and Danny McBride in the ‘Make Some Noise’ music video by the Beastie Boys<\/p><\/div>\n The celebrity whack-a-mole is particularly strong with this one: Kirsten Dunst<\/a>, Will Ferrell<\/a>, Rashida Jones<\/a>, Will Arnett<\/a>, Rainn Wilson<\/a>, Jason Schwartzman<\/a>, Steve Buscemi<\/a>, Amy Poehler<\/a>, Orlando Bloom<\/a>, Jack Black<\/a>, John C. Reilly<\/a>, Chl\u00f6e Sevigny<\/a>, Maya Rudolph<\/a>, David Cross<\/a>, and Ted Danson<\/a>(!) are among the boldface Beastie<\/a> friends who pass through the clip\u2019s West Village streetscape \u2014 though it\u2019s Seth Rogen<\/a>, Danny McBride<\/a>, and Elijah Wood<\/a> who bring the Boys to bodega-smashing, beer-spewing life<\/a>. \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n Ed Sheeran\/Youtube Rupert Grint in the ‘Lego House’ music video by Ed Sheeran<\/i><\/p>\n If the world insists on constantly comparing two of England\u2019s most beloved millennial redheads<\/a>, why not lean in? The Harry Potter<\/a> actor at first appears to be playing Sheeran straight-up, though be warned; there\u2019s a very \u201cStan\u201d<\/a> twist coming midway through. \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n Mariah Carey\/Youtube Mariah Carey in her ‘Obsessed’ music video<\/i><\/p>\n Maybe they dated, maybe they didn\u2019t. But the diss-track battle that accompanied the pair\u2019s ongoing feud was the gift that kept on giving, at least to fans \u2014 perhaps never better than in \u201cObsessed,\u201d 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\u2019ll never have. \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n Elton John\/Youtube Justin Timberlake in the ‘This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore’ music video by Elton John<\/i><\/p>\n Nearly two decades before Taron Egerton<\/a> slipped into his Rocketman boots on the big screen, Justin Timberlake \u2014 in signature bedazzled Elton John<\/a> goggles, altered hairline, and eerily on-point prosthetics \u2014 played out his own portrait of the artist<\/a> as a young man. (Bonus points if you can spot Paul Reubens<\/a>, a.k.a. Peewee Herman, as his sideburns-sporting manager.) \u2014L.G.<\/p>\n Jon Spencer Blues Explosion<\/p>\n Giovanni Ribisi, Winona Ryder, and John C. Reilly in the ‘Talk About the Blues’ music video by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion<\/p><\/div>\n Winona forever, but Spencer for a day: Winona Ryder<\/a>, along with John C. Reilly and Giovanni Ribisi<\/a>, stepped into the famously electric frontman\u2019s shoes \u2014 and his signature button-down \u2014 in a raucous performance clip<\/a> that may be the best strange thing she\u2019s done since, well, Stranger Things<\/a>. (And of course, this<\/a>.). \u2014L.G.<\/p>\nZooey Deschanel as Katy Perry, “It’s Not the End of the World” (2020)<\/h2>\n
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Jacob Tremblay as Justin Bieber, \u201cLonely\u201d (2020)<\/h2>\n
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Justin Bieber as Drake, \u201cPopstar\u201d (2020)<\/h2>\n
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Charli XCX as the Spice Girls and TLC, “1999” (2018)<\/h2>\n
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Troye Sivan as Justin Timberlake and Eminem, “1999” (2018)<\/h2>\n
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Jason Bateman, Will Forte, Ed Helms, and Jason Sudeikis as Mumford & Sons, \u201cHopeless Wanderer\u201d (2013)<\/h2>\n
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Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, and Elijah Wood as the Beastie Boys, \u201cMake Some Noise\u201d (2011)<\/h2>\n
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Rupert Grint as Ed Sheeran, \u201cLego House\u201d (2011)<\/h2>\n
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Mariah Carey as Eminem, \u201cObsessed\u201d (2009)<\/h2>\n
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Justin Timberlake as Elton John, \u201cThis Train Don\u2019t Stop There Anymore\u201d (2001)<\/h2>\n
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John C. Reilly, Giovanni Ribisi, and Winona Ryder as the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, \u201cTalk About the Blues\u201d (1998)<\/h2>\n
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