How Dave Pulled Off Its Star-Packed Season 3 Finale
Contains spoilers for "Dave" Season 3, Episode 10, "Looking for Love"
"Dave" wrapped up Season 3 earlier this week, continuing the show's trend of star-studded cameos. The FXX series has always used celebrity appearances to depict Dave's (Dave Burd) level of fame within the show, with each season featuring higher profile cameos as the rapper grows in popularity. Season 3 took things to an entirely new level, with countless actors, musicians, and influencers appearing across multiple episodes, culminating with a star-studded season finale featuring Rachel McAdams, Brad Pitt, and Drake.
Aside from the scheduling nightmare of getting so many celebrities on set, it wasn't hard for "Dave" to land its high-profile cameos for the season finale. Like his on-screen counterpart, Burd's growing real-life fame helped connect him with people like McAdams, Pitt, and Drake. "I just knew Brad Pitt really loved the show," he told Rolling Stone. "And I knew Drake. When I met Drake, he told me our show was one of the most important shows of our generation."
Similarly, McAdams was also a fan of "Dave" before appearing this season for a three-episode arc. "I think she and her husband, it's one of their favorite shows. They love the show," Burd said in the interview, voicing his admiration for all the actors who appeared in the finale. "Brad, Drake, and Rachel — the best people I've ever worked with."
Brad Pitt was just an email away
We can't imagine what it's like to hear that Brad Pitt is a fan of your work, but Dave Burd saw it as an opportunity to shoot his shot with the Hollywood legend. During his Rolling Stone interview, the "Dave" star revealed that he heard of Pitt's love for the show after Ben Sinclair, a director on the FXX series, had a meeting at the actor's production company, Plan B.
"[Sinclair] took a meeting at Brad's production company, Plan B, and came back and said, 'Aw, man, they love you over there at Plan B,'" Burd recalled. "I thought, 'Huh, I wonder if that includes Brad.' I asked Ben, and he said, 'Yeah, I heard Brad really likes the show.'" As nerve wracking as it was, Burd capitalized on the opportunity before him, spending days writing the perfect email to send to Pitt. Eventually, he received a response from a different email, with the actor agreeing to appear on "Dave." "It was so incredible," Burd said. "It made me think, like, 'Is this real?' It was kind of mind-blowing," revealing that it wasn't until he came face-to-face with Pitt on set that he believed it was really happening.
Burd said Pitt and the other celebrities who appeared in the "Dave" season finale inspired everyone on set. They weren't divas and treated the crew respectfully, boosting the overall morale and improving the filming experience.