Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is following in a storied American showbiz tradition of top TV executives making cameos on shows set by predecessors like Brandon Tartikoff. Surprisingly, the series that marks his acting debut is not on Netflix but on rival Apple TV+.
Sarandos is popping up in Seth Rogen‘s upcoming showbiz-themed comedy The Studio, in which the Neighbors star plays Matt Remick, the new head of a Hollywood movie studio. We won’t spoil Sarandos’ interaction with Remick beyond teasing that it involves a chance encounter at the Golden Globes.
“After 25 years in Hollywood, secretly what I was really hoping for was to be discovered for the silver screen,” Sarandos told Deadline. “Of course it was my friend Seth Rogen who saw my ‘certain something’ and cast me. He has also promised an FYC campaign for my guest appearance — so it was an offer that I could not refuse.”
In a recent Vanity Fair interview, The Studio‘s co-creator, writer, director, executive producer and star Rogen spoke about getting Sarandos, whom he had known for decades, to appear on the show alongside a slew of other big Hollywood names who also have cameos including Anthony Mackie, Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Martin Scorsese, Olivia Wilde, Adam Scott, Zack Snyder, Zoë Kravitz, Quinta Brunson, Aaron Sorkin, Ron Howard, Sarah Polley, Steve Buscemi, Peter Berg, and Jean Smart and the creators of Hacks.
Watch on Deadline
Of all of them, going after Sarandos “was the longest shot we had,” Rogen admitted, revealing that, without asking Apple for permission, he emailed the Netflix co-CEO, pitched him the scene and sent him the script.
“He instantly was like, ‘Yes, if I can make this work in my schedule, I’d love to do it,’” Rogen recalled.
Sarandos said he didn’t have an issue with the fact that The Studio is on another streamer — his relationship with Rogen and the script were the deciding factors in him saying yes.
But don’t expect for the executive to start popping up in other shows — on Netflix or elsewhere. For now, this was a one-time thing, Sarandos says. (Unless the promised FYI campaign lands him an Emmy nomination, then he could presumably reconsider.)
The Studio premieres March 26 with two episodes. Apple TV+ this morning released a trailer for the show that includes a couple of the high-profile cameos but not Sarandos’, which comes later in the season. You can watch it below.