Every once in a while, there comes a movie I am so hyped for that I literally count down the days until it gets here. For a long time, it was the Harry Potter series. Then I started to convert that energy to movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But as I’ve gotten older, I also have that same energy for a certain filmmaker whenever he releases a new project, and that’s Guillermo del Toro.
A master of fantasy and horror, del Toro is one of my idols in the movie world, and someone I truly look up to in terms of what I believe is a great moviemaker. And now, he’s coming out with a new film on Netflix, his adaptation of Pinocchio that he’s been working on for years. And let me tell you – the cast is stacked.
From people who have appeared in several del Toro movies before, to brand new actors, here is where you might have seen (or heard) the Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio cast before.
Ewan McGregor - Sebastion J. Cricket
First up on the list, we have Ewan McGregor, who plays Sebastian J. Cricket in Pinocchio, and McGregor has been around in the business for years. Most people might know McGregor from his role as Obi-Wan in the Star Wars franchise, a role he reprised in 2022 in the Disney+ original series, Obi-Wan Kebobi, but McGregor has done so much more in the world of movies and television that you might know.
For example, McGregor has an amazing voice, and he performed in the movie musical Moulin Rouge!. He’s also appeared in many other films, including Big Fish, Trainspotting (and its sequel), Black Hawk Down, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Ghost Writer, Angels and Demons, Christopher Robin, and more. He was also in Birds of Prey, as well as the Stephen King adaptation, Doctor Sleep. In terms of voice-acting, he played Lumiere in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and was the main protagonist in the film, Robots.
McGregor hasn’t done as much on television, but his starring roles are significant. He played two of the main characters in the third season of Fargo, and starred in Halston, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award.
David Bradley - Geppetto
Gepetto is the man, the myth, the legend in Pinocchio who creates the titular boy, and he is voiced by David Bradley. Another of Hollywood's familiar faces, Bradley has been around in the industry for a long time. Some of his biggest roles include playing Filch in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as Lord Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, but he’s done so much more.
Some of his biggest movies include The Intended, Harry Brown, The Young Messiah, Jolt, and others. In television, he worked with del Toro before in the animated series Tales of Arcadia, but has appeared in many other shows, like The Strain, Mount Pleasant, After Life, and Thieves Like Us, among other guest appearances.
Gregory Mann - Pinocchio And Carlo
Of course, we have to have Pinocchio in Pinocchio, and he is voiced by Gregory Mann, who also voices Carlo in Pinocchio. Gregory Mann is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, with his only credit thus far being in the 2019 version of Cats, but I’m sure that as time goes on, you’ll get to see him more and more.
Burn Gorman - Priest
Moving on, we take a look at Burn Gorman, who plays Priest in Pinocchio. Like many of the cast members on this list, he has been in many movies and TV shows – and has worked with Guillermo del Toro in the past. Gorman was a part of the Pacific Rim movies, and had a role in Crimson Peak. Some of his other films that you might have seen him in include The Dark Knight Rises, Fred Claus, Watcher, Enola Holmes, and Imperium.
Gorman has also had a very recognizable career in television, appearing in shows such as Torchwood, Turn: Washington’s Spies on AMC, as well as The Man in the High Castle on Amazon. He also appeared in the Halo series on Paramount, was a part of The Offer cast, and was in The Expanse. Truly, all over the map, this one.
Ron Perlman - Podesta
Next up is Ron Perlman, who plays Podesta in Pinocchio. Perlman is another actor who has done so much in the world of movies and TV, but he’s also a really good voice actor, too - with almost too many roles to even talk about. My personal favorite is when he voiced the Stabbington brothers in Tangled.
Other than that, Perlman has made a lot of films. Some of his biggest roles are in the 2021 movie, Don’t Look Up, Drive, the Hellboy films, Alien: Resurrection, Quest for Fire, and several more. Perlman is also a frequent collaborator with del Toro, and has appeared in many of his movies, including Cronos, Blade II, Nightmare Alley, and Pacific Rim.
In television, he had a main role in the Beauty and the Beast TV series, and was a big character on the popular FX drama, Sons of Anarchy.
John Turturro - Doctore
Moving on, we take a look at John Turturro, who voices Doctore in Pinocchio. Another major player in the world of Hollywood, Turturro has appeared in many movies, including Do The Right Thing, Five Corners, The Big Lebowski, The Jesus Rolls, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Transformers film series, and even 2022’s The Batman.
In terms of television, most recently, Turturro took a role on the popular Apple TV+ series, Severance, but has appeared in many other shows including Monk, The Night Of and The Plot Against America.
Finn Wolfhard - Candlewick
Candlewick in Pinocchio is played by Finn Wolfhard, someone who really got his start in Hollywood by playing Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, a role he has continued to play to this day and will continue to do so in Season 5 of the show. However, Wolfhard has also appeared in several movies during his career so far, including the IT films, The Goldfinch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (which is getting a sequel) and The Addams Family animated film. His career is still so new – but I’m sure we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of him as time goes on.
Cate Blanchett - Spazzatura
Another star on this list, Cate Blanchett voices Spazzatura in Pinocchio. I could go on for hours about Blanchett and how brilliant of an actress she is, but we’ll be swift and say that she’s appeared in many amazing movies. For a highlight of what she’s done and what you might have seen her in, she was in The Lord of the Rings franchise as Galadriel, Elizabeth and its sequel, Hamlet, The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Carol, Notes On A Scandal, and so many others.
Blanchett also voiced a main character in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, and was a part of many other recent films, too, such as Nightmare Alley, Cinderella, Ocean’s 8, and Thor: Ragnarok, where she played Hela, Thor’s sister.
The actress has also appeared in a few television shows as well, such as Heartland, Stateless, and the miniseries, Mrs. America, but movies are where she frequently shines. And, I can’t wait to see what she does with this role.
Tim Blake Nelson - Black Rabbits
Tim Blake Nelson voices Black Rabbits in Pinocchio, and Nelson has been in the business for some time. He’s worked on many films including Minority Report, Lincoln, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Syriana, Old Henry, and, like many others on this list, Nightmare Alley. And that’s just a highlight of some of his best.
Nelson has also done some work in television. Most recently, in 2022, he was a part of the cast for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, but he’s also worked on shows such as Watchmen and Lost Ollie.
Christoph Waltz - Count Volpe
Christoph Waltz is a name I’m sure many of us are familiar with, since he’s such an amazing actor, and of course, he’s voicing Count Volpe in Pinocchio. Waltz has done so much in the industry. He’s primarily known for his breakout role in the Quentin Tarantino film, Inglorious Bastards, but has appeared in many other movies, including Django Unchained, Carnage, The French Dispatch, Spectre, and No Time To Die. He was also in Downsizing.
Waltz has also done some work in television as well. While he primarily appeared on German television shows for many years, he’s also had guest appearances on American shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and had a role in Most Dangerous Game.
Tilda Swinton - Wood Sprite And Death
Last but not least, we have Tilda Swinton, who voices both the Wood Sprite and Death in Pinocchio. Swinton is certainly a star of Hollywood, and has appeared in many, many films where you might have seen her. Some of her best include Orlando, Caravaggio, The Last of England, War Requiem, Young Adam, Julia, Constantine, We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Chronicles of Narnia series, and so many more.
She’s also appeared in several Wes Anderson movies, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Moonrise Kingdom. She also portrayed the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame. In television, she’s had guest appearances on shows such as What We Do In The Shadows, Getting On, and What If…?
Truly, a cast of stars is here and they are bringing it in Pinocchio. And who knows? You just might have found a new show or movie to fixate on starring these incredible actors. So many amazing projects to pick from – where will you start?
