Where You've Seen The Cast Of Spirited Before
Four years after the theatrical release of the dramedy "Instant Family" starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, 2022 saw comedy filmmaker Sean Anders makes his directorial comeback with a musical film adaptation of "A Christmas Carol." A modern reimagining of Charles Dickens' timeless holiday story, "Spirited" has been in development since 2019, with Apple Studios reportedly spending around $75 million (via Collider) to successfully acquire the project and beat out other major competitors like Netflix. The film marks Anders' first venture into the musical genre after previously only directing and writing comedy features like "That's My Boy" and "Horrible Bosses 2."
In "Spirited," one dark soul gets chosen by a team of afterlife spirits, led by the Ghosts of Christmas Present, Past, and Yet to Come, each Christmas Eve for a chance at redemption. The latest modern Scrooge comes in the form of media consultant Clint Briggs, who proves to be the most difficult challenge these spirits have ever faced. Despite being declared by the rest as an irredeemable soul, the Ghost of Christmas Present still believes that Clint is capable of change. As Present tries to enlighten Clint about his wrongdoings, the pair form an unlikely bond that leads Present to reexamine his own life.
Leading the ensemble cast are comedic geniuses and blockbuster stars Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. They're joined by a solid ensemble consisting of an Oscar winner, a few TV stars, some Broadway actors, and a rising young Australian talent. Discover more about the cast of "Spirited," and find out where you've seen them before.
Andrea Anders as Carrie
In "Spirited," Andrea Anders plays the key role of Carrie, the late sister of Clint Briggs. This marks her latest collaboration with her brother, filmmaker Sean Anders, the siblings having previously worked together on the comedies "Never Been Thawed," "Sex Drive," "Daddy's Home 2," and "Instant Family."
Andrea Anders' early acting career consists of minor appearances on "Law & Order," "Oz," and "Tru Calling." Her first big break came in 2014, when she landed the leading role of Alex Garrett on the short-lived "Friends" spin-off "Joey," which centered on Matt LeBlanc's fan-favorite character after his move to Los Angeles. In the series, Anders played Joey Tribbiani's next-door neighbor who eventually becomes his love interest. After the show got canceled, Anders continued getting series regular roles on other short-lived sitcoms, including "The Class" with Lizzy Caplan, "Better Off Ted" with Portia de Rossi, "Mr. Sunshine" with Matthew Perry, and "Mr. Mom" with Hayes MacArthur. She also had recurring roles on hit shows like "Modern Family" as Amber LaFontaine, "Young Sheldon" as Linda, "The Good Fight" as Cheryl Lamore, "Ted Lasso" as Michelle Lasso, and "The Conners" as Helen.
In 2004, she made her feature acting debut in the dark comedy remake "The Stepford Wives," which was led by Nicole Kidman. Besides her comedic collaborations with brother Sean Anders, she has appeared in the independent drama "Return to Zero," the short film "Mamarazzi," the independent comedy "Is That a Gun in Your Pocket," the coming-of-age dramedy "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase," and the supernatural horror "Countdown."
Aimee Carrero as Nora
In "Spirited," Aimee Carrero plays the role of Nora, the ex-girlfriend of Clint Briggs. Carrero began her acting career starring in a pair of short films titled "The Essential Man" and "Category 4." In 2009, she landed minor appearances on shows including "Hannah Montana," "Lincoln Heights," and "The Mentalist." Carrero followed this up by nabbing the leading roles of Angie on Cartoon Network's live-action comedy series "Level Up" and Sofia Rodriguez on the romantic sitcom "Young & Hungry." She also had recurring appearances on the sitcom "The Baby Daddy" as Sydney, FX's spy drama "The Americans" as Lucia, and the crime drama "Blindspot" as Ana Montes.
Carrero is also known for her voice work on two popular animated shows. First is the Disney Channel series "Elena of Avalor," which featured Carrero lending her voice to the titular Latina princess for three seasons. Her voice can also be heard on the Netflix adaptation of "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," where she played another lead character, Adora. After the "She-Ra" ended its five-season run in 2020, Carerro scored a recurring role on the limited drama "Maid," which was led by Margaret Qualley. Her most recent TV project was her one-episode appearance on "The Offer," the Paramount+ series about the making of "The Godfather."
Carrero has also starred in a handful of notable big-screen projects, including "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squekquel," "The Last Witch Hunter," "Wander Darkly," "Holidate," and "Mack & Rita." Besides "Spirited," Carrero can also be seen in Searchlight Pictures' all-star dark comedy "The Menu."
Joe Tippett as Owen
Joe Tippett stars in "Spirited" as Owen, the younger brother of Clint. Tippett made his small screen debut in 2013, when he landed a recurring role on HBO's acclaimed period crime drama "Boardwalk Empire." Afterward, he continued getting cast for one-episode appearances on shows like the crime thriller "The Blacklist" and the legal drama "Chicago Justice."
In 2018, he scored his first series regular role as Sam Strickland on the musical drama "Rise," which was led by "How I Met Your Mother" alum Josh Radnor. After that show got canceled, he made recurring appearances on "Dirty John” as Bobby and "The Morning Show" as Hal Jackson. In 2021, he got the chance to star opposite Kate Winslet on the HBO miniseries "Mare of Easttown," on which he played the supporting role of John Ross. Recently, he nabbed his first major TV project with the live-action "Godzilla and the Titans" series (via Deadline). In the Apple TV+ action drama, he'll be playing the series regular role of Tim opposite Kurt and Wyatt Russell.
Before starring in "Spirited," Tippett appeared in a few notable feature films, including "Monsters and Men" with John Washington David, the Lifetime film "Patsy & Loretta," and the Stephen King adaptation "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" with Jaeden Martell. When he's not acting on screen, audiences can see him on Broadway and Off-Broadway stages. His most prominent Broadway performance is playing Earl Hunterson in the musical adaptation of the 2007 film "Waitress." The show features music and lyrics by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles, who has been in a long-term relationship with Tippett since 2017 (via People).
Rose Byrne as Ms. Blansky
In "Spirited," Rose Byrne appears in the cameo role of Ms. Blansky. Byrne is a versatile actress who excels in different genres, most especially in drama and comedy. She began acting in 1994, when she was cast in the supporting role of Rastus Sommers in the Australian dark comedy "Dallas Doll." In 1999, she landed her first leading role in the comedy crime film "Two Hands" opposite Heath Ledger. Her first big break came in the following year, when she won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her compelling performance in "The Goddess of 1967."
Byrne made her Hollywood debut in 2002 with a minor role in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," which saw her playing a handmaiden to Natalie Portman's Padme. Her early roles in the U.S. include Briseis in "Troy," Yolande de Polastron in "Marie Antoinette," and Major Scarlet Levy in "28 Weeks Later." Byrne started the 2010s by starring in three back-to-back blockbuster films: "Insidious," "Bridesmaids," and "X-Men: First Class," which all showcased different sides of the Australian actress. She continued dominating the comedy genre with appearances in the "Neighbors" and "Peter Rabbit" films.
While building her film career, Byrne also achieved success in television when she nabbed one of the leading roles on the legal thriller "Damages." She starred as Ellen Parsons, a ruthless attorney and protegee of Patty Hewes, played by acting powerhouse Glenn Close. Her performance brought her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Her other notable TV appearances include playing Gloria Steinem on "Mrs. America" and Sheila Rubin on the Apple TV+ dramedy "Physical."
Tracy Morgan as the voice of Yet to Come
In "Spirited," Tracy Morgan lends his voice to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This project reunites him with fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Will Ferrell after working together as cast members on the long-running sketch comedy for six years. Before successfully landing "SNL," Morgan appeared on another sketch comedy show, "The Uptown Comedy Club," in which he played various characters from 1992 to 1994. He also nabbed a recurring role on the Fox sitcom "Martin," where he starred as Hustle Man opposite Martin Lawrence.
After his time on "SNL" ended in 2003, Morgan secured his next breakthrough role as Tracy Jordan on the hit NBC sitcom "30 Rock." The character was loosely based on his own personality and life, and his well-received performance earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2018, Morgan signed onto his very own comedy series, "The Last O.G.," from producer Jordan Peele. For four seasons, Morgan played Tray Barker, an ex-convict who finds out that his old neighborhood has been gentrified. Audiences may have also heard his voice on animated shows like "Where My Dogs At," "Mr. Pickles," "The Simpsons," "Green Eggs and Ham," and "Squidbillies."
As for his big-screen career, Morgan's film credits mostly consist of comedy features, including "Head of State," "The Longest Yard," "Are We There Yet?," "Superhero Movie," "Death at a Funeral," "The Night Before," "What Men Want," and "Coming 2 America." He has also done some voice work in a few films, like the adventure comedy "G-Force" as Blaster, the "Rio" films as Luiz, and the biblical comedy "The Star" as Felix.
Patrick Page as Jacob Marley
Patrick Page portrays the supporting role of Jacob Marley in "Spirited," based on one of the original characters from Charles Dickens' novella "A Christmas Carol." Page is an established Broadway actor who has appeared in a number of popular stage plays and musicals. His most notable performances on stage are playing Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast," Scar in "The Lion King," The Grinch in "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical," and Norman Osbourne/Green Goblin in the expensive "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" musical. For his leading performance as Mister Hades in the original run of "Hadestown," he received his first Tony Award nomination for best featured actor in a musical.
When he's not on stage, Page can be seen acting on the small screen, with one-episode appearances on several shows including "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The Good Wife," "The Blacklist," "Chicago P.D.," "NCIS: New Orleans," and "Evil." He also scored recurring roles on the Lucy Liu-led procedural drama "Elementary" as Jonathan Bloom, the political drama "Madam Secretary" as Reverend Slattery, the Starz limited drama "Flesh and "Bone" as Sergei Zelenkov, and Julian Fellowes' HBO period drama "The Gilded Age" as Richard Clay. For the latter's second season, he was promoted as a series regular for the first time in his TV career.
Before signing on for "Spirited," he only had three notable film credits to his name — the independent drama "Affluenza" as Jack Goodman, the biographical "I Am Michael" as a Bible teacher, and the musical "In the Heights" as Pike Phillips.
Marlow Barkley as Wren
In "Spirited," young actress Marlow Barkley plays the role of Wren. She's the daughter of Clint Briggs' late sister Carrie, whose dying wish was for her brother to be the one who raises Wren. Barkley also gets to play a young version of Andrea Anders' Carrie. The 13-year-old rising star made her acting debut in 2018, when she was cast on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Single Parents," which was led by Taran Killam and Leighton Meester. For 45 episodes, she portrayed the role of Sophia Cooper, the only daughter of single father Will Cooper, played by Killam.
Barkley has done some voice work on animated shows like the long-running sitcom "South Park" and Nickelodeon's family comedy "The Loud House." After "Single Parents" ended its two-season run, she once again lent her voice to another children's animated series, Disney Channel's hit show "Amphibia." Besides the latest Apple Original Film, Barkley can also be seen in Netflix's coming-of-age fantasy adventure "Slumberland." In the film, she plays a young girl named Nemo who enters the titular dream world in hopes of reuniting with her late father. Like in "Spirited," Barkley also co-stars with an A-list actor in the form of "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa, who appears as the playful outlaw Flip.
Speaking with Who What Wear, Barkley revealed that her next project will be a Hulu comedy series titled "Tiny Beautiful Things," based on Cheryl Strayed's bestselling book of the same name. Her return to the small screen will feature her playing a young version of Kathryn Hahn's lead character in a few episodes.
Sunita Mani as the Ghost of Christmas Past
Sunita Mani stars in "Spirited" as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who, later in the story, becomes the love interest to Clint Briggs. Mani is a comedic actress and dancer best known for playing the recurring roles of Trenton on the thriller series "Mr. Robot" and Arthie Premkumaron the comedy drama "GLOW." Before those, she made her feature acting debut in the coming-of-age independent drama "The Unspeakable Act."
In 2016, Mani scored minor appearances on four popular shows — the sci-fi crime drama "Person of Interest," Comedy Central's "Broad City," the fantasy sitcom "The Good Place," and the dark comedy "Search Party." During her first season on "GLOW," she was also cast as a series regular on the comedy series "No Activity." In this CBS All Access remake of the Australian series of the same name, Mani played dispatch officer Fatima Khorosani. Following the surprise cancellation of "GLOW," she secured one-episode appearances on the comedies "Three Busy Debras" and "Dream Corp LLC," as well as acclaimed dramas "Scenes from a Marriage" and "Servant." She has also done voice work on animated shows like Cartoon Network's "Summer Camp Island" and AMC's "Ultra City Smiths."
"Spirited" marks Mani's first big budget film after a handful of independent features. Her film credits include early roles in "Don't Think Twice," "Madeline's Madeline," and "The Death of Dick Long." In 2019, she appeared in Netflix's all-star comedy "Wine Country" from Amy Poehler. The following year, she landed her first leading roles with the sci-fi comedy "Save Yourselves!," the comedy drama "The Outside Story," and supernatural horror "Evil Eye."
Octavia Spencer as Kimberly
In "Spirited," Octavia Spencer plays the key role of Kimberly, Clint's assistant who becomes the love interest to Will Ferrell's Ghost of Christmas Present. Spencer began her acting career in the mid-1990s with minor appearances in films like "A Time to Kill," "Never Been Kissed," "Being John Malkovich," and "Blue Streak." Around the same time, she also nabbed one-episode roles on shows like "L.A. Doctors," "Chicago Hope," "Roswell," "The X-Files," and "City of Angels," frequently playing nurse characters.
By the 2000s, Spencer scored key roles on multiple shows, including "The Chronicle" as Hildy, "LAX" as a flight attendant, "The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman" as security guard Sheryl, "Ugly Betty" as Constance Grady, and "Halfway Home" as Serenity Johnson. In 2012, Spencer's longtime friend and filmmaker Tate Taylor enlisted her to join the stellar cast of the period dramedy "The Help." For her breakthrough role as the cook Minny Jackson, Spencer won her first Golden Globe and Oscar, both for Best Supporting Actress. Since then, she's been securing more major parts in all-star projects such as "Snowpiercer," "Get On Up," "Hidden Figures," and "The Shape of Water."
After establishing her film career, Spencer was able to move on from playing minor and supporting characters on shows to headlining her own TV dramas. In 2019, she signed on for the lead role of Poppy Parnell on the Apple TV+ crime drama "Truth Be Told." She received her first Emmy nomination in 2020 for her leading role as C.J. Walker on the Netflix limited series "Self Made."
Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present/Scrooge
Leading the cast of "Spirited" alongside Ryan Reynolds is Will Ferrell, who is introduced as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Later on, it's revealed that his character is actually the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge from the original "A Christmas Carol" story. As someone who also once seemed to be an irredeemable soul, Present is the only one who believes in Clint's redemption.
Ferrell is considered as one of the best comedians of his generation. After honing his improv skills as a member of the Los Angeles-based comedy group The Groundlings, Ferrell got his big break in 1995, when he became a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." He quickly became a standout among the cast with a number of impersonations, including President George W. Bush, and original characters like talk show host Tom Wilkins and office worker Dale McGrew. During his seven-year tenure, he began to build his film career, with early comedic roles in the Austin Powers films as Mustafa, "A Night at the Roxbury" as Steve, "Dick" as Bob Woodward, and "Zoolander" as Jacobim Mugatu.
After exiting "SNL" in 2002, Ferrell went on to land lead roles in several iconic comedy films such as "Old School," "Starsky & Hutch," "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "Blades of Glory," "Step Brothers," and "The Other Guys." Of course, even before "Spirited," Ferrell was no stranger to holiday movies, as he famously starred in the Christmas classic "Elf" as Buddy, opposite James Caan. Audiences may have also heard his voice in animated films like "Megamind" and "The Lego Movie."
Ryan Reynolds as Clint Briggs
Taking on the lead role of Clint Briggs in "Spirited" is the charming and witty Ryan Reynolds. His character is a modern-day Scrooge who's been given the chance to redeem himself. However, due to his snarky attitude and persuasiveness, the ghosts' mission becomes more difficult as Clint stubbornly refuses to be redeemed.
Reynolds is a blockbuster superstar who gained mainstream recognition for his leading performances in high-profile projects consisting of both comedy and action films. His most prominent role to date is playing fan-favorite Marvel antihero Wade Wilson, aka the Merc with a Mouth, aka Deadpool. He first portrayed Wilson in the 2009 prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Several years later, he finally got his own "Deadpool" film with a more comic-accurate origin story for the character. It was instantly well-received by critics and became the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time, with a worldwide gross of over $780 million (per The Guardian). Following a successful 2018 sequel, it was confirmed that Reynolds' Deadpool would survive the Disney-Fox merger to return for his long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2023, with the third "Deadpool" installment.
Before finding success with "Deadpool," Reynolds began his Hollywood career appearing in comedy films like "Dick," "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." In 2004, he signed on for his first superhero film, the Wesley Snipes-led "Blade: Trinity," playing vampire hunter Hannibal King. His next venture into the superhero genre was the live-action "Green Lantern" film, which was a box office disappointment and was widely panned by critics and fans alike. Reynolds' most notable films post-Deadpool are "The Hitman's Bodyguard," "Detective Pikachu," "Free Guy," "Red Notice," and "The Adam Project."