Cape Fear Delivers A Surprise Cameo From A Star Of The Scorsese Film

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Friday's episode of "Cape Fear."

Apple TV's "Cape Fear" is inspired by the chilling 1991 thriller of the same name directed by Martin Scorsese — and this week, that inspiration became very meta.

Throughout the first three episodes of the series, we've seen glimpses of a mystery woman wearing a hoodie and a surgical mask over her face. But we didn't know who she was until Friday's episode, when ex-con Max Cady (played by Javier Bardem) returned home to find an envelope waiting for him with "Hi Max" and a heart written on it. There was also a TV nearby and a note saying "Play me," and when Max hit the play button, he saw a video of the masked woman, who took off her hood and mask to reveal she was played by — Juliette Lewis, from Scorsese's "Cape Fear"!

Apple TV

"Hey Max, I heard you got out," she said seductively before grabbing a microphone and singing him a creepy love song. Max didn't seem to like her performance much, though: He screamed "No!" when he found a dog collar inside the envelope, which triggered flashbacks to his abusive childhood, and he smashed the TV to bits with a primal fury. We still don't know who Lewis' character is, or what she's after, but it's fair to say Max wasn't happy to see her. 

In the 1991 film version of "Cape Fear," directed by Martin Scorsese — itself a remake of a 1962 film — Robert De Niro starred as ex-con Max Cady, who targeted his former attorney Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte) and his family after getting out of prison. Jessica Lange played Sam's wife Leigh, with Juliette Lewis playing their teen daughter Danielle. Lewis earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film, as did De Niro.

In the Apple TV version, which debuted earlier this month on the streamer — read our review here — Oscar winner Javier Bardem stars as Max, with Amy Adams as his former attorney Anna Bowden and Patrick Wilson as her husband Tom. Lily Collias ("Roofman") plays their teen daughter Danielle, with Joe Anders as their troubled son Zack. 

The Apple TV show has been a straightforward remake so far, albeit with a few twists, but the addition of Lewis in this new role (which wasn't announced prior to airing) establishes an explicit connection to the Scorsese film. So will we see more connections as the season continues? Robert De Niro, are you available?

"Cape Fear" viewers, hit the comments to let us know what you think about Lewis' cameo and the season so far.