David Cronenberg’s return to horror, Crimes of the Future, has been getting a lot of buzz ever since members of the audience walked out during its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and now moviegoers around the world finally have a chance to see what all the fuss is about. If you were curious or brave enough to check out what has been described as a “slow burn” with “effective body horror,” and have seen the movie already, you may be wondering why some of those faces look so familiar.
Sure, Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart are all instantly recognizable, but there are other members of the Crime of the Future cast that might be unknown to most who have watched, or at least heard about the movie. That being said, let’s break down each member of the main cast and where you’ve seen them before, in some shape or form.
Viggo Mortensen (Saul Tenser)
At the center of Crimes of the Future’s twisted, futuristic narrative is Viggo Mortensen’s Saul Tenser, a man who has the ability to will new organs to grow into his body that are then later removed as part of some art performance.
This isn’t the first time Mortensen has worked with David Cronenberg, as the former Lord of the Rings star had top billing in 2005’s A History of Violence and two years later in Eastern Promises, though neither of those would be considered horror movies. The list of Mortensen’s great movies include Green Book, Captain Fantastic, Hidalgo, G.I. Jane, Daylight, Crimson Tide, and even Witness. But, to some, he will always be Aragorn.
Léa Seydoux (Caprice)
Next up is Léa Seydoux, who shows up in Crimes of the Future as Caprice, Saul’s ambitious assistant who channels her former career as a trauma surgeon to perform bizarre performances that involve removing organs in front of a live audience.
Seydoux has some experience with portrayals of characters at the center of expressive art performances, considering she played Simone, the prison guard and muse of an incarcerated artist in 2021’s The French Dispatch. However, Seydoux is mostly remembered for her appearances in the two most recent James Bond movies — Spectre and No Time to Die — where she played 007’s love interest. Over the years, Seydoux has also popped up in movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lobster, Inglourious Basterds, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, and the 2013 NC-17 romantic drama, Blue is the Warmest Color
Kristen Stewart (Timlin)
Kristen Stewart steps into the picture in Crimes of the Future as Timlin, an officer from the Organ Registry who keeps a detailed log of Saul’s organs and the performances in which they are removed.
To some, Kristen Stewart is and always will be remembered for her portrayal of Bella Swan in the Twilight franchise, which you could argue was her breakout role. But in addition to playing the protagonist in one of the most divisive film properties of the past 20 years, Stewart has been in a ton of other great movies. Over the years, she’s appeared in Panic Room, Adventureland, Still Alice, Happiest Season, and most recently, Spencer, which earned her an Oscar nomination for her take on the ill-fated Princess Diana.
Don McKellar (Wippet)
Don McKellar shows up in Crimes of the Future as Wippet, Timlin’s superior investigator with the Organ Registry who keeps track of Saul and Caprice’s various provocative performances.
McKellar previously worked with David Cronenberg on the 1999 science-fiction horror movie, eXistenZ, just one of the many title on the actor’s extensive filmography. He has also appeared in movies like The Red Violin, Last Night, The Grand Seduction, Most Wanted, and most recently The Middle Man. McKellar also has TV work to his name, with the most notable contribution being the animated series, Odd Job Jack.
Scott Speedman (Lang Dotrice)
Then there is Scott Speedman, who makes an appearance in Crimes of the Future as Lang Dotrice, a severely haunted man who handles the death of his son in a very peculiar way.
Speedman is mostly remembered for his various TV roles, which include Ben Covington on Felicity, Barry “Baz” Blackwell in Animal Kingdom (which is one of the shows ending in 2022), and Dr. Nick Marsh on Grey’s Anatomy. Over the years, Speedman has also popped up in movies like Underworld and its sequel Underworld: Evolution, XXX: State of the Union, The Strangers, The Vow, Run This Town, and most recently, Best Sellers.
Welket Bungué (Detective Cope)
Taking on the role of the one of the few skeptics of the organ performance art in Crimes of the Future is Welket Bungué who portrays Detective Cope in David Cronenberg’s return to body horror.
Throughout his career, Bungué has appeared in various film, TV, and stage productions, including the likes of Berlin Alexanderplatz, País Irmão, Joaquim, Boida Por Ti, and dozens of others in Portugal. Bungué has just as many, if not more, appearances in short films that date back to 2009, around the time he made his acting debut.
Tanaya Beatty (Berst)
But, the surgical shows are just one side of the organ art in Crimes of the Future’s dark, twisted, and anything goes futuristic world, as there are people behind the scenes making it all possible, like Tanaya Beatty’s Berst.
Fans of the the incredibly popular neo-western series, Yellowstone, will immediately recognize Beatty from her portrayal of Avery, the former stripper who was invited to work on the Dutton Ranch by Rip Wheeler. That isn’t her only big TV role, though, as Beatty has shown up on Arctic Air, Continuum, The 100, and The Night Shift all the in the past decade. Beatty also has a number of film appearances, as well, including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1, Hostiles, Through Black Spruce, and Murder at Emigrant Gulch, to name only a few.
Nadia Litz (Router)
Nadia Litz plays Router, one of the technicians involved in the orchestration of the incredibly graphic performance art at the center of Crimes of the Future.
Throughout her career, which goes back to the 1996 made-for-TV movie, Hidden in America, Litz has appeared in a number of film productions, including The Mighty, Love That Boy, Some Things That Stay, Blindness, You Are Here, and Big Muddy. Her TV work includes shows like King, Due South, Wind at My Back, and other productions.
Lihi Kornowski (Djuna)
Lihi Kornowski shows up in Crimes of the Future as Djuna, the ex-wife of Lang Dotrice who is sitting in prison after being convicted of murdering their young son.
Much of Kornowski’s work throughout her career, which goes back to 2012, has been spent on the small screen with TV shows like Summer Break Diaries, The Hood, The Commune, Losing Alice, Who Died, Ballistic, and Malkot. However, she does have a few film credits to her name outside of her role in the new David Cronenberg horror movie. These include Sublet, Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive, and The Burglar, as well as a handful of short films along the way.
Yorgos Pirpassopoulos (Dr Nasatir)
Taking on the role of Dr. Nasatir in Crimes of the Future is Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, who portrays a man who is set on getting Saul to participate in what is known as an “Inner Beauty Pageant.”
Over the course of his career, which dates back to TV appearances as early as 1990, Pirpassopoulos has popped up on dozens of productions (big screen and small screen alike) including Chevalier, End of an Era, Thymata Eirinis, Beckett, Eden, and Monday, the 2020 streamy romantic drama starring Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough. Pirpassopoulos has also provided his voice for a number of video games over the years with perhaps the biggest being Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. He has also appeared in a large number of short films and TV shorts during that same stretch of time.
Denise Capezza (Odile)
And then there is Denise Capezza, who portrays Odile in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, her latest in a series of interesting film and TV projects.
Since making her debut in the Italian TV series, Don Matteo, in 2011, Capezza has landed roles on shows like Gomorrah (which was based on the great Italian film of the same name), Baby, Bang Bang Baby, and several others. And, although most of her work can be found on the small screen, Crimes of the Future isn’t Capezza’s first time showing on the silver screen. Over the years, the actress has been spotted in Another World, Cobra Non È, San Valentino Stories, Darbe, and Hep Yek, as well as a number of short films like Killer in Red and Koala, to name just a couple.
As great as this collection of actors may appear, it is just barely scratching the surface of the Crimes of the Future cast, as David Cronenberg’s latest body horror movie features even more talented actors before the screen fades to black and the credits begin to roll. It should also be noted that the Crimes of the Future is just one of the many great horror movies coming to theaters in 2022.
