BoJack Horseman producer Lisa Hanawalt's new Netflix animated series Tuca & Bertie comes with an enviable voice cast. The celebrated illustrator's unique style featuring anthropomorphic animals helped to define one of Netflix’s first comedies as a must-watch series. While that show's visuals are all Hanawalt, BoJack Horseman is the work of Raphael Bob-Waksberg in terms of theme and tone, but rest assured, Tuca & Bertie is all Hanawalt. Tuca & Bertie was announced last year and is now available on the streaming service.
Tuca & Bertie follows two best friends (who also happen to be anthropomorphic birds) and former roommates who navigate their early 30s together while living in the same apartment building. While Tuca is care-free and shirks all responsibilities in life, Bertie is trying to be more responsible by moving in with her boyfriend Speckles and settling down on the career ladder. Where BoJack Horseman is a scathing satire of Hollywood emptiness, Tuca & Bertie is more concerned with the anxieties of female adulthood and the fight between growing up and having fun. Imagine if Broad City was about birds and you're halfway there.
Netflix have never skimped on filling their animated series with starry voice casts and the Tuca & Bertie voice cast is no exception. Here's a rundown of the Tuca & Bertie voice cast, including all the main characters, who voices them, and where viewers may recognize them from.
Tuca & Bertie’s Main Characters
Tiffany Haddish as Tuca: Tuca is the over-confident toucan who works various temp jobs and needs “constant positive reinfofo” from her best friend Bertie. She's loud and happy to invade anyone’s personal space, but she's also worried that her care-free approach to life is losing its appeal as she gets older. Tuca is voiced by Tiffany Haddish - the break-out star of 2017's Girls Trip and stand-up comedian who can currently be seen on TBS series The Last O.G.
Ali Wong as Bertie: Where Tuca is gregarious and goes after what she wants, song thrush Bertie is more anxious and smothered by her neuroses. She’s torn between the comfort of a simple adult life with her boyfriend and the promise of something more unpredictable as offered by Bertie. Netflix fans will recognize Bertie’s voice as comedian Ali Wong, whose stand-up special Baby Cobra was a break-out hit for the streaming service. She can soon be seen in Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe (which she also co-wrote) and DC's Birds of Prey, although her exact role is currently unknown.
Steven Yeun as Speckle: Bertie’s sweet, safe and somewhat boring boyfriend Speckles is an architect who she moves in with in the season premiere. When they quickly settle into a relationship routine, Bertie finds herself tempted to stray. The Walking Dead fans will recognize Speckle's voice immediately as Steven Yeun, who played Glenn on the AMC series. The actor was also recently in the award-winning Korean drama Burning, Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You, and an episode of CBS All Access' The Twilight Zone.
Tuca & Bertie’s Supporting Cast
Richard E. Grant as Holland: Bertie’s boss is the eloquent and very British head of publishing house Conde Nest. Fresh off his Oscar nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Grant remains a long-time film and television favorite thanks to iconic roles in works like Withnail and I. This December, he’ll be seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Jenifer Lewis as Tuca’s Aunt: One of the reasons Tuca is able to dismiss the necessities of adult life, like a job, is that she has a wealthy aunt who gives her money every month to do with as she pleases. Their relationship, however, remains fraught with drinking issues and passive-aggressive insults. These days, Jenifer Lewis is probably best recognized for her role as matriarch Ruby on ABC's Black-ish, but she's been a regular presence in film and television for over 30 years, with roles in titles like Sister Act, What's Love Got to Do With It, and The Princess and the Frog.
Tessa Thompson Sophie: When Tuca's sex bugs run wild in a supermarket, two ravens are called in to investigate and put Tuca on trial for her crimes. The younger member of the team, the hen-pecked Sophie, must deal with both the problem at hand and her boss/mother (Laverne Cox) berating her for her failed life choices. Marvel fans will already be familiar with the voice of Tessa Thompson from her role as Valkyrie, and her impressive resume includes Creed and its sequel, sci-fi drama Annihilation, and the bonkers satire Sorry to Bother You. Coming soon are the Disney+ remake of Lady & the Tramp, where Thompson will voice the eponymous Lady, and Men in Black: International, which reunites her with Thor: Ragnarok co-star Chris Hemsworth.
Reggie Watts as Pastry Pete: Tuca and Bertie run into the pretentious Pastry Pete in the first episode, but Bertie quickly warms to him when he is won over by her baking skills and offers her an apprenticeship. Comedian and musician Reggie Watts plays Pastry Pete, but you may best know him as the leader of the house band on The Late Late Show with James Corden or the first bandleader on Comedy Bang! Bang!
Jane Lynch as Coach Maple: While paying a spontaneous visit to the lake of her childhood, Bertie runs into her former neighbour and camp swim coach, Meredith, also known as Maple, and her wife (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). During this visit, Bertie confronts some hard truths about her adolescence. Jane Lynch is an American comedy favorite, probably still best known to many as Sue Sylvester in Glee and the Emmy winning host of Hollywood Game Night.
Nicole Byer as Various Voices: Comedian Nicole Byer makes frequent voice appearances throughout the first season, playing multiple side-characters verging from animals to inanimate objects, with one particular highlight coming from the first episode where she plays a birthday cake. Byer will be familiar to many Netflix fans as the host of the funniest cooking show on television, Nailed It!
Taraji P. Henson as Terry: Tuca avoids family problems for as long as she possibly can, holding out on her annual Molting Day (this bird universe’s version of Christmas) call to her big sister until the very last moment. In a fleeting cameo, Empire star Taraji P. Henson pops up as Terry. The Oscar nominated star of Hidden Figures most recently appeared in the comedy What Men Want and real-life drama The Best of Enemies.