# Movies with overlapping casts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 20, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577 "2025-02-20T15:17:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/21 "2025-02-20T18:00:40Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > The Coen Brothers brought back John Goodman, John Turturro, and Steve Buscemi for **The Big Lebowski** after casting all three in **Barton Fink**. No Buscemi but the other two are also in _O’ Brother Where Art Thou_, and of course Buscemi was a significant character in _Fargo_ as well as a small role in _Miller’s Crossing_ (vastly underrated movie). In general, the Coen Brothers like to work with many of the same actors repeatedly. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/22 "2025-02-20T18:08:21Z")
Larry Blamire used virtually the same cast (Fay Masterson, Andrew Parks, Susan McConnell, Brian Howe, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy and Robert Deveau) in his tetralogy of B-movie spoofs. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/23 "2025-02-20T18:25:36Z")
Friedberg and Seltzer also had a go-to roster of actors for their parody movies: Carmen Electra, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, Jim Piddock, and Diedrich Bader, among others. (Coolidge, Willard, and Piddock appeared together in **Best in Show** and **A Mighty Wind** , mentioned upthread.) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/24 "2025-02-20T18:58:31Z")
Just to take your example as inspiration (and this is kind of cheating…), but the three Monty Python films (obviously) had quite a few actors in common, playing different roles (and different roles in the same film too). On a similar vein, what about the ‘Carry On’ films too? ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/25 "2025-02-20T19:05:54Z")
It was very common in Hong Kong in the 80s and 90s. When a lot of actors seemed to put out a movie every couple of months, it happened. Wong Kar-Wai’s _Ashes of Time_ took so long in the editing room, that its parody _The Eagle Shooting Heroes_, was produced and rushed into theatres first. And it had mostly the same cast: Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung, the _other_ Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung. As well, Tony Leung (no, not that one) was also in _Days of Being Dumb_, _Bullet in the Head_ and _A Chinese Ghost Story 2_ with Jacky Cheung. Who in turn was also in _Boys Are Easy_ with both Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin. Brigitte Lin was also in Chungking Express with Tony Leung and both _Black Panther Warriors_ and _Dragon Gate Inn_ with the _other_ Tony Leung (who was also in _Boys Are Easy_, come to think of it). That same Tony Leung co-starred with Chow Yun-Fat in _A Bettter Tomorrow 3_, _God of Gamblers Returns_, and _Prison on Fire_. It goes without saying that Tony Leung Kar-Fai and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai made several more movies together that I haven’t mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/26 "2025-02-20T19:30:43Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > On a similar vein, what about the ‘Carry On’ films too? Yeah, that’s cheating. 😉 Similarly, I thought about the Crosby-Hope-Lamour “Road” pictures, and exclude them. They’re different characters in name only. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/27 "2025-02-20T19:33:09Z")
**Akiko Wakabayashi** and **Mie Hama** both appeared in the 1965Japanese spy/comedy movie _[Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokusai_himitsu_keisatsu:_Kagi_no_kagi)_ , which was excerpted as the Woody Allen spoof **What’s up, Tiger Lily?** , and both were “Bond Girls” in **You Only Live Twice** (1967) They were also both in **King Kong vs. Godzilla** (1963) ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/28 "2025-02-20T19:52:52Z")
You need to mention the various Wes Anderson films, which often have some or all of Bill Murray, and the Wilson brothers (Owen, Luke and lesser known Andrew), including Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, and Royal Tenenbaums. edited to add: Jason Schwartzman too ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/29 "2025-02-20T19:57:05Z")
Woody Allen is another director who likes working with the same actors. A threefer per the OP: Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, and Judy Davis appeared in both **Alice** and **Husbands and Wives**. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/30 "2025-02-20T20:03:06Z")
Bob Balaban is a regular in films by both Wes Anderson and Christopher Guest ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/31 "2025-02-20T20:11:00Z")
Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Charles Dierkop. All in _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ as well as _The Sting_ (is anyone else in both?). ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/32 "2025-02-20T20:13:08Z")
Jean-Pierre Jeunet reused near-whole casts from one movie to the next. (Just look at the cast lists for **Delicatessen** , **City of Lost Children** , **A Very Long Engagement** …) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/33 "2025-02-20T22:34:57Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > You need to mention the various Wes Anderson films, which often have some or all of Bill Murray, and the Wilson brothers (Owen, Luke and lesser known Andrew), including Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, and Royal Tenenbaums. > > edited to add: Jason Schwartzman too We could spin off a tangential discussion: which directors had troupes (John Ford, Wes Anderson, Woody Allen…) and who is in each? (Speaking of Wes Anderson: [this came up in conjunction with SNL’s 50th](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfDIAZCwHQE). I thought it was hilarious, especially Edward Norton’s impression of Owen Wilson.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/34 "2025-02-21T02:01:47Z")
Ingmar Bergman’s films tend to include some combination of Liv Ullman, Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Erland Josephson, Gunnar Björnstrand, and one or more Anderssons. (E.g.: Von Sydow, Ullman, and Josephson all appeared in **Hour of the Wolf** and **The Passion of Anna**.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/35 "2025-02-21T02:33:56Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was watching the new Bridget Jones movie yesterday, starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, and Chiwetel Ejiofor…and realized: "Hey! All those guys were in _Love, Actually"_ > > I thought there might also be a connection with Sense and Sensibility, and I was close: Thompson, Grant and Alan Rickman – all in Love, Actually. Many of these people first met because they were members of the Cambridge Footlights or the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/36 "2025-02-21T15:25:00Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > (Speaking of Wes Anderson: [this came up in conjunction with SNL’s 50th](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfDIAZCwHQE). I thought it was hilarious, especially Edward Norton’s impression of Owen Wilson.) that was good! I had never seen that…would definitely watch that movie ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/37 "2025-02-21T17:40:38Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I figure it had to have happened with Ben Stiller - Owen Wilson - Vince Vaughn - Will Farrell I used ChatGPT to answer my own question. These 4 have appeared together in 5 different films (including uncredited and/or cameo roles): Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, Wedding Crashers, Anchorman. Any combination of 3 of those 4 will get anywhere from 2 to 5 hits. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/38 "2025-02-21T18:24:08Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Any combination of 3 of those 4 will get anywhere from 2 to 5 hits. How would that be possible? If all four of them are in 5 movies together, how can 3 be in two movies? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/39 "2025-02-21T18:35:12Z")
One of those AI hallucinations. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577/40 "2025-02-21T19:50:59Z")
Brings to mind _What’s Your Number?_ — where the female lead crosses paths with Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, and Martin Freeman, from _Captain America: Civil War_ (or, if you prefer, Evans and Mackie and Chris Pratt, from _Avengers: Infinity War_ and _Avengers: Endgame_). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-overlapping-casts/1014577.md?page=3)