Here's Where You Know The Cast Of The Lost City From
"The Lost City" certainly has a star-studded cast and, as the trailer suggests, viewers can expect this combo of actors to result in a hilarious action-adventure film. The Sandra Bullock-led (and produced) film also features the likes of Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Brad Pitt. It was co-directed by brotherly filmmaking duo, Adam and Aaron Nee, and premiered in theaters on March 25.
Along with the central adventure plotline, "The Lost City" has elements of romance, and of course, comedy. Filmed in the Dominican Republic, the exotic blockbuster takes inspiration from past Hollywood films of its ilk like "Romancing the Stone" and "The Mummy," as Radcliffe told The New York Times. The actor noted to the outlet that the purpose of the movie was to provide some lighthearted entertainment and escapism after the stress of the pandemic. "I hope people are in a place where they feel like they can go to the theater and enjoy it, because this is a grab-your-friends-and-go-cheer movie that lends itself to a big communal experience," the actor explained.
You may well find yourself scratching your head about how you recognize him and his various co-stars while you enjoy the flick. Don't sweat it, we've got you covered. Here's where you know the cast of "The Lost City" from.
Sandra Bullock is a big screen legend
The leading lady of "The Lost City" is actor-producer Sandra Bullock, who plays romance novelist Loretta Sage. Loretta's latest novel, "The Lost City of D," sparks the interest of an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe), who takes her hostage in a bid to discover the real-life location of the lost city.
Bullock is a household name and you likely know her best from rom-coms like "Two Weeks Notice" and "The Proposal," or from action flicks like "Speed" and "Ocean's Eight." However, in recent years, she's become increasingly focused on projects she can produce as well as star in, like "The Lost City" and "The Unforgivable." While promoting "Bird Box" she explained, "I started my production company years ago. It was for control, but also because I didn't think I'd be able to last as an actress." Thankfully, she's lasted well beyond her perceived Hollywood shelf life to enjoy more varied roles thanks to the freedom of streaming platforms like Netflix. "I like being able to play in all the fields that I want to play in," she told The New York Times. "And I don't want to be limited."
Clearly, Bullock is still the queen of the screen. In fact, "The Lost City" has been so well received that she's reportedly considering breaking her ban on movie sequels to bring the cast of the action-adventure rom-com mashup back to the big screen for a second wild trip.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph sung her way to success
Actor and singer Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays Loretta's publicist (and bestie), Beth Hatten, in "The Lost City." The corporate exec definitely goes above and beyond her job description, following her client into the jungle after she's been kidnapped.
Randolph has had a busy career prior to "The Lost City," and you'll have likely seen her on the small screen before. The Philadelphia-born star has had both supporting and main roles in a ton of popular TV shows, including "This Is Us," "Empire," and "High Fidelity." Eagle-eyed viewers might also remember her from the 2016 comedy, "Office Christmas Party," where she played Carla, the security guard. The "Dolemite Is My Name" talent started her career in 2012 after graduating from Yale Drama School, per W Magazine. Leaping in at the deep end, she immediately nabbed the part of Oda Mae Brown in the 2012 Broadway production "Ghost: The Musical" — literally singing her way to success.
At present, "The Lost City" is one of Randolph's biggest credits, and the actor knows it, telling Mulderville that she loved working alongside an icon like Sandra Bullock. "It's been one of the best experiences I've ever had," she explained. Since 2019, Randolph has been so busy filming all across the globe — from Los Angeles to New York, the Dominican Republic, and back again — that she's officially become an expert traveler. "I have my own version of Marie Kondo," she told W Magazine. "Three suitcases? You're good."
Channing Tatum's look was inspired by Brad Pitt
Channing Tatum has been a staple of the big screen since 2006 thanks to his breakthrough performances as Duke Orsino in "She's the Man" and Tyler Gage in "Step Up" (alongside his ex-wife Jenna Dewan). He's now best known for his starring roles in films like "21 Jump Street," "Dear John," "Magic Mike," and "Kingsman: The Golden Circle."
With "The Lost City," the actor is taking on another entertaining character as Alan Caprison, a model who depicts the hunky character Dash McMahon on the cover of Loretta's books. When Loretta is kidnapped, Alan attempts to take on the character's persona to rescue her — though it doesn't go quite as smoothly as he'd hoped. Alan's alter-ego Dash rocks some distinctive long golden locks in the film, and, as Tatum has revealed to People, that was his idea. "I actually gave the note — I have to wear a wig for my cover-model look, Dash's look, and I was like, 'I just want to look like 'Legends of the Fall' Brad Pitt,'" he said.
While he was busy running around the Dominican jungle with his co-stars, his daughter, Everly, was enjoying an extended play date with Sandra Bullock's child, Laila. "That's the reason we did this film," Tatum's co-star joked to The New York Times, "... All we cared about is that Everly and Laila were just having the time of their lives."
Daniel Radcliffe has been thriving since Harry Potter
The unlikely villain of the film is played by "Harry Potter" alum Daniel Radcliffe. He takes on the role of wealthy billionaire Fairfax, whose obsession with discovering the location of the lost city will stop at nothing. Speaking to The New York Times, the actor admitted that filming "The Lost City" was as much fun as it sounds. However, he admitted it was a far easier experience for him than for two of his co-stars. "It's weird because [Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum] worked really, really hard on this film and did quite a grueling physical shoot, and I was having a very chill time and being like, 'Hey guys, you all seem really tired,'" he joked.
Radcliffe may be best known for playing The Boy Who Lived for the first 10 years of his career, but he's had a thriving career since "Harry Potter" ended. Now favoring oddball indie films and passion projects like "Horns" and "Beast of Burden," the actor told Den of Geek in 2012 that leaving the famous franchise gave him the freedom to focus solely on projects that interested him. "I like the idea of not having to do stuff for the money," he explained. "And if I want to, I can pick indie projects for the rest of my life and be quite happy doing that." Quirky indie projects like "Swiss Army Man" and "Guns Akimbo" certainly prove that his career credo is working for him.
Héctor Aníbal was nervous to join the cast
You can't be a big bad villain without a few pounds of muscle behind you. Dominican actor Héctor Aníbal plays Rafi, one of Fairfax's henchmen, who helps him kidnap Loretta. To audition for the role, Aníbal was asked to send in a self-tape audition. As part of it, he sent a video to the co-directors, Adam and Aaron Nee, detailing seven reasons why his casting would benefit the movie per Mulderville. "Since it was such an important part, I thought like they're going to bring someone from the States," Aníbal admitted, but the actor was thrilled when he got a callback and officially bagged the part two weeks later.
You might recognize Aníbal from his supporting role as the SWAT Captain from "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," in which he starred opposite Vin Diesel, Nina Dobrev, and Ruby Rose. "The Lost City" is Aníbal's biggest film credit to date, however, so it's no surprise that he was feeling a bit nervous when he arrived on set. Thankfully, perennial Hollywood sweetheart Sandra Bullock was on hand to make him feel at ease. "She had written this beautiful letter welcoming me to the movie, and it made it all better," he told Mulderville.
Thomas Forbes-Johnson started out in stunts
Bringing glorious bad guy vibes alongside Héctor Aníbal is Thomas Forbes-Johnson, who plays Julian, another of Fairfax's henchmen. The star's acting background includes the 2014 horror-comedy film "Suburban Gothic" and the TV miniseries "The Nine Lives of Chloe King." However, you might know the films he worked on as a stunt performer and stunt coordinator better. For that side of his career, his credits include the Marvel film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," the quarantine flick "Songbird," and the Bruce Willis-led feature "Cosmic Sin."
He may only have a few acting roles to his name, but the stuntman-turned-actor seems more than ready to step up into more acting roles. Beginning his career after being discovered at the gym, Forbes-Johnson told Backstage that being a stunt performer and an actor go hand-in-hand for him. "You can't be a stunt performer without understanding what an actor is and does," he explained. "I have always trained in acting, taking classes, working in small independent films and passion projects."
Forbes-Johnson was initially hired for "The Lost City" because of his stunt background, but his role grew as filming progressed. "I was added into more scenes, and more lines were given to me," he explained to the outlet. Hopefully, there are many more scenes and lines to come for the star.
Oscar Nuñez has worked with Sandra Bullock before
You may not recognize his name, but you'll likely know Oscar Nuñez's face. The Cuban-American star is best known for starring in the U.S. version of "The Office" as Oscar Martinez. The long-running TV show came to an end in 2013 after 201 episodes, but fans are still desperate for more. Nuñez didn't rule out the possibility of a one-off reunion but said he'd hope it would move on with the times. "I would vote for it to get a little bit into politics. And maybe have the office split up into two camps" he told E!
While "The Office" is undoubtedly Nuñez's biggest role to date, the actor has also notably appeared in shows like "New Girl," "Shameless," and "Mr. Iglesias." In 2017, he also nabbed a role in the rebooted "Baywatch" film as Councilman Rodriguez.
The actor has actually worked with Sandra Bullock before, appearing in the 2009 rom-com "The Proposal." It didn't take her long to get the comedic star on board for "The Lost City." "She said 'it's a comedy' ... and 'you want to be involved in it?' And, I think that was enough for me. I said 'yeah, of course,'" he revealed to The Wrap. He plays a cargo pilot in the action-adventure flick, and though it's only a supporting role, Nuñez is as much of a scene-stealer as he was in "The Office."
Bowen Yang is kind of a big deal
Australian-born actor, comedian, and writer Bowen Yang is best known for playing various roles on the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" since 2019 as well as playing Edmund on "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens." You may have also spotted him in a couple of his smaller roles like the Rebel Wilson-led rom-com "Isn't It Romantic" where he played "Donny's Guy," and "Broad City," where he played a sales associate.
As a writer, he worked on an episode of the Apple TV+ series "Shmigadoon!" starring Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong. He also co-created and co-hosts the podcast "Las Culturistas" alongside Matt Rogers. Produced by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players podcast network, the show is a pretty big deal, not least of all to the comedian himself. "The podcast is a true source of joy," Yang told Yahoo! Finance. "I find it very meaningful that I've made the choice to prioritize the podcast, even with everything going on," he said.
In "The Lost City," Yang has a supporting role as Ray, the moderator of the romance novelist convention Loretta and Alan attend. Explaining the role, the actor noted to Mulderville that his character dismisses Loretta while worshipping the ground that Alan, dressed as Dash, walks on. "He's a bit of a smarmy character," he explained. "... My character is there to sort of push [Loretta's] buttons a little bit."
Patti Harrison is nothing like her character
American actor and comedian Patti Harrison is best known for her roles in comedy series like "Shrill" and "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson." However, you might have spotted her as Kiko in "A Simple Favor," or heard her as the voice of the chief of Tail in "Raya and the Last Dragon" or Stat in "Q-Force."
The comedian plays Loretta's absurd social media manager Allison in "The Lost City." Though it's a small role, she remains a pivotal part of the ensemble. In their rave review of the film, Out praised the actor for being a particularly hilarious standout alongside her co-star Bowen Yang. As she told Mulderville, the comedy arrived with ease as she was in the perfect environment to serve it. "Coming from a comedy space ... it is nice to feel understood by [co-directors, Adam and Aaron Nee]" she explained. "I don't feel like I have to explain why I'm going for a joke the way I'm going for. They're pretty supportive," she added.
Harrison can't help cracking chuckles in interviews while promoting the film, either. Speaking to Looper about how social media has twisted people's perspectives of the world, she joked, "To play a character who so strongly believes in social media as a valuable tool was a very dark, emotionally violent experience for me — and I'll never do it again."
Brad Pitt's favorite acting role might surprise you
Yes, that was Brad Pitt you saw in the trailer for "The Lost City." Per The New York Times, the actor's inexplicable cameo as mercenary Jack Trainer resulted from him and Sandra Bullock calling in favors with each other over the years. Bizarrely, their mutual hairdresser acted as a middleman between the two to make this magic happen. The actor then went over to the Dominican Republic for four days to film his scenes. "Before we knew it, he was in the jungle," co-director Adam Nee told Total Film. However, he took his role seriously, bulking up considerably for the part, Bullock revealed to The New York Times.
Pitt's cameo in the film was obviously a big deal and, let's face it, we'd be pretty hard-pressed to find someone who hadn't heard of this Oscar-winning actor. You'll probably know him from blockbuster films like "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood," "Ocean's Eleven," and "Fight Club."
In 2005, he starred in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," which saw the start of Pitt's relationship with Angelina Jolie. However, the actor's favorite movie from his own impressive oeuvre might not be one you're even familiar with. Namely, because "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" performed the worst out of all his films, as he told GQ. Still, Pitt told the outlet that acting continues to thrill him when he's able to enjoy starring in riskier fare like comedies.