Hail, Caesar! is taking on old Hollywood in the most Hollywood way possible: with a movie. The film, co-written and directed by the Coen brothers, is probably the single most Hollywood movie you could ever think of. The film is a fictionalized story based on the life of a real 1950s Hollywood fixer, Eddie Mannix, who covered up countless scandals for MGM in the golden age of Hollywood. In Hail, Caesar! Mannix must track down studio star, Baird Whitlock, after he is kidnapped by a mysterious group called 'The Future' who want money in exchange for the actor's safe return. To keep it from the press, Mannix goes to his stars, who, of course, also have their own secret lives that need protecting from the press. But, Hail, Caesar! isn't just a movie about Hollywood, it's also a product of it, which means that it is full of elite Hollywood actors. Just in case you get overwhelmed, here's everyone you need to know in the Hail, Caesar! cast to help you keep things straight.
For Hail, Caesar! the Coen brothers recruited a pretty top notch Hollywood cast, with a few fresh faces added in. Coen regulars, George Clooney and Frances McDormand star in the film, alongside other Coen brothers collaborators Josh Brolin and Tilda Swinton. Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson and Jonah Hill also star, with relative newbie Alden Ehrenreich rounding out the main cast. In the event that none of those names sounded familiar to you, here's a who's who.
Josh Brolin as Eddie Mannix
Brolin plays Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood studio head who spends his time keeping star scandals out of the press.
George Clooney as Baird Whitlock
Who better to play Hollywood's biggest movie star, Baird Whitlock, than George Clooney?
Channing Tatum as Burt Gurney
Channing Tatum makes his Coen brothers debut as Burt Gurney, a young performer.
Scarlett Johansson as DeeAnna Moran
Scarlett Johansson plays DeeAnna Moran, a studio starlet in the film who requires Mannix's help when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant.
Ralph Fiennes as Laurence Lorenz
Ralph Fiennes stars as Laurence Lorenz, one of the studio's big directors.
Tilda Swinton as Thora & Thessaly Thacker
According to IMDB, Tilda Swinton plays Hedda Hopper, a gossip columnist who pokes around the studio. Hopper was actually an American actress-turned-gossip columnist. In the 1940s and '50s, she ruthlessly went after Hollywood players believed to be communist or gay, and, coincidentally, was recently played by Helen Mirren in Trumbo . However, according to her character poster, Swinton is actually playing twins, Thora and Thessaly Thacker, and rumor has it that they are based on Hopper.
Jonah Hill as Joseph Silverman
Jonah Hill will get to flirt with Johansson as frazzled accountant Joseph Silverman.
Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie
Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine) plays Hobie, a cute cowboy actor who struggles to master a British accent.
Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand plays a film editor who works with Mannix, though her character name is not listed on IMDB.
The Future
A handful of recognizable actors also star as members of "The Future," including Patrick Fischer (Once Upon a Time, Lost), David Krumholtz (10 Things I Hate About You) and Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit, The Grand Budapest Hotel).
The question isn't who is in Hail, Caesar!; it's who isn't?
Images: Universal Pictures (11)
