A24 CAST GUIDE
A clean guide to the Eddington cast, Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal’s mayoral conflict, Emma Stone’s role, Austin Butler’s character, and where you know the actors from.
Quick answer: Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix as Sheriff Joe Cross, Pedro Pascal as Mayor Ted Garcia, Emma Stone as Louise Cross, Austin Butler as Vernon Jefferson Peak, Luke Grimes as Guy Tooley, Deirdre O’Connell as Dawn, and Micheal Ward as Michael Cooke.
Fast cast answer:
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal lead Eddington as Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia, two political rivals in a fictional New Mexico town during the 2020 pandemic period.
This article breaks down the main Eddington actors, their characters, the story conflict, and the roles that may make each performer feel familiar.
Eddington Movie Cast and Character Table
The fastest way to understand Eddington is through its character table. The story centers on a tense local power struggle between a sheriff and a mayor, while the supporting cast adds family trauma, police pressure, conspiracy culture, social-media conflict, and small-town paranoia.
| Character | Actor | Role in Eddington |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Cross | Joaquin Phoenix | Local sheriff who challenges the mayor and becomes a mayoral candidate |
| Ted Garcia | Pedro Pascal | Incumbent mayor of Eddington running for re-election |
| Louise Cross | Emma Stone | Joe’s wife, whose isolation and personal history shape the family side of the story |
| Vernon Jefferson Peak | Austin Butler | Radical, cult-like figure whose messages influence characters in town |
| Guy Tooley | Luke Grimes | Deputy in the Sevilla County Sheriff’s Office |
| Dawn | Deirdre O’Connell | Louise’s mother, tied to the family’s conspiracy-minded home life |
| Michael Cooke | Micheal Ward | Deputy at the Sevilla County Sheriff’s Office |
| Sarah Allen | Amélie Hoeferle | Young social-justice influencer connected to the town’s online tensions |
| Lodge | Clifton Collins Jr. | Troubled local figure caught inside the town’s disorder |
| Officer Butterfly Jimenez | William Belleau | Pueblo police officer connected to the wider law-enforcement world |
Who Does Joaquin Phoenix Play in Eddington?
Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross, the sheriff of Eddington, New Mexico. Joe becomes one side of the movie’s central conflict when he challenges Mayor Ted Garcia and turns the town’s pandemic-era tension into a political fight.
Joe Cross is not a simple heroic sheriff. In Ari Aster’s world, he becomes a complicated, unstable, and increasingly dangerous figure. His frustration with government rules, personal resentment, and political ambition all feed into the town’s breakdown.
Character note:
Joe Cross is the local sheriff played by Joaquin Phoenix. He runs against Mayor Ted Garcia and becomes the center of the town’s political and personal chaos.
Who Does Pedro Pascal Play in Eddington?
Pedro Pascal plays Ted Garcia, the incumbent mayor of Eddington. Ted is running for re-election and becomes Joe Cross’s main political rival.
Ted Garcia represents a very different kind of power from Joe. He is the polished public official, the mayor trying to keep control during a crisis, and the face of a more modern, development-minded political agenda in the town.
Character note:
Ted Garcia is the mayor of Eddington, played by Pedro Pascal. He becomes Joe Cross’s main political opponent.
Who Does Emma Stone Play in Eddington?
Emma Stone plays Louise Cross, Joe’s wife. Louise is one of the most emotionally important characters because she brings the story into Joe’s home life, trauma, isolation, and family tension.
Louise is not just “the sheriff’s wife.” Her character helps explain why the town’s conspiracy culture and emotional wounds feel so personal. Through Louise and Dawn, the film connects political paranoia with private pain.
Who Does Austin Butler Play in Eddington?
Austin Butler plays Vernon Jefferson Peak, a radical cult-like figure whose messages circulate through the town’s social and online world. Vernon is one of the stranger and more unsettling figures in the cast.
His character is important because Eddington is not only about two politicians arguing. It is also about how the internet, conspiracy theories, spiritual manipulation, and social pressure can enter a town’s private lives.
Where You Know the Eddington Cast From
A strong cast page does more than list names. It also helps readers place familiar faces from other films and shows.
Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross
Joaquin Phoenix is known for Joker, Gladiator, Her, Walk the Line, The Master, and Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid. In Eddington, he plays Joe Cross, a sheriff whose political and psychological unraveling drives the story.
Pedro Pascal as Ted Garcia
Pedro Pascal is known for The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones, Narcos, and Wonder Woman 1984. As Ted Garcia, he plays the public-facing mayor who becomes Joe’s political rival.
Emma Stone as Louise Cross
Emma Stone is known for La La Land, Poor Things, Easy A, Birdman, The Favourite, and Cruella. In Eddington, Louise Cross gives the story a more intimate and damaged emotional center.
Austin Butler as Vernon Jefferson Peak
Austin Butler is known for Elvis, Dune: Part Two, Masters of the Air, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Vernon Jefferson Peak gives him a strange, unsettling role inside Ari Aster’s satire of conspiracy and online influence.
Luke Grimes as Guy Tooley
Luke Grimes is known for Yellowstone, American Sniper, and the Fifty Shades films. In Eddington, Guy Tooley works inside the sheriff’s office and helps fill out the law-enforcement side of the town.
Deirdre O’Connell as Dawn
Deirdre O’Connell is known for acclaimed stage and screen work, including Dana H., Outer Range, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Dawn adds a domestic, conspiracy-minded pressure point to Joe and Louise’s home.
Micheal Ward as Michael Cooke
Micheal Ward is known for Top Boy, Blue Story, Empire of Light, and The Old Guard 2. In Eddington, he plays Michael Cooke, one of the sheriff’s deputies.
Clifton Collins Jr. as Lodge
Clifton Collins Jr. is known for Capote, Westworld, Traffic, Pacific Rim, and Jockey. Lodge adds another unpredictable local presence to the movie’s tense small-town world.
What Is Eddington About?
Eddington is Ari Aster’s satirical neo-Western thriller set in a fictional New Mexico town during the 2020 pandemic period. The story follows the conflict between Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia as local politics, pandemic rules, personal resentment, conspiracy culture, and online influence collide.
The film is not a traditional western with cowboys and clean moral lines. It is a modern western about masks, lockdowns, elections, tech development, social-media paranoia, and the breakdown of shared reality in a small town.
Joaquin Phoenix vs Pedro Pascal: The Central Conflict
The core conflict in Eddington is between Joe Cross and Ted Garcia. Joe is the sheriff who resents the mayor’s authority and pandemic-era rules. Ted is the incumbent mayor trying to maintain control while running for re-election.
That conflict gives the movie its political engine. In Ari Aster’s hands, the town becomes a pressure cooker where every private grievance, internet theory, and public argument grows more dangerous.
Why the Eddington Cast Matters
The cast matters because Eddington is built around personalities under pressure. The story needs actors who can play paranoia, public charm, fear, family damage, community tension, and online-era absurdity without making the movie feel like a simple comedy sketch.
Joaquin Phoenix gives Joe Cross an unstable center. Pedro Pascal gives Ted Garcia a polished political counterweight. Emma Stone adds emotional pain. Austin Butler adds cultish unease. The supporting cast then fills out the town as a network of people reacting to collapse in different ways.
FAQs About the Eddington Movie Cast
Who is in the Eddington movie cast?
The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Belleau.
Who does Joaquin Phoenix play in Eddington?
Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross, the local sheriff who runs against Mayor Ted Garcia.
Who does Pedro Pascal play in Eddington?
Pedro Pascal plays Ted Garcia, the incumbent mayor of Eddington.
Who does Emma Stone play in Eddington?
Emma Stone plays Louise Cross, Joe Cross’s wife.
Who does Austin Butler play in Eddington?
Austin Butler plays Vernon Jefferson Peak, a radical cult-like figure connected to the town’s conspiracy and online influence themes.
Who directed Eddington?
Eddington was written and directed by Ari Aster.
Is Eddington an A24 movie?
Yes. Eddington is an A24 film written and directed by Ari Aster.
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Summary: Eddington Movie Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix plays Sheriff Joe Cross.
- Pedro Pascal plays Mayor Ted Garcia.
- Emma Stone plays Louise Cross.
- Austin Butler plays Vernon Jefferson Peak.
- Luke Grimes plays Guy Tooley.
- Deirdre O’Connell plays Dawn.
- Micheal Ward plays Michael Cooke.
- Eddington was written and directed by Ari Aster.
Last updated: May 2026.