I just finished Glass Onion and at the end credits it had all the actors who were in it but only Kate Hudson and Dave Batista had the prefix of “with” before their name. Is there a reason why only they get it?
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And the guy who played Lorelai’s dad in Gilmore Girls – a regular in the show but always “Special Appearance by”.
When the Professor and Mary Ann were finally named individually in the Gilligan’s Island intro instead of being called “the rest” it was because of Bob Denver, who played Gilligan, demanding that if they were going to be “the rest” he wanted to be in the rest too. His contract said he could pick his billing, so the producers had to give in.
They are not the lead role to be casted first (honor) but they have too big name to be casted as the rest of the actors would if they had their role in the credits.
So the go last usually with a “with” to stand out.
Think Anthony Hopkins or Michael Douglas on MCU.
Not lead or big roles, but way too big in the industry to be on the same credits level with the rest.
Inaddition to what others have said. the actor nay be playing a character that wears a lot of makeup or the character is CGI. The actor isn’t recognizable they will be given last billing “with” to help with their visbility.
The most recent for example might be Guardians of the Galaxy movies with Groot and “Rocket” Racoon. They both get special standout in the opening credits since you cant recognize them in movie.
In short it’s an acknowledgment of status…
Usually, a huge/popular star who has and can lead in their own films… Performing in a small, supportive role that without a large and talented cast they would otherwise never consider.
Side trivia: One amusing last billing was Julia Roberts’s “And Introducing” in Ocean’s 11. At one of the red carpets, George Clooney said something along the lines of “I’d like you to meet Julia,
She’s an up and coming star.” 😋
Another interesting bit of info is when you see two or more writers on the credits. “&” indicates a close collaboration on the script, while “and” indicates very little or no collaboration (for example, a rewrite by another author).
Usually someone well established crucial to the plotline while not having a major role but still needs proper billing attention. This is very common with veteran actors making a brief appearance in newer shows with younger, lesser known lead cast.
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