Ang Lee is a bit of a madman. Looking back at the early 2000s, Marvel wasn't the box-office-dominating behemoth we know today; it was a scrappy collection of licenses scattered across different studios. When Universal Pictures decided to bring the Green Goliath to the big screen, they didn't hire a traditional action director. They hired the guy who just did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This choice dictated everything about the cast of hulk movie 2003, turning what should have been a popcorn flick into a Shakespearean tragedy about daddy issues and repressed trauma.
Most people remember the CGI. It looked a bit like a radioactive marshmallow at times, sure. But if you strip away the bright green pixels, you’re left with one of the most over-qualified ensembles ever put in a superhero movie. We’re talking about Oscar winners and indie darlings playing roles that, in any other hands, would have been cartoonish.
Eric Bana and the Weight of Bruce Banner
Eric Bana was an interesting choice. Before he was Bruce Banner, he was mostly known in Australia for sketch comedy and his terrifying turn in Chopper. He wasn't the "puny Banner" from the comics; he was built, quiet, and honestly looked like he was constantly holding back a panic attack. That was the point. Lee wanted someone who felt like a pressure cooker.
Bana’s performance is internal. It’s all in the eyes. While modern MCU fans are used to Mark Ruffalo’s nervous, bumbling charm, Bana played Banner as a man who is fundamentally broken. He doesn't want to be a hero. He just wants to not exist. This choice split audiences down the middle. Some people found him boring. Others—the ones who actually liked the psychological depth—saw a man haunted by a past he couldn't remember.
He had this way of standing. Still. Rigid. Like if he moved too fast, the monster would leak out. It’s a physical performance that doesn't get enough credit because, well, the movie ends with him fighting a giant cloud/electricity monster. But for the first hour? Bana is doing some heavy lifting.
Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross
Betty Ross is often the "thankless" role in Hulk lore. She’s the girlfriend. The tether. But Jennifer Connelly, fresh off her Oscar win for A Beautiful Mind, brought a level of intellectual gravity to the part that hasn't been matched in the franchise since.
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She didn't just play a damsel. She played a scientist who was genuinely concerned with the ethics of what they were doing. Her chemistry with Bana wasn't about "will they/won't they" sexual tension; it was two lonely people who were the only ones who understood the other's baggage. Connelly’s Betty is the one who notices the tiny details—the way Bruce’s skin reacts, the way his pulse jumps.
She holds the emotional center of the film. When the Hulk is rampaging through the desert, it’s not the missiles that stop him. It’s Betty. That’s a trope, yeah, but Connelly makes you believe it because she treats the Hulk not as a monster, but as the scared boy she knows is trapped inside.
The Absolute Menace of Sam Elliott
If you need a military general who looks like he eats gravel for breakfast, you hire Sam Elliott. As Thunderbolt Ross, Elliott is perfect. He has that voice. That mustache. But he also brought a weirdly sympathetic edge to a character that is usually just a one-dimensional villain.
Ross in this movie isn't just hunting the Hulk because he wants a weapon. He’s hunting the Hulk because he knows exactly who Bruce’s father was, and he’s terrified that the "poison" has finally come to the surface. He’s a man trying to protect the world from a mistake he helped make decades ago. Elliott plays him with a mix of duty and deep-seated regret.
Why Ross Matters
The dynamic between Ross and Betty is actually the most realistic part of the movie. It’s a father and daughter who love each other but are diametrically opposed on a fundamental moral level. Elliott doesn't play him as "evil." He plays him as a soldier who sees a threat and does what soldiers do.
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Nick Nolte and the Original Sin
Then there's Nick Nolte. Honestly, Nolte’s performance as David Banner is one of the most "out there" things in any Marvel movie ever. He’s playing a man who has completely lost his grip on reality, or perhaps found a reality the rest of us are too scared to see.
Nolte’s David Banner is the true villain, but he’s also a victim of his own obsession. The scenes where he’s talking to Bruce in the lab, surrounded by these mangy dogs he’s experimented on, are genuinely unsettling. It feels more like a horror movie than a superhero flick. Nolte chewed the scenery, but he chewed it with such conviction that you couldn't look away.
His character is the personification of the film’s theme: the sins of the father. He literally gave Bruce the genetic mutation that would eventually become the Hulk. It’s messy. It’s dark. It involves a lot of shouting about "true power."
Josh Lucas: The Guy You Love to Hate
Every 2000s movie needed a smug corporate/military rival, and Josh Lucas stepped up as Glenn Talbot. Lucas has this uncanny ability to look like the handsomest guy in the room while also being the most punchable.
Talbot represents the privatization of science. He wants Bruce’s DNA for profit. While the rest of the cast of hulk movie 2003 is dealing with heavy emotional trauma, Talbot is just there to be an obstacle. His eventual fate—involving an explosive foam and a very poorly timed missile—is one of the more "comic book" moments in a film that otherwise tries very hard to be a Greek tragedy.
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Supporting Players and Cameos
You can't talk about the cast without mentioning the legend himself, Stan Lee. This was one of his earlier cameos, and it was a great one. He appears as a security guard alongside the original TV Hulk, Lou Ferrigno. It was a passing of the torch.
- Cara Buono as Edith Banner: She plays Bruce’s mother in the flashbacks, providing the tragic heart of the origin story.
- Kevin Rankin as Harper: Bruce’s lab assistant who provides a bit of grounded, "normal person" perspective before everything goes to hell.
- Daniel Dae Kim: A very young Daniel Dae Kim shows up as an aide in the laboratory scenes. It’s a "blink and you’ll miss it" moment if you aren't looking for him.
The Problem with the Ending (and the Cast)
Where things get weird is the final act. The cast is doing this high-level drama, and then the movie asks them to interact with a giant CGI man-cloud. Nolte and Bana have this massive philosophical argument in the middle of a lake at night, and while the acting is top-tier, the visual effects just couldn't keep up with the ambition of the script.
It’s a tonal clash. You have Jennifer Connelly crying over a giant green head, and Sam Elliott barking orders at tanks. It’s absurd, but because the actors take it so seriously, it almost works. Ang Lee treated the Hulk not as a hero, but as a "Hulk"—an uncontrollable force of nature born from childhood trauma.
The Legacy of the 2003 Ensemble
Years later, people still argue about this movie. It’s slow. It uses comic-book-style paneling for transitions which some people hate. But the cast of hulk movie 2003 remains the most sophisticated lineup the character has ever had.
Edward Norton’s Incredible Hulk (2008) was more of a standard action movie. Mark Ruffalo’s version is a lovable team player. But Bana’s version? It’s the only one that feels like a genuine psychological profile.
If you go back and watch it now, ignore the 2003-era CGI for a second. Look at the faces. Look at the way Nick Nolte looks at his son. Look at the pain in Eric Bana’s eyes when he realizes he can’t ever be normal. That’s where the real movie is.
What to do next
If you're revisiting this era of Marvel, your best move is to watch the 2003 film back-to-back with the 2008 MCU reboot. Pay close attention to how the character of Betty Ross changes between Jennifer Connelly and Liv Tyler; it highlights the shift from "prestige drama" to "blockbuster action." Additionally, look up the behind-the-scenes footage of Ang Lee doing the motion capture for the Hulk himself. Yes, the director actually played the monster in many scenes to ensure the movements felt "emotional" rather than just aggressive. Finally, check out the 2003 film's soundtrack by Danny Elfman—it’s vastly different from his Batman work and captures the tribal, frantic energy of Banner's transformation perfectly.