Spoilers ahead! As fans sat down to watch the first three episodes of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building — which premiered on August 31, 2021 — many were surprised to see several famous faces pop up for a blink-and-you-missed-it cameo.
The show, which stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, has already seen several big names come by for a scene or two. Perhaps the biggest celebrity to drop in for an episode? Legendary recording artist Sting made a quick cameo as himself during the third episode, which was titled, “How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?”
Not only did Sting act opposite the main characters in one scene, but he also sang a chilling rendition of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” in another.
One fan noted their particular shock over the reveal via Twitter at the time, writing, “i was already on board for only murders in the building because i think selena gomez is so cool but the fact that sting is in it too??? incredible. only 3 episodes released so far and i’m hooked.”
It wasn’t just the fans that were surprised to see the “Every Breath You Take” crooner’s participation in the show, but the show’s creative team themselves were also shocked. The musician has long been friendly with Martin, which made the cameo invitation an easy ask, as the Cheaper By the Dozen star noted to Collider in August 2021.
“We were kind of stunned by how quickly the yes came, and suddenly I was on a Zoom with him,” creator John Hoffman told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “And he was, of course, in a French chateau in the middle of a pandemic. We couldn’t stop looking at his bookshelves. It was like, ‘How old are those bookshelves behind you?’ It was the most beautiful, perfectly apt setting to be Zooming with Sting.”
Hoffman also dished on Sting’s willingness to dive into the material while filming.
“He ran with everything we asked him to do — he was completely into it,” Hoffman recalled to the outlet. “And beyond that, he came on set so prepared. It was scripted that he had to express not liking dogs, but he went further with it. In the joke about when Marty [Short] says, ‘Do you have a dog?’ And then Sting nods and says, ‘I have a dog. I don’t like him either.’ He threw it in, in a first take. Marty and I were talking right after the first take: ‘Oh my God, he’s hysterical!’ He just dove in. He didn’t surprise us all because he’s brilliant. But I think the gamesmanship was clear from the moment he stepped on set.”
Show producer Dan Fogelman also gushed about Sting’s role via Twitter, writing, “Well this is pretty damn cool (and Sting is really so funny here – just wait!).”
Sting’s not the only celeb who had a cameo on this debut series. One Twitter fan was especially excited to see Tina Fey pop up for a brief role.
“Currently watching ‘Only Murders in the Building’ just for the Tina Fey cameos,” the social media user tweeted that August.
The ten-episode show follows an unlikely trio (Martin, Short and Gomez) who live in the same New York apartment building, called the Arconia, as they team up to solve a gruesome murder in the building and start an accompanying podcast about it. As each episode chronicles a different fictional podcast episode, fans get one step closer to figuring out the “whodunnit” mystery.
Keep scrolling to find out which stars joined the Hulu series for a limited arc:
The late-night talk show host briefly appeared as himself during the sixth episode, chatting with Fey during an episode of his show. In the clip, Fey’s character casually mentioned the main trio’s “Only Murders in the Building” podcast attempt.
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The Tony Award winner played a big fan of the “Only Murders in the Building” podcast in the eighth episode, who was demanding more episodes of the show alongside a trio of other eclectic listeners.
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The England native played a version of himself on the show, and the cast couldn’t say enough kind words about his acting chops.
“He was completely game for all of it,” Short told Collider. “He came to the set, knowing every line of long speeches. He was enthusiastic, focused, and endlessly being funny and charming.”
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In the first episode, the three protagonists are fans of a true-crime podcast, “Not All is OK in Oklahoma.” As they each listen to a new episode from their respective apartments, the 30 Rock alum appeared as the podcast host, who’s digging for clues about the alleged crime.
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The real-life Broadway veteran popped up during the third episode as an Arconia resident who also happened to own a popular grocery store chain. In the episode, it’s revealed that his character has a professional history with Short’s character, Oliver.
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The Feud: Bette and Joan actress played Uma Heller on the Hulu limited series, another Arconia resident. She notably flipped off Martin’s character, Charles, within the first minute of the show.
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The 27 Dresses actor made a brief appearance in the first episode as another neighbor, telling Martin’s Charles that the aroma of the omelets he’d been making reminds him of a woman named Lucy. He even asked, “Have you heard from her?”
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