The Godzilla vs Kong 2021 cast is led by Alexander Skarsgård as Nathan Lind and Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews, with Kaylee Hottle as Jia, Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes and Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell. Demián Bichir plays Walter Simmons, Eiza González plays Maia Simmons, Shun Oguri plays Ren Serizawa and Kyle Chandler plays Mark Russell. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), directed by Adam Wingard, opened in US theaters on March 31, 2021, and TMDB lists 48 cast entries, from the leads down to uncredited fishermen and guards. The lineup works a bit like a backyard barbecue where two relatives come back from last year and everyone else is meeting the hosts for the first time. Brown and Chandler carry their roles over from Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), directed by Michael Dougherty, while most of the other leads were announced as new additions. The cast also includes a debut, with Hottle, a deaf actress, playing her first feature film role as Jia.
| # | Actor | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Skarsgård | Nathan Lind |
| 2 | Rebecca Hall | Ilene Andrews |
| 3 | Kaylee Hottle | Jia |
| 4 | Brian Tyree Henry | Bernie Hayes |
| 5 | Millie Bobby Brown | Madison Russell |
| 6 | Julian Dennison | Josh Valentine |
| 7 | Demián Bichir | Walter Simmons |
| 8 | Eiza González | Maia Simmons |
| 9 | Shun Oguri | Ren Serizawa |
| 10 | Kyle Chandler | Mark Russell |
| 11 | Lance Reddick | Guillermin |
| 12 | Hakeem Kae-Kazim | Admiral Wilcox |
| 13 | Ronny Chieng | Jay Wayne |
| 14 | John Pirruccello | Horace |
| 15 | Chris Chalk | Ben |
| 16 | Conlan Casal | Apex Cybernetics Security Guard |
| 17 | Brad McMurray | Apex Cybernetics Security Guard |
| 18 | Benjamin Rigby | Sonar Operator |
| 19 | Nick Turello | Apex Cybernetics Armed Guard |
| 20 | Daniel Nelson | Hayworth |
| 21 | Priscilla Doueihy | Monarch Mission Tech |
| 22 | Kei Kudo | HEAV Pilot |
| 23 | Brad Buckley | HEAV Pilot |
| 24 | John Walton | HEAV Co-Pilot |
Billing order from the film's credits (TMDB). Actors with a Cinvibe page and characters with a character page are linked.
Also in the cast: Daniel Tuiara (HEAV Co-Pilot), David Castillo (Maia Apex Cybernetics Guard), Kofi Yiadom (Maia Apex Cybernetics Guard), Jim Palmer (Maia Apex Cybernetics Guard), Drew Walton (David Lind (uncredited)), Tara Wraith (Monarch Flight Crew (uncredited)), Jason Virgil (Bartender (uncredited)), Grisel Toledo (Apex Guard (uncredited)), Jason Szabo (Monarch Tactical Guard (uncredited)), Jason Speer (Monarch Board Member (uncredited)), Sen Shao (Thug (uncredited)), Scott M. Schewe (Fisherman (uncredited)), Charles Sans (Apex Guard (uncredited)), Tasneem Roc (Reporter (uncredited)), Jon Quested (Construction Worker (uncredited)), Joel Pierce (Monarch Tech #2 (uncredited)), Sofia Nolan (Mean Girl (uncredited)), Shawn McBride (Fisherman (uncredited)), Victoria Liu (HEAV Pilot #3 (uncredited)), Sonny Le (Thug (uncredited)), Santi Lawson (Apex Lab Tech (uncredited)), Garreth Hadfield (U.S. Navy Guard (uncredited)), Ashley Change (ASL Interpreter), Curtis Bush (Admiral).
Alexander Skarsgård plays Nathan Lind, the Hollow Earth theorist whom Walter Simmons recruits and who persuades Monarch to move Kong. Deadline reported in October 2018 that he would star in Godzilla vs. Kong. Early Variety coverage described his part as the leader of a military unit, which differs from the role he plays in the finished film.
Rebecca Hall plays Ilene Andrews, a Monarch linguist who studies Kong and is raising Jia. Her casting was reported in late October 2018, in the same wave as Eiza González and before her character had been named. During production, Hall learned American Sign Language so she could communicate with Kaylee Hottle, according to NME.
Kaylee Hottle plays Jia, the young deaf orphan who has a close bond with Kong and uses sign language. Jia was her feature film debut, after she appeared, at age nine, in a 2017 commercial for the video relay service Convo. She returned as Jia in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), directed by Adam Wingard, and died in July 2026, aged 18.
Brian Tyree Henry plays Bernie Hayes, an Apex Cybernetics engineer whose conspiracy podcast is followed by Madison Russell. Deadline reported in October 2018 that he had joined Godzilla vs. Kong, when he was fresh from Emmy nominations for Atlanta and This Is Us. Variety described the part as a significant role before the character name was public.
Millie Bobby Brown plays Madison Russell, who starts investigating Apex with her friends. Variety reported in October 2018 that she was reprising the role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which had not yet been released, so she was attached to Godzilla vs. Kong before audiences had seen her first Monsterverse film.
Julian Dennison plays Josh Valentine, one of the friends who joins Madison Russell as she looks into Apex. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed his casting in June 2018, which made the Deadpool 2 actor one of the earliest additions reported in the run of announcements that filled out the Godzilla vs. Kong cast that year.
Demián Bichir plays Walter Simmons, the chief executive of Apex Cybernetics, who recruits Nathan Lind after Godzilla attacks an Apex facility. The Hollywood Reporter reported in October 2018 that Bichir was in talks to join Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison and Brian Tyree Henry in the cast, with Adam Wingard attached to direct.
Eiza González plays Maia Simmons, the daughter of Walter Simmons, who sends her along on the Kong expedition to represent Apex. Her casting was reported in late October 2018, around the same time Rebecca Hall was added, and neither actress had a named character when the news was announced.
Shun Oguri plays Ren Serizawa, a senior Apex Cybernetics figure who works alongside Walter Simmons. Deadline reported in November 2018 that the role would be his Hollywood debut, introducing him as a Japanese star known for Crows Zero and its sequel as well as for Gintama.
Kyle Chandler plays Mark Russell, Madison's father, who now works with Monarch. He is one of two actors carried over from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, alongside Millie Bobby Brown, who returns as his daughter, Madison Russell. TMDB bills him tenth in the Godzilla vs. Kong cast.
Lance Reddick plays Guillermin, credited eleventh in the TMDB billing. Deadline reported his casting in November 2018, introducing him as the Bosch actor and noting that the film was then set for May 22, 2020. That date later changed several times, including a move to November 20, 2020, before the film opened in US theaters on March 31, 2021.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim plays Admiral Wilcox, credited twelfth in the TMDB billing for Godzilla vs. Kong. His character is one of two admirals in the credits, the other being played by Curtis Bush, who is credited simply as Admiral. After Kae-Kazim, the cast list continues with Ronny Chieng as Jay Wayne and a long run of guards, pilots and technicians.
The Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) cast came together through trade announcements between June and November 2018, as the production prepared to start filming on Oahu that November. Julian Dennison was among the first names, confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter in June, and Millie Bobby Brown was already set to carry Madison Russell over from the previous film.
October brought most of the adult leads. Deadline reported Brian Tyree Henry and then Alexander Skarsgård, The Hollywood Reporter had Demián Bichir in talks, and Rebecca Hall and Eiza González were announced together at the end of the month. Shun Oguri and Lance Reddick followed in November, with Oguri's part described as his Hollywood debut.
Not every early name reached the final credits. Deadline reported Danai Gurira in early talks in July 2018 and Variety reported Jessica Henwick joining, but neither appears in the TMDB cast list for the finished film. Kaylee Hottle was a newcomer: she had appeared in a 2017 commercial for the video relay service Convo, and Jia became her feature film debut. The Godzilla vs Kong page covers the film itself.
Two actors return from earlier Monsterverse films, and the remaining leads are new additions. Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler come back as Madison and Mark Russell, the daughter and father from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Mark now works with Monarch, while Madison follows the Apex mystery with Bernie Hayes and Josh Valentine.
Most of the other leads, including Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Demián Bichir, Eiza González and Shun Oguri, were announced as new additions during 2018. Some of those new faces stayed with the franchise. Kaylee Hottle returned as Jia in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry appeared alongside her at that film's premiere. For how each entry fits together, see the guide to the Monsterverse movies.
| Director | Adam Wingard |
|---|---|
| Writers | Zach Shields, Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein, Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty |
| Producers | Thomas Tull, Mary Parent, Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod |
| Music | Tom Holkenborg |
| Cinematography | Ben Seresin |
Kaylee Hottle plays Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong, the young deaf orphan who bonds with Kong and uses sign language. It was her feature film debut. Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård learned American Sign Language to communicate with her during production, and she returned as Jia in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024.
Yes, Millie Bobby Brown is in Godzilla vs. Kong, billed fifth as Madison Russell. She reprises the role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and her storyline follows Madison and her friends as they start investigating Apex Cybernetics, with Julian Dennison as Josh Valentine and Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes.
In Godzilla vs. Kong, the human antagonists are tied to Apex Cybernetics, the company led by Walter Simmons, played by Demián Bichir. Eiza González plays his daughter, Maia Simmons, and Shun Oguri plays Ren Serizawa. Early in the film, Godzilla attacks an Apex facility, and that attack sets the Monarch and Apex storylines moving.
No, only two actors from Godzilla: King of the Monsters return in Godzilla vs. Kong: Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell and Kyle Chandler as Mark Russell. Most of the other leads, including Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry, were announced as new additions to the cast during 2018.
Brian Tyree Henry plays Bernie Hayes in Godzilla vs. Kong, billed fourth. Bernie is an Apex Cybernetics engineer with a conspiracy podcast that Madison Russell follows. Deadline reported in October 2018 that Henry had joined the film, at a time when his character had not been named publicly.
Alexander Skarsgård played Nathan Lind in Godzilla vs. Kong, the Hollow Earth theorist at the top of the billing. Deadline reported his casting in October 2018. In the story, Walter Simmons recruits Lind, and Lind persuades Monarch to move Kong in search of a power source beneath the surface.
Hollow Earth in Godzilla's Monsterverse is a fictional underground world associated with Titans.
Godzilla in water is a fast swimmer and a skilled underwater fighter in the Monsterverse.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), directed by Masaaki Tezuka, follows the use of Kiryu, a biomechanical Mechagodzilla built to fight Godzilla.
Godzilla Planet refers to Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), directed by Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, in which humanity returns to Earth after 20,000 years have passed there.
Godzilla contra King Ghidorah is the Spanish title of Godzilla vs.
Godzilla's Revenge is the US title for All Monsters Attack (1969), directed by Ishiro Honda.