Summary

• Hit Man boasts a strong cast led by Glen Powell, offering a fresh take on undercover operations with hilarious aliases.
• Hit Man's other main cast include Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, and Retta.
• ing cast in Hit Man range from Sanjay Rao to Molly Bernard.

Richard Linklater's best movies in Richard Linkater's career.

One of the best aspects of the film is that Hit Man is inspired by a true story. The film follows Powell's mild-mannered Gary, who lives alone with his cats and enjoys a relatively risk-free life as a college professor. Gary's main source of excitement comes from working alongside the New Orleans Police Department as a tech guy. However, Gary soon finds himself having to perform as an undercover mole, leading to Hit Man's many hilarious aliases and opening the film up to the rest of the fantastic cast that stars alongside Powell.

Glen Powell as Gary Johnson

Date of Birth: October 21, 1988

• Active Since: 2003

Actor: Glen Powell was born in Austin, Texas, and began acting in the early 2000s. Powell rose to prominence for his role as Chad Radwell in Scream Queens, before gaining further recognition in romantic comedies, including Hit Man director Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! and Netflix's Set It Up. Undoubtedly, Powell's most mainstream role came in 2022 when he portrayed Jake "Hangman" Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick, leading to him starring opposite Sydney Sweeney in the 2023 box-office hit Anyone but You. With Hit Man and Twisters on the horizon, 2024 seems to be the summer of Glen Powell.

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Character: In Hit Man, Powell plays Gary Johnson. Gary works as a university professor and tech aid for the New Orleans Police Department. When the man responsible for going undercover is suspended, Gary is thrust into the role only to find he has a knack for pulling confessions out of unsuspecting, aspiring murderers. Interestingly, Powell plays several aliases in Hit Man, as Gary uses his people skills to figure out who targets will be more likely to confess to. Although Powell's aliases include characters named Ron, Boone, and a Patrick Bateman rip-off, he is credited as Gary Johnson.

Adria Arjona as Madison Masters

Date of Birth: April 25, 1992

• Active Since: 2012

Actor: The secondary lead in Hit Man is portrayed by Adria Arjona, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Arjona began working in Hollywood in a series of small roles. Some of her earlier credits include The Belko Experiment, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Triple Frontier, and 6 Underground. Arjona received more widespread recognition for her main roles in TV shows like Emerald City, Good Omens, and Andor, the latter in the Star Wars universe. Other bigger Hollywood credits for Arjona include Morbius and an earlier recurring role in True Detective season 2.

Arjona will reprise her role as Bix in Andor season 2, expected to be released in 2025.

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Character: Adria Arjona portrays Madison Masters in Hit Man. Madison, better known as Maddy, is introduced as one of the people ordering a hit from one of Powell's undercover personas. Maddy is introduced as someone with an abusive, threatening husband, with Gary's better nature leading him to suggest Maddy simply leave her relationship. Afterward, the two become romantically entangled, with Maddy only knowing Gary as Ron, a charming, suave alias of Gary's.

Austin Amelio as Jasper

Date of Birth: April 27, 1988

• Active Since: 2010

Actor: Like Powell, Austin Amelio was born in Austin, Texas. Interestingly, Amelio's initial exposure came as a skateboarder before he was cast alongside Powell in Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! This came a year after his breakout role as Dwight in The Walking Dead season 6. This led Amelio to become part of the main cast of Fear the Walking Dead, appearing in over 30 episodes in seasons 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the spin-off. Other notable film roles from Amelio include Song to Song, Mercy Black, and Holler.

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Character: In Hit Man, Amelio plays Jasper, the undercover cop responsible for posing as a hitman to gain confessions. After Jasper is suspended from the New Orleans Police Department, Powell's Gary takes over the role and becomes even more adept at stopping aspiring criminals than Jasper. This causes Jasper to have somewhat of an antagonistic presence in Hit Man, becoming bitter over Gary getting more plaudits and taking his job.

Retta as Claudette

Date of Birth: April 12, 1970

• Active Since: 1998

Actor: Marietta Sirleaf, known professionally as Retta, was born in Newark, New Jersey, and began her career almost two decades later. Initially, Retta pursued stand-up comedy and appeared in minor film roles before being cast in Parks and Recreation. As Donna Meagle, Parks and Recreation proved to be Retta's breakout role, leading to bigger comedy movie roles in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Father Figures, and Good Boys, and a starring role in the comedy series Good Girls.

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Character: Hit Man sees Retta starring as Claudette, one of the of the New Orleans Police Department's undercover crew. Claudette works with Powell's Gary and Amelio's Jasper and is one of the characters responsible for the former overtaking the latter as an undercover mole. Claudette works with Gary throughout the film, offering insights into the character arc of Gary.

Hit Man's ing Cast & Characters

The ing Cast Of Hit Man Rounds Off The Ensemble

As alluded to, Hit Man's cast is relatively small. Aside from the aforementioned actors, there are only a handful of others who have any kind of role in the film. These other actors are lesser known than those above, though no less important to Hit Man's story and the overarching themes of the film. With that in mind, here is a rundown of the other cast in Hit Man, their roles in the film, and other notable works.

Sanjay Rao as Phil - Like Claudette, Phil is one of the other characters who helps with tech-related aspects of undercover sting operations. Phil and Claudette often come as a package deal in Hit Man, commenting on Gary's strength in his undercover roles. Phil is played by Sanjay Rao, whose other notable credits include Rob in Bad Romance and William in the TV miniseries Segs.

Gralen Bryant Banks as Sergeant Hank - In Hit Man, Gary and his team report directly to Sergeant Hanks. Hanks plays a minor role in the film but becomes important as Gary's romantic connection with Maddy as "Ron" leads to increasingly hectic scenarios. Bryant Banks is known for his roles in Prime Video's 2023 film The Burial and 2023's box office horror hit, Five Nights at Freddy's.

Evan Holtzman as Ray Masters - Ray is the husband of Maddy in Hit Man, whom the latter attempts to place a hit on early in the film. Ray appears as a cruel, abusive, derogatory man, leading to Maddy taking action against him. Ray serves an antagonistic role in Hit Man as he finds out more about Maddy's new boyfriend "Ron," a.k.a. Gary. Other roles for Holtzman include minor appearances in the TV series Messiah and an uncredited role in Alex Garland's Civil War.

Molly Bernard as Alisha - Early in the film, Gary reveals he is divorced though remains friends with his ex-wife Alisha, played by Bernard. Alisha implores Gary to find something more exciting in his life, as well as to find a new partner. This pushes Gary into finding "Ron" as an alias and subsequently leads to Gary's relationship with Maddy. Besides Hit Man, Bernard is known for her main role in the TV series Younger and recurring roles in projects like Transparent and Chicago Med.