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Jungle Cruise

Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

• Jaume Collet-Serra
• Michael Green
• Glenn Ficarra
• Dwayne Johnson
• Emily Blunt
• Edgar Ramírez
• 1.2K User reviews
• 297 Critic reviews
• 50 Metascore
• 5 wins & 9 nominations

• Frank Wolff

• Lily Houghton

• MacGregor Houghton

• Prince Joachim

• (as Quim Gutierrez)

• Sir James Hobbs-Coddington

• Chief's Daughter

• Society Guard

• Society Member

• Society Worker
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Answer Burning Questions

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• Trivia Many of the puns Frank uses are taken directly from the Disney Parks attraction on which the movie is based. These "so bad they're good" jokes are one of the reasons why Jungle Cruise skippers are so important to the ride experience.
• Goofs Prince Joachim knows where the trapped Spanish are located. There was no record of this because only Skipper knew where he trapped them.

Frank Wolff : If you're lucky enough to have one person in this life to care about, then that's world enough for me.

• Crazy credits The bay in the Disney logo is seen to have the water glowing purple, and after the Disney logo fully appears the camera dives into the water and leads to the Tree of Life, which opens the film.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: D23 Expo 2019 Extravaganza (2019)
• Soundtracks Nothing Else Matters Reimagined by Metallica and James Newton Howard With featured performances by James Hetfield , Lars Ulrich , Kirk Hammett , Robert Trujillo Written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich Associate Producer and Engineer Greg Fidelman

User reviews 1.2K

• gillespiesan
• Jul 30, 2021
• How long is Jungle Cruise? Powered by Alexa
• Will 'Weird Al' Yankovic's song 'Skipper Dan' about Disney's Jungle Cruise ride be featured in this movie?
• July 30, 2021 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Thám Hiểm Rừng Xanh
• Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
• Davis Entertainment
• Flynn Picture Company
• Seven Bucks Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $200,000,000 (estimated)
• $116,987,516
• $35,018,731
• Aug 1, 2021
• $220,889,446

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 7 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

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Jungle Cruise Cast: Where You’ve Seen The Actors Before

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After it was pushed back from its original October 2019 release date to July 2020 before being pushed back another whole year, the time has finally come that we get to see Dwayne Johnson visit " the backside of water ." In Jungle Cruise , based on the popular Disneyland attraction of the same name, The Rock plays a sea boat captain enlisted to help guide an eccentric scientist, played by Emily Blunt , on a quest to find the Tree of Life during World War I. While it is easy to tell that this is destined to be one of the biggest 2021 movies with such huge stars in the lead, there are many other big names in the Jungle Cruise cast to look forward to seeing.

Dwayne Johnson (Frank Wolff)

Playing a hero named Frank who runs a slightly sketchy river tour operation until he's hired by Emily Blunt ’s character for an entirely different purpose is The Rock. He first transitioned from wrestling to acting playing his father on That ‘70s Show before making his film debut in 2001’s The Mummy Returns as The Scorpion King.

He first became friendly with Disney with family films like The Game Plan before the Fast and Furious movies certified him as a franchise rejuvenator and box office draw. After the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star returns to the jungle again, he will re-team with Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra for Black Adam (one of the most anticipated DC movies ), return to California for a Big Trouble in Little China sequel, and revisit Hawaii for Robert Zemeckis’ Kamehameha biopic , The King.

Emily Blunt (Dr. Lily Houghton)

It is actually surprising that it took until now for Dwayne Johnson and Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt (who plays Lily Houghton, a woman on a quest to find a mythical tree in the Amazon that can cure any ailment) to join forces. For one, she is also a Disney darling, with Mary Poppins Returns and others, and has led action-packed blockbusters like the A Quiet Place movies (directed by and co-starring her husband John Krasinski ).

The British beauty first got America’s attention with 2006’s The Devil Wears Prad , which led to an impressively versatile career, ranging from sci-fi thrillers like Looper to dark indie dramedies like Sunshine Cleaning to light rom-coms like The Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segel . Blunt does not seem interested in granting many fans’ wish to see her play Invisible Woman in the Marvel movies , but could follow Jungle Cruise by reprising her Edge of Tomorrow role if the long-awaited sequel ever happens , that is.

Jack Whitehall (MacGregor Houghton)

Playing the role of MacGregor Houghton, the brother of Lily who accompanies her on the voyage is Jack Whitehall, who may finally make a splash with American audiences by starring in Jungle Cruise . This is not to say, however, that the British comedian does not already have a following in the States, having starred in 2016’s Mother’s Day , the hit Amazon Prime original miniseries Good Omens in 2019, and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (his first collaboration with Disney) a year earlier. Later in 2021, Whitehall will appear in the live-action Clifford the Big Red Dog movie and is slated to star in two very unique upcoming romance movies called Silent Retreat and Robots .

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Paul Giamatti (Nilo Nemolato)

As Nilo Nemolato, who manages the port where Frank keeps his boat, we have Paul Giamatti , who has been acting since the ‘90s, appearing in bit parts in movies like Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show and the Saving Private Ryan cast before he earned his first Golden Globe nomination for 2004’s Sideways , which made him a household name. He has since become an Oscar nominee for Cinderella Man , a Golden Globe and Emmy winner for HBO’s John Adams miniseries, a Marvel villain (Rhino) in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , a shady record producer in the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton , and even Santa Claus in 2007’s Fred Claus with Vince Vaughn.

Jungle Cruise marks Paul Giamatti's second collaboration with Disney after Saving Mr. Banks and his second collaboration with Dwayne Johnson after San Andreas from 2015. He. is also a series regular on Showtime’s Billions and will reportedly reunite with Sideways director Alexander Payne for The Holdovers .

Jesse Plemons (Prince Joachim)

Prince Joachim, the one who steals the arrowhead from Emily Blunt and attacks Dwayne Johnson's boat from a submarine in the Jungle Cruise trailer, is played by Jesse Plemons . He has has proved that he can play a good bad guy as Todd on the Breaking Bad cast , in one of the best Black Mirror episodes (“U.S.S. Callister”), in the dark comedy Game Night , Netflix’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things , and as a morally bankrupt FBI agent in Judas and the Black Messiah most recently.

Jungle Cruise could technically qualify as the latest of his multiple Disney projects, having appeared in Twentieth Century Fox’s Like Mike as a teen and Fargo - FX’s anthology series based on the 1996 Coen Brothers movie. The former Friday Night Lights cast member also worked with Steven Spielberg on Bridge of Spies , was directed by Martin Scorsese for The Irishman and the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon , narrated Vice , and his role in Antlers (one of the most anticipated upcoming horror movies ) will finally hit the screen in October. 2021.

Édgar Ramírez (Aguirre)

Also playing one of the villains in Jungle Cruise , named Aguirre, is Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez, who has played everybody from Gianni Versace to the role of Bohdi in the remake of Point Break after breaking out in Hollywood in a small The Bourne Ultimatum part. This led to getting second billing in the possession thriller Deliver Us From Evil , the lead in sports biopic Hands of Stone , and a few Netflix movies, including 2017’s Bright and the family comedy Yes Day in 2021. Following Jungle Cruise (his second film with Emily Blunt after The Girl on the Train ) Ramírez will reunite with his Zero Dark Thirty co-star Jessica Chastain in Netflix’s The 355 and has joined the Borderlands cast for Eli Roth’s film adaptation of the popular video game series.

Veronica Falcón (Trader Sam)

Portraying a gender-swapped version of Trader Sam - a classic character from the original Jungle Cruise attraction - is Veronica Falcón, who made her English-language debut in the 2007 thriller Not Forgotten years before starring alongside The Suicide Squad ’s Alice Braga on USA’s Queen of the South and on HBO’s Perry Mason series reboot later in 2020. The following year has been huge for the Mexican actress so far, from a small part on the Falcon and Winter Soldier cast , a large part on the Why Women Kill cast, and an appearance in the latest of the Purge movies , The Forever Purge . Falcón will next star on Ozark Season 4 , in The Starling alongside Melissa McCarthy and Timothy Olyphant, and Apple TV+’s Mr. Corman with creator and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Andy Nyman (Sir James Hobbs-Coddington)

Another British actor who could likely call Jungle Cruise the most high-profile credit on his resume to date (at least to American audiences) is Andy Nyman, who previously worked with director Jaume Collet-Serra on the Liam Neeson action thriller The Commuter in 2019. Much earlier, he starred in the original Death at a Funeral from 2007 , played The Tumor in Kick-Ass 2 , and appeared on Netflix’s Peaky Blinders as Winston Churchill. The co-writer, co-director, and star of Ghost Stories - one of the most acclaimed anthology horror movies in recent memory - also played a Jail Guard in Star Wars: The Last Jedi , had a recurring role in Amazon’s series reboot of Hanna , and starred in the Academy Award-winning biopic Judy in 2019.

It looks like the Jungle Cruise cast may help drive Disney’s latest theme park attraction-based movie toward a treasure trove of riches.

Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.

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Screen Rant

Jungle cruise cast & character guide.

The characters in Jungle Cruise are played by a cast of both well-known and fresh-faced actors. Here's a look at everyone in the movie.

The cast of the upcoming Disney movie  Jungle Cruise  is stacked with A-listers and new faces playing a variety of eccentric characters. The family film is based on the iconic Disney World theme park attraction of the same name. Jungle Cruise also makes use of another iconic Disney World item—the Tree of Life, which sits in Animal Kingdom. The titular cruise is the central focus of the family-friend action-adventure movie.

Set in the 20th century, the film follows riverboat captain Frank, scientist Dr. Lily Houghton, and her brother and assistant McGregor as they journey into the jungle in order to find the Tree of Life. As it's believed to have healing properties, Lily hopes to study its properties to benefit modern medicine. The group has to fight wild animals, a dangerous environment, and competitors to get to the tree first.  Jungle Cruise  chronicles the trio fighting through all these obstacles to get to the Tree of Life and find what they're looking for.

Related:  The Jungle Cruise Trailers Show It's Copying The Mummy

From familiar faces to new ones, here's a look at every character in  Jungle Cruise , who plays them, and what other films and TV shows the cast has previously starred in. Let's take a look.

Dwyane Johnson As Frank Wolff

Frank is a sharp yet cynical steamboat captain. He reluctantly agrees to take Lily and McGregor on the river and gets roped into their quest to find the Tree of Life. He once believed in the Tree of Life's powers and searched for it for years. But years of failure forced him to give up on that dream. Frank is played by wrestler-turned-actor Dwyane Johnson. Johnson is a familiar face to Blockbuster movies. He's appeared in the  Jumanji sequel series as Spencer,  Moana as Maui , and  G.I. Joe: Retaliation  as Roadblock. Johnson's experience with action movies and family-friendly films makes him the perfect fit for  Jungle Cruise .

Emily Blunt As Lily Houghton

Emily Blunt stars as eccentric scientist Dr. Lily Houghton. Her character is incredibly adventurous, making her the perfect complement to Johnson's Frank Wolff. Her desire to find the Tree of Life is the driving force behind the movie's plot. Lily hopes to use its healing properties to help other people. Blunt is known for her roles in movies such as the  A Quiet Plac e franchise,  The Devil Wears Prada , and  The Edge of Tomorrow.  She's no stranger to Disney after starring as Mary Poppins in  Mary Poppins Returns . 

Edgar Ramirez As Aguirre

Aguirre is the mercenary hired to deter Lily's expedition to find the Tree of Life. His presence acts as one of the main conflicts in  Jungle Cruise , so audiences can likely expect him to come to blows with Frank, Lily, and McGregor during a vital moment in the Disney movie. He's played by Edgar Ramirez, who might be recognized from roles in movies such as  Gold ,  Point Break , and  Deliver Us From Evil .

Related:  Disney+: Every New Movie & TV Show Coming In July 2021

Jack Whitehall As McGregor Houghton

Jack Whitehall plays McGregor Houghton. He is Lily's younger brother, whom she forces to be her scientific assistant. Audiences may recognize Whitehall from his prosperous stand-up comedy career. With that in mind, he will likely act as the comedic relief for many scenes in Jungle Cruise . Whitehall has also appeared in  Bad Education, Mother's Day , and  Good Omens, which was renewed for season 2 .

Jesse Plemons As Prince Joachim

Prince Joachim is the eccentric and wealthy German aristocrat who is financing and leading a military expedition so he may claim the Tree of Life for himself. He is likely one of the film's main villains. Emmy-nominated actor Jesse Plemons plays Prince Joachim. He is best known for his role as Landry in  Friday Night Lights , which was his big break-out role. Plemons has also appeared in  I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Breaking Bad , and an episode of  Black Mirror .

Paul Giamatti As Nilo

Nilo is the harbormaster at the port where Frank docks his boat. Nilo is played by the Academy Award-nominated actor Paul Giamatti, who was nominated for his work in the 2005 dramatic film  Cinderella Man . He's also appeared in films such as  Sideways  and Steve McQueen's  12 Years a Slave .  With his numerous award nominations and wins, Giamatti is likely the most critically acclaimed actor in the entire cast of  Jungle Cruise .

Jungle Cruise Supporting Cast

Andy Nyman as Sir James Hobbs-Coddington:  Sir James Hobbs-Coddington is one of the many people in Jungle Cruise  wrapped up in the search for the Tree of Life's flower. He's played by Andy Nyman, who has appeared in  Judy and  Death at a Funeral .

Related:  What Song Is In The Jungle Cruise Trailer?

Quim Gutierrez as  Melchor: The  Jungle Cruise character Melchor is involved in the search for the Tree of Life as well. Melchor is played by Quim Gutierrez. Audiences may recognize Gutierrez from roles such as Jorge in  Blue Almost Black and  Marc in  The Last Days .

Simone Lockhart as Anna:  Anna is a young woman who is among the people involved in the search for the Tree of Life. The character is played by actress Simone Lockhart. As she was only 16 years old at the time of  Jungle Cruise 's release, she is still a relative newcomer to Hollywood. She is likely best known for her role as Nellie in  Sweet Magnolias .

Dani Rovira as Sancho:  Sancho, played by Dani Rovira, is another person wrapped up in the search for the Tree of Life in  Jungle Cruise as well. Audiences may recognize Rovira from his roles as Rafa in  Spanish Affair  and León in  Taxi to Treasure Rock.

Veronica Falcón as Trader Sam:  Trader Sam is a character lifted directly from the Disney World attraction. He was thought to have an extended lifespan and supposedly ran a pub frequented by pirates, including Captain Jack Sparrow. Disney fleshes out his story beyond that, which enables them to place him in multiple attractions. But in the Jungle Cruise ride, he runs Trader Sam's Gift Shop near the end of the ride. As Trader Sam is played by Veronica Falcón , the movie gender-swaps the character. Audiences may recognize Falcón from roles such as Catherine in  Why Women Kill and Lupe in  Perry Mason .

More:  Disney's Upcoming Movie Releases - From 2021 to 2025

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Jungle Cruise

July 30, 2021

Action, Adventure, Comedy

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s Jungle Cruise, a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 2h 7min Release Date: July 30, 2021

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August 26, 2019

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE, a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton.

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Jungle Cruise - Full Cast & Crew

• 50   Metascore
• 2 hr 9 mins
• Fantasy, Family, Action & Adventure
• Watchlist Where to Watch

In the Amazon, riverboat captain Frank Wolff encounters English researcher Dr. Lily Houghton, who looks to study a fabled tree with healing properties. As Frank and Lily navigate the risks of the rainforest, they cross a cohort of foes determined to use the tree for nefarious purposes. Inspired by the theme park ride at Disneyland.

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Executive producer, co-producer, cinematographer, art director, sound/sound designer, sound editor, special effects, production designer.

Disney's Jungle Cruise Cast & Character Guide

Jungle Cruise promises to be an adventurous and exhilarating movie. Here's who's who in Disney's latest theme-park-inspired film.

With the promise of adventure, excitement, legends and curses , Disney’s Juggle Cruise is sure to be an exhilarating movie. It takes its inspiration from the boat attraction of the same name, which can be found at four Disney theme parks worldwide, and its premise is the search for the legendary Tree of Life. The only problem is that that tree, which could greatly improve medicine, is supposedly deep within the Amazon Jungle.

Intent on making the discovery of a lifetime, a British scientist and her brother travel to South America and enlist the services of a local captain, who runs a less-than-pristine riverboat attraction. Along the way, they will have to face the dangerous wildlife and the deadly environment of the Amazon. And to make matters worse, there has to be a villain of some kind, so an Imperial German expedition is also racing to find the same legendary tree. With all that to keep track of, here's who’s who ahead of  Jungle Cruise’s  release.

RELATED:  Disney Insiders Reportedly Downplay Jungle Cruise Box Office Expectations

Dwayne Johnson as “Skipper” Frank Wolff

“The Rock” plays Frank Wolff, who owns a jungle cruise business that he describes as the “cheapest” expedition of its kind. Frank tends to be shrewd and cynical but can be noble when the need arises. During Jungle Cruise , Frank is hired to offer passage to two explorers on their quest for the Tree of Life on his boat La Quila but only agrees after being offered a large sum of money. His character is based on the skippers from the original Jungle Cruise attraction, and his attire takes inspiration from Charlie Allnut from The African Queen .

Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton

The star of A Quiet Place II , Emily Blunt plays Dr. Lily Houghton, who is a bit like Indian Jones -- eccentric and always looking for an adventure. According to Blunt , Lily is “brave and fearless and wild, and she’s brilliant-minded and humble.” In Jungle Cruise , the character is a British scientist and explorer determined to find the Tree of Life to study it for its medicinal benefits. She, along with her brother, travel to South America, where they hire Skipper Frank Wolff to give them passage up the Amazon River on their quest.

RELATED:  8 New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies to Watch in July 2021

Jack Whitehall as McGregor Houghton

Jack Whitehall is well known for playing Gothi the Troll Priest in Frozen , but in Jungle Cruise , he portrays Lily Houghton’s younger brother, McGregor, who is unambiguously gay. Fiercely devoted to Lily, he accompanies her to the Amazon, even if he isn't the adventurer that she is. In fact, he is skeptical about going after the tree in the first place.

Paul Giamatti as Nilo Nemolato

Paul Giamatti, who recently appeared in Netflix’s Gunpowder Milkshake , plays Nilo Nemolato, the irritable harbormaster where Frank docks his riverboat. For those concerned about missing Giamatti's performance, don't worry, Nilo can be spotted by a pet cockatoo that accompanies him everywhere.

RELATED:  Jungle Cruise Won Over Emily Blunt’s Toughest Critics - Her Kids

Édgar Ramírez as Aguirre, Quim Gutiérrez as Melchor and Dani Rovira as Sancho

Ramírez, Gutiérrez and Rovira play a trio of cursed, Spanish conquistadors who are also looking for the Tree of Life. Aguirre’s character, specifically, is based on a real-life conquistador named Lope de Aguirre, who was once dubbed “El Loco” after driving himself mad during a failed search for the lost city of El Dorado.

Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim

Jesse Plemons, who is best known for his roles in films like Game Night and  The Irishman , portrays Prince Joachim in Jungle Cruise . As with any good film, there has to be a villain, and Joachim offers that for this Disney flick. At the same time Dr. Lily Houghton is searching for the Tree of Life, Joachim, who is a deranged German aristocrat, is funding a competing, military expedition to claim the discovery as his own accomplishment.

RELATED:  Jungle Cruise Cast Sets Sail in New Character Posters

Veronica Falcón as Trader Sam

Veronica Falcón plays Lupe in the 2020 HBO reboot of Perry Mason , but in Jungle Cruise, she plays a female version of Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise ride. Trader Sam is the chief is the chieftain of the Indigenous tribe that protects the Tree of Life everyone is searching for. However, the character doesn't come without its own set of issues, as it was removed from the Disney attraction earlier this year after being deemed offensive.

Other Named, Minor Characters

There are other minor characters in Jungle Cruise , but ahead of the film’s release, details on their roles are slim. Raphael Alejandro plays Zaqueu, Simone Lockhart is Anna, Philipp Maximilian tackles Axel, Sulem Calderon portrays Quila and Andy Nyman takes on Sir James Hobbs-Coddington.

Jungle Cruise releases Friday in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.

KEEP READING: Jungle Cruise's Charm & Sense of Adventure Keeps the Film Afloat

Jungle Cruise (2021) Cast and Crew

Jungle Cruise Collection

The adventures of Dr. Lily Houghton and wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff.

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Jungle Cruise

Where to watch.

Watch Jungle Cruise with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Its craft isn't quite as sturdy as some of the classic adventures it's indebted to, but Jungle Cruise remains a fun, family-friendly voyage.

Funny, full of action, and an all-around good time, Jungle Cruise is a ride well worth taking.

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Jaume Collet-Serra

Dwayne Johnson

Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt

Lily Houghton

Edgar Ramírez

Jack Whitehall

McGregor Houghton

Jesse Plemons

Prince Joachim

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'Jungle Cruise' — release date, plot, cast, trailer, and all you need to know.

Jungle Cruise stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in a thrilling adventure into the unknown.

Jungle Cruise is Disney's new action-adventure family film, inspired by one of the original rides at Disneyland in California. Set in the early 20th century, the film follows an intrepid scientist as she embarks upon a mission to find a legendary tree deep within the jungle, whose petals are believed to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. In order to get there, she enlists a slippery and cynical steamboat captain, and her extremely reluctant younger brother.

Here's everything you need to know about the film...

Jungle Cruise release date

Jungle Cruise will be released in cinemas on Friday July 30. As with other recent Disney releases like Cruella and Black Widow , it will also be available simultaneously to Disney+ subscribers via the Premier Access service for an additional one-off fee ( $30 in the US, £19.99 in the UK).

What is the plot of Jungle Cruise?

Dr Lily Houghton has spent many years studying reports of the fabled Tree Of Life, supposedly hidden deep within the jungle, whose petals are rumoured to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. She wants to find the Tree and study its petals in the hope of advancing medical science — but it's the early 20th century, and very few people are willing to take a woman seriously on a matter like this.

Undeterred, Lily sets off to find it accompanied by her younger brother McGregor, who would much rather be safe on dry land enjoying a nice meal and a drink, but has nonetheless agreed to accompany his sister. Lily recruits steamboat captain Frank Wolff and his ramshackle vessel to help them get there, but the journey into the jungle is relatively uncharted and filled with danger.

However, Lily is not the only person looking for the Tree Of Life, as unhinged German aristocrat Prince Joachim is also determined to find it for his own purposes — and along the way she learns that Aguirre, a conquistador who set out to find the Tree Of Life many years before, met a terrible fate...

What are your critics saying about Jungle Cruise

What to Watch critic Leigh Monson had the below to say about Disney's newest adventure. 

" Jungle Cruise is the kind of film that used to be the embodiment of blockbuster cinema, a silly, over-the-top adventure with characters who are having just as much fun exploring their surroundings and each other as you are watching them. The effortless chemistry of the two leads elevates a high-concept romp to something truly special, and we can only hope that any eventual imitators learn the right lessons."

Who is in the cast of Jungle Cruise?

Emily Blunt ( A Quiet Place , Mary Poppins Returns ) stars as Dr Lily Houghton, alongside Dwayne Johnson ( The Fast And The Furious , Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle ) as Frank 'Skipper' Wolff and Jack Whitehall ( Bad Education , Fresh Meat ) as McGregor Houghton.

The film also stars Jesse Plemons ( Judas And The Black Messiah ) as Prince Joachim, Edgar Ramírez ( The Undoing ) as Aguirre, and Paul Giamatti ( Billions ) as Nilo Nemolato, the unscrupulous harbourmaster who manages the port where Frank is based.

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Steven Perkins is a Staff Writer for TV & Satellite Week, TV Times, What's On TV and  whattowatch.com , who has been writing about TV professionally since 2008. He was previously the TV Editor for Inside Soap before taking up his current role in 2020. He loves everything from gritty dramas to docusoaps about airports and thinks about the Eurovision Song Contest all year round.

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Interviews on the set of disney’s jungle cruise with the cast and crew.

We had the incredible opportunity to visit the set of Disney’s Jungle Cruise as the production roared to life with intricate locations, costumes, and characters, shot on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. We watched a scene being filmed, toured the set, and interviewed members of the cast and crew, including stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Afterwards, we could not wait to see the final film, and the wait is almost over! The film lands in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, and it’s sure to be action-packed, hilarious, and heartfelt. 

In case you missed the latest , Disney’s Jungle Cruise is inspired by the Disney Parks attraction and is an exciting adventure that takes place on the Amazon River with skipper Frank Wolff (played by Johnson) and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (played by Blunt). Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s help to guide her downriver on his boat, La Quila. The unlikely duo encounter innumerable dangers and supernatural forces on their journey, and they are so fun to watch together! Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film, which also stars Edgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. 

We sat down with Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Whitehall (who plays Lily’s brother, MacGregor Houghton), Paul Giamatti (who plays Nilo, Frank’s rival), costume designer Paco Delgado, and producers Glenn Ficara and Hiram Garcia. We learned so much about the process and incredible journey during the making of Jungle Cruise! Here’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes look:

We started our visit with a tour of the set, which included the docking area shown above, a marketplace, a hotel, a tavern, Nilo’s landing, Frank’s living quarters, and of course, Frank’s iconic boat, La Quila. We learned on our tour that the film takes place around the year 1916 in Porto Belo, Brazil. The sets revealed that while Frank runs a one-man operation, lives in a modest shack, and built his boat by hand, Nilo practically owns the town and runs a large fleet of boats. Some of the sets (like Nilo’s landing) could only be accessed by water! We even got to step aboard La Quila and stand at the helm:

And here’s a closer look at La Quila during our tour, and a view of the water around the set:

After our tour, we watched a scene being filmed on the tavern set, including some incredible character work by Johnson, Blunt, Whitehall, and Giamatti. It was so exciting to watch them all in action together!

When we spoke to producers Glenn Ficara and Hiram Garcia, they noted that they jumped aboard the film two or three years previous. Ficara and Garcia read the script at the same time as Johnson, and all three loved it. Ficara noted, “I think you’ll be very surprised by the tone of the movie — by the scale, the scope, the set pieces, but most importantly the core of Dwayne and Emily Blunt.” They noted that the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt on screen will make audiences feel like the two have known each other forever. As far as the plot, Ficara and Garcia teased that what triggers the story is Blunt’s character Lily showing up to search for a legend that “may or may not exist.” Whitehall’s character MacGregor also joins Frank and Lily on the adventure and adds some incredible comedy, according to the producers. 

Ficara and Garcia were also working very closely with Disney Imagineers as the film progressed. Garcia noted that throughout the film, “There are nods to the world of Disneyland in subtle ways.” Ficara added, “It was important for us to transport the audience and transport this iconic [attraction].” They also noted that as the journey through the Amazon progresses, we’ll see some beautiful wish-fulfillment scenes for Disney fans, as well as danger, excitement, and animal encounters. “Because the ride is now over 70 years old, you have three generations of families that have all experienced it… so, it’s really deep-rooted… when you hear the name it brings back memories of you and your family going there,” Ficara said. For fans of the Disney Parks attraction, they also confirmed we will get to see the “backside of water” in the film, as well as some excellent puns delivered by Johnson. 

Costume designer Paco Delgado talked about what inspired him to create the costumes for the film. Of starting his work on the film, Delgado said, “I always think that when you design a movie, you are almost like a reader. It’s exactly the same process as a person who reads and starts to imagine things in their head. That’s the way I normally try to work.” For Blunt’s character, Delgado was excited to depict a woman in trousers in the time period that the film takes place, and took inspiration from Amelia Earhart and other female icons of the early 20th century. 

Delgado noted, “I always find that in order to be free to create, you have to have a really huge foundation. I believe that everything comes from the research.” He and his team looked at library records and photographs of the time period to see how expeditions and clothing might have looked. “Costumes and clothing are so intermingled with society,” Delgado said, and that heavily influenced his work.

Giamatti was incredibly excited to be a part of Jungle Cruise and to portray Nilo. He said of the script and story: “There’s lots of really interesting stuff going on in there. It’s got some fantasy elements in it that are very cool. And it’s surprising and I just thought it was unexpected.” For his character, he was given a lot of opportunity to explore traits and props, and even chose for his character to have a pet cockatoo. When asked about filming on a set built in Kauai, Giamatti noted, “Working here is unbelievable. It’s beautiful.”

Whitehall was equally excited to join the cast of Jungle Cruise and shared, “I love Disney. I read the script and it just instantly appealed to me. It was so much fun and it was exactly the kind of movie that I’d go and watch in the cinema. Added to that you’ve got Dwayne and Emily who I’ve been a huge fan of for a long time. And Jaume the director was great. I met him and I thought he was superb and really had a distinct idea for what he was going to do with it. So, I was on board very easily.” He explained that his character MacGregor is a very savvy, dapper gentleman who is “really dragged on this cruise by his sister and is a reluctant party on it.” He also noted, “probably not a million miles from how I would behave if I was in the situation that the character is in.” He went on to joke, “MacGregor might just be the worst person you can throw into this environment.” 

Whitehall noted that Lily is very head first, asking questions “on the way down,” while MacGregor balances that out. When asked about building the brother-sister relationship with Blunt’s character, Whitehall said, “We grew up a couple of streets away from each other in London… we instantly got on and had a natural chemistry.” As far as MacGregor’s relationship with Johnson’s character Frank, Whitehall noted, “Over the course of the movie, I think he realize[s] you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and there’s a lot more depth and surprising aspects to Frank’s character than he probably suspects when he first met him.” Regarding working with Johnson, Whitehall said, “He’s incredible. He’s exactly the kind of person you want him to be.”

Between scenes, we also interviewed Blunt and Johnson — in their amazing costumes — as a light rain drizzled over the set. Holding umbrellas, the hilarious duo answered questions about working on the film. Blunt said of taking on her character Lily, “There was something about this character… she just was so tenacious and exciting, determined, completely free-spirited. And kind of weird. A really interesting character.” She also noted, “She is very unusual and at the time she’s kind of a trailblazer.” On Frank and Lily’s scenes together, Blunt noted, “At the core of it is this relationship, this unlikely duo… there’s this chemistry between them and this rapport between them.” 

Both Johnson and Blunt are incredibly excited about the film, and grew up as Disney fans as well. “I was just so amazed because I’d always dreamed about going to [ Walt Disney World ]... I finally went and I fell in love with the ride just like I fell in love with the Park,” Johnson said. Johnson also noted that he took inspiration from the fact that Walt Disney was the very first skipper for the Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland . Blunt added, “I think that the experience for me, and I know for Dwayne as well, is just really personal and it feels really exciting. And I think that Disney films are those kind of films that are seared into your nostalgia. Certainly as a child I have such lasting memories of Disney movies. Those were the films I grew up watching, so it’s completely surreal to be now in a few of them.” Of the film itself, Johnson said, “There’s heart, there’s universal [themes], there’s fun, there’s adventure, and there’s also a good lesson with that as well.” When asked about the filming experience, Blunt said, “I’m having the time of my life.” Johnson chimed in, “It’s a dream come true.”

Visiting the Jungle Cruise set was a Disney dream come true, and we can’t wait to see the film come to life!

Disney’s Jungle Cruise is in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30. (Additional fee required.) For more Disney+ news and updates, follow @DisneyPlus on YouTube , Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook . 

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, jungle cruise.

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In the pantheon of Disney movies based on Disney theme park rides, "Jungle Cruise" is pretty good—leagues better than dreck like "Haunted Mansion," though not quite as satisfying as the original "Pirates of the Caribbean." 

The most pleasant surprise is that director Jaume Collet-Serra (" The Shallows ") and a credited team of five, count 'em, writers have largely jettisoned the ride's mid-century American colonial snarkiness and casual racism (a tradition  only recently eliminated ). Setting the revamp squarely in the wheelhouse of blockbuster franchise-starters like " Raiders of the Lost Ark ," " Romancing the Stone " and "The Mummy," and pushing the fantastical elements to the point where the story barely seems to be taking place in our universe, it's a knowingly goofy romp, anchored to the banter between its leads, an English feminist and adventurer played by Emily Blunt and a riverboat captain/adventurer played by  Dwayne Johnson . 

Notably, however, even though the stars' costumes (and a waterfall sequence) evoke the classic "The African Queen"—John Huston's comic romance/action film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn ; worth looking up if you've never watched it—the sexual chemistry between the two is nonexistent, save for a few fleeting moments, like when Frank picks up the heroine‘s hand-cranked silent film camera and captures affectionate images of her. At times the leads seem more like a brother and sister needling each other than a will they/won’t they bantering couple. Lack of sexual heat is often (strangely) a bug, or perhaps a feature, in films starring Johnson, the four-quadrant blockbuster king (though not on Johnson’s HBO drama "Ballers"). Blunt keeps putting out more than enough flinty looks of interest to sell a romance, but her leading man rarely reflects it back at her. Fortunately, the film's tight construction and prolific action scenes carry it, and Blunt and Johnson do the irresistible force/immovable object dynamic well enough, swapping energies as the story demands.

Blunt's character, Lily Houghton, is a well-pedigreed adventurer who gathers up maps belonging to her legendary father and travels to the Amazon circa 1916 to find the Tears of the Moon, petals from a "Tree of Life"-type of fauna that can heal all infirmities. She and her snooty, pampered brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) hire Frank "Skipper" Wolff (Johnson) to bring them to their destination. The only notable concession to the original theme park ride comes here: Wolff's day job is taking tourists upriver and making cheesy jokes in the spirit of "hosts" on Disney Jungle Cruise rides of yore. On the mission, Johnson immediately settles into a cranky but funny old sourpuss vibe, a la John Wayne or Harrison Ford , and inhabits it amiably enough, even though buoyant, almost childlike optimism comes more naturally to him than world-weary gruffness. 

The supporting cast is stacked with overqualified character players. Paul Giamatti plays a gold-toothed, sunburned, cartoonishly “Italian” harbor master who delights at keeping Frank in debt. Edgar Ramirez is creepy and scary as a conquistador whose curse from centuries ago has trapped him in the jungle.  Jesse Plemons plays the main baddie, Prince Joachim, who wants to filch the power of the petals for the Kaiser back in Germany (he's Belloq to the stars' Indy and Marion, trying to swipe the Ark). Unsurprisingly, given his track record, Plemons steals the film right out from under its leads.

Collet-Serra keeps the action moving along, pursuing a more classical style than is commonplace in recent live-action Disney product (by which I mean, the blocking and editing have a bit of elegance, and you always know where characters are in relation to each other). The editing errs on the side of briskness to such an extent that affecting, beautiful, or spectacular images never get to linger long enough to become iconic. The CGI is dicey, particularly on the larger jungle animals—was the production rushed, or were the artists just overworked?—and there are moments when everything seems so rubbery/plasticky that you seem to be watching the first film that was actually shot on location at Disney World.

But the staging and execution of the chases and fights compensates. Derivative of films that were themselves highly derivative, "Jungle Cruise" has the look and feel of a paycheck gig for all involved, but everyone seems to be having a great time, including the filmmakers.

In theaters and on Disney+ for a premium charge starting Friday, July 30th. 

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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Jungle Cruise (2021)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence.

127 minutes

Dwayne Johnson as Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton

Jack Whitehall as McGregor Houghton

Edgar Ramírez as Aguirre

Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim

Paul Giamatti as Nilo

• Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer (story)

• Glenn Ficarra
• Josh Goldstein
• John Norville

Cinematographer

• Flavio Martínez Labiano
• Joel Negron
• James Newton Howard

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'Jungle Cruise': Veronica Falcón on Playing Trader Sam and Joining ‘Ozark’s Final Season

She also shares what it was like working on ‘Perry Mason.’

The original Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland opened with the theme park on July 17, 1955, and after various changes and updates, it’s now inspired an epic adventure for the big screen, giving one of the characters from the ride a very welcome reimagined twist. While wisecracking skipper and pun-lover Frank Wollf ( Dwayne Johnson ) makes his way down the Amazon with resourceful researcher Dr. Lily Houghton ( Emily Blunt ) and her brother MacGregor ( Jack Whitehall ), their search for an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities brings them face-to-face with numerous dangers, supernatural forces, and Trader Sam ( Veronica Falcón ), who is now a strong-willed woman leading her tribe in the jungle of the Amazon.

During this 1-on-1 virtual interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Falcón talked about her Jungle Cruise audition process alongside male actors, going on the adventure of a lifetime with this cast and director Jaume Collet-Serra, bringing the look of the character to life, imagining the type of woman Trader Sam is, and how much fun it would be to get to further explore the character in some way. She also talked about her role in the upcoming fourth season of Ozark , her experience on Perry Mason , and the impact that COVID made on her Falcon and the Winter Soldier role.

Collider: I was very excited about this movie and your character. I also cover theme parks and I’ve been going to Disneyland since I was a child, the whole idea of this movie was so much fun to me and I love the changes that they made to this character.

VERONICA FALCÓN: That’s good to hear.

There has been a lot of talk about how problematic this character is, for a long time. I love the female energy that they’re bringing to some of the rides at Disneyland now.

FALCÓN: Yes, me too. I think it’s fantastic.

When this role of Trader Sam in a big Disney movie based on the Jungle Cruise ride came your way, how much were you actually told about it? How did they describe the character? What did they tell you?

FALCÓN: There were very little things that they told me. I knew they were still deciding if they wanted a woman or a man to play it, so I knew they were casting actors that were both female and male. I knew the character a little bit because, like you, the first time I came to Disneyland, I think it was probably the first or the second ride I jumped in. I remembered the character. I knew it was gonna be different. I don’t exactly recall the description in the casting, but it the character was a little bit of a merchant, a little bit of an inventor, a little bit of a chief of a tribe, a little eccentric, funny, and had a good business sense. The way I read it, it read to me that it could be a bit eccentric, and I loved that. I loved not only that he was taking care of his tribe, or her tribe in this case, but in the beginning, we didn’t know if it was a man or a woman, and I loved the creativity of the character. He can turn something into a business and he can turn something into something it was not meant to be used for. That creative aspect, being protective of the tribe and trying to provide for them and help them, I really liked about the character. The idea that I could potentially be cast to play a character in a Disney ride was fantastic for me. As a little girl that came from Mexico, to finally go to Disneyland for the first time in my life at 11 or 12 years old, and to think that I was going to possibly be able to do a character like that was quite a fantastic.

RELATED: Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt on Why It Took So Long for ‘Jungle Cruise’ to Get Made

It’s cool because it is one of those classic rides that was there on opening day, and it’s a ride that everybody goes on, since it’s not too scary. It’s really fun that they were able to pay homage to that, but still make changes to the character.

FALCÓN: Thank you for saying that.

It seems really fun to get to be a part of a big epic adventure.

FALCÓN: It is a lot of fun. I didn’t think I got the movie. I did the audition and, of course, this is one of the characters that comes once in a lifetime, in an actor’s life. You want it, but you don’t know. I work hard at it and I hope they like the audition, but that’s all you can hope for. You know you are gonna be competing with actors that are equally as good or much better than you, so you really throw it out there and just have to let go because you can not worry about that too much. Something really funny happened. I auditioned for this role and two or three weeks later, I was in Mexico city. A dear friend of mine, who’s a fantastic actor that does work all over, in the States and in Mexico, was auditioning for this part. He told me, “I’m auditioning for a really interesting part in a Disney movie.” I said, “I know which one.” And he was like, “How do you know?” And I said, “Because I auditioned for that too.” He was like, “But you’re a woman.” And I said, “Yeah, you’re a man. And here we are. I don’t know who they’re going to choose.”

It was funny. He’s such a fantastic actor. It would have been very interesting to see him, if the character had been male, but I got lucky. So, after that happened, I thought, “Okay, it’s probably not gonna be for me.” I really respect him as an actor and I was sure they were seeing a lot of great people, so I let go of that and I went on a family vacation with my son. I was in Barcelona, which is actually the city where (director) Jaume Collet-Serra is from. They called me and were like, “The director wants to talk to you.” So, I talked with Jaume. He was very nice, and he explained to me what they wanted and what they liked, and that was that. Three days later, I got the call that I got to play this role. It was very surreal, the whole thing, to just go there and be able to play this character and see Dwayne [Johnson] dress as a skipper and the whole Jungle Cruise thing. The sets were incredible. It was incredible. The tagline of the movie says, “The adventure of a lifetime,” and I felt like it was my adventure of a lifetime.

As an actor, you want to be able to tick at least one box, whether that’s a good script, a good director, or a good cast, and you have all of those things, along with this big adventure, and then the Disney connection and the ride. It just seems like so many cool and fun elements at once.

FALCÓN: Of course, you have all of these checked boxes, which are great, but on top of that, I got to work with people that are very kind, very generous and very supportive, which is not always the case. You can find all sorts of people, but in the case of Jungle Cruise , I was very lucky. Mostly, I’m very lucky with the casts and the people I work with, but especially in Jungle Cruise . The way Emily [Blunt] and Dwayne and Jack [Whitehall] and Jaume and Disney received me, they were so kind and supportive. I’m not just saying this. When you see Dwayne and Emily and Jack joking around and the chemistry they have in the movie, it’s real. It really happened behind the scenes. So, I had like the most fun because I would just look at them or sometimes participate in this great rapport that they had. It was one of those wonderful projects.

Was there also a process for figuring out the look of the character, once you had been cast? Did you try various looks before the one we see in the film, or was there always a very clear idea of what she would wear and how she would look?

FALCÓN: Paco Delgado and Joel Harlow are fantastic. They’re really masters of what they do. The design of the character was already done. They were adjusting little things. Not only were they incredibly prepared, but they were also very open and generous. If I had something that was not comfortable or I couldn’t move, or I wanted to suggest something, they always incorporated that. My character is very gestural and moves her hands a lot. I was talking about it with Joel, our makeup designer, and he was like, “Okay, so maybe I’ll put more stuff on your hands,” and he put the eye [on my hand], like you see on the poster. They really are so good at what they do. They know that an actor needs to make the design together. It’s not just the actor. It’s a whole bunch of people working, so that the character can be seen the way it is, and we all are very respectful of one another. Paco Delgado, our costume designer, was the first guy I met and I saw these incredible amount of pictures, paintings and costumes that he was thinking about for the character. I was just really amazed because I really loved all of them. We tried some of the costumes and some things were a little difficult to move in, and he would adjust it and I would be able to move. That’s what makes them great. Not only are they creative, but they also know how to work with actors and how to help us create the character and move with their costumes and with the makeup.

I love that we get a real sense of history and a backstory with this character and with her relationship with Frank. Did you think much about what she’s doing, when we don’t get to see her, and what kind of life she lives when she’s not scheming with him?

FALCÓN: Absolutely, I thought about it a lot. One of the things she loves doing is experimenting with things. She’ll find something left from an expedition, like some eyeglasses, and she would find 10,000 different uses for the eyeglasses. I also can imagine her training and playing with kids. She’s a little bit of a kid herself because of this creativity. I also can imagine her sitting and meditating, looking at the stars and thinking of either some really deep philosophical question that she doesn’t even know how deep it is, or how she’s gonna trick Frank again, or how they can make a better deal. I can see her totally worrying about what’s going on in the Amazon. In those days, it wasn’t as terrible as it is now. I can see that she’s someone that could see ahead. I also could imagine her dreaming about traveling. She’d love that. She loves animals. She loves food. All of those things, I really imagine in her world.

One of things that helped most, and I wasn’t expecting, the first time I saw the tree where she leaves in the a village, literally I’m not kidding you, I almost felt like crying. It was that beautiful. It was lit in such a way where you step into it and I was like, “That’s her world.” It really felt like that. I remember telling that to Dwayne and to our producers. I said, “I’m sorry, guys, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but this is really fantastic.” I was very, very excited about it. They were probably like, “Yeah, we know it’s fantastic. We worked hard at it.” I was very surprised by the feelings.

RELATED: Producers John Davis & John Fox on ‘Jungle Cruise,’ Visiting the Secret Disney Vault, and How the Movie Industry Has Changed

You’ve also joined the final season of Ozark . Since you don’t typically get to read scripts for an entire season of a TV show ahead of time, what made you want to be a part of that series? Was it specifically the character, or had you seen the show?

FALCÓN: They invited me to audition, and I was just hoping for the best. It’s not like I choose projects. I’m not in that position. But I do get to audition for great shows. Of course, I had seen Ozark and I loved it. I love Laura [Linney] and Jason [Bateman]. I follow Laura Linney, as an actress. She’s incredibly talented and inspiring. So, when I audition for her Ozark , it was just exciting to be invited to audition for them. When they gave me the role, it was incredibly exciting. It’s funny because it’s very, very different from what I do in Jungle Cruise. As an actor, it’s a really great gift, if you’re given the opportunity to play characters that are so incredibly different. I’m very grateful for that.

What can you say to tease the final season and your character, and how she’s going to fit into this world?

FALCÓN: I can’t tell you much. I can tell you that it’s a season that is gonna really blow everyone away. They’re gonna love it. Most of the time you don’t get the script, but little by little. But they had worked so hard on this show and they’re so precise that they sent me the scripts. It was a big bunch of scripts to read. I was like, “Oh, my God, I hope I can finish it in some time.” I literally read them in two nights. That’s how good they were. I was reading them like, “Oh, my God, no. Oh, my God.” If that was my first reaction when I read the scripts, I think that once you see them on screen, you’re really gonna go crazy. Everybody will. It’s not only great writing and great actors, and everybody is good on the show, but it’s the heart that they put into the work. It was the same with Jungle Cruise . Every single show or film that I’m blessed to work with, that is successful, I think a lot of it has to do not only with the quality, but also with the heart and the soul that people are really putting into it. That cannot be faked. People can see it and sense it. That’s why I think, even though they’re very different, they’re both very successful because of that, aside from all of the other things.

What’s it like to join such a popular show and to do so in its final season? Does it make things more nerve-wracking? Is it more reassuring? Do you always get nervous on a new project?

FALCÓN: I always get nervous the first day, especially if I haven’t worked with a cast. Of course, as I said, I’m a big fan of Laura, as an actress, and the moment I met her, she was so warm. She opened her arms and said, “Veronica, welcome to Ozark .” I fell in love with her right away. I said, “Oh, my God, this is gonna be fun.” And the same with Jason and with (showrunner) Chris [Mundy], and with everybody else. It is a bit nerve-wracking because they are just so good at it and you just want to do good. It was the same with Emily and Dwayne and Disney. They’re so good at what they do and they are so precise, and you just wanna honor it and you just wanna be good. That puts a little bit of pressure on, but once you start working, it’s just fun because they’re so good at it. You just need to be prepared and be ready with what you have to do, and then they will help you out. It’s great.

How was your experience on Perry Mason ? That’s another show that was a real surprise to me because I went into it thinking it might be one thing, and then I fell in love with the look of the show, especially being from Los Angeles and getting to see Los Angeles in a way that I haven’t really seen it.

FALCÓN: Yeah, that was another one of these incredibly blessed projects. I read the character of Lupe, and when HBO sent the casting, they were really open for different ages. They were casting actors from 30-something to 40 or 50-something. I thought I would not really have much of a chance because Matthew Rhys is younger than me and it’s not always easy to get these roles, as older actresses, even though, thank god, that’s changing, which is very necessary. But I knew it was HBO and I know they’re so good and so professional with every decision. I thought, if they like it and if they think it works, even if I’m older or younger, they will just give it to me because it works, so I don’t have to worry about that. I knew that. I thought I might not get the chance, but even if I didn’t, just to audition for the role was gonna be fun. So, I auditioned for it, and luckily I got it. And then, I got to meet Matthew Rhys, because most of my scenes are with Matthew, and again, it was like what happened with Jungle Cruise and Ozark . It was great people doing great work, being incredibly kind, generous, and supportive. It was amazing, and I’m getting spoiled. I get to work with people that are at the top of their game, but they’re also so genuinely supportive and nice, and happy to have a Latina actress in the show, and happy to work with different kinds of actors. That’s very inspiring and it’s very important.

What was it like to shoot the sex scene in Season 1? Do you have a laugh when you do something like that?

FALCÓN: Yes, you do. First of all, it’s incredibly choreographed. Whenever we get asked these questions, all of the actors say, “It’s very technical,” and everybody rolls their eyes and says, “Yeah, sure it is.” But it really is, especially with that scene because we had to break the bed, literally. It was very funny when we were rehearsing because we just got into all of these positions, trying to figure out a way that it would be believable that they could break the bed. We laughed a lot. One of the loveliest things was that Matthew was always like, “Are you comfortable? Are you okay? Do you feel okay?” It was lovely. We had a lot of fun doing that scene, but it was very technical. Nowadays, in production, what have what is called an intimacy coordinator, who’s there to make sure everything is okay and you’re comfortable, and everybody’s being heard, and all the scenes are precisely done. We rehearsed that scene for around two or three hours, and then the day after, we shot it. It was fun, and people seem to like it. It’s a funny scene. I like the way the woman takes control. I think it’s important to see all sorts of scenes, when you’re watching sex scenes.

Will you be in Season 2 of the show? Have you had conversations about returning?

FALCÓN: Well, they will do a Season 2 and we all were happy. I know they were happy with my work, and I was certainly incredibly happy with being a part of it. Of course, if they would invite me, I would love to do it, but they’re figuring out the whole second season. I guess we’ll hear about it, if they need me for the season. But if I don’t get invited, I’m still gonna watch the show and applauded it because I love everyone and I think it’s a great show. It’s very well done.

And it’s beautiful to look at it.

FALCÓN: Yeah, I’m also a fan of that Los Angeles. For me, it was beautiful to see how they rebuilt so many parts of the city, and then go visit them. I’m a big fan of that era.

It sounds like your role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was greatly affected by COVID. How much more had you shot than what we got to see?

FALCÓN: Well, I was hired to be in four episodes. We went to Prague to do that, and I finished the four episodes. Actually, the day that I finished shooting my last episode, that was the day that everything got closed for COVID. It was incredibly strange for everybody because we still couldn’t believe it. We had no previous experience, none of us, all over the world, for what happened. We couldn’t believe it. It almost felt surreal. So, I remember arriving at the hotel and they said, “Okay, we need to get everybody out. This is very serious.” They didn’t finish the show in that moment. They had to go back and do it. And then, at the end of the day, they had to reconstruct and rearrange the show, and in that reconstruction and rearrangement, my character got to be less and I’m only in one or two very, very little scenes.

They did a great show, but everybody was adapting to the circumstances. They did wonderfully. The show was very liked by the audience. Maybe one day, I’ll get to play that character again, or maybe they’ll do something with it, but if not, I totally understand what they did because we were all trying to do the best we could with what we had. That was so many hours of work and so much time, that whatever they needed to do, in terms of editing, to make the show work for the audience, that was absolutely the right call. I still had a wonderful time shooting there. I got to visit Prague, which I had never been to before, and I love the city. Everyone was kind. It was a wonderful two weeks that I was there. I’m so glad to hear the show is doing great.

It was such an odd situation because, when production shut down, everybody thought it might just be a couple of weeks. And then, people wondered if anything would ever be able to get back into production again. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier really seemed like one of those shows that was heavily in the middle of all of that. Did they call and explain everything to you? How did you find out about what they were doing?

FALCÓN: They are very decent. I knew what was happening because I was there, and then they did call my agent and say, “Listen, we love Veronica, but this is what happened. We look forward to working with her again.” That’s more than a lot of companies would do. Marvel and Disney do take care of their talent. At least in my case, I had a wonderful experience with both of them, which is the same. But they give a quick call to my agent and I really appreciated it because they really didn’t have to. They are solving bigger problems, like having a huge production with a lot of people and a pandemic on top, and they still had the time to tell me what happened. I would have been fine, either way, but I really appreciated the call. I totally understand and, believe me, we’re all trying to do the best we can with everything that’s happening.

You’re doing projects that are all over the map, as far as genre and the types of characters that you’re playing. At this point in your life and career, what do you look for? Is there something that’s most important to you? Does it start with the script? Is there anything that is an absolute no for you? How do you approach that?

FALCÓN: I like characters that are well-written. That’s one thing that, for me, is very important, how well written the character is and if it’s rounded and believable, and all of that. Of course, I love working with people I admire, that I think I can learn from, and that can provide a professional challenge, to learn and to be a better actor. I’m very curious about all sorts genres and media. The only absolute no, for me, would be disrespect. When there’s a set or someone that is disrespectful to anybody, to people in general, or they’re unkind, that’s a no-no for me. I don’t care who they are. We have to treat everybody with respect and kindness. But luckily enough, I’ve never had to worry about that. I’ve been very, very blessed with that. Now, I just want characters that are challenging and take me from one place on the spectrum to the other. I would love to do a Shakespearian character, for example. That’s something that I’ve never done in film or in television. I did a little bit of theater like that. I would love to do characters that require a lot of physical work because, let’s face it, I don’t know how much longer I can do that. Of course, we’ve seen Helen Mirren do action and she’s killing it and she’s gorgeous, but I think she was gorgeous the whole time. It’s not like I’m gonna turn into Helen Mirren. I wish. I would love to do something that’s shot in a place I’ve never been, just because you have a chance to meet the people and to be in that location. I want a good story. It’s the story that calls me.

I would be all for like a Disney+ series of Trader Sam and what her life is like, outside of what we see in Jungle Cruise .

FALCÓN: Yeah, I would love to do something like that. That would be like an absolute gift, to be able to explore a character that way. I could only be so blessed, if that happened. After going through the pandemic, I’ve been an actor for over 30 years and every single thing I get now, I just see it as a gift I try to work very hard, I try to honor it, and I try to do the best I can. That’s already a lot.

With the female pirate that’s been added to the Pirates of the Caribbea n ride and now a female Trader Sam, I think it was an awesome choice to change the role in that way.

FALCÓN: Me too. I love that Disney is doing that. It’s really important for women and for little girls everywhere and, in general, for everybody because it’s not only a woman thing. The more we treat each other with equality and with respect, the better we’ll all be, whether you’re a man or a woman. Disney is doing their part, and I love being a part of that.

Jungle Cruise is in theaters and available at Disney+ Premier Access.

When actors you love do terrible movies

Jesse Plemons joins a rich tradition with his role in 'Jungle Cruise'

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I went into Jungle Cruise the way everyone should: blissfully ignorant. Not because it's so good that it'd be a shame to spoil a movie that was inspired by an offensive Disneyland boat ride most famous for its bad puns , but because if I'd known what I was getting into I'd have opted to spend my time watching a different movie about people pursuing an Unnaturally Glowing Object of Great Importance .

It was in defiance of a year's worth of Disney's advertising , then, that I was taken by surprise by the appearance of Jesse Plemons, who is both one of my favorite working actors and someone I still reflexively identify on sight as Todd-the-psychopathic-meth-cook from Breaking Bad (having not yet seen — I know, I know! — Friday Night Lights ).

I'll fill you in: Jungle Cruise is set during "the Great War," and Plemons plays a German prince/U-boat captain named Joachim, who wants to beat the British botanist Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt, doing her best Katharine Hepburn impression) and riverboat captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, doing his best Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson impression) to finding a magical cure-all called the Tears of the Moon (glowing CGI flowers, doing their best impression of the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones ). Joachim's motivation is to "help Germany," which is how you know he's the bad guy, though he also slaughters a bunch of annoying British museum society members at the beginning of the film to clear up any doubt.

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To Plemons' credit, he plays the role with what I'd describe as "amusing gusto," putting on an absolutely over-the-top German accent and shouting things like " Hallöchen!" when he pops out of his sub. But Jungle Cruise is still a criminal waste of his talents, and yet another case of the special kind of a disappointment that comes from watching a favorite actor do a terrible movie.

It's certainly not the first such letdown, and it won't be the last. Good actors appear in bad films all the time, and for any number of reasons, ranging from on-set constrictions, poor direction or editing, to "more practical concerns," as film critic Clarisse Loughrey put it to Vice . "Is it a franchise that offers job security? Does the role offer a significant amount of publicity that would help further their career? Is it being shot close to home, where the actor might have young children or family they want to spend time with?" A scarcity of available good roles is a problem, too, particularly for actresses and people of color. Still, sometimes nothing can prepare you for seeing " probably the world's greatest actress " answering the door in the trailer for Greta .

Often this is the case when arthouse, international, or otherwise under-the-radar actors get their "big break" with American audiences in high-budget or franchise films. These are the gigs that are easy to describe as "selling out," like when Oscar Isaac went from Inside Llewyn Davis — which showcased his instinct for tragi-comedic acting — to the Star Wars prequel trilogy, where he plays an exceedingly boring fighter pilot. Longtime indie darling Tessa Thompson likewise jumped to the Marvel Universe for Thor, a franchise she's undoubtedly improved but that still feels inherently limiting for her talents. And let's not forget when the legendary French actress Juliette Binoche was killed off in the first five minutes of Godzilla , a decision that should ban that casting director from ever being allowed to work in the industry again.

Also disappointing, though, are when cases arise of established screen greats signing onto projects that don't seem worth their time, like when Nicole Kidman somehow got talked into playing Jason Momoa's mom in Aquaman . Michael Fassbender, whose breakout role in Hunger is hauntingly memorable, also recently did The Snowman , a movie best remembered as a meme . In truth, a lot of great actors fall into making a rash of bad films from time to time (see: Nicolas Cage before he got good again ), but that still doesn't take away from the disappointment of, say, watching Mads Mikkelsen accept a role in Fantastic Beasts 3 when he could be spending his time making more movies like Another Round . These are the movies that bum you out because you know the actors could be more successfully utilized elsewhere, and that they potentially had to give up time on more quality projects for the sake of a better paycheck.

It is perhaps unfair to insist actors turn down lucrative work in order to maintain "artistic purity" though. Rather, the most outrageous cases are when there seems to have been an all-around misunderstanding of an actor's talents by a director or agent. It's how you end up with Dame Judi Dench drenched in digital fur technology for a brief scene in Cats , a reduction of a presence that easily fills both screen and stage when given the room and material to do so. And there's no other explanation for how Matthew McConaughey could be so underutilized in what should have otherwise been a perfect role for him, as the Man in Black in The Dark Tower (and let's briefly recall, and then immediately purge from our memories again, the existence of Serenity ). In the worst instances of this, a bad movie will even bring a good actor down to its level, like Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy .

That was nearly the case for Plemons, too, whose villainous antics in Jungle Cruise have all the subtlety of a U-boat torpedo. And while I might wish we had just cut to the part where he reteams with Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon , I do wonder if what I love about Plemons as an actor is what he wanted the opportunity to break away from getting typecast as .

But that's the thing about your favorite actors, too — they can do absolute drivel, and you still don't want to take your eyes off them. As much as I cringed, Plemons was the best part of Jungle Cruise, and he had me at hallöchen.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week 's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate , and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News , The Awl , Vice, and Gothamist , among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter .

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Guest Wreaks Havoc On Disney World Trip Because of Joke

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Guest behavior can make or break the Disney experience, and one former Disney World cast member detailed how a guest ripped apart her former colleague for a misunderstood joke. 

Unfortunately, even “The Most Magical Place on Earth” is subject to the same behavioral indiscretions as any other public place. While there is certainly a code of conduct that helps create the right Disney Park environment . One of the primary reasons that Disney’s conduct exists is to ensure that guests have the Disney vacation for which they have paid a lot of money. 

This said, not all guests necessarily stick to this, and as a consequence, guests and cast members alike are affected by the havoc that ensues. 

Recently, a former Disney cast member who used to work at Disney World as part of the Disney College Program explained one of the worst instances of a guest mistreating a CM she’d ever seen. Thankfully, this particular anecdote didn’t happen to her, though it did unfortunately happen to her friend.

The ex-CM, who goes by Skipper Meaghan on YouTube, shared the story.

Meghan used to work on Jungle Cruise, the classic Disney ride that allows guests to “Chart a course for high adventure on a scenic and comedic boat tour of exotic rivers across Asia, Africa, and South America.”

While working that ride, she encountered a guest who didn’t take kindly to a standard Jungle Cruise joke that her friend made.

Meaghan explained,  “If a guest is taking their sweet time sitting down and we’re kind of waiting for everyone to sit down before we can send the boat out, then sometimes skippers will say something to the effect of ‘sit, sit, sit’,’ and when they finally sit they go ‘stay!’ and then they go ‘good tourists.” 

However, when Meaghan’s friend made this joke one day, a man simply didn’t respond in an apt manner for something that was meant to be humorous.

The man stayed quiet through the ride, but after it was over, he walked up to the skipper of the moment—Skipper Meaghan’s friend—and began wreaking havoc and insulting the skipper on duty.

The man reportedly “lashed out” at a young female Disney cast member , yelling at her, saying, “I don’t like you, I don’t like your stupid voice, and I don’t like your fat butt.”

Skipper Meaghan explained that her friend broke down soon after this incident, as one might expect from a young, college-aged woman.

It’s important to note that this method of dealing with a joke one doesn’t like at a Disney Park is simply unacceptable.

While, as guests, our feelings are perfectly valid, it’s worth remembering that cast members are there to make magic and will likely respond well to criticism, as Meaghan herself also mentioned.

If a part of the Disney experience doesn’t live up to expectations because of a joke that didn’t land, guests can do as Meaghan suggested and offer the suggestion in a polite and courteous manner.

Have you ever heard a joke at the Disney Parks that you didn’t like? Let us know in the comments!