Licorice Pizza Cast & Character Guide

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, Licorice Pizza, features an ensemble cast of recognizable actors alongside breakout performances from newcomers. Licorice Pizza recently broke pandemic box-office records for a film in limited release, earning $335,000 after its first three days in just four theaters. However, for all its other success, the cast remains one of the most notable aspects of the film.

The coming-of-age comedy was given a platform release plan and will be widely distributed on December 25^th. With a name inspired by a chain of Southern Californian record stores, Licorice Pizza is set in the San Fernando Valley. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson previously set Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love in the same area of Los Angeles, where he was born and raised. Anderson has also often utilized an ensemble cast for his films, and though Licorice Pizza remains focused on the intimate relationship between two characters, there is a steady stream of appearances and cameos from celebrities/movie stars.

Licorice Pizza takes place in the early 1970s and features multiple characters inspired or based upon real people, integrated into the fictional narrative centered on an unconventional young romance. Some of these celebrity appearances steal the scene, though there are also a few surprise cameos that could be missed if the audience isn’t paying attention. Here’s a guide to the cast and characters in Licorice Pizza, including who the roles were based on and where you may know the actors from.

Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine

Heading up the cast is newcomer Cooper Hoffman, who plays Gary Valentine, a teenage actor and aspiring entrepreneur based on film producer and former child actor Gary Goetzman. The business ventures carried out by Gary in the film were directly inspired by Goetzman’s own enterprises, including a waterbed company and pinball palace. Hoffman is the son of longtime Paul Thomas Anderson cast member, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Licorice Pizza marks his acting debut.

Alana Haim as Alana Kane

Co-starring alongside Hoffman is Alana Haim, who plays a photographer’s assistant who becomes a romantic interest for Gary Valentine after they meet during a picture day at his high school. Despite her misgivings about the age difference, the 25-year-old assistant becomes enamored with Gary and the two develop a friendship with underlying romantic inclinations. There has been critical praise for her performance, but Alana Haim is likely best known as musician and vocalist in the pop-rock band, Haim, which she formed with her two older sisters. Este and Danielle Haim also appear in Licorice Pizza as Alana’s on-screen sisters. Licorice Pizza marks Haim’s first major acting role, though she did appear in a small role for the musical Netflix special, Lonely Island Presents: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience.

Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters

One of the stories Gary Goetzman told Anderson about his former waterbed company involved a delivery to film producer Jon Peters, inspiring one the most memorable sequences in the film. Peters began as a celebrity hairstylist but became a producer when he became romantically involved with Barbra Streisand after designing a wig for her 1974 film, For Pete’s Sake. Playing Jon Peters in Licorice Pizza is movie star Bradley Cooper, who coincidentally worked with the notorious producer for his 2018 directorial debut, A Star is Born. Cooper is an actor with both critical and commercial success, best known for voicing Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his Academy Award-nominated performances in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and American Sniper.

Sean Penn as Jack Holden

The character of Jack Holden is based on the movie star William Holden, who was best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in the 1953 war drama, Stalag 17. The actor was also famously an alcoholic, which resulted in an accident that led to his death in 1981 and this is likely the reason the character of Holden appears intoxicated for much of his appearance in Licorice Pizza. Holden is played by acclaimed actor Sean Penn, who earned Academy Awards for his roles in the Clint Eastwood directed drama Mystic River, and Milk, a biopic based on the life of activist and politician Harvey Milk. Sean Penn recently appeared in The First, a Hulu space drama that was canceled after one season.

Benny Safdie as Joel Wachs

Joel Wachs was a member of the Los Angeles City Council for 30 years, and the youngest to hold a seat when he was first elected at 33. Licorice Pizza traces the politician’s initial election campaign, during which Wachs was a vocal critic of a multimillion-dollar development deal just north of Beverly Hills. Independent filmmaker and actor Benny Safdie plays Wachs in Anderson’s film. Safdie is best known for co-directing films with his brother Joshua Safdie, including the Robert Pattinson-starring Good Time, as well as Uncut Gems, which earned star Adam Sandler an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. While the Safdie brothers are acclaimed directors, they have also worked as actors. Benny has often performed in the films co-directed by the brothers but will also appear in the upcoming Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Skyler Gisondo as Lance

Skyler Gisondo has a supporting role in Licorice Pizza as the character of Lance. Often appearing as an adversary to Gary, Lance is competition for the protagonist both in his acting career and love life. Gary and Lance both have roles in a film within the film, based on Yours, Mine and Ours, and both desire a romantic relationship with Alana. Skyler Gisondo first established himself as a voice actor in the successful Air Bud film franchise, though he is likely best known for his supporting role in the Netflix zombie comedy series, Santa Clarita Diet. Gisondo also recently appeared in the Netflix drama, The Starling.

Licorice Pizza Supporting Cast

Tom Waits as Rex Blau – Musician and actor Tom Waits appears in a few memorable scenes of Licorice Pizza as a film director named Rex Blau, who drunkenly goads Jack Holden into performing an impromptu motorcycle stunt. Waits was an influential figure in the world of folk, jazz, and rock music, earning him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Following small roles in several films directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Waits was cast as a lead in Jim Jarmusch’s 1986 film, Down by Law, and has continued his acting career ever since.

Christine Ebersole as Lucy Doolittle – Lucy Doolittle is based on the iconic comedic actress, Lucille Ball, who Gary Goetzman performed with as a child actor in Yours, Mine and Ours. Although Licorice Pizza retitles the family film as Under One Roof and changes Ball’s surname to Doolittle, Christine Ebersole gives a spot-on performance as the former I Love Lucy star, making the inspiration quite clear. Ebersole is a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress who also received an Emmy for her work on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.

Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Momma Anita – Although Gary has seemingly unlimited freedom for a teenager, his mother does appear in a few scenes of laid-back parenting. Credited as ‘Momma Anita,’ the character is played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis, who is best known for playing The Waitress on the FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Ellis also appeared with Licorice Pizza co-star Skyler Gisondo on Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet and was one of Nick Miller’s girlfriends on New Girl.

John Michael Higgins as Jerry Frick – In one of the film’s more unsettling depictions of period-accurate behavior, John Michael Higgins plays hotel and restaurant owner Jerry Frick, a man who has appropriated Japanese culture for his businesses. Frick is depicted as the owner of The Mikado, which was actually the name of the first Japanese restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. Higgins is best known for his appearance in several Christopher Guest mockumentaries, as well as a reoccurring role in the Pitch Perfect franchise.

Harriet Sansom Harris as Mary Grady – Based on the mother and child talent agent to young stars Don and Lani O’Grady, Mary Grady is Gary’s agent in Licorice Pizza. She is played by Tony Award-winning actress Harriet Sansom Harris, who is best known for her television roles as Bebe Glazer on Frasier and Felicia Tilman on Desperate Housewives.

Joseph Cross as Matthew – One of the film’s twists for anyone unfamiliar with the life of politician Joel Wachs, is the revelation that he is a closeted homosexual. This is revealed through a heartbreaking scene in which the politician avoids attention while on a date with his boyfriend, Matthew. The fictional role is played by Joseph Cross, a former child actor best known for his starring role in Running with Scissors.

Licorice Pizza Cameos

Maya Rudolph as Gale – Maya Rudolph appears briefly as a casting director in one of Gary’s auditions for a commercial. Although brief, the former Saturday Night Live actress steals the scene with her reactions.

George DiCaprio as Mr. Jack – Paul Thomas Anderson cast Leonardo DiCaprio’s father for the role of Mr. Jack, a waterbed salesman featured briefly in Licorice Pizza. This was his first role as an actor.

John C. Reilly as Fred Gwynne – Although likely best known for his comedies with Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly had roles in Anderson’s first three films, which is likely why he appears briefly in Licorice Pizza as Fed Gwynne. Gwynne was the actor who played Herman Munster on the CBS sitcom The Munsters.

Ray Chase as B. Mitchel Reed – Animation and video game voice actor Ray Chase appears as real-life American DJ, B. Mitchel Reed.

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