Inception cast and character guide: Who played whom in the Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie?

A few films have the potential to leave your head spinning, like that totem in the Christopher Nolan film Inception (2010). The film about dreams inside dreams focused on one simple idea, which is, interestingly, "an idea" itself. As Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film, explains, it is "resilient" and "highly contagious."

Every director has a few actors who consistently appear in their films. Sometimes they are in supporting roles. Sometimes, they are in a major role. Christopher Nolan has a set of those, too. While DiCaprio was in the lead, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and more also appeared in the movie.

As of this writing, the film holds a critical score of 87% and a 91% score from the audience on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The website's consensus reads,

"Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually."

So, without further daydreaming, we will look into the cast of this complex visual feat of cinema.

Inception cast

Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb

DiCaprio's Dom is a thief in the movie, though not a normal kind. His specialty is to steal secrets from people while they are dreaming. The job is so delicate that one might lose the sense of what's real and what's not.

Ken Watanabe as Saito

A business needs the skills of a man, and not what he usually does. Ken Watanabe, who plays Saito, is a businessman who has hired Cobb for his skills only. He doesn't want him to steal a secret, but to place an idea in the subconscious of someone.

Cillian Murphy as Robert Fischer

The Oppenheimer (2023) lead, Cillian Murphy, plays Robert Pischer in the movie. He is the man Saito wants Cobb to target in the film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur

Arthur is Cobb's partner, gathering all the information that's needed in order to carry out missions. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays the character, did almost all his stunts in the film.

Tom Hardy as Eames

Tom Hardy's Eames is also someone who works with Cobb in Inception and is an expert in forgery. He can impersonate people while in the dream world. Apart from that, he also likes some heavy weaponry if things get interesting, just in case.

Elliot Page as Ariadne

Ariadne is a new member of the group in Inception who is about to infiltrate the dreams of Robert Fischer. She is a graduate student of architecture, and the scene where Cobb is meeting her and bends an entire part of a city, and then, when she does it, explains why he hired her.

Marion Cotillard as Mal

Marion Cotillard's Mal is, sort of, an obstacle for Cobb, as one, she is dead, and two, she is always appearing whenever he is working, which is a mental torture for him.

The rest of the Inception cast

While the above names appear as the core characters of the film, some actors appear for short but important roles in it.

Dileep Rao appears as a chemist named Yusuf, Michael Caine is Cobb's father-in-law and mentor Stephen Miles, and Pete Postlethwaite plays Robert's father, Maurice Fischer.

Talulah Riley and Tom Berenger also have an appearance in the film.