Pixar already served up a deep flick about moving through new stages of life with Inside Out, but its latest release takes that concept a step further. Soul, which features some jazz numbers written and performed by musician Jon Batiste, tells the story of a teacher named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). He is headed to the biggest music opportunity of his life when he suddenly suffers an accident. While his body remains on Earth, his soul travels to the Great Beyond and then the Great Before, where he meets a fellow soul named 22.
Soul tackles the profound idea of why life is worth living, so it needed a group of skilled, comedic actors and musicians to the characters both emotional and lighthearted. There are so many souls and humans in this movie and multiple have the same name. It can get confusing, so in case you need help figuring it out, here’s a quick guide.
Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner
Our protagonist is Joe, who begins the film as a middle school music teacher who wants to be a jazz musician. A tragic incident on one of the most important days in his life causes his soul to travel to the Great Beyond.
Foxx’s career began in the comedy arena with his hilarious performances on the sketch comedy In Living Color and The Jamie Foxx Show. Since then, he has proved he can nail characters in any genre. He won an Oscar for transforming into Ray Charles for the self-titled biographical drama. Last year, he took on the role of playing a character on Death Row in the film Just Mercy. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.
Tina Fey voices 22
After Joe arrives in the Great Beyond, a.k.a the after life, he ventures into another part of the universe called the Great Before where he meets 22. The Great Before is where souls inherit personality traits which is the process 22 is going through.
Fey is known for being the comedic writer behind Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live sketches, and Mean Girls. She also brings her talents in front of the screen and recently appeared in the series Modern Love and the comedy Wine Country. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.
Graham Norton voices Moonwind
The characters in this movie are either human beings, souls, or both at different points in the film. Moonwind is a spiritual human who twirls signs on the street advertising a business… or a belief.
As the host of The Graham Norton Show for 13 years, the Irish television presenter is used to appearing as himself in cameos in films like the Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. His last movie role was the dramedy I Could Never Be Your Woman in 2007.
Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images.
Rachel House voices Terry
Terry lives in the Great Beyond where she keeps tally of the souls who exist there.
You might recognise this New Zealander’s voice since she also played Gramma Tala in Moana. Some of her other credits include the movie Thor: Ragnarok and the Netflix mini-series Stateless. Photo: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images.
Alice Braga voices Counsellor Jerry
Get ready to be perplexed. There are multiple characters in Soul named Jerry. They are all counsellors in the Great Before who oversee those who assist souls as they develop personalities and interests.
This is a much different role than fans of Braga are used to seeing her play. She currently stars in the crime drama Queen of the South. She also had a role in action movie The New Mutants and the critically acclaimed Luca Guadagnino series We Are Who We Are. Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage.
Richard Ayoade voices Counsellor Jerry
Ayoade is another Jerry. Like the others, this character is one of the counsellors who assigns Joe to be 22’s mentor in the Great Before.
Ayoade dabbles in everything including comedy, directing, screenwriting, and acting. He recently voiced a character in The Mandalorian called Zero and the Cartoon Network series short Apple & Onion. Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage.
Phylicia Rashad voices Libba
Although Joe’s accident leads him to the Great Beyond, we still meet influential figures in his life on earth. Rashad’s character Libba is Joe’s mother, who works as a seamstress.
Rashad is widely known for playing Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She has been booked and busy this year starring in multiple Netflix productions including A Fall from Grace, 13 Reasons Why, and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Photo: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.
Donnell Rawlings voices Dez
Dez is Joe’s barber, who exists on Earth.
Rawlings has portrayed comedic characters throughout his career. His breakout moment was his stint on the Chappelle’s Show. Since then, he had a guest role on The Last O.G. and also had a part in the Kevin Smith adventure comedy Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.
Questlove voices Curley
Joe wishes to play his music on stage, but in the meantime he works as a music school teacher. One of his former students is Curley, who plays drums in a band. Curley invites Joe to perform with his quartet.
Questlove is the drummer and one of the frontmen from The Roots, so it is fitting that he plays a musician in a group in Soul. You can see him during every episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon leading his band and playing songs.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images.
Angela Bassett voices Dorothea
Dorothea is a well-known jazz musician and saxophone player in the world of Soul. Joe, a pianist, gets the opportunity to perform with Dorothea.
This cast is filled with legendary performers, so naturally Bassett is in the mix. She has led iconic films like How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Waiting to Exhale, Malcolm X, and What’s Love Got to Do with It. Now, she is one of the main cast members in the TV drama 9-1-1. She is also a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ramonda from Black Panther.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Daveed Diggs voices Paul
Every Walt Disney Picture has an intriguing villain and it looks like Paul might fulfill that role. He is Joe’s neighbourhood rival.
Diggs is known for originating the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the Broadway musical Hamilton. Since leaving the show in 2015, he has been everywhere. Just this year, he starred in the TV shows Snowpiercer and The Good Lord Bird and voiced a character for the Central Park series.
Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage.
June Squibb voices Gerel
Aside from the fact that Gerel is voiced by actress June Squibb, little is known about the character.
If you are fans of the Apple TV+ series Little Voice or the crime drama Good Girls, then you will surely recognise Squibb from her recurring roles on the shows. However, Squibb’s biggest role was in the 2013 movie Nebraska, which landed her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.
Fortune Feimster voices Counsellor Jerry
It’s time to meet Jerry number three.
This funny lady’s voice is not hard to recognise especially if you watched her play Colette Kimball-Kinney on The Mindy Project for a few seasons or currently hear her as Brenda on Bless the Harts. She is also a talented comedy writer and wrote 588 episodes for the Chelsea Lately show. Photo: Amanda Edwards/WireImage.
Wes Studi voices Counsellor Jerry
Wes Studi voices the fourth counselor named Jerry. Even though they are in the Great Beyond, the counsellors’ bodies look like line drawings instead of souls.
Studi had roles in multiple Oscar-winning films like Dances with Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans and he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award in 2019. He made a cameo in an episode of Hulu’s Woke this year and also starred in the movie Rolling Thunder. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
Zenobia Shroff voices Counsellor Jerry
The final Jerry in the film is voiced by Zenobia Shroff. She is one of the five mentors responsible for bringing the funny and earnest duo of Joe and 22 together.
Shroff’s credits include The Big Sick and a stint on the Sky Atlantic drama The Affair. She has an upcoming role in the series Ms. Marvel. Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.
Esther Chae voices Miho
Miho completes the quartet that includes Joe, Dorothea, and Curley. She is the bassist in the band.Chae is a character actress who has appeared in films like the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe. She also had a part in the holiday movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.
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