This Might Be Charlton Heston’s Most Surprising Cameo

Moses in The Ten Commandments, Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, and George Taylor, whose plaintive cry at the end of 1968’s Planet of the Apes marked one of Hollywood’s greatest twist endings. Charlton Heston has a long, storied career in Hollywood — his name is synonymous with some of its greatest epics. Heston was, for a generation, the very definition of man: tough, stoic, square-jawed and handsome. There are two Oscars on his mantle, one for best actor in Ben-Hur, and another, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his work off-screen. But of all the roles he has ever played, from epics to sci-fi to action extravaganzas, Heston’s most underrated role is in a film one wouldn’t expect, Wayne’s World 2.

Charlton Heston Is “A Real Actor” in ‘Wayne’s World 2’

The film reunites Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, rock and roll fans and hosts of the hit public access television show Wayne’s World. In a dream, Wayne meets Jim Morrison (Michael A. Nickles) and a “weird, naked Indian” (Larry Sellers), and is persuaded by Morrison to fulfill his destiny: to organize a major music festival, coined “Waynestock.” Attempts to get bands like Aerosmith and Van Halen fail, and without a major act to promote, ticket sales are not faring well. To make matters worse, Cassandra (Tia Carrere), lead singer and bassist of Crucial Taunt (and Wayne’s girlfriend), is being wooed by her new producer, Bobby Cahn (Christopher Walken). Suspicious of Bobby’s intentions with Cassandra, Wayne spies on them, but when he comes clean with Cassandra about doing so, she breaks up with him and accepts Bobby’s wedding proposal.

Wayne is now more determined than ever to make Waynestock succeed and certain that it will be enough to win Cassandra back. Tickets are sold, and the venue is packed, only there are still no bands, despite Morrison’s promise that “if you book them, they will come.” The crowd gets more and more restless, but Wayne will have to deal with that later, as Cassandra and Bobby are about to get married, and he has to stop the wedding. He leaves Garth to hold the fort and dashes off to the First Presbyterian Church on Gordon Street. But where is the First Presbyterian Church on Gordon Street? Wayne stops at a gas station to ask the attendant (Al Hansen) for directions. The attendant begins to give directions, but is stopped by Wayne, a fourth-wall-breaking moment where he calls out the actor playing the attendant for his poor performance, and asks, “Do we have to put up with this? Can’t we get a better actor?” Enter Charlton Heston.

Heston picks up where the bad actor leaves off, reminiscing, “Gordon Street? Oh yes, Gordon Street. I once knew a girl who lived on Gordon Street…” The camera flips back to a weeping Wayne, deeply moved by the iconic actor’s improved and dramatic line delivery, choking back tears as he thanks Heston. Wayne stops the ceremony, makes off with Cassandra, and with echoes of the ending of The Graduate, Waynestock fails miserably. Wayne and Garth stop the film and restart with a standard happy ending where the bands do, indeed, show up, including Aerosmith in a stretched six-wheeled Mirthmobile limousine.

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The joke works on the back of Heston’s reputation as an Award-winning actor. There isn’t time to establish an unknown as a better actor, and by bringing in Heston for the cameo, it’s a shortcut, as moviegoers associate Heston with being a better actor already, so he can settle right into the character and deliver the dramatic lines amusingly.But if Heston fails, the joke falls apart, so not only does Heston’s appearance make the joke work, but bringing his A-game to the cameo is also necessary, and he pulls it off perfectly. It is also a rare moment where Heston has a little fun with his own reputation, and sets up another surprising cameo the following year in the Friends episode “The One With Joey’s Dirty Day.” So, there it is. Charlton Heston’s most surprising, most underrated performance is, to quote Wayne and Garth, “Party time, Excellent!”