# Films with Post Facto ensemble casts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606 "2010-08-18T07:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/21 "2010-08-18T13:55:17Z")
The cast list of Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) is practically a list of actors who made it big in the mid-to-late 80’s. Sean Penn … Jeff Spicoli Jennifer Jason Leigh … Stacy Hamilton Judge Reinhold … Brad Hamilton Robert Romanus … Mike Damone Phoebe Cates … Linda Barrett Ray Walston … Mr. Hand Scott Thomson … Arnold Vincent Schiavelli … Mr. Vargas Amanda Wyss … Lisa D.W. Brown … Ron Johnson Forest Whitaker … Charles Jefferson Blair Tefkin … Pat Bernardo (as Blair Ashleigh) Eric Stoltz … Stoner Bud James Russo … Robber Nicolas Cage … Brad’s Bud (as Nicolas Coppola) Anthony Edwards … Stoner Bud ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/22 "2010-08-18T16:38:43Z")
An “ensemble cast” is one in which each member contributes more or less equally to the success of the performance, as opposed to a movie in which one or two stars dominate the scenes. If it wasn’t an ensemble when the movie was made, it can’t _become_ an ensemble later. The fact that the members later became famous doesn’t have anything to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/23 "2010-08-18T16:57:25Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Can’t Hardly Wait had a lot of people that were early in their careers and a few people that were already well known. > > Jerry O’Connell He was left off of the _Stand By Me_ list also. **Ascenray** is right but the lists have begun; what can I do? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/24 "2010-08-18T17:05:01Z")
[_ **Red Dawn** _](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/) had Patrick Swayze Charlie Sheen Lea Thompson Jennifer Grey ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/25 "2010-08-18T17:17:41Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > [Jerry O’Connell] was left off of the _Stand By Me_ list also. No he wasn’t - he’s the second person on the list. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The kids in \*Stand By Me \* : > > - River Phoenix > - Quinn Malory from _Sliders_ > - Wesley Crusher from _Star Trek TNG_ ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/26 "2010-08-18T17:19:10Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > An “ensemble cast” is one in which each member contributes more or less equally to the success of the performance, as opposed to a movie in which one or two stars dominate the scenes. If it wasn’t an ensemble when the movie was made, it can’t _become_ an ensemble later. The fact that the members later became famous doesn’t have anything to do with it. All right. Post facto “all star” cast then. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/27 "2010-08-18T17:20:01Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/28 "2010-08-18T17:21:53Z")
Not sure if Flatliners qualifys. Except for Kevin Bacon, the greatest success of each actor was still in the future, yet they would have been known to an extent. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/29 "2010-08-18T17:28:37Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > The cast list of Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) is practically a list of actors who made it big in the mid-to-late 80’s. > > Sean Penn … Jeff Spicoli > Jennifer Jason Leigh … Stacy Hamilton > Judge Reinhold … Brad Hamilton > Robert Romanus … Mike Damone > Phoebe Cates … Linda Barrett > Ray Walston … Mr. Hand > Scott Thomson … Arnold > Vincent Schiavelli … Mr. Vargas > Amanda Wyss … Lisa > D.W. Brown … Ron Johnson > Forest Whitaker … Charles Jefferson > Blair Tefkin … Pat Bernardo (as Blair Ashleigh) > Eric Stoltz … Stoner Bud > James Russo … Robber > Nicolas Cage … Brad’s Bud (as Nicolas Coppola) > Anthony Edwards … Stoner Bud I think this is an excellent example: Three future Best Actors (x2 for Penn) and huge TV stardom for Edwards, plus nice careers for many of the others, almost all of them total unknowns before. The “name” actor here was Ray Walston, and Schiavelli was recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/30 "2010-08-18T17:32:43Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Switching to the small screen, **Freaks & Geeks** had: > > Linda Cardellini > James Franco > Seth Rogen > Jason Segel > Busy Phillips > Martin Starr > Joanna Garcia > Lizzy Caplan > > And cameos by Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman. And Ben Foster. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/31 "2010-08-18T17:33:38Z")
Would you consider “Citiizen Kane” although many of them had been with the Mercury Theater on radio and stage Orson Welles Joseph Cotten Ruth Warwick Ray Collins Alan Ladd Paul Stewart George Coloruius uncredited writer John Houseman Agnes Moorhead If only William Alland had shown his face… ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/32 "2010-08-18T17:42:03Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > An “ensemble cast” is one in which each member contributes more or less equally to the success of the performance, as opposed to a movie in which one or two stars dominate the scenes. If it wasn’t an ensemble when the movie was made, it can’t _become_ an ensemble later. You bring up an interesting twist on the OP, though much harder to provide examples for: Have there been movies that (a) started production as vehicles for a star or two, but (b) throughout the production, the stars’ roles were gradually scaled back while the roles of supporting players were gradually expanded. Thus, the final cut of the movie ended up being an ensemble-cast film. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/33 "2010-08-18T17:44:07Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > You bring up an interesting twist on the OP, though much harder to provide examples for: > > Have there been movies that (a) started production as vehicles for a star or two, but (b) throughout the production, the stars’ roles were gradually scaled back while the roles of supporting players were gradually expanded. Thus, the final cut of the movie ended up being an ensemble-cast film. [Executive Decision.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116253/) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/34 "2010-08-18T17:49:44Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Have there been movies that (a) started production as vehicles for a star or two, but (b) throughout the production, the stars’ roles were gradually scaled back while the roles of supporting players were gradually expanded. Thus, the final cut of the movie ended up being an ensemble-cast film. _Lucky # Slevin_ kind of was this way. Not so much in that the individual roles were scaled up or down but that the cast of Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Sir Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, and Morgan Freeman was not specifically what the director had in mind in the beginning. The “big names” of the movie thought it sounded like a fun movie, then when they heard it potentially had other big names they wanted to work with, they went for it and it just snowballed. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/35 "2010-08-18T17:53:44Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > > [@acsenray](#): > > > > An “ensemble cast” is one in which each member contributes more or less equally to the success of the performance, as opposed to a movie in which one or two stars dominate the scenes. If it wasn’t an ensemble when the movie was made, it can’t _become_ an ensemble later. > > You bring up an interesting twist on the OP, though much harder to provide examples for: > > Have there been movies that (a) started production as vehicles for a star or two, but (b) throughout the production, the stars’ roles were gradually scaled back while the roles of supporting players were gradually expanded. Thus, the final cut of the movie ended up being an ensemble-cast film. It’s not quite the same as it doesn’t concern an ensemble, but Desperately Seeking Susan was conceived as a star vehicle for Rosanna Arquette, and Madonna was cast in a secondary role. Production began, and Madonna went from being a star to a phenomenon (‘Like A Virgin’ and ‘Material Girl’ had just been huge hits), and the media was referring to the film as “the Madonna movie”, bringing her to the forefront of all publicity. It was also edited from an R-rating to a PG-13 so that teenage Madonna fans could go and see it. Nowadays Desperately Seeking Susan is remembered as one of the few Madonna movies that did well critically and commercially. Poor old Rosanna Arquette. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/36 "2010-08-18T18:08:04Z")
Since we’ve already got the **Faculty** , let’s not forget **Teachers**. It boasts a good mix of bona fide stars at that time (release date- 1984) and some soon-to-be’s in the form of: Nick Nolte Judd Hirsch Ralph Macchio Laura Dern Crispin Glover Richard Mulligan JoBeth Williams and some dude named Morgan Freeman ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/37 "2010-08-18T20:50:49Z")
The aliens in “Earth Girls Are Easy” were played by Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, and Jim Carrey. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/38 "2010-08-18T21:26:49Z")
What, nobody has mentioned **The Godfather** yet? Al Pacino Robert Duvall James Caan Diane Keaton Abe Vigoda Talia Shire John Cazale Sofia Coppola ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/39 "2010-08-18T22:21:46Z")
_The Big Chill_ came out in 1983 when all of its cast were still pretty early in their careers: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. Plus Kevin Costner in a role that was cut from the final film. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/40 "2010-08-18T23:12:52Z")
IIRC Costner was seen briefly - as the corpse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606.md?page=3)