Beowulf 2007: Full list of cast in the movie

It has been 17 years since the legendary Hollywood director Robert Zemeckis leaped the integration of animation and motion capture in cinema through his film Beowulf. The adult animated fantasy action film brought the characters of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem on screen with the help of the great acting talents of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright, Crispin Glover, and Alison Lohman among many others.

Beowulf is about a legendary warrior who goes to Denmark to slay a monster who has been terrorizing people for King Hrothgar. He succeeds in killing the monster, but couldn't help himself to fall prey to the seduction of the demon's mother. Hrothgar kills himself, giving Beowulf his daughter, his kingdom, and his curse.

The film produced by Shangri-La Entertainment, was made from a screenplay by Roger Avary and the legendary comic book writer and novelist, Neil Gaiman.

---

The cast of Beowulf explored

1) Ray Winstone as Beowulf

Ray Winstone played Beowulf (Image via Instagram/@thisisraywinstone)

Prior to playing the titular role in Beowulf, Ray Winstone had portrayed King Henry VIII in a 2003 ITV serial, which caught the eye of Robert Zemeckis and he offered him the lead in his film.

The actor, who now also owns a sports management company, has been part of some of the most iconic films of all times like The Departed, and has worked with heavyweights like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. His recent projects include Guy Ritchie's series The Gentlemen, MCU's Black Widow, and Millie Bobby Brown's Damsel.

---

2) Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hrothgar

Sir Anthony Hopkins is perhaps one of the greatest living actors and has made his mark through his indelible contribution to cinema. His roles in films like The Silence of The Lambs, Legends of the Fall, The Father, etc have cemented his place among the legends of cinema.

In the film he plays Hrothgar, the king who made a terrible mistake many years ago, and because of that his kingdom is getting terrorized by a demon. He invites a warrior to get rid of the demon, but in the process, he also wants to pass his curse to him.

---

3) Crispin Glover as Grendel

Crispin Glover plays the demon Grendel in the film. He is mostly unrecognizable as a demon, but his body language and demeanor as a child-like demon in his first motion capture performance are commendable.

He is among the oldest collaborators of Robert Zemeckis who first worked together in the legendary Back to the Future. He played the role of George McFly, Marty McFly's shy and awkward father, whose life is changed by his own son.

---

4) Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother

Angelina Jolie played the lead antagonist (Image via IMDb)

Angelina Jolie had read the poem many years back and was able to understand the themes of the film easily. She plays the mother of Grendel, who is the last demon of the water, and one of the three main antagonists of the poem. She is shown as a gorgeous woman with a golden body and a lizard's tail, who seduces the warrior men and makes a Faustian pact with them.

Because of her cycle of seduction and manipulation, she keeps on birthing demonic children who terrorize people. Jolie found the role intriguing and shot the film while she was pregnant.

---

5) Robin Wright as Wealtheow

Another frequent collaborator of Robert Zemeckis, Robin Wright had also played the role of Jenny in the director's Academy Award winning film Forrest Gump. In this film, she plays the role of Wealtheow, the lovely princess, who becomes the wife of Beowulf after the death of her father. However, due to Beowulf's curse, they grow apart and he starts spending more time with his concubine Ursula.

Robin Wright became one of the known faces of streaming in the early days of Netflix when she played Claire Underwood in House of Cards.

---

The supporting cast of Beowulf

The epic poem has many supporting characters that were played by the actors mentioned below. However, due to the use of motion capture technology, fans might not be able to recognize all of them by face.

• Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf, Beowulf's lieutenant
• Alison Lohman as Ursula
• Costas Mandylor as Hondshew
• Sebastian Roche as Wulfgar
• Greg Ellis as Garmund
• Tyler Steelman as Young Cain
• Dominic Keating as Adult Cain
• Rik Young as Eofor
• Charlotte Salt as Estrith
• Leslie Harter Zemeckis as Yrsa
• Fredrik Hiller as Finn of Frisia

---

Beowulf had its premiere at Westwood, Los Angeles on November 5, 2007, and got a wider theatrical release in the United States on November 16, 2007.

The film is available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video.