The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar makes its debut on Netflix today, the first in a quartet of shorts based on Roald Dahl’s works and directed by Wes Anderson. This is Anderson’s second Dahl adaptation after Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the film has already seen massive praise from critics with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes upon release. On top of that, it also features a star studded cast with plenty of regular Anderson contributors, along with a few fresh faces.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Given the man’s caliber as an actor, you’d think he’d have worked with Wes Anderson before, however this is his first film with the acclaimed director, and as the lead, no less. Cumberbatch plays Henry Sugar, a wealthy aristocrat who learns from a book how to see without using his eyes, then proceeds to use said power to win at gambling. Like the rest of the cast, Cumberbatch plays two characters, with the second being Max Engelman.
Cumberbatch has had two Academy Award-nominated performances so far, with those being for his role as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and, more recently, the Netflix original, The Power of the Dog. Of course his most well known role is probably Doctor Strange from the MCU, although he’s had plenty of memorable roles, ranging from Sherlock in the BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels to Smaug from The Hobbit films.
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes and Wes Anderson have worked together before, so it’s exciting to see them reunite in 2023. Fiennes last appearance in an Anderson film was The Grand Budapest Hotel, in which he played M. Gustave. The actor plays Roald Dahl himself, as well as The Policeman.
Much like Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes has had a pretty noteworthy career playing real life figures, such as Amon Göth in Schindler’s List, and Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman. His most iconic roles include Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise, and László Almásy in The English Patient. His more recent roles include M in the James Bond franchise, and the sadistic Chef Slowik in The Menu.
Dev Patel
Dev Patel plays Dr. Chatterjee, the man who wrote the book Henry Sugar finds; he also plays John Winston. Patel rose to fame on the British television show Skins, and went on to star in the Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire. His other roles include The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Chappie, and A24 film The Green Knight. Recently he’s moved from being in front of the camera to behind it as his directorial debut titled Monkey Man is set to release on Netflix, although we’re still not sure exactly when that’s supposed to be happening.
Ben Kinglsey
Whilst the cast is already brimming with talent, Ben Kingsley is arguably one of the most overqualified. Kingsley won an Oscar for Best Actor in the 1982 Gandhi biopic, and has starred in countless fantastic roles since. He plays Imdad Khan, and Croupier.
Sir Ben has also dipped his toes into the superhero genre, making an appearance in the MCU as the fake Mandarin, Trevor Slattery, in Iron Man 3. He also returned to play the character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, and is set to return again for the upcoming Wonder Man series on Disney Plus. Beyond that, he’s already starred alongside Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List, worked with Martin Scorsese on Shutter Island and Hugo, as well as starred in the best worst movie of all time: the live-action Thunderbirds film.
Richard Ayoade
Ayoade plays Dr. Marshall and the Yogi, and his biggest appearances have often been in voice roles for characters such as Mr. Pickles in The Boxtrolls, or Zero in The Mandalorian. However, in the U.K. he’s considered a national treasure, with one of his most beloved roles being Maurice Moss in sitcom The IT Crowd. Recently he’s leant his voice to bigger Hollywood productions such as Disney Pixar’s Soul. He’s also appeared on screen in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, which also starred Benedict Cumberbatch.
Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend collaborated with Wes Anderson on his most recent film, Asteroid City, although I’m going to be honest, there were so many big names in that film that I kind of forgot he was in it. He played Montana, the smooth-talking cowboy who had a thing with Maya Hawke’s character. Anyways, he plays Claud in Anderson’s latest project.
Aside from that, Friend has appeared in well known titles such as Pride and Prejudice, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, The Death of Stalin, and Hitman: Agent 47, (although he probably wants us all to forget about that.) Like most on this list he’s also been sucked into the Disney media empire, appearing in the Star Wars universe as the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
