For true movie audiences and fans of the filmmaker, it’s easy to spot a Wes Anderson film from a mile away. Known for his preferred visual styles, themes and stories, and his love for incorporating the 60s and 70s pop music as soundtracks in his films, Anderson has often earned respect from his actors. As such, Anderson has collaborated with several actors in many of his films.
Critics often regard Wes Anderson as a modern-day auteur because of his unique approach to filmmaking. Over the years, Anderson has collaborated with about 14 actors, each starring in at least three of his films. Interestingly, Wes Anderson has only directed 11 feature films. Besides the actors who made the list, Anderson has collaborated three times with notable actors like Luke Wilson, Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, and Harvey Keitel. Here are Wes Anderson’s top actor collaborations.
Jeff Goldblum – 4 Films
Actor and musician Jeff Goldblum is known for his roles in Jurassic Park (1993), Independence Day (1996), and for playing Grandmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films and series. However, Jeff Goldblum first worked with Wes Anderson in Anderson’s 2004 adventure comedy-drama The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Goldblum is cast as Steve Zissou’s (Bill Murray) nemesis and oceanographer, Alistair Hennessey. Jeff Goldblum did not appear in another Wes Anderson film until a decade later in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Goldblum was part of the voice cast of Anderson’s next film, Isle of Dogs (2018), and played the alien in the comedy-drama Asteroid City (2023).
Bob Balaban – 5 Films
Actor, comedian, and filmmaker Bob Balaban also frequently collaborates with Wes Anderson. Balaban has starred in five of Anderson’s feature films. Their first collaboration was in the 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama Moonrise Kingdom. Bob Balaban was the film’s narrator. Balaban appeared in a minor role as M. Martin in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). His next three Wes Anderson projects are Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).
Tilda Swinton – 5 Films
British actress Tilda Swinton is also a frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) was also her first time working with Anderson. Swinton made her introduction, playing the role of Social Services. Since her role in Moonrise Kingdom, Swinton has starred in every other Wes Anderson feature film. She appeared in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).
Edward Norton – 5 Films
Like Tilda Swinton, American actor Edward Norton first appeared in a Wes Anderson film in 2012, in the coming-of-age comedy-drama Moonrise Kingdom. Besides Anderson’s frequent collaborators, Moonrise Kingdom also cast legendary actor Bruce Willis. Much like Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton appeared in all of Anderson’s films since Moonrise Kingdom (2012). These include The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).
Adrien Brody – 5 Films
Academy Awards winner Adrien Brody is also a frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson. The actor and filmmaker first worked together in Anderson’s comedy-drama The Darjeeling Limited (2007). Brody plays one of three brothers, Peter Whitman. Brody collaborates with Anderson in his next film, the stop-motion animated comedy Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Adrien Brody returned to a Wes Anderson film in 2014, starring as Madame D.’s son, Dmitri Desgoffe und Taxis in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). They collaborated again in The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023).
Willem Dafoe – 5 Films
Willem Dafoe joins the list of Wes Anderson’s frequent collaborators, having starred in five of the filmmaker’s films. The Academy Award-nominated actor first worked with Wes Anderson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). Dafoe played the German first mate, one of the crew members on Belafonte, oceanographer Steve Zissou’s old research vessel. Willem Dafoe next starred in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), voicing the Rat. Their other collaborations include The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).
Anjelica Huston – 5 Films
Actress Anjelica Huston began working with Wes Anderson in the early 2000s and built a solid partnership since then. Huston first appeared in a Wes Anderson-directed feature film in the 2001 comedy-drama The Royal Tenenbaums. She was part of the movie’s ensemble cast, playing the wife of Royal Tenenbaums (Gene Hackman), Etheline Tenenbaum. Other notable ensemble cast members included Danny Glover, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. Anjelica Huston’s next collaborations with Wes Anderson are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Isle of Dogs (2018), and The French Dispatch (2021).
Owen Wilson – 7 Films
Actor Owen Wilson was Wes Anderson’s earliest collaborator, having begun working with the filmmaker in his directorial debut. Owen Wilson co-wrote the screenplay with Anderson and played the lead role of Dignan in the crime comedy Bottle Rocket (1996). Although Wilson did not star in Anderson’s next feature film, he appeared in all four of Anderson’s 2000s films. These include The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). In 2014, returned in a supporting role as a Society of the Crossed Keys concierge, M. Chuck, in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). As of 2023, Owen Wilson’s last collaboration with Wes Anderson was the 2021 anthology comedy-drama The French Dispatch.
Jason Schwartzman – 8 Films
Jason Schwartzman is one of the top Wes Anderson collaborators. Of all Wes Anderson’s 11 feature films, Schwartzman has appeared in 8. Their earliest collaboration was in 1998 in the comedy film, Rushmore (1998). Jason Schwartzman was cast in the lead role as Max Fischer alongside Bill Murray’s character, Herman Blume. Although Schwartzman didn’t appear in Anderson’s next two films, he returned in 2007, starring in The Darjeeling Limited. He played Jack, one of three brothers, alongside Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody. Since then, Jason Schwartzman has starred in all of Wes Anderson’s films.
Bill Murray – 9 Films
On the top spot for most collaborations with Wes Anderson is the Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning actor Bill Murray. Although Murray wasn’t a part of Anderson’s feature film directorial debut, he became a recurring face in Anderson’s films after starring in his sophomore-directed feature film, Rushmore (1998). The only Wes Anderson film Bill Murray didn’t star in was the 2023 comedy-drama Asteroid City. However, Anderson had initially cast him to play the motel manager, a role later played by Steve Carell. Murray dropped out after having tested positive for COVID-19. When he returned, there weren’t any available roles. As his most frequent collaborator, Wes Anderson cast Murray as Jock Larking, a character that only appears in the Asteroid City‘s promotional short film.
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