Anyone But You Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell & More

Anyone But You pairs Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in a wedding-weekend rom-com that plays like a modern Much Ado About Nothing. By the time the credits roll, you’ll have met everyone from Bea’s law-school rivals to the Australian relatives who steal every scene. Here’s the complete cast breakdown—from leads to the dad you kept Googling.

Release Year: 2023 ·
Lead Actress: Sydney Sweeney as Bea ·
Lead Actor: Glen Powell as Ben ·
Supporting Cast: Alexandra Shipp as Claudia ·
Rating: R

The table below lists the main cast members with their character names and brief descriptions, drawn from IMDb and Wikipedia verified entries.

Who is in the Anyone But You cast?

The film’s ensemble pulls together established names and rising talent across a destination-wedding plot set in Sydney, Australia. The cast draws heavily from actors with rom-com or ensemble-drama experience, giving each family member a distinct personality that drives the film’s conflicts and laughs.

“Anyone But You features a star-studded cast in a rom-com twist on Much Ado About Nothing.” — ScreenRant

Sydney Sweeney as Bea

Sydney Sweeney plays Beatrice “Bea” Messina, a law student and former gymnast who arrives at her sister Halle’s wedding with unfinished business—and a history with Ben that makes the weekend complicated. Sweeney also served as executive producer on the film, giving her input on the project’s creative direction from the start (Fandango). Her casting was confirmed alongside Glen Powell when the film was announced in January 2023 (Wikipedia).

Glen Powell as Ben

Glen Powell stars as Ben, who agrees to pretend-date Bea at the wedding to help each other navigate their respective romantic tangles. Powell brings the easy charm he built through films like Top Gun: Maverick and the TV series Eichmann in the role, playing Ben as someone whose plan goes sideways almost immediately. The chemistry between Sweeney and Powell became one of the most-discussed elements of the film after release (ScreenRant).

Alexandra Shipp as Claudia

Alexandra Shipp plays Claudia, Pete’s sister who is marrying Bea’s sister Halle at the destination wedding. Shipp brings a sharp energy to Claudia that reads as the most grounded member of the wedding party. Her casting was announced in February 2023 alongside Michelle Hurd, Bryan Brown, Darren Barnet, and Hadley Robinson (Wikipedia).

“In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea and Ben look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold.” — TV Guide

How old are Bea and Ben in Anyone But You?

The film does not state Bea or Ben’s ages directly. What is established is that both characters are in a post-graduation phase: Bea is applying to Boston University School of Law per character details (Vague Visages), which suggests she is in her mid-to-late twenties. Ben’s age is similarly implied through his social circle and the fact that he is attending the wedding as a peer of the Messina family.

The actors’ real ages are notably different from the characters’: Sydney Sweeney was born in 1997 (making her 26 during filming), and Glen Powell was born in 1988 (making him 34-35 during filming). This gap reads as intentional in the film’s casting, giving Bea an energetic, slightly younger co-protagonist energy compared to Ben’s more established demeanor.

The implication: the film leans into the age difference as part of its romantic comedy dynamic without ever making it a plot point. Bea’s ambition and career focus read as younger-woman traits, while Ben’s emotional unavailability reads as older-man baggage—both played for comedy rather than drama.

Who is the dad in Anyone But You cast?

Dermot Mulroney as Leo

Dermot Mulroney plays Leo, the father of Bea and Halle, who spends much of the film trying to engineer a reunion between Bea and her ex-fiancé Jonathan. Mulroney’s casting was announced in March 2023 alongside Rachel Griffiths and GaTa (Wikipedia). His pairing with Rachel Griffiths as Innie creates the film’s most comically driven parental unit—two well-meaning but tone-deaf parents whose meddling drives much of the plot’s second act.

Other family cast

The family ensemble is rounded out by Rachel Griffiths as Innie (the Messina sisters’ mother), Michelle Hurd as Carol (mother of Claudia and Pete), and Bryan Brown as Roger (father of Claudia and step-father of Pete). Brown, an Australian actor best known for Breaker Morant, adds regional authenticity to the Australian-set destination wedding (Collider). The casting of two sets of parents with overlapping family structures (step-siblings, half-siblings) gives the wedding scenes a realistic complexity.

“With surprising chemistry between the lead actors, Anyone But You became a box office success.” — ScreenRant

What this means: the parental interference subplot gives Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths some of the film’s broadest comedic moments, even as their meddling threatens the leads’ tenuous truce.

Is Anyone But You worth watching?

Anyone But You earned generally positive reviews that praised its chemistry-first approach to the rom-com genre. Critics noted that the film works best when Sweeney and Powell are on screen together, and that the supporting cast elevates what could have been a formulaic premise.

Cast performances

The consensus on Sweeney’s performance is that she commits fully to Bea’s arc from guarded skeptic to someone genuinely invested in Ben—a character arc that requires both comedic timing and emotional sincerity. Powell’s Ben is written as the more reactive character, and Powell plays the emotional beats with an undertone of sincerity that prevents the character from becoming a simple charmer.

Shipp and GaTa provide the most consistently funny moments in the film. GaTa, best known for his rap career and the show Atlanta, brings unexpected depth to Pete as Ben’s most supportive friend—someone who sees through Ben’s avoidance immediately and says so. Shipp’s Claudia functions as the film’s most self-aware character, frequently commenting on the absurdity of the situations around her.

Pros and cons

What this means: the film’s R rating reflects genuine comedic edge rather than shock value, and the chemistry between leads means viewers who enjoy slow-burn romantic tension will find the fake-dating premise satisfying. Anyone looking for thematic depth or direct Shakespeare references will be disappointed.

Anyone But You cast where to watch?

Anyone But You was released theatrically on December 22, 2023, and became available on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix by December 2023. The theatrical run proved successful enough to prompt conversation about potential sequel casting, though no sequel had been officially confirmed at the time of writing.

Streaming options

As of early 2024, the film is available on Amazon Prime Video (rent or buy) and Netflix in the United States. International availability varies by region, with some territories carrying the film on different platforms. The Amazon and Netflix availability came approximately three months after the theatrical release, consistent with typical theatrical-to-streaming windows for mid-budget comedies.

Cast viewing context

Watching the film on streaming is the better option for noticing supporting cast details—several smaller roles (Mia Artemis as Barista, Nat Buchanan as Miranda Clerk, Josh Bonello as Skyler Cappuccino per TV Guide’s full cast listing) are easy to miss in theatrical viewing. The film’s setting in Sydney also means the Australian cast members’ regional accents and comedic timing are worth paying attention to on repeat viewings.

The catch: streaming viewers who pause frequently will catch small roles that add texture to the Australian setting, making rewatchability a genuine advantage for dedicated fans of the ensemble.

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Sydney Sweeney shines as Bea opposite Glen Powell’s Ben, while the ensemble cast breakdownhighlights supporting players like Alexandra Shipp and Dermot Mulroney who enrich the rom-com dynamic.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line: Anyone But You succeeds or fails on the strength of its leads, and Sweeney and Powell deliver. For viewers who want sharp dialogue and slow-burn romantic tension, the film earns its runtime. For anyone who needs their rom-coms to feel fresh, the supporting cast—especially Shipp, Brown, and GaTa—provides the variety that keeps the film from settling into formula.