Long Shot Cast & Character Guide – Armessa Movie News

Summary

• Long Shot is a delightful romantic comedy-drama with a talented ensemble cast that includes Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron.
• One of the highlights of the film is the chemistry between Rogen and Theron, but the diverse supporting cast, including Andy Serkis and Bob Odenkirk, also shines.
• The film showcases the comedic charm of Rogen, the versatility of Theron, and the talent of O’Shea Jackson Jr., with cameos from Boyz II Men and Lil Yachty.

Long Shot is a delightful comedy with a cast that includes genre stalwarts like Seth Rogen and critically acclaimed superstars like Charlize Theron. Set to the backdrop of an American presidential campaign, the romantic comedy-drama finds Rogen playing a journalist who crosses paths with his former babysitter — only now the babysitter is the U.S. Secretary of State and aiming for a shot at the White House. Sparks fly as the unlikely duo starts working together, with director Jonathan Levine crafting a fun romance and a satirical take on contemporary American politics.

One of the highlights of Long Shot is the chemistry between Rogen and Theron. While Levine previously collaborated with Rogen on 50/50 and The Night Before, the filmmaker joined forces with many other actors for the first time. The diverse ensemble of Long Shot featured Andy Serkis in yet another prosthetic-heavy performance, Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk showing off his comedic chops, and rising stars like Straight Outta Compton’s O’Shea Jackson Jr. If all of this weren’t enough, even Friends star Lisa Kudrow and a variety of musicians joined the supporting cast of the 2019 rom-com.

Seth Rogen As Fred Flarsky

Canadian actor, screenwriter, and director Seth Rogen leads the Long Shot cast as unemployed print journalist Fred Flarsky. Later, he unexpectedly becomes a presidential hopeful’s speechwriter and falls in love with her. This isn’t Rogen’s first romantic comedy, as is evident from his turn as slacker Ben Stone in Knocked Up and aspiring cookbook author Lou in Take This Waltz. Seth Rogen’s best movies include comedies like Pineapple Express, in which he played the lethargic process server Dale Denton, and This Is The End, which found him playing a fictionalized version of himself. He has also dabbled in the adult animation (Sausage Party) and superhero (The Green Hornet) genres.

Charlize Theron As Charlotte Field

A responsible and self-confident U.S. Secretary of State, Charlotte Field wishes to become the next American president. However, her interactions with her bumbling speechwriter make her understand how she can occasionally let go of her uptight personality. Charlize Theron exhibits comedic charm while playing a relatively light character for a change. Otherwise, Theron has recently built her brand as an action heroine, portraying the rebellious warrior Furiousa in Mad Max: Fury Road, MI 6 spy Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde, and the villainous hacker Cipher in the Fast & Furious movies. Her dramatic prowess is also evident from her Oscar-winning performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.

O’Shea Jackson Jr. As Lance

Fred’s best friend Lance is a successful businessman whose political and religious beliefs form some of Long Shot’s funniest and most introspective scenes. The character is played by O’Shea Jackson Jr., who first broke out with the hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton, during which he played his own rapper father, Ice Cube. Since then, Jackson has played Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Barnes in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, wrongly convicted activist Anthony Ray Hinton in Just Mercy, drug-dealing fixer Daveed in Cocaine Bear, and ex-Marine/bartender Donnie Wilson in Den of Thieves. On TV, he had a supporting role in Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Hidden Path member Kawlan Roken.

Andy Serkis As Parker Wembley

Parker Wembley is an international media giant who seeks to misuse his economic power for political gains. While the Long Shot character is initially unrecognizable, Mr. Wembley is just Andy Serkis with prosthetics. Mostly known for his motion-capture performances, Serkis is used to layers of makeup and special effects. He has dominated pop culture as the One Ring-seeking creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies and the rebellious ape Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. His live-action roles include the Imperial inmate-turned-mutineer Kino Loy in Andor, Nikola Tesla’s assistant Alley in The Prestige, and the villain Ulysses Klaue in the MCU.

June Diane Raphael As Maggie Millikin

A chief of staff under Secretary Field, Maggie Millikin is initially skeptical of her boss’ decision to hire Fred as a speechwriter. But as the movie progresses, the loyal staffer reveals a softer side of her personality. June Diane Raphael joins the Long Shot cast as Maggie. The actress gained fame with TV roles like dating show contestant Julie in the parody series Burning Love and cosmetics company CEO Brianna Hanson in the Netflix comedy Grace & Frankie. As for movies, Raphael has had supporting roles in comedies like Year One and Unfinished Business. She also wrote and starred in Ass Backwards as entrepreneur and beauty pageant aspirant Kate Fenner.

Bob Odenkirk As President Chambers

Long Shot is one of the best movies about U.S. presidents, and its focus isn’t just on Theron’s character. There’s also a hilarious incumbent head of state played by Bob Odenkirk. Once a TV star, President Chambers seems to grow disillusioned with his political office, and he plans on venturing into movies instead. Odenkirk is truly a TV star in his own right given his acclaimed turn as a charismatic lawyer in Saul Goodman and Breaking Bad and its spinoff Better Call Saul. He has also had an interesting turn as an action hero, playing the retired assassin Hutch Mansell in Nobody.

Alexander Skarsgård As James Steward

The Long Shot cast also includes Alexander Skarsgård with the Swedish actor playing the Canadian Prime Minister James Steward. The charming PM seems to have a brief romance with Charlotte, much to Fred’s dismay. Long Shot might be an exception, but Skarsgård typically sticks to playing intense characters like the 2003 Iraq War veteran Brad Colbert in Generation Kill and abusive husband Perry Wright in Pretty Little Lies. Skarsgård has handled physically demanding roles, such as the titular jungle hero in The Legend of Tarzan and vengeance-seeking Viking Amlet in The Northman. Succession fans will also remember him as the ever-sarcastic tech billionaire Lukas Mattsson.

Long Shot Supporting Cast & Characters

Ravi Patel as Tom: One of Secretary Field’s staffers, Tom, is played by character actor Ravi Patel. He’s primarily known for starring in and directing the autobiographical documentary Meet the Patels. He also played a fictionalized version of himself in Master of None.

Randall Park as Flarsky’s boss: Randall Park stars as the editor at Fred’s newspaper, having previously collaborated with Rogen in The Interview, where he played a satirical version of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Park’s other prominent roles include the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe.

Lisa Kudrow as Katherine: The head of Secretary Field’s polling team is played by Lisa Kudrow who is best-known for portraying the eccentric hipster Phoebe in Friends. Apart from the iconic sitcom, Kudrow has appeared in the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback and the Netflix comedy-drama Feel Good.

Boyz II Men as themselves: Known for their chart-topping ballads of love in the 1990s, the R&B group Boyz II Men continue appearing as themselves in numerous movies. Apart from a hilarious cameo in Long Shot, they also had roles in the sitcoms The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and How I Met Your Mother.

Lil Yachty as himself: Rapper Lil Yachty joins Boyz II Men as the other musical cameo in the Long Shot cast. The Grammy nominee also voiced Green Lantern in Teen Titans Go! To The Movies and had a recurring role in Grown-ish.