Characters appearing in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch.
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French Dispatch Staff
Arthur Howitzer Jr.
Played by: Bill Murray
"Don't cry in my office."
The editor of the "French Dispatch," a French extension of the "Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun." His death results in the magazine being shut down.
- Benevolent Boss: Downplayed. Howitzer is said to be very pleasant and accommodating for his writers, but the rest of the magazine's staff can get fired on a moment's notice.
- Catchphrase: He doesn't like it when people shed tears, causing him to sternly say "No crying," or a variant of the phrase whenever someone begins doing so. Becomes a Phrase Catcher after his death.
- Also, "just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose."
- Da Editor: Though he doesn't yell nearly as much as some other examples, he is shown to have little tolerance for crying and fires employees on a whim.
- Ironic Birthday: Inverted. He was having a quiet birthday alone, reading birthday telegrams. Then he died of a heart attack.
- Missing Mom: Only mentioned at the end that his mom died when he was five.
- Pet the Dog: Howitzer decides to come down to the police station and conduct a job interview with Roebuck Wright when the man phones him in desperation for a job and to bail him out of jail. He gives him some feedback on his current work and tells him to write a book review while his bail is still being processed. It's more than apparent that Howitzer is the entire reason Roebuck is so successful in the present day.
Herbsaint Sazerac
Played by: Owen Wilson
"Through the time machine of poetic license, let us take a sight-seeing tour. A day in Ennui over the course of 250 years."
Writer of the "City" section of the magazine.
- Butt-Monkey: During his segment, he accidentally falls down a subway entrance, and is attacked by the rogue choir boys he had previously mentioned.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine. Even as he's describing the terrible things that happen in Ennui, he maintains a cheery demeanor and (as he reveals to Howitzer) he finds it all charming.
- Intrepid Reporter: Cycles around the city, observing what goes on in and around the city of Ennui. He doesn't shy away from some of the more lurid aspects of the town, however.
- Punny Name: Herbsaint is a type of liqueur meant as an absinthe substitute, and Sazerac is both a cocktail that uses absinthe and the liquor company that owns Herbsaint.
- Out of Focus: Sazerac's story is very simplistic compared to his coworkers, with it mostly consisting of him bicycling around town and commenting on various aspects of Ennui. It serves as world-building for the following stories.
J.K.L. Berensen
Played by: Tilda Swinton
"Something about the captivity of others enhances the experience of their own freedom. I assure you it's erotic."
Writer of the "Arts and Artists" section of the magazine.
- Big Eater: If her spending bill is any indication, Berensen enjoys eating and drinking a little too much. Especially when it comes to her midnight snack.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegamtic. Easily the most laid-back out of all the writers working for The French Dispatch, probably owing to her seemingly perpetual inebriation.
- I Was Quite a Looker: It's shown during her presentation that Berensen looked quite good naked in her younger years, compared to her older self in the present day.
- Lady Drunk: Her speech is slightly slurred, and she takes an abrupt break in the middle of her lecture in order to pour herself a drink.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clearly based on Rosamond Bernier
, in both her appearance and the way in which she speaks. - Noodle Incident: She apparently slept with Moses Rosenthaler at one point over twenty years ago, with the details left intentionally vague by the latter. Arthur Howitzer is not happy that she went back to the beach club they rendezvous'd at on his dime.
- Nouveau Riche: Berensen is rather liberal with spending the French Dispatch's money on personal pleasures. While writing "The Concrete Masterpiece", she spent a large amount of Howitzer's money while staying at a seaside inn where she slept with Moses Rosenthaler, which included the room itself, an exorbitant amount of food, and the supplies she needs for her writing. Howitzer is annoyed with this, but ultimately relents.Howitzer: Why am I paying for a hotel room in a beach club off the North Atlantic coast?
Berensen: Because I had to go there to write it. - Only Known by Initials: What the first three initials stand for is never stated.
- Out of Focus: Outside of Sazerac, Berensen gets the least amount of focus in her story. In fact, unlike the staff who participated in their own segments, Berensen narrates the events of her segment after it happened, and had minimal contact with Moses Rosenthaler, her segment's subject.
- Reluctant Fanservice Girl: While going through her lecture, Berensen accidentally shows a slide of her posing partially nude, which she's somewhat embarrassed at.
Lucinda Krementz
Played by: Frances McDormand
"I made it sound like you, I think."
Writer of the "Politics/Poetry" section of the magazine.
- Ascetic Aesthetic: In contrast to the cluttered, colorful offices of Sazerac, Berensen and Roebuck Wright, Krementz has a very bare-bones office.
- Aside Glance: Gives one at the very end of the film.
- Cool Old Lady: Well, older lady. She's friendly to the students and understanding of their reasons for rebellion. She also makes several edits to their manifesto to make them more cohesive.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric. Not incredibly short-tempered, but she's certainly no-nonsense in her journalistic approach.
- Ghostwriter: Rewrites Zeffirelli's manifesto (without his permission) in order to make it better.
- Intrepid Reporter: She starts off simply writing about the student revolution, but soon becomes embroiled in it beyond her better judgment.
- Married to the Job: She never married so that she could focus more on writing.
- The Oathbreaker: She's torn between helping the students with their revolution and maintaining journalistic integrity. She ends up being personally involved to the point of sleeping with the leader and editing his manifesto. She further breaks journalistic integrity (while claiming she's not) by giving the students advice on how to proceed with their protests (and, in one case, an affair).
- Old Maid: Claims that she is not one, though is called one by at least two people.
- Smoking Is Cool: Makes her seem more authoritative, even though practically every other student is seen smoking at one point or another.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Burnt toast, bizarrely enough.
Roebuck Wright
Played by: Jeffrey Wright
"I have so often shared the days glittering discoveries with... no one at all."
Writer of the "Tastes and Smells" portion of the magazine.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic. Carries with him an air of sadness and loneliness, especially as he explains why exactly he chose to review food (seen above).
- Kilroy Was Here: The Chicken Coop in the police station has "Roebuck Wright Was Here" carved into it. Why exactly is revealed later on in his story.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Pretty clearly based on James Baldwin, since both were gay black writers who lived in France and were persecuted for their homosexuality. They even have the same style of writing. His physical appearance bears a remarkable resemblance to Neil deGrasse Tyson, especially in the scenes where he has his mustache.
- No Sense of Direction: Is shown to get lost easily, explaining it as "the curse of the homosexual."
- Photographic Memory: Claims that he has a typographic memory. He can remember written words very well, but claims to not remember the visuals.
- Straight Gay: Roebuck Wright mentions on a few occasions that he's gay (notably he was arrested for homosexual acts on the day he arrived in the city) but otherwise displays no stereotypical traits.
- Twofer Token Minority: Is both black and gay.
Hermès Jones
Played by: Jason Schwartzman
"I'm working on the art."
The artist for the French Dispatch.
- Terrible Artist: Downplayed. He's shown to lazily use his own hand outline to draw a turkey, to great outrage of Howitzer who expected "a turkey, stuffed and roasted on a table with all the Pilgrims!" However, his other art can be seen in the credits and animated portions of the movie, and they are much better than his turkey.
Alumna
Played by: Elisabeth Moss
"The one question is: who gets killed? There's one piece too many, even if we print another double-issue, which we can't afford under any circumstances."
An employee at the French Dispatch.
- No Name Given: Alumna isn't her name, but she isn't addressed by anyone else with a name (and listed only as Alumna in the credits).
- Trying Not to Cry: Tries (and fails) to hold in her tears at the sight of Howitzer's corpse. Quickly manages to compose herself, however.
The Concrete Masterpiece
Moses Rosenthaler
Played by: Benicio del Toro, Tony Revolori (young)
Dubbed by: Boris Rehlinger (European French)
"I've been here 3,647 days and nights. Another 14,603 to go."
A talented artist serving a life sentence after he brutally murders two men in cold blood.- The Alcoholic: Frequently drinks shots of prison mouthwash.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's mentally ill and homicidally violent, but a brilliant artist on just about every level. While his work is mostly abstract, he proves to Cadazio that he's a talented conventional artist as well by drawing an excellent picture of a sparrow in 45 seconds using nothing but a burnt matchstick.
- Implausible Deniability: At his parole hearing, he insists he didn't intend to kill anybody. The chief magistrate then states that he decapitated two bartenders with meat saw. He then says while the first one was an accident, the second one was self-defense.
- Noodle Incident: He apparently slept with J.K.L Berensen at one point over twenty years ago, with the details left intentionally vague by the latter.
- Overly Long Name: His full name is "Miguel Sebastien Maria Moisés de Rosenthaler."
- Starving Artist: His story reveals that he willingly became one (despite coming from a modestly wealthy family).
- What You Are in the Dark: When the inmates stage a breakout and attack the guests of Cadazio's event inside the prison, Moses decides to fight against his fellow criminals to protect the attendees, a valorous act which earns him a pardon.
- You Are Number 6: His prison number (7524) is occasionally used in place of his name.
Simone
Played by: Léa Seydoux
"I don't love you."
Moses' prison guard and muse, who has no qualms with posing nude so that he can paint her.- Chekhov's Skill: The photographs seen during Berensen's presentation show that she is the only subject standing still in every one. This comes in handy when she is made to pose naked for Rosenthaler to paint.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Downplayed. Simone and Moses' relationship is strictly professional for the most part, and she flat-out tells him that she does not reciprocate his love for her, even after they have slept together. That said, she does save Moses from a suicide attempt, and continues to correspond with him after they go their separate ways, indicating that Simone does care for Moses in some capacity.
- Good is Not Nice: By virtue of her being a prison guard, her duty is to make sure that Moses stays in line. However, she still cares for him and wants him to be happy, even if she doesn't love him. This is especially shown when she gives a stern motivational talk to Moses after giving him a brief shock in the electric chair.
- The Muse: Acts as this to Moses.
- Ms. Fanservice: Simone spends a good chunk of her screentime nude and in various poses for Rosenthaler to paint.
- Naked First Impression: The first shot of her is her completely naked, and we see her pose in various ways later on without wearing a speck of clothing.
- Single Tear: She visibly sheds one of these as we learn that she intends to leave the Ennui Prison Asylum to reunite with her long-lost child, leaving Rosenthaler in the process.
Julien Cadazio
Played by: Adrien Brody
"All artists sell their art. It's what makes you an artist."
A young and dedicated art dealer who comes across Moses during his time in prison.
- The Determinator: Driven to have Moses' art seen by more than just the inmates, and spends quite a lot of time and money in order to get it seen.
- History Repeats: Julien's last scene in the film is him being flanked by his now grown-up nephews, nervously glancing at either of them, apparently fearful that they'll treat him as shabbily as he did his own uncles.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Occasionally comes off as rude and insults Moses after he discovers his murals to be painted to the prison walls, but he apologizes once he learns to accept that Moses doesn't want to succeed.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Based on British art dealer Joseph Duveen.
- Snake Oil Salesman: Recognizes potential fads in the art world and exploits them, uncaring of any nuance or meaning in the works so long as he can sell them. Moses outmaneuvering him by making his murals seemingly immovable causes him to take a step back and actually look at what he's trying to hustle outside of its potential as a product, and he winds up liking what he sees.
Uncle Joe and Uncle Nick
Played by: Henry Winkler and Bob Balaban
Julien's business partners/uncles. They begrudgingly finance his attempts to drive Moses to stardom.- Those Two Guys: Always seen side by side.
Upshur "Maw" Clampette
Played by: Lois Smith
"This here's a fresco, t'weren't it?"
An art collector and former employer of Berensen.- Small Role, Big Impact: Despite not playing a key part in the story for the most part, she is the one to point out that the final piece which Moses makes is painted onto the wall.
Revisions to a Manifesto
Zeffirelli B.
Played by: Timothée Chalamet
A young revolutionary chosen to write a manifesto for the student rebellion.- Badass Bookworm: Self-admitted member of the "bookworm" clique, and a confident leader of the student rebellion.
- Buccaneer Broadcaster: Justified (at least to him). His group establishes a pirate radio tower on the roof of the Physics Department, and he later uses it to read out his manifesto.
- Death of a Child: Well, of a teenager, but he is electrocuted and falls off of his pirate radio station at the end of his segment. And if that didn't kill him, then drowning in the city's river is what probably did him in.
- Expy: One to Max Fischer of Rushmore fame as a brilliant yet narcissistic young man who over the course of an ill-conceived intellectual pursuit, stumbles his way into a love triangle with one of his peers and a much, much older woman. Although, unlike Max, Zeffirelli manages to consummate his relationship with Krementz almost instantly.
- Geek Physique: Has an obsession with his so-called "new muscles" despite being skinny as a rail.
- Modesty Towel: Wears one on his head while taking a bath during his first on-screen conversation with Krementz.
- Motive Decay: A postscript note of his has Zeffirelli wondering if the student rebellion went astray from the solid anti-war platform inspired by the story of Mitch-Mitch and Morisot.
- Naked First Impression: He meets Krementz when he's in the bath.
- Smoking Is Cool: Usually seen with a skinny cigar either in his mouth or in his pocket.
Juliette
Played by: Lyna Khoudri
Another revolutionary, who fanatically follows the teachings of François-Marie Charvet- Cool Helmet: Always seen wearing a checkered motorcycle helmet.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Seemingly a portmanteau of Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle. Mitch-Mitch's surname (see below) adds weight to this theory, however.
- Unexpected Virgin: Despite her being obsessed with her looks, she turns out to be a virgin.
- Vanity Is Feminine: Usually seen looking in her handheld makeup mirror.
Mitch-Mitch
Played by: Mohamed Belhadjine
"I can no longer salute this patch."
A friend of Zeffirelli and a defector of the military, he inspires the students to rebel.- Dangerous Deserter: Subverted. Despite leaving the Mustard Region early due to Morisot's death, he doesn't end up hurting or killing anybody and remains firmly against unnecessary conflict throughout the rest of the segment.
- Named After Somebody Famous: His surname (Simca), was also the nickname of French chef Simone Beck, who worked with the two chefs mentioned above.
Morisot
Played by: Alex Lawther
"I can no longer envision myself as a grown-up man in my parent's world."
A young soldier who Mitch-Mitch met during his time in the military service.- Driven to Suicide: Very shortly after he's introduced, he jumps out of the window, since he doesn't want to live the life his parents have laid out for him.
Mr. and Mrs. B.
Played by: Cécile de France and Guillaume Gallienne
Zeffirelli's parents.- Good Parents: Zeffirelli says as much during his final monologue:Zeffirelli: I'm told my father was really quite remarkable during the last war. Best parents I know.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Unfortunately, by the end of the story, they have to identify his body after he is electrocuted and falls off a building.
Paul Duval
Played by: Christoph Waltz
Friend of the B.'s and (implied) former lover of Krementz.- Nice Guy: Though he barely gets any screentime, he seems pretty friendly to both the B's and to Krementz.
- Not So Above It All: Like many others in this segment, even he tunes into Zeffirelli's pirate radio station (and seems pretty annoyed when it stops).
The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner
The Commissaire
Played by: Mathieu Amalric
The police commissioner of the city of Ennui- Good Parents: He is this to Gigi, as he taught him very valuable skills, loves him unconditionally, and will do anything to make sure he's safe.
- No Name Given: We have his surname (taking clues from both his mom and son), but his first name is never stated.
- Papa Wolf: Organizes a massive team of experts in order to save his son after he is kidnapped.
- Police Are Useless: Completely averted. Not only is he shown to be an efficient planner, but a competent leader as well. This extends to the rest of the police department as well.
Gigi
Played by: Winston Ait Hellal
"You're not a criminal. You're just a mixed-up showgirl."
The son of The Commissaire, who is abruptly kidnapped halfway through the story and held hostage by The Chauffeur.- Adorably Precocious Child: He's been immersed in the culture of the police station since his birth. His first drawing is a composite sketch of a suspect, and his first words were in Morse code.
- Bad Liar: Tries to say that his tapping was just "air bubbles in the radiator pipes" to the showgirl. She doesn't seem to believe him.
- Banging for Help: How he tries to get help after he gets kidnapped, although more subtly. He uses a coin and a pipe behind him.
- Chekhov's Skill: It's mentioned that he was so engrossed in his father's police work that his first words were in Morse code. When he's kidnapped, his ability to communicate in Morse code (by tapping on a pipe with a coin) is key to his eventual rescue.
- Kid Detective: As a result of being raised in the police station, he is very good at solving cases.
- Overly Long Name: Downplayed. His full name Isadore Sharif de la Villatte.
Lt. Nescaffier
Played by: Steve Park
"Seeking something missing... missing something left behind."
The ranking chef at the Ennui Police Department.- Chef of Iron: Lampshaded, as though he's told and proven to be an absolutely badass chef, as he successfully poisons Gigi's kidnappers, he does so by sampling the radish he had poisoned first to make them trust him and eat the radish as well. He later confesses to Roebuck Wright about how he only did so in fear of humiliation, especially considering how he was an immigrant.
- Punny Name: "Nescaffier" sounds a lot like a portmanteau of Nescafé and Escoffier.
- Supreme Chef: Nescaffier's cooking is so well regarded that a gang of criminals will let him come into their hideout when the police offer them his services for a special meal.
Maman
Played by: Mauricette Coudivat
The Commissaire's mother.- Pink Means Feminine: Though she is only seen in color once, both her coat and her hair are pink.
Chou-Fleur
Played by: Hippolyte Girardot
The Commissaire's childhood friend.- Looks Like Cesare: With the dark circles surrounding his eyes and his Undeathly Pallor, it's no wonder the Commissaire says he looks like a corpse.
- Nice Guy: Though he may look slightly dead, he's still very amicable to Wright upon meeting him.
- Punny Name: Chou-fleur is French for Cauliflower, fitting for both the culinary theme of the segment, but also for his pale complexion.
Joe "The Chauffeur" Lefèvre
Played by: Edward Norton
"Wait.... Write down the recipe."
The leader of a gang of criminals in Ennui.- Does Not Like Spam: Hates radishes, which allows him to avoid being poisoned and abscond with Gigi.
- King of Thieves: His role in the criminal underground.
- Meaningful Name: They don't call him that for nothing, as the chase sequence shows he Drives Like Crazy.
- Would Hurt a Child: Willing to kill Gigi if it means getting his bookkeeper back.
Albert "The Abacus"
Played by: Willem Dafoe
"Are you planning to kill me?"
The bookkeeper for the mob, his arrest leads to the kidnapping of Gigi- Butt-Monkey: Ends up getting arrested, imprisoned in a chicken coop and accidentally forgotten about for several days due to Gigi's kidnapping. He's remembered at the end and fed, however.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Only in the movie for about 30 seconds, but his arrest leads to the events which take place during the third segment.
The Showgirl
Played by: Saoirse Ronan
"I'm not going to tell you that. This is a felony."
One of four showgirls who are in league with the gangsters.- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Downplayed. While she is the only member of the gang of criminals who actually bothers checking on Gigi (as mentioned below), she still participates in the shootout against the police.
- Icy Blue Eyes: Downplayed. While Saorise Ronan's gorgeous blue eyes no longer display innocence in her character, The Showgirl is actually the nicest person in league with the mobsters.
- No Name Given: Only known as "The Showgirl."
- Token Good Teammate: The only one of the gang who actually treats Gigi with kindness, singing him a lullaby and remembering to bring him food. She dies with the rest of them.
