DirectorWes Andersonis a unique director with some quirky ways of working. One of them is thathe likes to work with the same people over and over again, as if he was in a theater company. His next movie,Asteroid City, is the first time he’s working with Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie. With that in mind, we’ve thought of some other actors we want to see in a Wes Anderson film.
10Elle Fanning
The young actress already has somegreat performances under her belt, but it’s her role inThe Greatthat proves how she can do deadpan and adapt to unique voices and humor, making her a perfect actress for an Anderson project. She could play the ingénue as Saoirse Ronan played inHotel Budapest, or Timothée Chalamet played inThe French Dispatch,fittingright in to the ensemble nature of the director’s works.
9Keanu Reeves
After killing absolutely everyone in the lastJohn Wickmovie,Keanu Reevesdeserves some fun. The actor might look too much of the 21st Century for some of Anderson’s latest projects, but he could still be used in a bit part, or even better, in the next Anderson animated project. Reeves had a fun, joyous performance inToy Story 4as Duke Caboom,going all in on the voice role, that still had a lot of Reeves' attitude in it. He could do the same for Wes Anderson. Now that we think about it, he would’ve been a great Chief inIsle of Dogs.
8Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortegais one of the newest IT girls in Hollywood after the successes ofWednesdayandScream VI.Anderson could use her in a whole different registry, as a bright, optimistic, fun character full of wonder, showing a new side of the actress. As Fanning, she could also play the ingénue, although we believe Ortega has more bite and would also work as a fun, unique bad guy in the Anderson mold.
7Steven Yeun
Since he leftThe Walking Dead, it looks likeSteven Yeun’s mission is to work only with great unique filmmakers, likeJordan Peele on maybe his best film yet, Nope. The actor has a low-key charisma and quiet magnetism that would make him perfect for Anderson in the Jason Schwartzman kind of role. We can also see him becoming a bit player in every one of the director’s movies, like Adrien Brody or Willem Defoe. Whatever the role, it’s for sure that Yeun would fit right in with the troupe as he has both a sense of humor and looks like a modest, thoughtful guy in his interviews.
Related:Ranking the Casts of Every Wes Anderson Movie
6Adam Driver
In the last few years,Adam Driverhas worked with many great directors like Noah Baumbach, Francis Ford Coppola, andLeos Carax in the unique filmAnnette. The actor is always interested in collaborating with great directors, and Anderson is one of the few with whom he hasn’t done it yet. We believe the director could use the actors' goofiest side, one he hasn’t used in a while, and make him one of his imperfect, sad but happy, lonely, lead characters.
5Emma Stone
Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Léa Seydoux, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman have worked with Wes Anderson. It makes senseEmma Stoneshould be next. She’s proven she’s game to play anything in bothLa La LandandCruella, so a Wes Anderson picture should be in the cards for her. She can do comedy, she can do drama, and everything in between (including singing and dancing), so she could do any kind of role in one of the director’s projects. The actress’s charismatic presence and big eyes also make her the perfect actress to play someone from the past, as Anderson hasn’t written a movie in the present since 2007,The Darjeeling Limited.
4LaKeith Stanfield
LaKeith Stanfieldhas already done surreal, and unique in bothAtlantaandSorry to Bother You, so imagining him in a Wes Anderson movie doesn’t feel like a stretch. The actor has always marched to the rhythm of his own drum, and so does the director, so it would be interesting what kind of rhythm and metaphorical music they could do together.
Stanfield told The Guardian: “I definitely have quite the imagination,” Stanfield accepts. “And I’ve always been described as quirky or weird or strange. I obviously never saw myself that way.” He laughs, “I think everyone else is completely insane.” That kind of philosophy would work wonders with Anderson’s unique, quirky scripts and visuals.
3Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem’s Stoic performance and absurd haircut inNo Country for Old Menare enough to make us think he would work perfectly as a Wes Anderson character. His chameleonic performances would also allow Anderson to use him as many possible kinds of characters. Be it a bad guy, a big, dumb good person, or anything in between. Bardem’s accent and deep voice would also be an asset, as he could play all kinds of social classes and countries in the more intrinsic stories the director is writing lately.
2Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoebe Waller-Bridgeis a unique performer who knows how to sell every one of her jokes, while also showing an emotional, damaged side. She could do the same as an Anderson character, maybe she could be the next Tilda Swinton, always in a supporting, chaotic role. Although, a role as a Margot Tenenbaum-inspired character would also be a fun thing to see. Whatever the role, her unique sense of humor and way of emoting could be used by the director, even if as a contrast to a crazy lead role, a bit like Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) inLife Aquatic.The actress hasn’t done much work in front of the camera when she hasn’t been involved behind it, so this would be a unique experiment for both Anderson and Waller-Bridge.
Related:Shrinking Season 2: What We Want to See
1Harrison Ford
Harrison Fordis an icon in Hollywood. He’s been both Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but also Jack Ryan,The Fugitive, and the president. His role inShrinkinghas shown a new side of him, the one of a curmudgeon with a good heart. It’s a role Bill Murray has played many times for Anderson, and although we don’t want the duo to stop working together, we can’t stop thinking about how Ford would fit in. Maybe he could get an authoritative role, as Bruce Willis did inMoonrise Kingdom.One where the authority is not that important or big, but it’s still some kind of respected character.
About his enthusiasm for new things to experience,Shrinkingco-creatorBill Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter: “I always like to have a young staff writer or two on a show because I think it’s so important to have people that still come to work and go, ‘Wow, a TV show!’ Otherwise, you get very cynical and jaded. I did not expect that voice on set to be 80-year-old Harrison Ford. After the first table read, which was something he’d never done before, he was bouncing around, like, ‘How fun was that?’“ That kind of spirit and wonder is what he could bring to the Anderson group of actors and friends.
