Like many of director Wes Anderson's films, The French Dispatch cast remains an incredibly eclectic ensemble group, comprising some of the biggest names in the film industry. Although managing multiple famous faces is a key tenet of Anderson's work, even by his standards this new film features a mind-blowing array of talent. As a result, the cast list is in and of itself quite a substantial document. Set in the imagined French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé (which literally translates as "Boredom-on-Blasé), the film revolves around a collection of stories published by the French Dispatch office of an American newspaper.
Based on Anderson's love of The New Yorker magazine, the movie features three self-contained mini-narratives, all of which spawn from the central French Dispatch setting. Many of the stories are based on real-life articles from the actual New Yorker, such as "The Events In May" about the May 68 student occupation protests and "Days of Duveen" about the controversial art dealer Lord Duveen. Featuring Anderson's signature quirky storytelling style, The French Dispatch is a complex, convoluted, and multifaceted story. Thanks to its four separate settings, each installment of the film comes with its own array of colorful characters.
Bill Murray as Arthur Howitzer Jr.
In The French Dispatch cast, Murray plays the enigmatic editor of the French Dispatch office. Interestingly, the character is based on the New Yorker's real co-founder, journalist Harold Ross. His death is what leads the movie to tell its various stories. A veteran of Wes Anderson movies, Bill Murray has also featured in hits such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He is also best known for comedy roles in movies like Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters. In 2023, he joined the MCU as part of the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cast.
Owen Wilson as Herbsaint Sazerac
A longtime Wes Anderson collaborator, Owen Wilson is travel writer and staff member Herbsaint Sazerac in The French Dispatch cast. He took part in the main storyline as he helped find Arthur dead, but he also took part in a small quirky travelogue that separated two of the movie's stories. Wilson previously appeared in Anderson's features such as The Royal Tenenbaums and also received a co-writing credit on Anderson's 1996 movie, Bottle Rocket. In 2021, Wilson appeared as TVA agent Mobius in the Disney+ series Loki and, in 2023, starred in the movie, Paint.
Elisabeth Moss as Alumna
Elisabeth Moss had a small role in The French Dispatch cast as Alumna, a copy editor on the French Dispatch staff. Although she made her name on TV with shows such as The Handmaid's Tale and Mad Men, Moss went on to establish herself as a major big-screen presence, with acclaimed performances in hits such as The Invisible Man and Us. In 2022, she took on a starring role in the Apple TV series, Shining Girls
Jason Schwartzman as Hermes Jones
Another regular collaborator, Jason Schwartzman has appeared in no less than six Wes Anderson films, including The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. In The French Dispatch cast, he plays cartoonist and newspaper staff member Hermes Jones. Away from his work with Anderson, Schwartzman is probably best known for his performances in I Heart Huckabees and Marie Antoinette. In 2022, he took on a role in the HBO comedy The Righteous Gemstones and in 2023, he returned with Wes Anderson for Asteroid City.
Tilda Swinton as J.K.L. Berensen
Tilda Swinton was part of the staff team for the paper, but she also led her own section of The French Dispatch cast in The Concrete Masterpiece. In this section, J.K.L Berensen delivers a lecture at an art gallery where she describes the art career of Moses Rosenthaler. Swinton has appeared in three other Wes Anderson projects - Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs, Swinton's eclectic career has seen her star in numerous major onscreen projects. In 2022, Swinton appeared in Three Thousand Years of Longing and voiced the Wood Sprite in Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio. She returns in 2023 for Anderson's Asteroid City.
Benicio del Toro as Moses Rosenthaler
Although Benicio del Toro is one of the most acclaimed and prolific actors of the last few decades, The French Dispatch cast represents his first collaboration with Wes Anderson. In the movie, del Toro appears as an incarcerated artist named Moses. He is incarcerated, but is allowed to continue painting, and he uses one of his prison guards as his muse. Beyond The French Dispatch, del Toro is known for his role as The Collector in the MCU and Alejandro Gillick in Denis Villeneuve's Sicario.
Adrien Brody as Julien Cadazio
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Another frequent Anderson collaborator, Adrien Brody first worked with the director for 2007's The Darjeeling Limited. For The French Dispatch cast, Brody played Julien Cadazio, an art dealer based on Lord Duveen. He wanted nothing more than to promote Moses's artwork and make a healthy profit himself. Brody starred in 2002's The Pianist, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. After The French Dispatch, Brody appeared in Blonde, See How They Run, Ghosted, and returns with Anderson in 2023's Asteroid City.
Léa Seydoux as Simone
Fresh off the back of her appearance in the James Bond hit No Time To Die, Léa Seydoux takes on a very different role in The French Dispatch cast. Seydoux plays Simone – a prison guard who simultaneously serves as Moses Rosenthaler's muse and lover while he is locked away in prison. She has also appeared in the previous Wes Anderson hit, The Grand Budapest Hotel. In 2022, she acted in David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future and in 2023, she takes on the role of Margot Fenring in Dune: Part Two.
Frances McDormand as Lucinda Krementz
Serving as the main protagonist for the second story of The French Dispatch cast, Revisions to a Manifesto, Academy Award winner Frances McDormand plays Lucinda Krementz. She is a journalist tasked with profiling various student revolutionaries. This brings her into direct contact with the major players from throughout the subsection, including Timothy Chalamet's Zeffirelli. McDormand is another Wes Anderson stalwart, having previously featured in Isle of Dogs. She has also earned four Oscar wins, and in 2022 starred in the movie, Women Talking.
Timothée Chalamet as Zeffirelli
Despite in many ways being tailor-made for a Wes Anderson movie, The French Dispatch cast represents Timothy Chalamet's debut in an Anderson film. He stars as a student revolutionary, whose actions are documented by McDormand for the magazine. Chalamet himself is widely regarded as one of the most talented actors of his generation, appearing in acclaimed films such as Call Me By Your Name, Little Women, and as the lead character in Dune. He also appeared in the 2022 movie Bones and All.
Christoph Waltz as Paul Duval
Although he is one of the most successful and celebrated actors of recent years, Waltz's performance as an art collector in The French Dispatch cast represents his first collaboration with Wes Anderson. Having mostly been known for his roles in German cinema, Waltz shot to prominence after his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, opposite fellow The French Dispatch performer Denis Menochet. His portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa won him international acclaim, including an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2022, he voiced Count Volpe in Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio.
Jeffrey Wright as Roebuck Wright
Jeffrey Wright stars as food writer Roebuck Wright in The French Dispatch cast's final story, The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner. The character itself was based on an amalgamation of celebrated American food writers James Baldwin and A.J Leibling. In this story, he goes to review the chef of a famed Commissaire, only to find himself in the middle of a kidnapping of the man's daughter. A prolific screen presence for several decades, Wright is among the most successful actors working in Hollywood today. He appeared in 2001's Bond movie No Time To Die and then in 2022's The Batman as Commissioner Gordon.
Mathieu Amalric as The Commissaire
In The French Dispatch cast, Wright's Bond veteran Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace), appears as a police officer with a kidnapped son. However, while Bond might represent his most easily recognized role, it is by no means Amalric's only claim to fame. He has also appeared in Wes Anderson's wildly successful 2014 feature, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Stephen Park as Lt. Nescaffier
American comedian and actor Park serves as the center of drama in The French Dispatch cast's fourth act as a chef and police officer who successfully solves a kidnapping. Despite his experience as a stand-up comedian, Park has also appeared in several successful films. His credits include Do The Right Thing and Fargo. In 2023, he appeared in Ghosted and reunites with Anderson for Asteroid City.
Edward Norton as The Chauffeur
In The French Dispatch cast, Edward Norton portrays the kidnapper of the Commissaire's daughter in a largely comedic performance, where he clearly has no idea what he is doing. After initially appearing in 2012's Moonrise Kingdom, Norton has gone on to become a regular Wes Anderson collaborator, appearing in each of the director's films since. Away from Wes Anderson's projects, Norton is known as an exceptional character actor, with credits including Primal Fear, Fight Club, and American History X. In 2022, he starred in Glass Onion for Rian Johnson and returned in 2023 for Anderson's Asteroid City.
Willem Dafoe as Albert the Abacus
In The French Dispatch cast, Willem Dafoe appears as an underworld accountant and prisoner who spends most of his time on screen locked in a holding cell. Yet another regular Wes Anderson performer, Dafoe has worked with the director on no less than four occasions over a 17-year period. First appearing in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Dafoe has also featured in Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The French Dispatch Supporting Cast Members
Fisher Stevens as Staff Member: In an unnamed role, actor Fisher Stevens appears as one of the eponymous newspaper's numerous staff members. Having also appeared in Anderson's acclaimed The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs, Stevens is no stranger to the director's penchant for ensemble casts. In fact, his best-known current role is as part of a similar assemblage of actors on the hit HBO series Succession.
Griffin Dunne as Story Editor: Unlike co-star Stevens, Dunne's appearance as Story Editor represents his first collaboration with Anderson. As a prolific actor, producer and director, Dunne has had a hand in several prominent Hollywood projects over the years. His best-known role, however, is probably as the decaying Jack Goodman in the 1981 horror comedy American Werewolf in London.
Wally Wolodarsky as Staff Member: Although Wolodarsky is a regular Anderson collaborator, having also featured in The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Darjeeling Limited, as well as several other of his hits, he is probably best known as a screenwriter. In addition to several writing credits on popular movies, such as A Dog's Purpose, Wolodarsky has also contributed to several major TV shows. His most famous work is probably his contribution to the early seasons of The Simpsons.
Anjelica Bette Fellini as Proofreader: A relative newcomer to the screen, The French Dispatch cast represents Bette Fellini's first project with Anderson. In fact, the new project represents her first full-length feature debut, having hitherto only appeared in short films. Away from the silver screen, she is probably best known for her TV roles as Rebecca Hoover in The Gifted and Blair Wesley in Teenage Bounty Hunters.
Anjelica Huston as The Narrator: The French Dispatch is the latest in a long series of collaborations between Huston and Anderson. The pair have worked together on no less than five separate films, including The French Dispatch. Beyond her work with Anderson, however, Huston has enjoyed a glittering career, with roles in This is Spinal Tap, The Addams Family, and Ever After among her credits.
Jarvis Cocker as the voice of Tip-Top: Despite being best known as a musician, Cocker appears on screen as the voice of the French pop singer Tip-Top in The French Dispatch cast. Although Cocker is most recognized as the frontman for British band Pulp, this is not his first movie appearance. Previously, he has also performed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as a brief appearance in Anderson's own Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Lois Smith as Upshur "Maw" Clampette: With an expansive career spanning eight decades, Lois Smith has featured in some of the most well-regarded movies in cinematic history. However, despite her experience, The French Dispatch, in which she plays an experienced art collector, is her first collaboration with Anderson. Smith's best-known roles include parts in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Fatal Attraction.
Henry Winkler as Uncle Joe: Another veteran of both big and small screens, Henry Winkler appears in The French Dispatch cast as both a familial relation to and business partner of Adrien Brody's Cadazio. Although Winkler is another Anderson debutant, he too has portrayed some of the most notorious characters in pop culture history. Audiences will most likely recognize him for his performance as The Fonz in the hit TV series Happy Days.
Saoirse Ronan as Principal Showgirl: Despite her relatively young age, Ronan has already worked with Anderson on more than one occasion. Her performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel won critical acclaim and has been followed up by a string of successful performances. Ronan's role in Anderson's latest project is restricted to being a member of the gang responsible for kidnapping the Commissaire's son.
Bob Balaban as Uncle Nick: Unlike Winkler, Balaban is a regular Wes Anderson collaborator, appearing in Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs. His other prominent onscreen credits include Midnight Cowboy and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In The French Dispatch cast, Balaban appears as Winkler's companion and Brody's other uncle, Uncle Nick.
Denis Menochet as a prison guard: Despite primarily appearing in French-language films, Menochet has appeared in several projects that will be incredibly familiar to American audiences. His most iconic turn is probably as the French farmer during the famously tense opening to Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. His part as a prison guard represents his first collaboration with Wes Anderson.
Lyna Khoudri as Juliette: Algerian performer Khoudri is another relative newcomer to the big screen. Although The French Dispatch, in which she plays Chalamet's student revolutionary girlfriend, is her first Wes Anderson project, she has previously appeared in the acclaimed French drama Gagarine. Khoudri also won a César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in the 2018 film Papicha.
Alex Lawther as Morisot: Much like Khoudri and Chalamet, Lawther is an Anderson debutant who already boasts an incredibly impressive CV. In addition to his role as a young Alan Turing in the 2014 thriller The Imitation Game, Lawther also played a lead role in the cult TV series The End of the F***ing World. In The French Dispatch cast, he plays one of several student revolutionaries.
Toheeb Jimoh as Cadet 1: After appearing in the 2020 BBC TV movie Anthony, The French Dispatch represents Jimoh's major big-screen debut. Appearing in the film as Cadet 1, Jimoh will probably be best known to audiences for his role in the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. His performance on the show has been recognized with an award at the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Rupert Friend as Drill-Sergeant: An English-born actor, director, and screenwriter, Rupert Friend has been a big screen regular for over a decade and a half. In addition to his role as the dictatorial Drill Sergeant in The French Dispatch cast, Friend has also appeared in The Boy In Striped Pyjamas and The Death of Stalin. He is also a prolific TV actor, starring in the hit espionage thriller Homeland.
Cécile de France as Mrs. B: Though The French Dispatch is her first Wes Anderson project, Cécile de France has appeared in several prominent films. While she is primarily known for French cinema, she has also appeared in films such as Around the World in 80 Days and Cars 2. Her best-known role is probably in the Alexandre Aja cult horror hit High Tension.
Guillaume Gallienne as Mr. B: Yet another Wes Anderson newcomer, Gallienne is both a prolific stage and screen actor, appearing in a string of successful plays over his career. He has won several awards, including two César awards for his autobiographical comedy Me, Myself and Mum in 2013. In The French Dispatch cast, he forms a double act with de France's Mrs. B.
Liev Schreiber as Talk Show Host: Another veteran stage and screen performer, Schreiber has previously worked with Anderson on his 2018 feature Isle of Dogs. Known for a variety of dramatic roles, Schreiber has featured in several of the 21st century's biggest hits. These include the likes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Spotlight and Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse. Schrieber is a talk show host in the final segment talking with Roebuck Wright.
Hippolyte Girardot as Chou-fleur: A prolific French actor, The French Dispatch cast represents Hippolyte Girardot's first collaboration with Wes Anderson. As an actor, he has appeared in dozens of stage and screen productions since the 70s and has also branched out into directing. He is also the father of Escobar: Paradise Lost actor Ana Girardot.