Michael Gracey directed a whole new world of music, fun, and dance when The Greatest Showman hit theaters back in 2017. Its exciting soundtrack, amazing visuals, and everything else combined created a wonderful experience for both musical lovers and film enthusiasts alike. But, while there are plenty of awesome aspects to this wonderful musical film, the cast is really what made it shine.
However, where exactly is The Greatest Showman cast now nearly four years later? Whether you’re thinking about Hugh Jackman, or Zac Efron, or even Zendaya, they’ve all been making their way in the business with more amazing projects and fun films or TV shows that you should catch up on right now. Here is what The Greatest Showman cast has been up to since its release.
Hugh Jackman (P.T. Barnum)
As P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman lit up our lives with his talents, and I can assure you that after the film, we were all singing “The Greatest Show.” Ever since his appearance in The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman has been very active in Hollywood.
He capped off his time as Wolverine in the X-Men series with Logan, but also made appearances via archive footage as the superhero in both Deadpool 2 and The New Mutants. Jackman also had starring roles in films such as The Front Runner, the animated Missing Link, and had a voice role cameo in the Ryan Reynolds-led Free Guy.
In 2021, as well, he also led the Reminiscence cast, alongside his The Greatest Showman co-star, Rebecca Ferguson. Jackman has also returned to Broadway, starring in the most current adaptation of The Music Man on stage. With someone as talented as him, it’s not a shocker he has kept active - and I’m sure we are going to see more of him very soon.
Zac Efron (Phillip Carlyle)
I grew up watching Zac Efron in High School Musical, so you bet that when I saw he was returning to musicals with The Greatest Showman, I was so excited, and he rocked it as Phillip Carlyle. Since playing the prestigious partner of P.T. Barnum, Efron has been active in both film and television.
In terms of movies, Efron has starred in several, including the remake of Baywatch alongside Dwayne Johnson, The Beach Bum, the Netflix original film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the animated Scoob!, and more. He’s going to be in new films soon, titled Firestarter, Gold, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, so he’ll be popping up on the big screen again.
Efron has also had roles in TV shows. Not only was a he a part of the main cast of Human Discoveries, Zac Efron also took to hosting and running his own TV show on Netflix, called Down to Earth with Zac Efron, where he traveled around the planet, promoting ecological change.
A second season is already in production, so if you haven’t caught up on that, be sure to check it out soon.
Michelle Williams (Charity Hallett-Barnum)
Charity Hallett-Barnum was a loving, supportive wife who deserved the world, and was played by Michelle Williams in The Greatest Showman. And, she's been very successful in terms of film and TV.
Williams has starred in several films since, including All the Money in the World, I Feel Pretty, After the Wedding and more. The actress also appeared in Venom, and is going to be in the upcoming sequel to the film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Afterwards, she'll also be in the movies The Fabelmans and Showing Up.
Williams appeared on television in the miniseries Fosse/Verdon, as dancer Gwen Verdon, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Rebecca Ferguson (Jenny Lind)
Jenny Lind’s voice is one of those voices that you can’t ever forget. I can’t tell you how many times I sang “Never Enough” (very poorly) after this film came out. While Rebecca Ferguson didn’t provide the singing voice for Jenny (which Loren Allred did), she still portrayed the character in all other aspects and did wonderfully in her role.
Since The Greatest Showman, Rebecca Ferguson has starred in several films, including Life, The Snowman, and has a major role in the Mission: Impossible movies, appearing in both Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible - Fallout. She is set to reprise the role in the upcoming Mission: Impossible 7 as well as Mission: Impossible 8. Ferguson has also appeared in the horror film, Doctor Sleep, as well as Men in Black: International, and Reminiscence.
Coming up, Rebecca Ferguson is set to appear in the long-awaited Dune, as well as have a main role in a TV series called Wool. I’m so excited to see these projects and wonder what is to come after.
Zendaya (Anna Wheeler)
Anna Wheeler was a fantastic acrobat and strong-willed woman in The Greatest Showman, and only someone as amazing as Zendaya could play her. These last few years for the young actress have been amazing, and she’s blown up in the media as not only a talented film actress, but an amazing TV actress, as well.
While she got her start on TV starring on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and later K.C. Undercover, Zendaya became even more famous when she portrayed Rue on the HBO original series, Euphoria, which is poised to return for Season 2. This role won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2020. Zendaya also had a recurring role on the Netflix original series, The OA (a show that was cancelled far too soon, in my opinion).
In terms of film, Zendaya has had big parts in plenty of them. Her biggest thus far has been portraying M.J. in the Spider-Man film series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zendaya has also appeared in several others, including Duck Duck Goose, Smallfoot, Malcolm & Marie, and Space Jam: A New Legacy, where she voiced Lola Bunny. Coming up, she will be in both Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home, so 2021 is set to be a killer year for this talented young actress.
Keala Settle (Lettie Lutz)
Keala Settle’s voice, I believe, gave everyone chills when she sang “This Is Me” in The Greatest Showman, and she honestly deserves all the praise in the world for her kick-ass performance.
Since her iconic role as Lettie Lutz, Settle has appeared in a couple of TV and film projects. She had a role in the romantic drama film, All My Life, and played a part in Rent: Live when it aired on Fox, singing a classic hit from the Broadway show, “Seasons of Love.” She also had a recurring role in the Disney+ original series, Big Shot, and had a guest role in the Apple TV+ original series, Central Park.
With someone as talented as her, I believe it won’t be long before we get to see her more and more - and hear that beautiful voice again, as well.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (W.D. Wheeler)
While he wasn’t as featured in The Greatest Showman, W.D. Wheeler, the brother to Anna Wheeler, was just as an amazing acrobat as her, and the wonderful Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played him wonderfully. Since his part in the musical, Abdul-Mateen has been working hard and appeared in several films and on TV.
In terms of movies, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II appeared in Baywatch, Aquaman (a role that he will reprise in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), the Jordan Peele film Us, Sweetness in the Belly, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and (most recently) Candyman. Abdul-Mateen also made appearances on TV as well, with a role in The Get Down on Netflix, a guest role on The Handmaid’s Tale, a guest role on Black Mirror, and a main role on the HBO original series, Watchmen.
In the next couple of years, Abdul-Mateen will be appearing in several new films, including The Matrix: Resurrections and Ambulance, along with the new Aquaman sequel.
Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Deng Yan)
Deng Yan was another amazing acrobat in The Greatest Showman, who specialized in blades, and she was portrayed by the lovely Natasha Liu Bordizzo. The actress has gone on to star in several films after her role the musical, including Detective Chinatown 2, Guns Akimbo alongside Daniel Radcliffe, the Netflix original film, Wish Dragon, and The Voyeurs.
Natasha Liu Bordizzo also had a main role in the Netflix original series, The Society, which was cancelled after Season 1 (I still believe it deserved another season). However, Bordizzo will be returning to film soon, as she will be in a new movie called Day Shift, although it’s unknown when it will be released. However, I’m sure that if she’s signed on, it’ll be great.
Paul Sparks (James Gordon Bennett)
I think all of us lowkey hated James Gordon Bennett because he was such a critic of P.T. Barnum and his crew, but at the same time, we have to respect him for sharing his opinion and helping out Barnum near the end of The Greatest Showman with his advice. Paul Sparks played the publisher in the film, and while he’s had two film appearances since The Greatest Showman, which were in Human Capital and The Lovebirds, he’s mainly stuck to television.
Sparks had a guest role in the Netflix original series, The Crown, a recurring role in Waco, main parts in the dramas Sweetbitter and the Hulu original series, Castle Rock, and currently is starring as John Breem in the Apple TV+ series, Physical.
Sam Humphrey (Charles Stratton)
A piece of my heart is always going to belong to Charles Stratton just for how awesome he was in The Greatest Showman, as played by Sam Humphrey. Since his appearance in The Greatest Showman, Humphrey has kept most of his talents to TV.
He had a recurring role on the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, and had an appearance in the television film, Jeremy the Dud. Sam Humphrey also had a recurring role in the Star Wars: Self Tapes as the Man with No Name, and had a guest role in the TV series, Reso Rocket.
With how much talent this cast has, it’s not a shocker that they have been in so many films and TV shows since The Greatest Showman came out. I can’t believe it’s nearly been four years now - and yet, I’ll still be singing that soundtrack for a long, long time.
