The Red cast contains both legendary action heroes satirizing their own on-screen image, like Bruce Willis, and traditional dramatic actors letting loose in an action hero role, like Helen Mirren. Based on the Homage Comics limited series of the same name, Red revolves around a retired CIA agent who reassembles his old team to exact revenge when a black-ops assassin is sent to kill him. With its juxtaposition of mundane problems like pension payments and action movie tropes like death squads, Red is an action comedy that delivers both action and comedy in spades.
Red was a big commercial hit when it arrived in theaters in 2010, grossing just under $200 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), and it received mostly positive reviews from critics. A sequel, Red 2, was released to similar box office success and a warm response from fans in 2013. Red 2 brought back a lot of the iconic actors from the original film, as well as newcomers like Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Red cast features seasoned screen legends like Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, as well as younger stars like Karl Urban and Mary-Louise Parker, playing the film’s zany characters.
Bruce Willis As Frank Moses
Ex-CIA black ops agent Frank Moses, forced into retirement and dubbed “R.E.D.” ("retired and extremely dangerous"), is played by Willis. Willis is best known for playing snarky New York cop John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, which earned him a reputation as an action hero. This led to roles like Joe Hallenbeck in The Last Boy Scout and Mr. Church in The Expendables franchise. Willis first gained recognition with the role of wisecracking detective David Addison, Jr. in the TV series Moonlighting. His other well-known film roles include Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction, Harry S. Stamper in Armageddon, and Malcolm Crowe in The Sixth Sense.
Morgan Freeman As Joe Matheson
Freeman appears in the Red cast as Frank’s former mentor from the CIA, Joe Matheson, who lives in a Louisiana retirement community. Freeman’s most iconic movie roles include Hoke Colburn in Driving Miss Daisy, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption, Detective Lieutenant William Somerset in Se7en, and the quotable Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight trilogy. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris in Million Dollar Baby. Freeman has also received the Kennedy Center Honor, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Mary-Louise Parker As Sarah Ross
Frank’s love interest, call center employee Sarah Ross, is played by Parker. Parker is best known for playing the lead role of Nancy Botwin in the TV dramedy series Weeds, for which she received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also played the recurring role of Amy Gardner in The West Wing, which earned her another Emmy nod, and Harper Pitt in the HBO miniseries Angels in America, which won her the Emmy. Parker’s other film roles include Ruth Jamison in Fried Green Tomatoes and Molly Graham in Red Dragon.
Helen Mirren As Victoria Winslow
Mirren appears in the Red cast as retired MI6 assassin Victoria Winslow, who now works as a B&B proprietor and part-time contract killer. Mirren is the only performer to have received the Triple Crown of Acting in both the U.S. and the UK. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen. Mirren got her breakthrough role as Victoria in the classic crime film The Long Good Friday, and went on to play Mrs. Wilson in Gosford Park, Magdalene "Queenie" Shaw in the Fast & Furious franchise, and Georgina Spica, “The Wife,” in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
John Malkovich As Marvin Boggs
Marvin Boggs, a retired CIA agent who was given LSD on a daily basis by the agency, is played by Malkovich. Malkovich has played both dramatic roles, like Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men and Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons, and comedic roles, like Pascal Sauvage in Johnny English, Osborne Cox in Burn After Reading, and a satirical version of himself in Being John Malkovich. Malkovich has also appeared in blockbusters with roles like Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom in Con Air and Bruce Brazos in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and played the supporting role of Dr. Adrian Mallory in the Netflix sitcom Space Force.
Karl Urban As William Cooper
Karl Urban plays the CIA black-ops agent sent to kill Frank, William Cooper. Urban is best known for playing Éomer in the second and third Lord of the Rings movies, Siberius Vaako in the second and third Riddick movies, and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. He also played Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy and John “Reaper” Grimm in the movie adaptation of Doom. Urban has played iconic comic book roles like Judge Dredd in Dredd, Skurge in the Marvel blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok, and Billy Butcher in Prime Video’s satirical superhero series The Boys.
Red Supporting Cast & Characters
Rebecca Pidgeon as Cynthia Wilkes: Cooper’s supervisor at the CIA, Cynthia Wilkes, is played by Rebecca Pidgeon. Pidgeon has played Lydia in Bird Box and Sarah in The Divergent Series: Allegiant, and is also known as a singer-songwriter who has released albums like Behind the Velvet Curtain.
Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov: Retired FSB agent Ivan Simanov, who works for the Russian embassy and loves Victoria, is played by Brian Cox. Cox is renowned for his portrayal of rich media magnate Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession, and also played General William Stryker in X-Men 2 and Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in Manhunter.
Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning: Richard Dreyfuss appears in the Red cast as arms trafficker Alexander Dunning. Dreyfuss is best known as Matt Hooper from Jaws, Roy Neary from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and grown-up Gordie Lachance from Stand By Me. He also won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Elliot Garfield in The Goodbye Girl.
Julian McMahon as Vice President Robert Stanton: Vice President Robert Stanton, who wants to cover up his war crimes before running for president, is played by Julian McMahon. McMahon is known for playing Cole Turner in Charmed, Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck, Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four movies, and Jess LaCroix in FBI: Most Wanted.
Ernest Borgnine as Henry: Ernest Borgnine plays the CIA’s records keeper, Henry. Borgnine also played “Dutch” Engstrom in The Wild Bunch and Staff Sergeant “Fatso” Judson in From Here to Eternity, and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing the title character in Marty. Borgnine is also known for his TV roles as Dominic Santini in Airwolf and the voice of Mermaid Man, a memorable side character from SpongeBob SquarePants. Borgnine passed away in 2012.
James Remar as Gabriel Singer: James Remar appears in the Red cast as retired Marine helicopter pilot Gabriel Singer. Remar is known for his film roles as Ajax in The Warriors, Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs., and Jack Duff in the Miracle on 34th Street remake, and his TV roles as Richard Wright in Sex and the City, Harry Morgan in Dexter, and Frank Gordon in Gotham.