Uncut Gems Cast & Character Guide

Summary Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler as an eccentric jeweler battling with gambling addiction in New York City.

Directed by the Safdie Brothers, the film offers a thrilling ride without relying on traditional action elements.

The star-studded cast includes Idina Menzel, Kevin Garnett, and breakout talent Julia Fox in key roles.

The 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems has a stellar cast led by a nearly unrecognizable Adam Sandler. Directed by Benny and Josh Safdie from a screenplay co-written by Ronald Bronstein, the critically acclaimed film follows an eccentric jeweler in New York City named Howard Ratner whose gambling addiction begins to mesh poorly with his family and his business until his growing adversaries and debts finally put all of them in danger. The film had been in various stages of production since 2016, with Jonah Hill set to star early on in the process before Sandler ultimately took the lead role.

Uncut Gems features an extensive supporting cast of talented entertainers, from indie performers and TV icons to musicians and professional athletes. By the end of Uncut Gems, the audience tends to finally catch their breath in what feels like a 2-hour and 15-minute roller coaster ride, which is impressive considering the film has virtually zero action elements. Despite the success of their films such as Uncut Gems and Good Time, the Safdie Brothers reportedly split up in early 2024 to pursue individual projects. Sandler is still expected to appear in another Safide Brothers production, although that project is currently on pause as of June 2024.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner

Actor: Adam Sandler's comedic career is legendary. After several years at the top of the Saturday Night Live cast throughout the 1990s, the native New Yorker made the transition over to Hollywood, where he continued bolstering outlandishly loud and obnoxiously memorable characters. During this period, generally regarded as the golden era of his career, Sandler put out such films as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, and Big Daddy. Though his filmography has never been the subject of critical appraisal – save Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love – Sandler's later projects, such as Pixels, The Cobbler, and this year's Murder Mystery, have been especially sour.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Notable Films/TV Shows Character The Wedding Singer (1998) Robbie Hart Just Go With It (2011) Danny Hustle (2022) StanleySugerman

Character: Sandler plays protagonist Howard Ratner, an obsessive gambler and jeweler living in New York City.

Idina Menzel as Dinah Ratner

Actor: Most known for lending her voice to Disney's ice queen Elsa in Frozen, Menzel's first film performance came at the start of the century in 2001's Kissing Jessica Stein. Her career skyrocketed, however, a few years earlier when she originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the Broadway musical Rent. Though she would later reprise the part in the show's 2005 film adaptation, Menzel's stage career also included a Tony-winning turn in Wicked, and her on-screen career included roles in Glee (Shelby Corcoran) and Enchanted (Nancy Tremaine).

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Notable Films/TV Shows Character Frozen (2013) Elsa Rent (2005) Maureen Enchanted (2007) Nancy

Character: Menzel plays Howard's estranged wife and mother of his children named Dinah.

Related 20 Best Quotes From All Adam Sandler Movies Adam Sandler has starred in dozens of hilarious comedies and critically acclaimed dramas that have offered both funny and inspirational one-liners.

Kevin Garnett as Himself

Actor: A famed basketball legend, Kevin Garnett hung up his jersey after 21 seasons playing in the NBA. A 15-time All-Star and the 2004 NBA MVP, Garnett played the bulk of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics but also played briefly for the Brooklyn Nets before retiring as a member of the T-Wolves in 2016. Uncut Gems is his first on-screen performance as an actor. Actual footage of Garnett playing for the Celtics in the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers was used in the film. Garnett won one NBA Championship with the Celtics in 2008.

Character: Garnett plays himself during the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Uncut Gems.

Julia Fox as Julia De Liore

Actor: Making her feature debut with Uncut Gems, Fox was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor at the 2019 Gotham Awards, though the prize went to Waves' Taylor Russell. Fox has since starred in the 2021 HBO heist thriller No Sudden Move alongside Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, and Kieran Culkin. She also starred in the 2022 drama Puppet written and directed by Adam and Chris Levett and in the 2024 Max original series Fantasmas.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Notable Films/TV Shows Character No Sudden Move (2021) Vanessa Puppet (2022) Julia Uncut Gems (2019) Julia

Character: Fox plays Julia, Howard's employee and girlfriend in Uncut Gems.

Lakeith Stanfield as Demany

Actor: Lakeith Stanfield's young career is most known for his recurring role in the celebrated FX series Atlanta as Darius. He also appeared as Cassius Green in Sorry to Bother You, though his minor supporting turn in Get Out earned critical praise as the gatekeeper to the film's harrowing twist. Stanfield can also be seen in Rian Johnson's critically acclaimed murder mystery Knives Out. Stanfield has recently starred in BoJack Horseman, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Harder They Fall, Haunted Mansion, and The Book of Clarence. He will appear in Shane Black's upcoming film Play Dirty.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Notable Films/TV Shows Character Atlanta (2016-2022) Darius Knives Out (2019) Elliot Sorry to Bother You (2018) Cassius

Character: Stanfield plays Demany, Howard's assistant who searches for clients in Uncut Gems.

Related The NYC Building That Links Barbie, Uncut Gems, Girls & Catfish A new video explores the story behind 368 Broadway in New York City that links the filmmakers behind Barbie, Uncut Gems, Girls, and Catfish.

Uncut Gem's Supporting Cast & Characters

Eric Bogosian as Arno: Howard's brother-in-law and loan shark. An actor well known for his recurring TV roles in Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Succession, Bogosian has also appeared in Oliver Stone's Talk Radio and Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry. The Bostonian entertainer, however, may be most well known as a playwright, having penned 1987's Talk Radio and 1994's subUrbia, both of which were adapted for the big screen.

The Weeknd as himself: Singer-songwriter The Weeknd is a three-time Grammy-winning R&B artist. Hailing from Canada, the performer (whose legal name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) began his career in 2010, anonymously uploading several songs to YouTube under the pseudonym "The Weeknd." Since then, he has contributed to the soundtracks of several blockbuster films, including Black Panther, Spring Breakers, Southpaw, and Fifty Shades of Grey, though Uncut Gems is his first acting credit.

Paloma Elsesser as Kat: Paloma Elsesser is an African-American plus-size fashion model. Though her acting career began with Uncut Gems, Elsesser has modeled for Nike, Fenty Beauty, Proenza Schouler, and Mercedes-Benz, and has appeared in several fashion magazines, including American Vogue, Teen Vogue, Elle, W, Wonderland Magazine, and Glamour.

Judd Hirsch as Gooey: Judd Hirsch is most widely known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, for which he was nominated for five Golden Globes and won two Primetime Emmy awards. Hirsch finally won a Golden Globe, however, for his part in the divorce dramedy Dear John. The actor's onscreen film credits include the part of Julius Levinson in Independence Day, Helinger in the Russel Crowe vehicle A Beautiful Mind and Berger in Ordinary People. For the latter, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

Mike Francesa as Gary: Mike Francesca is a sports radio talk show host most known for his program with Chris Russo, Mike and the Mad Dog, one of the most successful sports-talk radio programs in American history. Though Francesca had officially retired from broadcasting in 2017, he quickly jumped back into the profession the next year with his own show, Mike's On: Francesa on the FAN. Uncut Gems is his first onscreen appearance as an actor.

Pom Klementieff as Lexus: Pom Klementieff is a French actress most known for her supporting role as Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. In addition to the comic book character, Klementieff has starred in a variety of films, from artsy reboots like Spike Lee's Oldboy to mega franchises like Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series, which she joined for its seventh installment after appearing in Uncut Gems.