In one of the most memorable roles of his career, Kevin James led Zookeeper’s cast as its eponymous character. The 2011 fantasy comedy has rightly been classified as a blend of Dr. Dolittle, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Night at the Museum. Although critics thought otherwise, Zookeeper was relatively successful at the Box Office.
In Zookeeper, the protagonist, Griffin Keyes, excels at his job as a Zookeeper but is dumped by his girlfriend after he proposes. Five years later, after they meet again, the talking animals in the zoo break their code of silence and decide to help him win her back. The Frank Coraci-directed comedy had a star-studded, hilarious live-action and voice cast. These were Zookeeper’s top cast.
Kevin James as Griffin Keyes
As the star of the movie, Kevin James played the protagonist, Griffin Keyes. Griffin was the kind-hearted zookeeper who the animals in the zoo grew to love and appreciate. However, when he decides to leave his job at the zoo in order to find a more traditional career to win back his ex-girlfriend, the zoo animals break their code of silence to help him try to find love. Although he chose to leave his job as a zookeeper, it didn’t take long before he realized the zoo was where his heart was and always was. Kevin James brought his signature humor and charm to the role, making Griffin Keyes a lovable and relatable character.
Rosario Dawson as Kate
Rosario Dawson joined the Zookeeper cast in a supporting role as Kate. Her character was the veterinarian at the zoo. Kate had always admired Griffin Keyes’ love and dedication to the zoo’s animals. Besides being colleagues, Kate was a close friend. She offered to be Griffin’s date to make his ex jealous. Kate later became Griffin’s love interest after he realized his ex-girlfriend only loved him conditionally.
Leslie Bibb as Stephanie
Actress and model Leslie Bibb played Kevin James’ love interest Stephanie in Zookeeper. At the beginning of the movie, Stephanie turns down Griffin’s marriage proposal because he works as a zookeeper. After they meet again in the future, it seems she’s still attracted to Griffin. To win her back, Griffin decides to quit his job. Also, since she broke up with him, Stephanie dated a more successful, athletic Gale. Although she finally agrees to marry Griffin and proposes to him, he dumps her after realizing her expectations of him aren’t truly his interests.
Joe Rogan as Gale
Podcaster, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host Joe Rogan also joined the Zookeeper cast. He played Gale, Stephanie’s successful ex-boyfriend and Griffin Keyes’ rival. Interestingly, this was Joe Rogan’s second and last acting role in a feature film, besides roles where he appears as himself. Rogan left a memorable performance in Zookeeper with his dance scene.
Donnie Wahlberg as Shane
Singer-songwriter, actor, and producer Donnie Wahlberg was also part of Zookeeper’s cast, starring as Shane. The character was another zookeeper at the zoo who had been secretly abusing Bernie, the Western lowland gorilla. Shane was one of the secondary antagonists in the movie. Although Griffin confronts Shane about his attacks on Bernie, Shane continues after Griffin quits his position at the zoo. The 2011 Zookeeper has been Donnie Wahlberg’s last movie project.
Ken Jeong as Venom
Although cast in a minor supporting role, actor and stand-up comedian Ken Jeong also starred in Zookeeper. Jeong played Venom, a worker at the zoo, working at the reptile house. Ken Jeong was already a well-known actor at the time, having played Leslie Chow in the widely successful 2009 The Hangover movie.
The cast also included Kevin James’ real-life wife, Steffiana de la Cruz, who played Robin Keyes. The character was Kevin James’ character’s brother’s wife. Nat Faxon played Dave Kayes, Griffin Keyes’ brother. Although the character was voiced by another actor, Tom Woodruff, Jr. was the in-suit performer for the Western lowland gorilla. Famous animal actress Crystal the Monkey also starred in the film as Donald.
Voice Actors & Their Animals
Since the premise of Zookeeper was about talking zoo animals, several popular actors joined the cast in voiceover roles. Three-time Academy Award-nominated actor Nick Nolte voiced Bernie, the Western lowland gorilla. Adam Sandler voiced the tufted capuchin named Donald. Sylvester Stallone joined the cast as Joe, the African Lion. Judd Apatow and Grammy Award-winning singer-actress Cher voiced the Indian elephant (Barry) and the Lioness (Janet), respectively.
Also, Jon Favreau and Maya Rudolph joined the Zookeeper’s cast voicing the brown bear (Jerome) and the reticulated giraffe (Mollie), respectively. Actor and comedian Faizon Love voiced Jerome’s older brother, Bruce, the Kodiak bear. Besides the 2011 Zookeeper cast, the 2010 Grown-Ups was also one of the early 2010s movies with a hilarious cast.
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