Django Unchained Cast (2012)
The Weinstein Company | Western, Action, Drama | 165 min | Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Django Unchained is a 2012 revisionist Western written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, set in the antebellum American South two years before the Civil War. The story follows Django, a freed slave who becomes a bounty hunter under the tutelage of the German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz. Together they set out to rescue Django's wife Broomhilda from the brutal Mississippi plantation owner Calvin Candie. The film won two Academy Awards — Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz — and grossed over $425 million worldwide.
The Django Unchained cast brings together some of the most commanding screen presences of the early 2010s. Jamie Foxx's restrained, purposeful performance as Django anchors the film's moral centre, while Christoph Waltz delivers a tour-de-force portrayal of Dr. King Schultz — verbose, principled, and darkly funny. Leonardo DiCaprio, in a departure from his usual heroic roles, plays the charismatic and sadistic Calvin Candie with genuine menace. Kerry Washington gives Broomhilda a dignified resilience even in circumstances of extreme powerlessness. Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of the house slave Stephen is one of the most deliberately provocative and debated performances in Tarantino's filmography, earning widespread critical attention. The supporting roster — including Walton Goggins, Don Johnson, and James Remar — fills out a richly textured portrait of a specific historical horror.
Main Cast
Jamie Foxx
Django
A freed slave turned bounty hunter on a mission to rescue his wife Broomhilda from a Mississippi plantation.
Christoph Waltz
Dr. King Schultz
A German bounty hunter who frees Django and partners with him, teaching him the trade while helping to plan the rescue of Broomhilda.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Calvin Candie
The charming, educated, and ruthlessly violent owner of Candyland plantation, where Broomhilda is enslaved.
Kerry Washington
Broomhilda von Shaft
Django's wife, a German-speaking enslaved woman held at Candyland and the driving motivation for the entire mission.
Samuel L. Jackson
Stephen
Candie's elderly, trusted head house slave — loyal to his master and deeply suspicious of Django's motives.
Walton Goggins
Billy Crash
Candie's head slave overseer, hostile toward Django and a source of menace throughout the Candyland sequences.
Don Johnson
Spencer Bennett
The affable but outraged plantation owner who encounters Django and Schultz early in the film.
James Remar
Ace Speck / Butch Pooch
Remar appears in a dual role: as a slave trader killed early in the film and later as one of Candie's hired hands.
Supporting & Recurring Cast
| Actor | Character | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Cayouette | Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly | Calvin Candie's widowed sister | Candyland sequences |
| Dennis Christopher | Leonide Moguy | Candie's lawyer and advisor | Candyland scenes |
| Franco Nero | Amerigo Vessepi | A brief cameo — Nero played Django in the original 1966 Italian Western | Bar scene cameo |
| Tom Wopat | US Marshal Gill Tatum | Law officer who challenges Schultz's authority | Early scenes |
| Don Stroud | Sheriff Bill Sharp | Local lawman who clashes with Schultz | Town scenes |
| Jonah Hill | Bag Head #2 | Member of a proto-Ku Klux Klan group | Comic Klan scene |
| Quentin Tarantino | Robert | An Australian mining company worker | Director's cameo |
| Russ Tamblyn | Son of a Gun | Member of the Smitty Bacall gang | Brief role |
Creators & Production
Quentin Tarantino
Director & Writer
Stacey Sher
Producer
Reginald Hudlin
Producer
Pilar Savone
Producer
Robert Richardson
Cinematographer
Fred Raskin
Film Editor
J. Michael Riva
Production Designer
About the Django Unchained Cast
Quentin Tarantino conducted an extensive casting process for Django Unchained, considering several major stars before landing on the final ensemble. Jamie Foxx was ultimately cast as Django after Will Smith, who was offered the role, declined. Foxx brought an Oscar-winning pedigree to the role — he had won Best Actor for Ray in 2005 — and his choice to play Django with controlled intensity rather than overt bravado was widely praised. Christoph Waltz had previously won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009) as the equally verbose Colonel Hans Landa, and his second collaboration with the director earned him a second Oscar for the same category. Waltz remains the only actor to win two competitive Oscars for roles in the same director's films.
Leonardo DiCaprio's casting as Calvin Candie represented a significant creative risk. Known for heroic or morally complex protagonists, DiCaprio had never played a thoroughgoing villain at this scale. His commitment to the role — including a reported method-acting intensity on set — produced one of his most unsettling performances. Kerry Washington has spoken about the emotional challenge of playing Broomhilda, a character defined largely by suffering, and her ability to convey interior strength and love in limited screen time is considered one of the film's underappreciated achievements. Samuel L. Jackson, working with Tarantino for the fourth time, created a deeply controversial character whose role deliberately interrogates questions of complicity and self-preservation under the conditions of slavery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Django Unchained?
Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django, Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz, Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie, Kerry Washington as Broomhilda, and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen.
Who plays Django in Django Unchained?
Jamie Foxx plays Django, a freed slave who teams up with bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz to rescue his wife Broomhilda from the Candyland plantation.
Who directed Django Unchained?
Django Unchained was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film won two Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay for Tarantino and Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz.
When was Django Unchained released?
Django Unchained was released on December 25, 2012, in the United States by The Weinstein Company.
Who plays Calvin Candie in Django Unchained?
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Calvin Candie, the charming but brutal owner of Candyland, a Mississippi plantation where Broomhilda is being held. It was one of DiCaprio's first villain roles.
Did Django Unchained win any awards?
Yes. Django Unchained won two Academy Awards at the 85th Oscars: Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino) and Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz). It was also a major box-office success, grossing over $425 million worldwide.
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