You remember that feeling when you first saw the trailer for Paul? It looked like just another stoner comedy, but with a CGI alien. But honestly, if you actually sit down and look at Paul the movie cast, it’s basically a "who’s who" of 2010s comedy royalty. It isn't just the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost show, though they’re the heart of it.
The film follows two British geeks, Graeme and Clive, who are on a pilgrimage to San Diego Comic-Con and various UFO hotspots. Along the way, they "literally" crash into Paul. Paul is a smart-mouthed, pot-smoking alien who’s been chilling on Earth since the late 40s.
Most people think of this as a minor cult hit. They’re wrong. It’s a massive love letter to sci-fi, and the cast is the secret sauce that makes the parody work without feeling mean-spirited.
The Core Trio: Pegg, Frost, and a Vocal Seth Rogen
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the legends behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. They wrote this one too. Pegg plays Graeme Willy, the more sensitive of the two, while Frost is Clive Gollings, a sci-fi author who’s a bit more high-strung. Their chemistry is effortless because, well, they’ve been best friends in real life since the 90s.
Then you’ve got the alien.
Seth Rogen as Paul
Seth Rogen provides the voice and motion capture for the titular character. It’s sort of a perfect casting choice. You need a voice that sounds relaxed, slightly cynical, but ultimately warm. Rogen’s signature laugh and gravelly tone make an alien creature feel like a guy you’d grab a beer with at a dive bar.
What’s wild is how they filmed it. Pegg and Frost weren’t just talking to thin air. They used:
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- Animatronic puppets.
- A child actor in a green suit.
- A shorter actor for physical presence.
- Even just a gray ball on a stick for eye lines.
It sounds like a headache, right? But it worked. The interaction feels real because the actors had something physical to bounce off of.
The Chasers: Jason Bateman and the "Dim-Witted" Duo
Every road movie needs an antagonist. Enter Special Agent Lorenzo Zoil, played by Jason Bateman.
Bateman is the king of the "straight man" role. He plays Zoil with this deadpan intensity that’s a direct homage to characters like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. The name itself is a pun on the 1992 film Lorenzo’s Oil, which is a weirdly specific deep-cut joke that most people totally miss.
Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio
Helping (or hindering) Zoil are Agents Haggard and O’Reilly. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio bring this chaotic, bumbling energy to the federal agent trope. Hader was right in the middle of his SNL prime here, and Lo Truglio was a few years away from becoming a household name on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
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Watching them try to be "serious" G-men while failing miserably is one of the best parts of the movie. They actually filmed some intense car chases at 60 mph where Hader had to drive while trying not to wreck a million-dollar camera rig. Talk about high stakes for a comedy.
The Supporting Players: From Kristen Wiig to Sigourney Weaver
The movie really levels up when it hits the supporting cast. Kristen Wiig plays Ruth Buggs, a one-eyed, heavily religious woman living in a trailer park with her father, Moses (played by the always-excellent John Carroll Lynch).
The Evolution of Ruth Buggs
Ruth’s arc is actually kind of controversial to some. She starts as a fundamentalist and, after Paul shares his "universal knowledge" with her via a telepathic brain-dump, she completely swings the other way. Suddenly, she’s swearing like a sailor (but doing it badly) and trying to experience everything she’s missed. Wiig’s awkward delivery of swear words is a masterclass in comedic timing.
The Big Guy Revealed
For most of the movie, we only hear a voice on the radio giving orders to Agent Zoil. They call her "The Big Guy." In a massive "of course they did" moment for sci-fi fans, it turns out to be Sigourney Weaver.
Weaver has said in interviews that she jumped at the chance to be in the film because it’s a "love letter to sci-fi fans." She even gets into a physical scrap with Blythe Danner (who plays Tara Walton, the woman who took care of Paul as a child). Seeing the star of Alien get punched by an older lady while she screams "Let him go, you bitch!" is the kind of meta-humor that makes this movie special.
A Who’s Who of Cameos
If you blink, you’ll miss some of the other heavy hitters.
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- Jane Lynch shows up as Pat Stevens, a waitress at a diner.
- David Koechner and Jesse Plemons play a couple of "rednecks" who harass the boys early on.
- Jeffrey Tambor plays Adam Shadowchild, a famous (and pretentious) sci-fi author who Clive is obsessed with.
- Steven Spielberg even has a voice cameo! He’s heard over a speakerphone talking to Paul about ideas for E.T.—implying that Paul was a consultant for his movies.
Why the Casting Matters for SEO and Fans
When people search for Paul the movie cast, they’re usually looking for that one actor they recognize but can't quite place. Is that the guy from Parks and Rec? (No, but it feels like it). Is that the girl from Bridesmaids? (Yes, Kristen Wiig).
The reason Paul holds up better than other 2011 comedies is this depth. It’s not just one or two funny people; every single person in a scene is a seasoned pro. Even the bit parts are filled with people like John Carroll Lynch, who you might recognize as the terrifying suspect from Zodiac.
What to Do Next if You Liked the Cast
If you’re a fan of this specific group of actors, you shouldn't just stop at Paul. There are a few direct links you can follow to see more of this chemistry:
- Watch the Cornetto Trilogy: If you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, you’re missing the peak of the Pegg/Frost partnership.
- Check out Greg Mottola’s other work: The director also did Superbad and Adventureland. You can see that same "heart mixed with raunchy humor" style there.
- Look for Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig together: They starred in The Skeleton Twins, which is a lot more serious but shows how well they work as a duo.
- Re-watch for the Easter eggs: Now that you know the cast list, watch it again specifically to find the Spielberg cameo or the Star Wars references in the Cantina scene.
The movie is currently available on most major streaming platforms and digital storefronts like Amazon and Apple TV. It’s a solid 104 minutes of genre-bending fun that honestly deserves more credit for the sheer amount of talent it managed to cram into one RV.