Wes Anderson loves an ensemble. The celebrated auteur’s films are as full of great actors as they are of delicately framed set pieces and pastel wallpaper. His four new shorts, based on a series of beloved Roald Dahl stories, are no exception. “I like the idea, right off the bat, of having a little company play the whole film,” Anderson told Netflix earlier this year. And so he did; the four works that comprise his Dahl collection each star different combinations of the same seven actors. “They took it and did it,” Anderson said. “You hand it to them, and then you step back and watch.”
Below, you’ll find a guide to Anderson’s little company, appearing in four short films: You can see each one on Netflix starting with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Sept. 27, followed by The Swan on Sept. 28, The Rat Catcher on Sept. 29, and Poison on Sept. 30.
Ralph Fiennes, who previously collaborated with Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel, appears as Roald Dahl himself in a framing device that carries across the four short films. In Henry Sugar, he also makes a brief appearance as a policeman.
“I have a little history with Ralph Fiennes, and having Ralph play Dahl: that was something that made me kind of want to do it,” Anderson said.
Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The English Patient, Quiz Show, The Menu, Skyfall, In Bruges
Henry Sugar is the protagonist of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, a wealthy layabout who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes. He then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
“Benedict Cumberbatch was a key figure, and someone I had been wanting to work with,” Anderson recalled. Cumberbatch plays Sugar and also Max Engelman, a renowned makeup artist.
Sherlock, Atonement, War Horse, Doctor Strange, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 1917, 12 Years a Slave
Dev Patel takes on the dual roles of Dr. Chatterjee, who discovers the story of the all-seeing guru, and John Winston, the financial manager who assists Henry Sugar.
“Dev, I also love, and have tried to work with once before,” Anderson told Netflix. “This time he said, ‘Yes.’ ”
The Green Knight, Lion, Slumdog Millionaire, Hotel Mumbai, The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Newsroom
The Oscar winner plays Imdad Khan, a circus performer who learned from the guru how to see without using his eyes, and a casino croupier.
Anderson was thrilled to work with Kingsley. “Ben Kingsley is crucial,” he said. “We loved him. It’s nice to have somebody new and legendary at once.”
Gandhi, Sexy Beast, Iron Man 3, Schindler’s List, Hugo, Knight of Cups, The Walk, Lucky Number Slevin, Sneakers
The star of The Mighty Boosh plays Dr. Marshall, another of the doctors who learns of the guru from Imdad Khan. He also plays the guru himself.
“I hadn’t worked with Richard Ayoade, but have known him for years and years,” Anderson said. Henry Sugar is their first collaboration — but, as you’ll see, not their last.
The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Early Man, The Souvenir, The Watch, Paddington 2, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Rupert Friend, who previously appeared in Anderson’s films The French Dispatch and Asteroid City, takes on his first lead role for the filmmaker in The Swan. He plays the narrator of the story, walking the audience through it both physically and verbally.
“Rupert I have worked with, of course,” Anderson noted. “He is dazzling in The Swan.”
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Newcomer Jennings plays the bullied youngster at the center of The Swan. He previously voiced a piglet in the two Sing films.
Ayoade narrates The Rat Catcher as a befuddled town reporter confronted by the titular rat catcher.
Fiennes takes on his second major role of the short film collection as the Rat Man, an enigmatic figure who seems to have taken on some of the characteristics of the animals he hunts.
Friend plays Claud, an employee at the town petrol station.
Patel returns to play Woods, a man who visits his friend Harry one night only to find him frozen in a prone position, claiming a deadly snake has crawled into his cot.
Cumberbatch plays Harry Pope, who spends the short film lying completely still out of fear that the snake will bite and kill him.
Kingsley takes on his third role in the series of short films as Dr. Ganderbai, the doctor urgently called by Woods to help Harry escape the snake.
