{"id":2312513,"date":"2026-03-04T18:40:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2312513"},"modified":"2026-03-04T18:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:40:33","slug":"how-the-series-scored-julia-roberts-bruce-willis-ben-stiller-and-more-as-guest-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-the-series-scored-julia-roberts-bruce-willis-ben-stiller-and-more-as-guest-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"How the series scored Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Ben Stiller and more as guest stars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"sc-6c4043fd-0 iMiTqM sc-13344c9c-2 jbVSgv\">\n<div class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-0 cGFoDo\"><span class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-2 lamxUD\">Save<\/span><\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sc-ba6ddcd9-0 BgjOX sc-d1b14060-3 bnLMbo\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 NcyxX\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 kfUMNO cdQiAR\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 kvnFTY\">\n<p>My current rewatch is <i>Miami Vice<\/i>, with four of its first five seasons now available on Amazon Prime Video. Debuting in 1984, the crime procedural about a pair of very stylish undercover police detectives, James \u2018Sonny\u2019 Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo \u2018Rico\u2019 Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), was a weekly hit that changed the face of network television: neo-noir lighting, hardboiled cynicism, hit songs and pastel fits were all prominent.<\/p>\n<p>What the show also had, I\u2019m now realising, was masterful casting instincts. Each episode\u2019s case required a handful of guest stars, and between showrunner (and future <i>Heat<\/i> director) Michael Mann and casting director Bonnie Timmerman, the results were ludicrously good. The show is littered with soon-to-be-famous faces and iconic musicians enjoying a week on set in Miami. No television show has recruited a deeper bench of guest talent.<\/p>\n<p>Here, listed chronologically, are 10 to watch out for.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruce Willis On Miami Vice | Miami Vice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kF8s77Tt25s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Bruce Willis (season 1, episode 8)<\/h3>\n<p>Six months before <i>Moonlighting<\/i> hit, Willis had a full head of hair and white parachute pants as despicable arms smuggler Tony Amato, who is selling stolen Stinger missiles and tormenting his wife Theresa (Katherine Borowitz). Tubbs, with a wild Caribbean accent, goes undercover, while Crockett typically tries to save Theresa. Willis is mostly coldly cruel, but there\u2019s a flash of wisecracking charisma when Amato\u2019s shady Central American connections earn him protection from federal agents. In the era of Iran-Contra, <i>Miami Vice<\/i> did not have a lot of faith in Washington DC.<\/p>\n<h3>Gene Simmons (season 2, episode 1)<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 kvnFTY\">\n<h2 data-testid=\"related-story-heading\" class=\"sc-4dc7bff5-1 fNPBEP\">Related Article<\/h2>\n<div data-an-position=\"1\" imagepositions=\"top\" data-testid=\"story-tile\" class=\"sc-679b6ed4-0 cMGLSH\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/culture\/tv-and-radio\/david-harbour-and-jason-bateman-are-perfect-in-this-thoughtful-yet-twisted-suburban-noir-20260225-p5o5cs.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hLTVHY\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 bXqpHm\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"What to stream this week (from top left): Shrill; The Lincoln Lawyer; The Bluff: Murder in Glitterball City; DTF St Louis; and The Artful Dodger.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1.0342%2C$multiply_0.5127%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_48\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/1bcb6d3018d820ffe1c69b9b419de77abb0702d31c5f99d0908f8ad4465e5308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1.0342%2C$multiply_0.5127%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_48\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/1bcb6d3018d820ffe1c69b9b419de77abb0702d31c5f99d0908f8ad4465e5308, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1.0342%2C$multiply_1.0255%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_48\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/1bcb6d3018d820ffe1c69b9b419de77abb0702d31c5f99d0908f8ad4465e5308 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 jiJqza\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Given the Florida setting and the cocaine cowboys era, the majority of <i>Miami Vice<\/i> episodes featured a guest star in a drug dealer role. Few did it better than KISS bassist Gene Simmons, whose Newton Blade interrupts his boat party to broker an introduction for an undercover Crockett and Tubbs. The character\u2019s dead-eyed sleaziness is pungent, backed by an open to the waist shirt and outrageously hirsute chest. Also in this two-part season opener: Pam Grier, Anthony Heald, Luis Guzman and Penn Jillette.<\/p>\n<h3>Miles Davis (season 2, episode 7)<\/h3>\n<p><i>Miami Vice<\/i> looked anything but gritty, but the backstories could be grim. This episode about a Napoleonic heroin dealer and the woman he can\u2019t let go of is a prime example. Between them and the squad is \u2018Ivory\u2019 Jones, a drug-runner turned brothel owner played by Miles Davis, who is forced to vouch for Crockett and Tubbs. The jazz great\u2019s performance is wonderfully lean, his voice a raspy whisper. When Ivory says \u201cyou\u2019re crazy\u201d, he sounds like someone who has seen the real thing up close.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Best of Phil Collins | Guest Stars | Miami Vice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4iWQCWr05Xs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Phil Collins (season 2, episode 12)<\/h3>\n<p>The British musician\u2019s totemic solo hit, <i>In the Air Tonight<\/i>, was the soundtrack to a bravura sequence in the <i>Miami Vice<\/i> pilot, so it was welcome symmetry for the former child actor to guest-star in this manic episode. Collins plays Phil Mayhew, a British game show host and serial grifter whose outrageous lifestyle gives the unit access to a cocaine dealer they\u2019re targeting. The narrative is generous with time for Mayhew\u2019s patter, rich guy scams and questionable interior design taste, which draws in a party girl who has started selling ounces, introducing a young Kyra Sedgwick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 kvnFTY\">\n<h3>Leonard Cohen (season 2, episode 18)<\/h3>\n<h2 data-testid=\"related-story-heading\" class=\"sc-4dc7bff5-1 fNPBEP\">Related Article<\/h2>\n<div data-an-position=\"1\" imagepositions=\"top\" data-testid=\"story-tile\" class=\"sc-679b6ed4-0 cMGLSH\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/culture\/tv-and-radio\/yep-scrubs-is-back-but-is-nostalgia-enough-to-keep-this-old-favourite-alive-20260223-p5o4s3.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hLTVHY\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 bXqpHm\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid, Zach Braff as John \u2018JD\u2019 Dorian, and Donald Faison as Christopher Turk.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.4113103703703704%2C$multiply_0.5127%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_107%2C$y_103\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/e6a88b3c1f08106459fc40f67cb916d3eeecf9f0\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.4113103703703704%2C$multiply_0.5127%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_107%2C$y_103\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/e6a88b3c1f08106459fc40f67cb916d3eeecf9f0, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.4113103703703704%2C$multiply_1.0255%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_107%2C$y_103\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/e6a88b3c1f08106459fc40f67cb916d3eeecf9f0 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 jiJqza\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<p>The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter subsequently admitted that his role as French spy Francois Zolan was curtailed because his minimalist performance wasn\u2019t appreciated by all, but what remains is sublime: Cohen, dressed all in black in Zolan\u2019s Parisian chateau office, issuing orders on the telephone to his operative, Danielle Hier (Lisa Eichhorn), regarding \u201cwet work\u201d in Miami. Cohen\u2019s every line is spoken in French, with a degree of sangfroid that is off the charts. Chef\u2019s kiss!<\/p>\n<h3>Liam Neeson (season 3, episode 1)<\/h3>\n<p>For the role of supposedly reformed IRA member Sean Carroon, whose humanitarian speaking tour may be a front for an arms deal, the show went authentic and cast an up-and-coming Irish actor. Liam Neeson does his best with so-so dialogue as Carroon romances Crockett and Tubbs\u2019 colleague, detective Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago), but his shirt-off work in their bed scene \u2013 those are some broad, rippling shoulders \u2013 is top-tier. Gina is gaga for Carroon, which in <i>Miami Vice<\/i> is always a bad portent.<\/p>\n<h3>Willie Nelson (season 3, episode 7)<\/h3>\n<p>This episode has a lot of talk about feared cartel conduit \u201cThe Bolivian\u201d and his lost briefcase, but that\u2019s all a backdrop to country music great Willie Nelson portraying retired Texas Ranger Jake Pierson. Arriving in Miami seeking revenge, the ailing lawman nearly dies of a heart attack \u2013 during which he has a flashback in baroque black and white to a 1930s gunfight \u2013 and plays Crockett with one-way ticket ease. It helps that Nelson can make every line sound like the title of a ballad. Exhibit A: \u201cDead men can\u2019t give what you want.\u201d Also in this episode: Steve Buscemi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 kvnFTY\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;I am a Junkie&quot; Helena Bonham Carter | Guest Star | Miami Vice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K6tXJPdoHtY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Helena Bonham Carter (season 3, episode 16)<\/h3>\n<p>Merchant Ivory to <i>Miami Vice<\/i> is a crazy pivot, but Bonham Carter nearly pulled it off in 1987. Looking like a teenager, the 21-year-old plays Crockett\u2019s latest girlfriend, British expat and Miami ER doctor Theresa Lyons. Crockett\u2019s romantic interests were frequently killed by vengeful criminals, but Theresa\u2019s issue is an addiction to painkillers (big <i>The Pitt<\/i> vibes) that gets her caught up in his investigation of psychotic cocaine dealer Joey Wyatt (Brad Dourif). Theresa\u2019s nocturnal confession to Sonny, bathed in blue light, is a contrast in acting styles, as Johnson goes big and Bonham Carter tries to find nuance.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ben Stiller as Fast Eddie on Miami Vice | Miami Vice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9GLQcIRWHGo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Ben Stiller (season 4, episode 2)<\/h3>\n<p>An episode\u2019s weekly plot often required bit players to deliver the necessary exposition, and this instalment about feuding televangelists had a young Stiller as \u201cFast\u201d Eddie Felcher, a serial con artist working a religious grift that Crockett and Tubbs lean on. Stiller makes an impression as a shifty motormouth, and while he\u2019s overdoing it his performance neatly contrasts with Brian Dennehy\u2019s turn as the Reverend Billy Bob Proverb, a prototype Prosperity Gospel advocate who tries to frame Tubbs for rape in between eerie broadcasts that feel like excerpts from a lost David Cronenberg movie.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Young Julia Roberts on Miami Vice | Guest Stars | Miami Vice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s8BB4z0qBHg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 kvnFTY\">\n<h3>Julia Roberts (season 4, episode 22)<\/h3>\n<p><i>Miami Vice<\/i> \u2013 and Don Johnson\u2019s hairstyles \u2013 started going off the rails in season four, but the finale is a moody thriller where an undercover Crockett survives a boat explosion but loses his memory. He believes he actually is drug dealer Sonny Burnett and goes to work for a cartel boss, whose secretary Polly Wheeler (Roberts) makes a frisky application to be his gangster\u2019s moll. \u201cI like hoods,\u201d she says, \u201cthey\u2019re so much more up-front with their trickery.\u201d Is the trademark Roberts smile lurking? Absolutely. Also in this episode: Chris Cooper.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees.<\/i><\/b><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brisbanetimes.com.au\/newsletter-signup?newsletter=the-watchlist\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> <b><i>Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.theage.com.au \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. AAA My current rewatch is Miami Vice, with four of its first five seasons now available on Amazon Prime Video. Debuting in 1984, the crime procedural about a pair of very stylish undercover police detectives, James [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2312515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2312513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/How-the-series-scored-Julia-Roberts-Bruce-Willis-Ben-Stiller.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2312513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2312516,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312513\/revisions\/2312516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2312513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2312513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2312513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}