Joe Wright’s Cyrano features both veteran performers and relative newcomers in the movie-musical adaptation of the familiar story. The film is based on a stage musical, which is further adapted from the 19th century play Cyrano de Bergerac. The film stars acclaimed actor Peter Dinklage in the role of the title character.
The story follows the poet and nobleman Cyrano as he pines after Roxanne, a woman who has fallen in love with another man. Cyrano keeps his love secret from Roxanne because he believes himself to be ugly and fears rejection. When his less eloquent rival, Christian, asks for Cyrano’s help to win Roxanne over, he begins to write letters to her using Christian’s name, but both men come to have conflicting feelings about deceiving her.
The tragic romance has been adapted many times with differing twists such as in Sierra Burgess Is A Loser which starred Shannon Purser, modernizing the story and reversing the genders of the characters. Wright’s adaptation of the stage musical returns the story to its original 19th century France but introduces the songs from Aaron and Bryce Dessner of indie band The National to a wider audience. The cast includes performers who also played their roles in the stage version, as well as some fresh faces. Here are the cast and characters of Cyrano:
Peter Dinklage as Cyrano de Bergerac
Reprising the role of Cyrano from the 2018 stage musical is Peter Dinklage. Dinklage has a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, which affects bone growth; the film uses Dinklage’s resulting appearance for the story, whereas the original story attributes his “ugliness” to an extremely over-sized nose. Dinklage is well-known for playing protagonist Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War.
Hayley Bennett as Roxanne
Also reprising her role from the stage production of Cyrano, Hayley Bennett will portray Roxanne, the object of Cyrano’s affections. Roxanne is a beautiful, intelligent woman whose household hopes she will marry a rich man, while she dreams of marrying for love. At the beginning of the story, she trusts Cyrano as a confidant and enjoys his company. Bennett has been seen as Charlotte Russell in The Devil All the Time, Lindsay in Hillbilly Elegy, and Megan Hipwell in The Girl on the Train.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian
Played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Christian is the man with whom Roxanne falls in love. The plot of Cyrano rests on the love triangle between the title character, Roxanne, and Christian, as the latter finds himself to be at a loss for words to pursue Roxanne and seeks Cyrano’s help. Harrison Jr. is a rising star who has been seen both as Fred Hampton in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Andy Morrison in The Photograph in 2020.
Bashir Salahuddin as Le Bret
Le Bret is a close friend and confidant of Cyrano, played in the film by comedian Bashir Salahuddin. Previously a writer for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Salahuddin had small roles on many television comedies including Arrested Development and Superstore, as well as a recurring role as Keith Bang on GLOW. He has also booked roles in films such as Detective Summerville in A Simple Favor and a yet undisclosed role in Top Gun: Maverick.
Ben Mendelsohn as De Guiche
De Guiche is a rich nobleman who is also in pursuit of Roxanne’s affections, portrayed in Cyrano by Australian character actor Ben Mendelsohn. He has experience in playing nefarious characters, including Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One and Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One. He has also been seen as the shapeshifting Skrull, Talos, in the MCUs Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Cyrano's Supporting Cast & Characters
Monica Dolan as Marie - Marie is Roxanne’s chaperone; Dolan can be seen as May Brown in Netflix’s The Dig.
Peter Wight as Ragueneau - Ragueneau is fellow poet and friend of Cyrano’s, played by Wight previously worked with director Joe Wright as Mr. Gardiner in Pride and Prejudice.
Mark Benton as Montfleury - An actor to whom Cyrano takes a disliking, Montfleury is played by Benton, an alumnus TV show The Halcyon on which he played Feldman.
Joshua James as Valvert - A rich nobleman who is also seeking Roxanne’s hand. James has previously been seen as Jinn on HBO Max’s Raised By Wolves.
