Meet the Cast of Self Reliance

The Director and Leading Man

Jake Johnson has been a staple of television for a long time, but he’s graduated to directing movies — and his directorial debut, Self Reliance, has a stellar cast to tell its wild, twisty comedic tale. Self Reliance has received a mostly positive critical reception, and while it’s quite absurd in its premise, the exceptional cast make the most out of it and turn their characters into memorable ones (even if some actors are just playing themselves).

Jake Johnson stares at Anna Kendrick in Self Reliance

Self Reliance premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and follows Tommy, a man who’s seemingly hit rock bottom and doesn’t have much going on his life, as he agrees to be on a reality TV show streaming on the dark web in the hopes of winning one million dollars. Johnson most recently starred in Minx, and takes the leading role in his directorial debut. And though he plays the main character, the rest of Self Reliance’s cast, including comedian Wayne Brady and the beloved Christopher Lloyd, is made up of actors of equal caliber who have decades of experience between them.

Anna Kendrick smiles at Jake Johnson in Self Reliance

Jake Johnson was born in Evanston, Illinois and has been well-known to television viewers since playing Nick Miller in the Fox comedy New Girl alongside Zoeey Deschanel. The actor has also had leading roles in the short-lived series Stumptown opposite How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders, the animated movies Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, in which he voiced Peter B. Parker, Hoops, and the aforementioned Minx. Johnson has also had roles in comedies like Neighbors and 21 Jump Street. He’s set to reprise his role as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Biff Wiff is at a loss while smiling in Self Reliance

The Talented Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick can not only act, but she can sing her way to some very high notes, as her roles in The Last Five Years, Camp, her debut film, Into the Woods, and Pitch Perfect can attest. The latter was Kendrick’s ticket to full-fledged fame, but she received a lot of attention for her supporting role in Up in the Air opposite George Clooney. Kendrick’s career has a lot of variety, with the actress having starred in dramas, comedies, and musicals.

Jake Johnson confronts Natalie Morales in Self Reliance

She most recently directed her first feature, Woman of the Hour, and has also had leading roles in the anthology series Love Life, A Simple Favor opposite Blake Lively, Alice, Darling, and Drinking Buddies, with a minor role in the Twilight Saga. In Self Reliance, Kendrick plays Maddy, a woman who meets Tommy after she claims to also be appearing in the same reality series. After feeling isolated for so long, the pair form a romantic connection.

Wayne Brady and Jake Johnson stand together in Self Reliance

The Supporting Cast

Biff Wiff has spent his career primarily appearing in guest-starring roles in various television shows, such as iCarly, Night Court, Jury Duty opposite James Marsden, Doll Face, and Grace and Frankie. Wiff, however, is most notable for playing Rick in Everything Everywhere All At Once. As James in Self Reliance, the actor plays a homeless man who is paid by Tommy to stay with him at all times, as it’s the only way to ensure he isn’t killed by the reality show hunters. The pair get up to quite a few shenanigans during their time together.

GaTa, Anna Kendrick, and Jake Johnson look behind their table in Self Reliance

Natalie Morales’ Theresa is Tommy’s ex-girlfriend who appears in a pivotal scene for Tommy. Morales is best known for her roles in Parks and Recreation, The Grinder, The Newsroom, the Netflix series Dead to Me, No Hard Feelings opposite Jennifer Lawrence, and Language Lessons, a film she also directed.

Jake Johnson and Christopher Lloyd sit together in a car in Self Reliance

Christopher Lloyd’s character is estranged from his family, but appears to Tommy in a crucial scene midway through Self Reliance. The actor is best known as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future movies, and has been in such classics like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Clue, The Addams Family, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Bjorn Johnson and John Hans Tester are intrigued in Self Reliance