Pretty sure some of us have seen movies or TV shows where your favorite actor or actress only appears for around five minutes or less, making you go, "That was it?"
So here's that video (article for now), but focusing on my favorite actor, Tony Hale.
I'm only mentioning the movies and TV shows that felt like missed opportunities. The kind where you go, "You know what? This could have used more Tony Hale," or "I expected more Tony Hale." Also, the ones where, understandably, it's just a cameo or they used him just enough.
I won't include the ones from when he was still a relatively unknown actor, before his breakout in Arrested Development. (Just montages of his appearances before AD.)
(Insert "More Cowbell" GIF.)
1. Stranger than Fiction (2006) – I remember watching this, but I wasn't a Tony Hale fan yet. I didn't even know who he was or recognize that this was Buster from Arrested Development. But I do know that young me and my sisters were charmed by how empathetic he was and by him being such a dependable friend to Will Ferrell's character. And his apartment was sooo cool!!
2. Unaccompanied Minors (2006) – This was more of a kids' Christmas movie, so I totally get it, and it wasn't even that good. It was stacked with cameos from B- and D-listers, so naturally Tony Hale was in this one as an adult man who receives a basketball from Santa, which was, for me, kind of unnecessary—but whatever pays the bills.
3. Because I Said So (2007) – This movie was so bad and offensive, which made me glad that Tony Hale wasn't in it very much. But did they really have to drop a cake on his depressed character? Rude!
4. Clark and Michael (TV Miniseries) (2007) – This was a very indie YouTube miniseries by Michael Cera and Clark Duke where Tony Hale plays a hotshot executive for a pseudo-ABC Family film studio.
His short appearance was fun, and yeah, I honestly had no qualms about this because it was nice seeing him play a naturally confident boss man for once. If he had more screen time, I would've welcomed it, but overall, I think they used him just enough.
6. Numb3rs (2009–2010) – This feels like a cameo, and Tony Hale was just there to add some quirkiness to a very serious, action-filled show that was already in its last seasons. It would have been nice to expand his role into helping in one of the cases in a major way (come to daddy, come to daddy... oh!).
7. In My Sleep (2010) – What was he even doing in this movie? However, being a Tony Hale completist, I'm guessing Hale repeatedly implied in interviews that this was the role he had the hardest time playing because his character was rude, condescending, and thought highly of himself. Also, I think he even called this a terrible movie... if my understanding of his cryptic answers is correct, of course. I didn't really watch the whole thing to judge it.
8. The Kings of Summer (2013) – Basically a cameo with facial hair. Very funny. Let's move on.
9. And Then I Go – I won't blame the director for only having Tony Hale in this for a few quick minutes. Tony Hale played the principal at a school that will unfortunately experience its own Columbine. It's just dark, upsetting, and somber. It's a movie about the kids and their struggles, and Tony just plays a cameo.
I actually received a reply from the director on Letterboxd saying he's just thankful he gets to have Tony Hale in his movies and that he'll continue casting him every chance he gets. So it's possibly a matter of scheduling, or maybe there just isn't a larger role that fits Tony Hale yet. At least until What Josiah Saw. As of 2026, Tony Hale has appeared in a total of two Vincent Grashaw movies and another one that is coming soon.
10. The 15:17 to Paris – Cameo! This movie was stacked with comedians. Just one of those dramas that casts comedians or B and D-listers in small roles to get more butts in seats. Unfortunately, this was just a bad and unnecessary movie from Eastwood.
11. Love, Simon – Aahhh yes. We finally made it, fellas.
How can I describe Mr. Worth? I have a love-hate, one-sided relationship with freaking Mr. Worth.
For one thing, he wasn't even in the book the movie was based on. He was written specifically for comic relief. But he left a bad taste in my mouth. Like, I actually thought he was gay and hitting on a minor because of the way he talks to Simon—but maybe that's just me.
You know what? We really didn't need to see more of Mr. Worth unless they were actually going to use him meaningfully. The film invents a Tony Hale role and then refuses to do anything substantial with it. Instead of just "cringey man" jokes, he could've also been the adult who genuinely helps Simon open up to his parents. I mean, didn't he say something like he saw himself in...oh...eww.
Anyway, Simon eventually realized that on his own, but nah...they didn't want to use more of Hale's talents. Understandable.
12. Sadie (2018) – Another one of those overly teen-angst independent movies that Tony gets into because he supports indies and angsty teens. What I'm saying is, it's just a cameo. Almost needlessly so.
13. Unfrosted (2024) – This probably contains the shortest Tony Hale cameo where I can actually show you his entire scene. That was it.
14. Opus (2025) – Hale is basically a bookend role, but at least he was yassified. Yes, queen, rock that guyliner.
Nevertheless, I was expecting him to have a role in the cult compound as well, to say the least, just as fans were disappointed by how awful the thriller turned out to be. But not as much as...
15. Office Romance (2026) – One of the worst movies of 2026, and one of the reasons is that Tony Hale only appears during the end credits, fooling us into thinking he had a much larger role because his name was featured in the trailer credits.
16. Horsegirls (2025) – I can't really say anything bad about this indie movie because the intentions seem sweet, but based on reviews, it's basically like any other coming-of-age indie film with a unique main character, where all of the more recognizable actors only get bits of screen time here and there because the story is told from the protagonist's POV. I haven't seen it yet, but reviews describe Tony Hale as the stoic but caring uncle.
17. Via Negativa (2026) – Premiered at Tribeca in the summer of 2026, and basically, however much screen time Tony Hale had in Horsegirls, you can say the same thing about this indie movie.
More than five-minute roles but could have needed more... and then some.
1. Chuck – He played the fan-favorite (and, by others, much-derided) sub-villain Emmett Milbarge. He was cartoonishly, deliciously evil and kinda creepy as the Buy More supervisor. But after checking out some deleted scenes I found on YouTube, they actually shot a lot more Emmett scenes that never made the final cut.
I really wish they hadn't killed off his character. I don't know the real reason, but I remember reading that Hale left to make his NBC web series CTRL, which, by the way, starred Zachary Levi in the original short.
Thinking it over, it kind of felt petty that the writers decided to kill him off (the bad guy shot him in the eye, no less), but that's just me. Or maybe they simply felt there was nowhere left to take the character. (A character literally says, "Really?") At least he went out with a bang?
2. American Ultra (2015) – I can't even with this. This was not my tea. This is basically if Gary Walsh worked for the CIA. They even unnecessarily gave his character a boyfriend for some reason, and then they don't do anything with it! I just—
At least this shot was cool.
Before this video ends, I'll briefly talk about two Tony Hale projects that were canceled but showed promise—or at least had legs if they'd been greenlit.
One project that was talked about during the Sony North Korea hacking days was a Gore Verbinski–Steve Carell movie about North Korea that was supposed to be produced but never saw the light of day after The Interview controversy. Not only was it a missed opportunity for more Tony Hale, but the movie's story was far more interesting and smarter than the other one, as it was based on the graphic novel and memoir Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, about a Canadian animator's time working in...well... Pyongyang.
We really don't know how much he would've been in the movie. Tony Hale reportedly said on the Dead Eyes podcast that the cast was stacked. Beyond Carell and Hale, though, we don't really know who else was attached, at least as far as I know.
Lastly, a more recent project that never saw the light of day was the ensemble campus comedy Don't Get High. Tony Hale had his breakthrough in an ensemble cast, so naturally he gets cast in ensemble projects. It's just sad we never got to see strict security guard Tony Hale. Although, technically, it wouldn't have been the first time he played one in a failed pilot.
