What The Cast Of The Royal Tenenbaums Looks Like Now
So much has happened since Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" hit theaters in 2001. The ensemble cast featured Hollywood legends like Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, and Danny Glover, as well as fresher stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, and Luke and Owen Wilson.
Twenty years later, footprints of the film still remain in New York City, where it was filmed. The grand Tenenbaum mansion is available to rent for $20,000 a month in Harlem (per Robb Report), and then there's a cheeky monument at Forest Hills Stadium, where the U.S. Open was once hosted. "They actually have a plaque up at Forest Hills [Stadium] that says this is where 'the Baumer' had his meltdown," Luke Wilson said during a panel of his tennis star character's famous scene shot there (per Business Insider).
So, where are the movie's stars today? Whether they continue to act, are off writing books, starting business empires, or winning humanitarian awards, their professional range is somewhat fitting of the quirky prodigies they once played. Here's a look at what the cast is up to now.
Bill Murray continues to act
Before starring as Raleigh St. Clair, the neurologist husband of Margot Tenenbaum, Bill Murray had a storied acting career. And since the film's release, he hasn't stopped for a second, appearing in dozens of films. Notably, he was nominated for his first Oscar for Sofia Coppola's 2003 award season favorite "Lost in Translation" (per IMDb). And to the delight of fans, he's even returned to some of the classics that made him famous, like the "Ghostbusters" franchise's 2016 and 2021 movies.
He's also stuck with director Wes Anderson, with roles in films like "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and "The French Dispatch." Their professional bond was solidified while filming "The Royal Tenenbaums," when Anderson had a hard time working with the intimidating Gene Hackman. The director noticed that Murray wasn't "scared" of Hackman, so he asked him to stay close by for support. "I remember, there was a scene where Gene goes for a walk in the park and I looked up on the top of this rock and you were standing with a cowboy hat watching the set," Anderson recalled to Murray during an anniversary screening of the film, as IndieWire reported. "And you were just there to show solidarity and I was very touched by that."
Ben Stiller has shifted to producing
Ben Stiller played Chas Tenenbaum, the business prodigy who became hyper-paranoid about safety after the sudden death of his wife. His character was an obsessive parent who had deep issues with his own dad, and though Stiller had a great relationship with his real father, actor Jerry Stiller, he could perhaps channel some of their relationship into Chas.
When his dad passed away in 2020, Ben Stiller reminisced on Today over his father's amazing life and poked fun at his protective nature. "My dad was nervous so he followed me," Stiller said of the first time he was allowed to walk to school alone. "He literally followed me in a car to the point where the police stopped him because they thought that he was stalking me. He was that nuts."
Delving hard into the themes of dysfunctional parenthood didn't turn Stiller off from the job. He became a father soon after "The Royal Tenenbaums" released. In 2002, he and wife Christine Taylor welcomed their first child, and they had a second in 2005 (per Hollywood Life). The Hollywood couple has appeared together in a number of comedies, including "Zoolander," "Dodgeball," and "Tropic Thunder." In 2017, they separated, but Stiller and Taylor seem to have reconciled since.
Per IMDb, Stiller still has acting plenty of acting credits, but has shifted over to producing in recent years in both television and film, and he's also tried his hand at directing movies and shows.
Luke Wilson is on both the big and small screens
Luke Wilson played tennis prodigy Richie Tenenbaum, who was in love with his adopted sister, Margot. The same year "The Royal Tenenbaums" released, Wilson also starred in "Legally Blonde" alongside Reese Witherspoon, sealing his place in Hollywood as a charming comedic male lead.
Despite his nice guy persona on film, he was responsible for setting off his typically chill director. Entertainment Weekly reported that Wes Anderson only lost his temper once during filming, and his ire was directed toward Wilson over a suit's cuff-length, of all things. Wilson recalled being fitted for a "beautiful camel-hair suit," and that Anderson kept inching the cuff length up higher. Wilson would direct the tailor to bring them back down to a length more comfortable for him when Anderson looked away. "I think it might've been the only time that Wes has ever yelled at me," Wilson said, to which Anderson replied that he felt very "bad" about the whole thing.
Wilson's film and television career continued to flourish after "Tenenbaums" hit theaters, with roles in comedies like "Old School" and "Anchorman," as well as more serious films like "The Goldfinch." He's also had success in TV on shows like "Stargirl." In his personal life, he has never married, but has expressed his interest in becoming a dad. "I definitely want to start a family," he told Hollywood Life in 2019, when he was 47. "I'm ready for that. I need to get to work."
Owen Wilson entered the MCU
Owen Wilson didn't only star as Eli Cash in "The Royal Tenenbaums;" he also co-wrote it with Wes Anderson. The duo nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but didn't win. Though he's continued to work with Anderson on many projects, he's also become another go-to comedic actor. Per IMDb, he's starred in iconic projects like "Zoolander," "Starsky & Hutch," "Wedding Crashers," and "Midnight in Paris."
More recently, he landed a role on the 2021 Disney+ show "Loki," but don't count him as an MCU superfan. "I don't know a ton about it, but I know ... actually, yeah, I probably don't know that much about it," he admitted to Esquire, and then mistakenly listed Aquaman as a Marvel character.
On a more somber note, in 2007, Wilson's long battle with depression came to light when he attempted suicide. Media coverage of his illness made him "wary," and after recovering, he won't discuss it publicly and will leave interviews if it comes up, the Independent reported. Wilson has had three children with different partners over the years, another part of his life that he chooses to keep quiet. But he has revealed that being a writer helps out in the bedtime department. "Sometimes telling the stories at night, you do take a little pride that these guys are into this story!" he said. "One of them even said, 'Dad, you should do something with this. This is a really good story!'"
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Gwyneth Paltrow has become a lifestyle mogul
Gwyneth Paltrow played Margot Tenenbaum, the family's adopted daughter and playwright prodigy. The somber, muted part was something new for Paltrow, casting her in a different light from previous romantic roles like "Emma" and "Shakespeare in Love." Despite the fact that she's won an Oscar, Paltrow hates seeing herself onscreen, with the exception of one scene as Margot — where she steps off the bus to meet her brother Richie. "That's kind of like the only scene that I can watch of myself, like of my whole career," Paltrow said, per EW.
Shortly after the release of "The Royal Tenenbaums," Paltrow met singer Chris Martin at a Coldplay concert (per Us Weekly). The pair married and had two children together before introducing the term "conscious uncoupling" to the world in 2014. That same year, she guest-starred on "Glee," where she met Brad Falchuk (via Cosmopolitan). They tied the knot in 2018, and moved in together about a year later. "Married life has been really good," she told InStyle. "We took a year to let everybody [in the family] take it in and let the dust settle."
Paltrow has continued to act, starring in select films and blockbusters like "Iron Man" and other MCU projects. But her focus shifted to the business world when she launched the luxury women's lifestyle brand Goop in 2008. It has since grown into a $250 million business, with a Netflix series about the company, "The Goop Lab," being greenlit for a second season in 2020, Variety reported.
Anjelica Huston continues to work with Wes Anderson
Anjelica Huston starred as Etheline Tenenbaum, an archaeologist and the matriarch of the quirky family in "The Royal Tenenbaums" — a role Wes Anderson wrote with her in mind, according to Vulture. A frequent collaborator with Anderson, she's been in several of his films since, including "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and "The Darjeeling Limited," and served as narrator in his 2021 release, "The French Dispatch" (per IMDb).
Along with Anderson films, she's done voiceover work, starred on series like "Transparent," in films like "John Wick: Chapter 3," and in TV movies like "Iron Jawed Angels," for which she received a Golden Globe award. When choosing roles, Huston wants to be challenged, and strays from anything "apologetically humble or humiliating." She told Vulture, "If I'm going to be an old lady — and I'm sort of touching old lady these days — at least I want to be a special old lady. I don't want to be relegated to some has-been making a comeback. I hate comebacks."
In 2008, her husband of 16 years, sculptor Robert Graham, died. Bill Murray, making up for alleged mistreatment of her while filming "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," came to his funeral to support her. "He couldn't have been nicer that day," she said (via Vulture). "He showed up. A lot of people didn't."
Gene Hackman now writes novels
Gene Hackman appeared in the title role of the film as Royal, a deadbeat dad to the Tenenbaum children who pretends to have a terminal illness when he runs out of money. Wes Anderson wrote the part for Hackman, but "against his wishes." According to Vulture, Anderson said that, like Anjelica Huston, he specifically had Hackman in mind to play the part, but this wasn't appealing to the iconic actor, who didn't like when roles were written for him.
Despite also being underpaid, Hackman read the script and ended up agreeing to come on board. Much has been said about working with Hackman on set (both Huston and Paltrow were "scared" of him), but Anderson has tried to be diplomatic about the reportedly turbulent actor. "He's a huge force and I really enjoyed working with him," he said, per IndieWire. "Even though he was very challenging with me, it was very exciting seeing him launch into these scenes."
Soon after the film released, Hackman retired from acting in his 70s, only appearing in three more films (per IMDb). He has largely ducked out of the limelight since retirement, but picked up a side gig: writing novels. He previously cowrote a novel in 1999, and has since published four books. The latest, a solo project titled "Pursuit," came out in 2013. Hackman credits his former career for enhancing his writing. "The exploration of character comes with the territory in acting," he told Writer's Bone.
Danny Glover splits his time between activism and acting
Danny Glover starred as Henry Sherman, Etheline Tenenbaum's accountant and husband. He's since appeared in too many roles to list, often several per year, according to IMDb. Highlights in film include "Dreamgirls" and "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," while, on the small screen, he appeared on hit shows like "ER" and was the narrator for TV docuseries "Cold Case Files."
A longtime activist, Glover has supported many causes over the years, and actively advocates for national as well as international movements, especially pertaining to civil rights and labor. Though he hasn't yet received an Oscar for his roles in Hollywood, Glover was recognized by the Academy for his activism with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2021. "Danny Glover's decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication to recognizing our shared humanity on and off the screen," Academy President David Rubin said, as ABC News reported.
Glover divorced his wife of 25 years, Asake Bomani, in 2000, right before "The Royal Tenenbaums" released. He found love again and married Brazilian teacher Eliane Cavalleiro in 2009.
Irina Gorovaia stuck with acting
Russian-born, Brooklyn-raised actress and dancer Irinia Gorovaia played Margot Tenenbaum as a child. It was her first Hollywood role, and she continued to act in feature films after its release. First, she scored a part in the Kirk and Michael Douglas film "It Runs in the Family," and later in sci-fi thriller "The Butterfly Effect" (via IMDb). She's since appeared in various television series and short films.
Per her website, Gorovaia studied Hebrew and philosophy at CUNY Hunter College, and has continued to study acting at The Upright Citizens Brigade and the Barrow Group. She produced her first film in 2019, titled "A Magnificent Gray," and produced and acted in a feature film shortly after, the small town thriller "Hungry Dog Blues." She has tried her hand at writing and directing her first short film, "Yasha's Tapochki," in which she also stars, presumably with help from a BluePrint Fellowship that she won.
Grant Rosenmeyer has tried out producing
Grant Rosenmeyer played Chas Tenenbaum's son, Ari, who gets a chance to shake loose from his strict upbringing when he meets his grandfather. Rosenmeyer continued to act after the film released, landing his own series on Fox in 2003 called "Oliver Beene," which lasted for two seasons, according to IMDb. He found success on TV with appearances on shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Blue Bloods," and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."
Rosenmeyer has also been experimenting behind the camera. After writing, producing, and directing smaller projects, he got a chance to produce and star in the 2019 comedy "Come as You Are." He quickly learned that the creative control that comes with the job also brings on a whole lot more work. "As a producer, I mean, you're involved in every step of the process," he told HeyUGuys. "It's very gratifying; it's also very stressful. ... This one will always have a very special place in my heart because it was the first movie that I've produced."
Jonah Meyerson works Late Night
Alongside Grant Rosenmeyer, Jonah Meyerson played Chas Tenenbaum's older son, Uzi, who joins his brother on adventures with their grandfather. The film was his first acting credit, and he told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he wishes he'd "really known how great it was when it happened," adding, "I was only 10." Despite his young age, he joked on Instagram that a certain costar made him feel pretty grown up. He posted a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow giving him a peck on the cheek while on set, writing, "#tbt the exact moment I started liking girls."
Meyerson appeared in several films after "The Royal Tenenbaums," one of the best Wes Anderson movies, put him on the map, including "The Matador," "Little Manhattan," and "Griffin & Phoenix," for which he was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
In 2009, he went on to study English with a cinema studies concentration at the University of Pennsylvania. While attending UPenn, Meyerson interned at "30 Rock," The Onion, and "Saturday Night Live," getting a feel for scripted television (via LinkedIn). He went on to work in post-production after graduation at "The Michael J. Fox Show" and "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." He finally landed at "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," where's he became an associate producer.
Alec Baldwin spent years spoofing Trump
If you can't quite recall Alec Baldwin in "The Royal Tenenbaums," it's because his character didn't have a snappy outfit or a memorable scene. Baldwin served as the film's narrator, and while it's hard to imagine the movie without his voice, he was almost cut entirely. Over the years, Baldwin has told the story that Wes Anderson asked him to narrate as a favor to assuage the producers, but that he didn't intend to use it (per The Playlist). Anderson recently denied the anecdote in conversation with Baldwin, asserting, "I never said that!"
Since voicing the narration, Baldwin continued to act on both television and in film. Per IMDb, he starred in hit movies like "The Departed," "The Cooler," "It's Complicated," and the "Mission Impossible" franchise. On TV, his role as Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock" earned him his first Emmys. In recent years, Baldwin's impression of Donald Trump also nabbed him an Emmy. First appearing as Trump on "Saturday Night Live" in 2016, he knocked it out of the park, causing the then-president to hurl insults at "SNL" on social media. When Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Baldwin was relieved to retire his role. "I don't believe I've ever been this overjoyed to lose a job before!" he tweeted.
Baldwin met Hilaria Thomas in 2011, and the pair married in 2012. They've since had quite the brood, adding six more children to the family along with his first from his previous marriage with Kim Basinger (per ET).