Stunt casting is a term in casting that refers to hiring of well-known figures, such as movie stars or non-actor personalities prominent in some other field of endeavour, to play small roles on television series and in films.
Purpose
Stunt casting is used to generate media attention. It may also be employed in order to garner studio support or financing for a project; for example, according to DVD featurette commentary, the 1978 version of Superman received studio support only after the producers were able to enlist A-list actors Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman to appear.
References
Stunt casting Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA