Jay Kelly cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the upcoming coming of age drama on Netflix?

Adam Sandler's upcoming project is again a Netflix film, Jay Kelly. We received the film's official trailer yesterday, and George Clooney stars in it. It premiered on August 28, 2025, at the 82nd annual Venice International Film Festival, and it received some positive reviews afterward. As of this writing, the movie holds a 78% score on the review aggregator platform Rotten Tomatoes.

According to the film's synopsis (via Rotten Tomatoes),

"JAY KELLY, the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind."

It features a large cast, including Adam Sandler and George Clooney, with notable appearances by Patrick Wilson as Ben Alcock, Isla Fisher as Mrs. Alcock, Jim Broadbent as Peter Schneider, among others.

Jay Kelly cast

George Clooney as Jay Kelly

George Clooney and Don Cheadle (in the background) - Source: Getty

George Clooney will star as a well-known actor, Jay Kelly, in the movie. We'll see him packing his bags and heading out on a trip across Europe. Although the trailer shows them in France, we still have to wait and see. These actors and their crew can be unpredictable, as you know.

Adam Sandler as Ron Sukenick

While Adam Sandler stars in his latest (Netflix) film, Happy Gilmore 2, a sequel to the highly successful Happy Gilmore (1996), he takes on a supporting role here. He will play Jay's manager, Ron Sukenick. We can easily see the bond between these characters in the trailer.

Laura Dern as Liz

Laura Dern, best known as the paleobotanist from the Jurassic Park series, now stars as Liz in the Netflix film. She will serve as Jay's publicist. Besides her work with dinosaurs, she has also demonstrated her talent in movies like Rambling Rose (1991), Mask (1985), and others.

Greta Gerwig as Lois Sukenick

Greta Gerwig is currently working on her upcoming film, Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, which she is directing. She is also preparing a follow-up to her 2023 hit film Barbie, which she directed and that became the highest-grossing film of the year. Additionally, she will act alongside Clooney and Sandler in this Netflix movie, portraying Lois Sukenick, Sandler's wife.

Billy Crudup as Timothy

Billy Crudup, a Tony Award winner, will play Jay's acting colleague who has yet to land his big break. He has appeared in a variety of films, including Public Enemies (2009) and Spotlight (2015), among others. But he's probably best known as Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen (2009), a film Christopher Nolan considers to be ahead of its time.