Free Guy is the hilarious 2021 action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as Guy, an NPC (non-playable character) in an open world video game who becomes self-aware. Along the way, Guy meets several famous Youtubers and streamers who make cameo appearances in the movie. If you‘re a fan of gaming YouTube and Twitch, here‘s a breakdown of all the internet celebrities who show up in Free Guy.
Ninja
One of the biggest gaming influencers in Free Guy is Ninja, whose real name is Tyler Blevins. With over 24 million YouTube subscribers and 17 million Twitch followers, Ninja rose to fame as one of the most popular professional gamers and streamers in the world. He‘s best known for playing Fortnite, Halo, and Apex Legends.
In Free Guy, Ninja appears as himself, commenting on the in-game events unfolding like a sports broadcaster. For gamers, it was super meta to see an actual gaming personality reacting to the fictional video game world. Ninja promoted his Free Guy cameo heavily, even live streaming his reaction to seeing himself on screen for the first time.
Jacksepticeye
Another beloved Youtuber who shows up in Free Guy is Jacksepticeye, real name Sean McLoughlin. With 28 million Youtube subscribers and 3 million Twitch followers, this energetic Irish gamer is known for his hilarious let‘s play videos and expert-level gaming content focusing on games like Happy Wheels, Five Nights at Freddy‘s, and Minecraft.
In the movie, Jacksepticeye appears during an action sequence as an unnamed in-game character wearing his signature neon green hair and a dark costume accented with his familiar septiceye logo. He runs into battle wielding a huge sniper rifle. For fans, seeing Jacksepticeye fully rendered in the video game world was a super fun cameo.
Pokimane
Pokimane is one of Twitch‘s most popular female streamers. With 6.5 million Youtube subscribers and 3 million Twitch followers, she‘s best known for playing League of Legends and Fortnite. Pokimane has the second most-followed channel on Twitch after Ninja.
In Free Guy, Pokimane has a brief cameo as an in-game avatar character named "Love Joker" with pink hair and cat ears. Director Shawn Levy has said Pokimane‘s role was partly meant as social commentary on how female gamers are portrayed. For Pokimane‘s fans, seeing her rendered as a video game character was a really cool moment.
LazarBeam
LazarBeam is a massively popular Australian gaming Youtuber with over 18 million subscribers. Known for his hilarious challenge videos and expert skills in games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Grand Theft Auto V, LazarBeam has become one of the biggest gaming personalities from Down Under.
During an epic battle sequence in Free Guy, LazarBeam appears as an in-game avatar wearing a helmet and shield emblazoned with his bright orange logo. The LazarBeam avatar bashes opponents with his shield to help Guy on his mission. It was great seeing the Aussie Youtuber re-imagined as a heroic video game character.
DanTDM
DanTDM is a highly influential British gaming Youtuber with over 25 million subscribers. Known for his family-friendly content and expert Minecraft videos, DanTDM has become massively popular with younger viewers. He even holds a Guinness World Record for the most views of a dedicated Minecraft video channel.
While DanTDM‘s cameo in Free Guy is brief, British fans of the wholesome gaming Youtuber could catch him rendered as a blocky Minecraft-esque in-game avatar. Seeing one of the biggest names in Minecraft YouTube reimagined in the movie‘s video game world was a fun treat for DanTDM‘s millions of young followers.
Other Gaming Cameos
In addition to the major Youtuber cameos, Free Guy included background appearances from several other gaming influencers:
Dequan Watson: A popular Twitch streamer involved in the esports gaming circuit, Dequan Watson appears very briefly in a background shot.
The Silhouetted Gamer: Voiced by John Krasinski, this unknown avatar offers commentary on Guy‘s viral success. His voice is revealed in the credits to be Krasinski, best known as Jim from The Office.
Here‘s a table summarizing the major Youtuber and gaming influencer cameos:
| Youtuber | Subscribers | Followers | Notable Games | Role in Free Guy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja | 24.2 million Youtube | 17 million Twitch | Fortnite, Halo | Appears as himself commentating |
| Jacksepticeye | 28.2 million Youtube | 3 million Twitch | Happy Wheels, FNAF | In-game character in battle |
| Pokimane | 6.5 million Youtube | 3 million Twitch | Fortnite, League of Legends | In-game avatar "Love Joker" |
| LazarBeam | 18.4 million Youtube | N/A | Minecraft, Fortnite | In-game avatar with logo shield |
| DanTDM | 25.4 million Youtube | N/A | Minecraft | In-game Minecraft avatar |
The Impact of Free Guy‘s Gaming Cameos
Having this many popular gaming creators appear in Free Guy underscored the movie‘s plot about video games coming to life. Director Shawn Levy has said he wanted to cast Youtubers and streamers in the movie to make the fictional game world feel more authentic for audiences.
According to Levy, Ryan Reynolds was the one who suggested integrating real internet gaming celebs into the movie through fun cameos. Reynolds even helped recruit some of the Youtubers by reaching out directly and pitching them cameo roles.
For the Youtubers involved, being featured in a major Hollywood movie was a huge deal. Getting to be fully rendered into a video game avatar was like stepping into the worlds they play in every day for their fans.
Several gaming creators like Ninja and Jacksepticeye heavily promoted their cameos across social media and YouTube. Ninja said it was "a dream come true" to appear in the film. Ultimately, the influencer cameos created buzz and got the Youtubers‘ captive online audiences excited to see the movie.
At the end of the day, Free Guy‘s use of famous gaming personalities added clever meta-humor to the film and reflected our culture‘s growing crossover between gaming content creators and mainstream media. It demonstrated the celebrity status top streamers and Youtubers have achieved in recent years.
So if you‘re a fan of gaming YouTube and Twitch channels, keep an eye out for these digital celeb cameos when you watch Free Guy! Let me know in the comments if you spotted any of your favorite internet gamers in the movie.
