Honestly, if you haven’t sat through Alexander Payne’s Nebraska since it hit theaters back in 2013, you're missing out on one of the weirdest, most authentic ensembles ever put on a 32mm black-and-white frame. It’s a movie about a million-dollar scam, sure. But mostly? It’s a movie about faces. Specifically, the weathered, stubborn, and hilariously blunt faces of the cast of Nebraska movie.
You’ve got Bruce Dern looking like a dandelion gone to seed. You’ve got Will Forte playing it straighter than a Montana highway. And then there’s June Squibb, who basically nukes every scene she’s in with a single lift of her skirt.
It’s a masterclass in "un-acting."
The Casting Gamble: Why Bruce Dern and Not a "Mega Star"
When Payne was putting this together, the studio—Paramount—wasn't exactly jumping for joy. They wanted a massive name for Woody Grant. We’re talking Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, maybe Jack Nicholson. They wanted "prestige."
Payne stuck to his guns. He wanted Bruce Dern.
Dern had spent decades playing the "wacko" or the "sicko" (his words, not mine). He was the guy who shot John Wayne in the back. But in Nebraska, he’s Woody Grant, an elderly alcoholic who thinks a sweepstakes letter is his ticket to a million bucks.
Dern’s performance isn't about big speeches. It's about that vacant, "lights are on but nobody's home" stare. He actually told interviewers that his biggest challenge was "shutting out the world." He had to un-learn his instincts to be present.
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"I had to get rid of all those instincts... If you're looking out on a baseball field, all the lights in right field are out for Woody." — Bruce Dern
That "spaciness" is what makes Woody feel so real to anyone who’s ever cared for a parent with fading memory. It’s not Hollywood dementia; it’s just... being gone.
Will Forte: The SNL Guy Who Broke Our Hearts
Most people in 2013 knew Will Forte as the guy who blew things up in MacGruber or the weirdo from Saturday Night Live. Casting him as David Grant, the "straight man" son, was a massive swing.
David is a guy whose life is, frankly, a bit of a mess. He’s selling home electronics. His girlfriend left him. He’s "frumpled," as some critics put it.
The genius of Forte here is his restraint. He’s the audience surrogate. When he decides to drive his dad from Billings to Lincoln, he knows the money isn't real. He’s just a son who wants to give his dad one last win.
Forte has mentioned that playing David felt more like his real self than anything else he’d done. There's no hiding behind a wig or a goofy voice. It’s just a sad guy in a flannel shirt trying to connect with a father who won't—or can't—let him in.
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June Squibb: The Secret Weapon of the Cast of Nebraska Movie
If you want to talk about scene-stealers, we have to talk about June Squibb. As Kate Grant, Woody’s long-suffering wife, she provides the high-voltage electricity in a movie that is otherwise pretty low-key.
Kate is unfiltered. She’s foul-mouthed. She’s tired of Woody’s crap.
The cemetery scene is legendary. You know the one—where she’s standing over the graves of her in-laws, flashing them and calling them out for being "sluts" or "bores." It’s hilarious because it’s so unexpected from a 77-year-old woman in a modest coat.
But there’s a layer of warmth there, too. When Woody’s greedy relatives try to move in on his "millions," Kate is the one who shuts them down. She might hate his drinking, but she’ll be damned if anyone else picks on him. Squibb ended up with an Oscar nomination for this, and honestly? She should've won.
The Supporting Players: Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach
Before he was Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk was Ross Grant, the older, "successful" brother who’s a local news anchor. Odenkirk plays Ross with this perfect level of annoyed skepticism. He represents the part of us that wants to be practical and just put the old man in a home.
Then you have Stacy Keach as Ed Pegram.
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Keach is the antagonist, though "villain" feels too strong for a movie this grounded. Ed is a former business partner who thinks Woody owes him money. He’s that guy in every small town who never forgets a debt and uses "friendship" as a weapon. His karaoke rendition of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" is skin-crawlingly good.
The Real "Nebraskans"
One thing that makes the cast of Nebraska movie feel so lived-in is that Alexander Payne used non-actors for many of the smaller roles.
- The Cousins: Devin Ratray (the bully brother from Home Alone) and Tim Driscoll play the dim-witted cousins, Bart and Cole. They barely speak, but their presence on the sofa, just staring at the TV, captures a very specific kind of rural boredom.
- The Local Faces: Casting director John Jackson looked for people in Omaha and Billings who actually looked like they’d lived there for 70 years. These aren't polished LA extras. They have the real weather of the Midwest on their skin.
Why This Ensemble Still Works in 2026
We live in an era of CGI and "de-aging" technology. Watching a movie that leans entirely on the wrinkles and silences of its cast feels like a relief.
The cast of Nebraska movie works because it doesn't try to make the characters "likable" in the traditional sense. Woody is an asshole. Kate is a harpy. David is aimless. But by the time they reach Lincoln, you realize they’re a family. A broken, quiet, stubborn family, but a family nonetheless.
The movie suggests that you don't need a million dollars to have a "win." You just need someone to drive you there.
What to Do Next
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of Alexander Payne or this specific style of "realist" acting, here are a few ways to spend your weekend:
- Watch the Color Version (If You Can Find It): There is actually a color version of Nebraska that exists. Payne hated the idea, but the studio insisted on it for certain TV broadcasts. Comparing the two is a wild lesson in how much "vibe" is created by black-and-white cinematography.
- Check Out "Thelma" (2024): If you loved June Squibb, you have to see her first leading role in Thelma. She was 94 when it came out and did her own stunts. It’s the spiritual successor to her "no-nonsense" energy in Nebraska.
- Revisit "About Schmidt": For a "Dern-adjacent" experience, watch Jack Nicholson in Payne’s About Schmidt. June Squibb plays his wife in that one, too (though she spends most of the movie as a corpse or in flashbacks).
The beauty of this film isn't in the destination. It’s in the grit and the silence of the people in the car.
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