The Usual Suspects - actors, characters and roles

All actors and their roles in the film "The Usual Suspects"
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Timing: 1:46 (106 min)
The Usual Suspects - TMDB rating
8.17/10
11294
The Usual Suspects - Kinopoisk rating
7.829/10
123889
The Usual Suspects - IMDB rating
8.5/10
1200000

Actors and characters

Photo Gabriel Byrne #29801Photo Gabriel Byrne #29802Photo Gabriel Byrne #29803

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne
Character Keaton
Photo Kevin Pollak #54557Photo Kevin Pollak #54558Photo Kevin Pollak #54559Photo Kevin Pollak #54560

Kevin Pollak

Kevin Pollak
Character Hockney
Photo Kevin Spacey #2217Photo Kevin Spacey #2218Photo Kevin Spacey #2219Photo Kevin Spacey #2220

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey
Character Verbal
Photo Chazz Palminteri #38492Photo Chazz Palminteri #38493Photo Chazz Palminteri #38494

Chazz Palminteri

Chazz Palminteri
Character Dave Kujan
Photo Suzy Amis #12249Photo Suzy Amis #12250Photo Suzy Amis #12251Photo Suzy Amis #12252

Suzy Amis

Suzy Amis
Character Edie Finneran
Photo Dan Hedaya #30290Photo Dan Hedaya #30291Photo Dan Hedaya #70292

Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya
Character Jeff Rabin
Photo Paul Bartel #53694Photo Paul Bartel #53695Photo Paul Bartel #53696

Paul Bartel

Paul Bartel
Character Smuggler
Photo Carl Bressler #126440
Carl Bressler
Character Saul Berg
Photo Phillipe Simon #15654
Phillipe Simon
Character Fortier
Photo Jack Shearer #88076
Jack Shearer
Character Renault
Photo Clark Gregg #11162Photo Clark Gregg #11163Photo Clark Gregg #11164Photo Clark Gregg #11165

Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg
Character Dr. Walters
Morgan Hunter
Character Arkosh Kovash
Ken Daly
Character Translator
Photo Michelle Clunie #87797
Michelle Clunie
Character Sketch Artist
Photo Louis Lombardi #44192

Louis Lombardi

Louis Lombardi
Character Strausz
Photo Frank Medrano #13957Photo Frank Medrano #13958
Frank Medrano
Character Rizzi
Photo Ron Gilbert #11785
Ron Gilbert
Character Daniel Metzheiser
Photo Vito D
Vito D'Ambrosio
Character Arresting Officer
Gene Lythgow
Character Cop on Pier
Bob Elmore
Character Bodyguard #1
Photo David Powledge #50253
David Powledge
Character Bodyguard #2
Bob Pennetta
Character Bodyguard #3
Billy Bates
Character Bodyguard #4
Photo Smadar Hanson #87345
Smadar Hanson
Character Keyser's Wife
Photo Castulo Guerra #37468
Castulo Guerra
Character Arturro Marquez
Peter Rocca
Character Arturro's Bodyguard
Bert Williams
Character Old Cop
Photo Peter Greene #1701Photo Peter Greene #1702Photo Peter Greene #1703

Peter Greene

Peter Greene
Character Redfoot the Fence (uncredited)
Photo Christopher McQuarrie #3805Photo Christopher McQuarrie #3806Photo Christopher McQuarrie #3807Photo Christopher McQuarrie #3808

Christopher McQuarrie

Christopher McQuarrie
Character Interrogation Cop (uncredited)

What's left behind the scenes

  • The face recognition scene was an improvisation by the actors.
  • A more accurate translation of the title is "The Usual Suspects".
  • When writing the screenplay, McQuarrie drew inspiration from one of his early, unpublished works, whose protagonist, after dealing with his own family, disappeared from the sight of the criminal world and the police for a long time. All the characters were given the names of employees of a law firm where the screenwriter once worked. He found the word "soze" in an English-Turkish phrasebook, which means "chatter" (a hint at the main character's nickname). Later, the screenwriter described "The Usual Suspects" as a hybrid of "Rashomon" and "Double Indemnity".
  • The film was shot in just 35 days. Throughout the narrative, enough clues were scattered regarding Keyser Söze’s identity to motivate repeat viewings. The advertising campaign was run with the slogan “Do you know who Keyser Söze is?” Later, while accepting an “Oscar,” Kevin Spacey quipped: “Whoever Keyser Söze is, I can assure you that tonight he will be dead drunk.”
  • The role of Verbal Kint was originally intended for Kevin Spacey.
  • The idea for the film originated from the concept of a poster for the movie, depicting men lined up for identification at a police station.
  • Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie once worked at a detective agency, and his experience there definitely influenced the portrayal of criminals and law enforcement in the script.
  • When Kevin Spacey saw Brian Singer's first film, 'Public Access' (1993) at the Sundance Film Festival that same year, he met the young director there and told him he wanted to star in his next film.
  • Gabriel Byrne initially refused the offer to star in the film. He changed his mind after a detailed conversation with screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie and director Brian Singer. On the eve of filming, the actor informed the filmmakers that he would not be able to play the role after all due to personal issues, as he could not leave Los Angeles. Singer made the necessary changes to the plot for the actor’s sake, so that the entire film could be shot in five weeks exclusively in Los Angeles.
  • Michael Biehn was offered the lead role, but after reading the script, he didn't understand it and turned it down. Steven Baldwin became the next potential candidate, and he took on the role. Biehn later admitted that he had made a mistake by refusing to work with Bryan Singer.
  • When Kevin Spacey received the script, he had to read it twice because he didn't understand everything the first time.
  • It took 18 hours to film the robbery scene in the underground parking lot. According to Gabriel Byrne, the director still didn't have the material he needed the next day and continued filming in the underground parking lot, even despite threats from the insurance company to shut down the project.
  • When writing the script, McQuarrie drew inspiration from one of his early, unpublished works, whose protagonist, after eliminating his own family, disappeared from the sight of the criminal world and the police for a long time. All the characters were given the names of employees of a law firm where the screenwriter once worked. He found the word 'soze,' meaning 'chatter,' (a hint at the protagonist's nickname) in an English-Turkish phrasebook. The screenwriter later described 'The Usual Suspects' as a hybrid of 'Rashomon' and 'Double Indemnity'.
  • The film was shot in just 35 days. Throughout the narrative, enough clues were scattered regarding Keyser Söze's identity to motivate repeat viewings. The advertising campaign was launched with the slogan 'Do you know who Keyser Söze is?' Later, while accepting an 'Oscar,' Kevin Spacey quipped, 'Whoever Keyser Söze is, I can assure you, tonight he will be dead drunk.'
  • When Peter Greene's character flicks a cigarette towards McManus (played by Stephen Baldwin), it hits him in the face, although it was intended to hit his chest. Baldwin's reaction was genuine and unscripted, so Bryan Singer decided to keep that take in the film.
  • According to Kevin Spacey, Bryan Singer managed to convince each of the leading actors that the role of Keyser Söze was intended for them. When it turned out that this was not the case, Gabriel Byrne, for example, left the set in a rage and then argued with the director for another half hour.
  • “Fenster” translates from German as “window.” Initially, the character was supposed to be the oldest. Benicio Del Toro was initially offered the role of McManus. He himself volunteered to try out for the role of Fenster. Del Toro came up with the idea for Fenster to speak incoherently, and the director agreed. In one scene, Hockney, played by Kevin Pollak, replies to Fenster's line: “What did he just say?” – the actor genuinely couldn’t understand what Del Toro had said. Similarly, MacQuarrie's line, “Please speak English,” said to Fenster, was not in the script, nor was Fenster’s reaction to it.
  • A more accurate translation of the title is 'The Usual Suspects'.
  • When writing the script, McQuarrie drew on one of his early, unpublished works, whose protagonist, after eliminating his own family, disappeared from the sight of the criminal world and the police for a long time. All the characters were given the names of employees of a law firm where the screenwriter once worked. He found the word 'soze', meaning 'chatter' (a hint at the main character's nickname), in an English-Turkish phrasebook. The screenwriter later described 'The Usual Suspects' as a hybrid of 'Rashomon' and 'Double Indemnity'.
  • The film was shot in just 35 days. Throughout the narrative, enough clues were scattered regarding Keyser Söze's identity to motivate repeat viewings. The advertising campaign was launched with the slogan 'Do you know who Keyser Söze is?' Later, while accepting an 'Oscar', Kevin Spacey quipped: 'Whoever Keyser Söze is, I can assure you he'll be dead drunk tonight.'
Did you like the film?

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