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I have atleast 2 examples of well known established actors credited at the very end with the phrase "and introducing" before their name:

  • Julia Roberts in Ocean's Eleven (2001) (in the end credits)
  • Daniel Craig in Logan Lucky (2017) (on the posters at least; I haven't watched the movie yet*)

Coincidence: Both the mentioned movies are directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Is there a specific reason as to why this is done?

P.S. I have seen these kind of phrases attached in front of debutante actors multiple times. But that obviously isn't the case here.

Edit: As pointed out in a comment by HorusKol, another example is for Rob Lowe in Parks and Recreation.

Edit 2: The list goes on.

  • Cloris Leachman in Raising Hope.(Courtesy: Kevin Milner)

  • Don Johnson in Machete.(Courtesy: Erics)

  • Carlos Estevez(birth name) in Machete Kills.(Courtesy: Wikipedia, the website)

*: As confirmed by user Michael Seifert, Daniel Craig has an ''and introducing" credit in the movie as well.

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    Not limited to Soderbergh productions - Rob Lowe got an "and introducing" credit on Parks and Recreation despite being a member of the 80s brat-pack.
    – HorusKol
    May 27, 2020 at 13:30
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    They did this pretty much the whole run of "Raising Hope" for Cloris Leachman.
    – Kevin Milner
    May 28, 2020 at 15:55
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    I don't think the question needs to be edited to cover every well-known actor who's ever been given an "And introducing..." credit. It would end up being much too broad and in danger of being closed for lacking focus.
    – F1Krazy
    May 28, 2020 at 17:02
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    Jonathan Harris, who was a regular in the original Lost in Space series, negotiated with Irwin Allen for the credit "guest starring" in (approximately) every episode.
    – Adrian McCarthy
    May 28, 2020 at 23:41
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    I just watched Logan Lucky on video last weekend, and can confirm that Daniel Craig's credit is "And Introducing..." in the movie as well.
    – Michael Seifert
    Jun 22, 2020 at 12:23

3 Answers 3

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These are joke credits deliberately placed by the director Stephen Soderbergh.

“Introducing” Julia Roberts

Soderbergh: She was the only person we had in mind. We thought it would be fun for her to be the only woman. We sent her the script with $20 enclosed and a note saying, “We hear you get 20 for a picture”.

Clooney: She kept the 20. We deducted it from her wages. Actually, we deducted it from Andy’s salary.

Soderbergh: We thought it would be a scream to have the credits say, “Introducing Julia Roberts”. Her agent didn’t agree, but Julia thought it was hysterical. I think the only people who would be concerned with something like that are people who are insecure

Source

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    Damn. What a cool interview
    – Kevin
    May 27, 2020 at 19:30
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    Strange, I've never thought of Julia Roberts as completely secure. Much like Sandra Bullock, when she is interviewed, she always seems (to me anyway) completely surprised that anyone would want to interview her.
    – CGCampbell
    May 27, 2020 at 21:36
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    Also, it would appear that Rob Lowe's introducing credit was also a joke
    – CGCampbell
    May 27, 2020 at 21:44
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    @CGCampbell Seems like humility rather than insecurity.
    – user91988
    May 28, 2020 at 14:49
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    hmmm, let's see, Humility: a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness, OK, now, Insecurity: uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence, .... yes
    – CGCampbell
    May 28, 2020 at 19:37
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Don Johnson in Machete

When Johnson agreed to come on board for "Machete," most of the specialized credits -- the "with" the "and" and the "featuring" which actors like to have so much -- were taken.

It was particularly hard since Johnson was such a late addition to the film.

"We were discussing it and (Johnson) said, 'why not introducing?' " Rodriguez tells us with a laugh. "I thought, 'Perfect.'"

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  • Machete also stars Carlos Estevez, a relatively unknown name with a rather famous face.
    – Erics
    May 28, 2020 at 9:32
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    Machete Kills stars Carlos Estevez. And uses the same gimmick. Courtesy Wikipedia ;)
    – AryanSonwatikar
    May 28, 2020 at 9:42
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    There's a old joke about five stages of actor name recognition; I've most often seen it applied to Ricardo Montalban, but it works here: "Stage 1. Who is Don Johnson? 2. Get me Don Johnson. 3. Get me a Don Johnson type. 4. Get me a young Don Johnson. 5. Who is Don Johnson?" I think part of the joke of "introducing" is that Johnson would be at stage 5 for viewers not old enough to have seen Miami Vice.
    – Russell Borogove
    May 28, 2020 at 14:47
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    Although the 2006 Miami Vice movie wasn't tooo terrible, the 80's original series (starring Johnson) was for Miami what Magnum PI was for Hawaii... THE 80's series to watch and dream about girls and bikinis and beaches and warm weather and .. girls
    – CGCampbell
    May 28, 2020 at 19:47
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    The credit of Carlos Estevez is not entirely a joke. It is more tongue-in-cheek. It is the actor’s real name. His father is Ramón Estevez. Although, no one calls him that. So, the director has to “introduce” him as Carlos. After all, this is a Mexican movie franchise, from a Mexican producer/director, with mainly Mexican main characters and protagonists, with white bad guys. This intentionally/overtly puts Carlos in the position of good guy (for now).
    – Dean F.
    May 29, 2020 at 15:50
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In Another Time, Another Place (1958) The 7th actor listed by IMDB was Martin Stephens (born July 15, 1959) as Brian Trevor.

One might expect that Another Time, Another Place might be the first movie role of someone who was eight or nine when it was made, but IMDB lists an earlier movie role for Martin Stephens.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0827101/?ref_=tt_cl_t71

The fourth billed actor was Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930) as Mark Trevor. Another Time, Another Place is listed as the 14th role of Sean Connery, so he seems to have been somewhat more experienced at the time than Martin Stephens.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/?ref_=tt_cl_t42

But when I saw Another Time, Another Place on television I noticed that the credits included "Introducing Sean Connery".

Though the opening credits say "Introducing Sean Connery", several movies, in which he appeared, were released before this one.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051364/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv3

So this is another rather whimsical use of "introducing".

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  • A similar use was made for Scarlett Johansson, in her 7th or 8th feature film, I can't seem to remember the name of the film.
    – AryanSonwatikar
    May 29, 2020 at 1:33
  • Also, you got a typo-Martin Stephens was born in 1949.
    – AryanSonwatikar
    May 29, 2020 at 1:36

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