Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical arrives on Netflix on Christmas day. The new iteration of the musical is based on Tim Minchin’s acclaimed West End show that helped turn Roald Dahl’s famous children’s book Matilda into the classic musical it is today. The Netflix musical directed by Matthew Warchus, features a stellar cast including Dame Emma Thompson, and Lashana Lynch. The film also introduces us to new faces like Alisha Weir, Carl Spencer, and Lauren Alexandra.

Casting for new film adaptations of beloved books can be challenging, but Matilda the Musical rose to the challenge. This film has a wide variety of good and evil characters, each of whom is cast to perfection, from the larger-than-life Miss Trunchbull to the sweet Miss Honey to the brave young (superpowered) Matilda. Let’s take a look at the cast of Netflix’s Matilda the Musical.

9 Who Does Emma Thompson Play In The Musical?

The prolific actress plays the tyrannical headmistress at Crunchem Hall school, though Matilda fans weren’t totally onboard with Emma Thompson playing Miss Trunchbull.

Emma Thompson is no stranger to these kinds of transformational roles having transformed over the years into characters like Nanny McPhee or Professor Sybil Trelawny in the Harry Potter films, the Dame is nearly unrecognizable as Mrs. Trunchbull.

8 Who Is Playing Matilda In The Netflix Musical?

Thirteen-year-old Alisha Weir is a newcomer, with a few other roles before Matilda the Musical. The young actress portrays the titular character Matilda, previously played by Mara Wilson (1996) who has since retired from acting. Weir is already working on her next project Wicked Little Letters, a film starring Academy Award winning actress Olivia Colman.

7 Who Does Lashana Lynch Play In Matilda The Musical?

James Bond actress Lashana Lynch is one of the only people to play multiple roles in the Marvel cinematic universe, having portrayed Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel (2019) and Captain Marvel of Earth 838 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earlier this year.

The British actress who recently starred in The Woman King alongside Viola Davis, plays Miss Honey, who is Miss Trunchbull’s niece and also a teacher at Crunchem Hall. Unlike her aunt, she is sweet, kind and develops a soft spot for Matilda.

Related: Fans Were Blown Away By The Woman King As It "Overperformed" At Box Office

6 Stephen Graham Plays Mr. Wormwood In Matilda The Musical

Matilda's father, Mr. Wormwood, was famously portrayed by Danny DeVito in the 1996 movie Matilda. In the Netflix musical Stephen Graham steps into Wormwood’s shoes. Before this he starred in a long list of movies and TV shows including Season of the Witch (2011), Rocketman (2019), and more.

Related: Here's Why Fans Think Danny Devito Raised Mara Wilson

5 Who Plays Matilda’s Mom In The Musical?

Andrea Riseborough has appeared in many films and TV series since her screen debut in 2005.

She played Margaret Thatcher in The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), which earned her a BAFTA nomination, and has had roles in, Oblivion (2013), Nocturnal Animals (2016), Battle of the Sexes (2017) and more. In Matilda the Musical, she plays Matilda’s self-absorbed mother Mrs. Wormwood.

4 This Award Winning Comedian Plays Mrs. Phelps In Matilda The Musical

Sindhu Vee plays Mrs. Phelps, the village librarian who is enamored of Matilda's intelligence and shares her love of books. The Indian actress has appeared in productions like Bounty (2018) and Netflix’s Sex Education (2020) which also stars Emma Thompson. Vee also hosts the BBC Radio 4 Comedy of the Week podcast.

3 Who Is The Actor Playing The Escapologist In Matilda The Musical?

Carl Spencer is one of the newer faces in Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. The budding actor plays the escapologist in the story. Like his cast mate Stephen Graham, Spencer also appeared in Rocketman (2019), in fact he debuted in the fantasy musical about Elton John's come up story.

He has since appeared in an episode of Doctors (2019), and will be making an appearance in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel.

Related: 'Sex Education': What Were The Actors Doing Before The Hit Show Aired?

2 Will This Be Lauren Alexandra’s Breakout Role?

Lauren Alexandra is another fresh face that was cast in the musical; she plays an acrobat. Prior to this the actress had only done the children’s sketch show Spot Bots (2016), two short films, and an uncredited role in Death on the Nile (2022).

1 Who Else Is In Netflix's Matilda The Musical?

Charlie Hodson-Prior appears as Bruce Bogtrotter, a student at Matilda’s school who is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake as punishment after being accused of stealing a slice of Miss Trunchbull's personal cake. Hodson-Prior is also a newcomer.

Also appearing are Winter Jarrett-Glasspool as Amanda Thripp, Ashton Robertson as Nigel, Rei Yamauchi Fulker as Lavender, and Andrei Shen as Eric.

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