Every Cameo In Bill & Ted Face The Music

Bill & Ted Face the Music includes numerous historical figures, but which real-life celebrities make actual cameos? The third franchise installment features characters from both Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, while also introducing brand new characters that could potentially headline future films. The collective cameos in Bill & Ted Face the Music pay homage to the past, but also provide the 2020 movie with a modern feel.

Written and directed by franchise creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, Bill & Ted Face the Music presents the greatest challenge of all for the titular characters. After being forced to recognize the difficult truth about their marriages and music career as Wyld Stallyns, Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) receive a visit from the daughter of their previous mentor from the future, Rufus. They’re tasked with producing a song that will prevent the end of space and time, and they must accomplish their mission in less than 80 minutes. Meanwhile, Thea Preston (Samara Weaving) and Billie Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine) go way back in time to recruit members for the ultimate rock band.

For this list, we’re not focusing on fictionalized historical figures that make appearances in Bill & Ted Face the Music, or even returning characters like Missy (Amy Stoch), Jonathan Logan (Hal Landon Jr.), and the Grim Reaper (William Stadler). Instead, we’re focusing on modern celebrities who appear as themselves, or as slightly different versions of themselves. Here’s every cameo in Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Kid Cudi

American musician Kid Cudi, otherwise known as Scott Mescudi, first appears during Bill & Ted Face the Music’s opening recap. Because the title characters haven’t yet brought the world together through music, “the unravelling” has begun, which means that time has collapsed on itself and pushed people into the past and future. Kid Cudi performs at a modern concert, but then trades places with none other than Jesus Christ at the “The Last Supper.” Kid Cudi appears throughout Bill & Ted Face the Music, usually for space-themed comedic relief.

In pop culture, Kid Cudi is best known for his introspective lyrics. He’s a four-time Grammy Award nominee, and won for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2012 (“All of the Lights” with Kanye West, Rihanna and Fergie).

George Carlin

The late George Carlin reprises his role as Rufus, albeit through a hologram figure. When Bill and Ted arrive in the future around the 14-minute mark, they come face to face with a digital version of their old friend who welcomes them to the Great Leader’s compound. Rufus is a prominent character in both Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, as he serves as a time-traveling mentor.

Carlin is best known for his iconic stand-up comedy routines, especially during the last 20 years of his career as the world evolved into the Digital Age. He also appears in films such as Dogma, Cars, and Scary Movie 3. Carlin passed away in June 2018 at age 71.

Kelly Carlin

Kelly Carlin, the real-life daughter of George Carlin, appears as the future-based Head Technician in Bill & Ted Face the Music. The character Kelly (Kristen Schaal), Rufus’ daughter, is based on her.

In the entertainment industry, Kelly Carlin is best known as the author of A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up With George, and for co-writing the 1998 film The Devil in the Flesh. She also hosted The Kelly Carlin Show on Sirius XM Radio.

Dave Grohl

Musician Dave Grohl makes a cameo at the 36-minute mark in Bill & Ted Face the Music. After the title characters meet with future versions of themselves in a luxurious home, Grohl appears at the front door and reveals that it’s actually his home. Incidentally, the present versions of Bill and Ted realize that their older selves lied about their accomplishments, and so the moment pushes the narrative forward.

Grohl was famously an original member of the iconic band Nirvana. After lead singer Kurt Cobain passed away in 1994, Grohl adopted the persona Foo Fighters for a solo musical project, which eventually became a proper band. Grohl and the Foo Fighters have won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album four times.

Win Butler

Musician Win Butler makes a small cameo as a member of the Great Leaders.

Butler is the lead singer of Arcade Fire, an acclaimed rock band that has currently released five studio albums, all of which have been Grammy-nominated. Butler also wrote the Grammy-nominated song “Abraham’s Daughter” for The Hunger Games, and previously composed the music for Richard Kelly’s 2009 film The Box.

“Weird Al” Yankovic

An iconic parody musician, “Weird Al” Yankovic appears during the musical credits sequence after Bill & Ted Face the Music ends.

In pop culture, Weird Al is best known for his music video parodies of popular mainstream songs. In 1985, he won a Grammy for “Eat It” (a spin on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”), and most recently won his fifth career Grammy for the 2019 album Squeeze Box.

Guillermo Rodriguez

The segment host for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Guillermo Rodriguez appears during the Bill & Ted Face the Music’s credits sequence. Rodriguez previously made a cameo as Cop #2 in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Nathan Head

British actor Nathan Head appears during the Bill & Ted Face the Music’s credits sequence. Head is best known for roles in Doctor Who, Theatre of Fear, and Robert and the Toymaker.

Ed Solomon & Chris Matheson

The aforementioned franchise creators, Solomon and Matheson, make cameos as demons during the hell sequence in Bill & Ted Face the Music. Previously, they appeared as “stupid” waiters in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and “stupid” seance members in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

Solomon and Matheson based the Bill & Ted franchise on a stand-up routine from their college days at UCLA. They eventually earned a critical and commercial hit with Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but then lost some cultural momentum with the creatively-ambitious follow-up, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

Solomon and Matheson have suggested that Bill & Ted Face the Music will mark the end of the franchise, but they haven’t entirely ruled out a fourth movie. Now that critics and fans alike have reacted positively to the 2020 film — one that could potentially set up more movies starring Weaving and Lundy-Paine opposite Reeves and Winter — it seems that Bill & Ted 4 is a strong possibility.

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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