Cast of Death of a Unicorn: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Full List

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega don’t look like the kind of pair you’d expect at the center of a unicorn-hunting satire, but that’s exactly what makes Death of a Unicorn so disarming. The A24 production pairs the Ant-Man star with the Wednesday standout for a story about a father-daughter road trip that takes a very wrong turn. Here’s everything you need to know about who plays whom, from the billionaire at the center of the chaos to the butler caught in the middle.

Lead Actor: Paul Rudd as Elliot · Co-Lead: Jenna Ortega as Ridley · Supporting Cast: Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant · Director: Alex Scharfman · Distributor: A24 · Release Year: 2025

The core cast table below maps each actor to their character role.

Who are the main stars in Death of a Unicorn?

Paul Rudd anchors the film as Elliot, a single father and lawyer whose accidental encounter with a unicorn sets the entire story in motion. His character shares the screen with Richard E. Grant’s Odell, a billionaire boss dying from cancer who sees the mythical creature as his last chance at survival. Téa Leoni plays Odell’s wife Belinda, who becomes complicit in the scheme to exploit the unicorn’s supposed healing properties (Vague Visages).

On the other side of the generational divide, Will Poulter portrays Shepard, Odell and Belinda’s son, described as an archery enthusiast with a visual thinking approach who has a hallucinogenic reaction after snorting unicorn horn shavings. The contrast between Poulter’s entitled heir and Rudd’s working-class dad creates the film’s comic tension (Vague Visages).

Paul Rudd as Elliot

Rudd brings his trademark wry energy to Elliot Kentner, a man caught between fatherly responsibility and the chaos that erupts when his daughter Ridley accidentally kills a unicorn. It’s a role that lets him play both the protective dad and the bewildered adult thrown into circumstances he never anticipated. Rudd also serves as an executive producer on the project (CinemaBlend).

Jenna Ortega as Ridley

Ortega takes on Ridley Kintner, the teenage daughter whose spiritual visions from the unicorn’s horn drive much of the film’s mystical subplot. The Wednesday star balances the role’s earnest supernatural elements with her character’s grounded relationship with her father. She, too, is an executive producer, indicating her investment in the project extends beyond performance (Fandango).

Will Poulter as Shepard

Poulter continues his pattern of choosing unusual projects with A24, having previously appeared in the studio’s disturbing horror film Midsommar. As Shepard, he brings a privileged entitlement that’s both comedic and slightly menacing, especially when he exploits Griff after his unicorn-induced trip (CinemaBlend).

What this means: The core cast works because each actor occupies a distinct register—Rudd’s comedy, Ortega’s emerging horror chops, Poulter’s willingness to go strange places—while serving the same absurdist premise.

Who plays Ridley in Death of a Unicorn?

Jenna Ortega portrays Ridley, Elliot’s daughter, in what marks a notable progression in her career away from pure horror. Ridley experiences spiritual visions after contact with the unicorn’s horn, suggesting the creature’s metaphysical properties affect her differently than the adult characters who encounter it. Ridley plans to study art history in college, a detail that grounds her character’s supernatural experiences in future ambitions (Vague Visages).

Jenna Ortega’s role

Ortega previously starred in A24’s X (2022), establishing an early relationship with the studio that’s continued through her rise to mainstream fame. Her Ridley operates as the emotional center of the film, mediating between her father’s pragmatism and the increasingly bizarre circumstances around them. The role asks her to balance genuine terror, adolescent exasperation, and supernatural mystery (CinemaBlend).

Character background

Ridley’s full name is Ridley Kintner, according to video guides from Collider, making her one of the few characters with a confirmed surname. Her arc involves the father-daughter road trip that opens the film, where their car strikes the unicorn en route to a billionaire’s retreat, triggering the chain of events that follows (Collider video guide).

The pattern: Ortega’s casting signals A24’s willingness to use genuine star power for its genre hybrids—her involvement attracts viewers who might not typically seek out A24 releases, while her comfort with darker material satisfies the studio’s core audience.

Who is Griff in the cast of Death of a Unicorn?

Anthony Carrigan plays Griff, the butler serving billionaire Odell and his wife Belinda. Griff survives the unicorn attack but finds himself manipulated by Shepard, Odell’s son, who takes advantage of him after his own encounter with the creature’s powers. Carrigan brings the comic timing he developed on Barry to a role that’s both servile and unexpectedly central to the plot’s escalation (Vague Visages).

Anthony Carrigan as Griff

Carrigan, best known for his work on HBO’s Barry, fits perfectly into Death of a Unicorn’s tonal range. His butler role requires a mix of deference, confusion, and growing awareness that something deeply wrong is happening around him. The character functions as both observer and victim, watching the wealthy Odell family attempt to exploit the unicorn while becoming collateral damage himself (Fandango).

Role details

Griff’s function in the narrative ties him to the household’s response to the unicorn’s arrival. As the one who survives the initial attack and retains some clarity about events, he becomes a witness to the family’s increasingly desperate attempts to harvest the creature’s properties. His exploitation by Shepard adds a class dimension to the film that A24 often explores (Vague Visages).

The implication: Carrigan’s casting shows how A24 fills supporting roles with performers who could carry their own projects, lending gravity to characters who might otherwise register as functional.

Cast of Death of a Unicorn bald guy and butler

The film’s supporting cast includes several performers who don’t fit the obvious star categories. David Pasquesi plays the Pilot, while Jessica Hynes appears as Shaw. Sunita Mani portrays Dr. Bhatia, Steve Park is Dr. Song, and Denise Delgado plays Ridley’s Mom. Kathryn Erbe voices the Tapestry Video Narrator (Fandango).

Supporting actors

Sunita Mani emerges as a notable presence among the supporting cast, with CinemaBlend noting she’s an A24 veteran having appeared in multiple films from the studio. Dr. Bhatia suggests a medical or scientific perspective on the unicorn’s properties, though detailed character information remains limited across sources. Steve Park’s Dr. Song similarly provides professional context for the events surrounding the unicorn (CinemaBlend).

Richard E. Grant and others

Richard E. Grant’s Odell operates as the film’s primary antagonist, a dying billionaire who sees the unicorn as his salvation. His collaboration with his wife Belinda in exploiting the creature creates the central conflict that the film’s events spiral toward. The character represents a particular kind of wealth—desperate, transactional, willing to pursue any option when conventional medicine fails (Vague Visages).

The catch: Detailed character breakdowns for supporting roles remain scarce because the film prioritizes its core ensemble. Minor characters serve functional purposes rather than receiving fully developed arcs.

Is “Death of a Unicorn” a comedy?

Death of a Unicorn blends comedy, horror, fantasy, and drama according to CinemaBlend’s analysis, operating in the genre hybrid space that A24 has made its signature. The film’s premise—a father and daughter accidentally killing a mythical creature—contains inherent absurdity, while the consequences of that act play out with genuine stakes. Collider’s coverage describes it as “a hilarious comedy horror,” suggesting the balance tilts toward entertainment rather than genuine terror (CinemaBlend).

Genre classification

A24 has consistently produced films that resist easy categorization, and Death of a Unicorn fits that pattern. The comedy elements emerge from the mismatch between Rudd’s grounded everyman presence and the fantastical circumstances, while the horror elements surface in the unicorn attack sequences and the hallucinatory effects of its horn. The fantasy elements provide the mythological framework, and the drama delivers the emotional stakes (TV Guide).

Cast suitability

The casting choices reinforce the genre positioning. Rudd brings comedy credibility from decades of work in the genre, while Ortega carries horror association from Wednesday and Scream. Poulter’s horror credibility through Midsommar and Grant’s character actor range across comedic and dramatic roles create a cast that can shift between registers as the film requires (CinemaBlend).

Why this matters: For viewers deciding whether to stream the film, understanding its genre hybridity helps set expectations. Death of a Unicorn won’t deliver pure horror or pure comedy—it occupies the strange middle ground where A24 has built its reputation.

The production details table below provides key information about the film’s release and distribution.

Paul Rudd And Jenna Ortega Lead The Death Of A Unicorn Cast.

CinemaBlend

A24’s Death of a Unicorn is a hilarious comedy horror.

Collider

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