Hollywood´s major production The Musketeer had a big casting crew divided by the different countries the movie was filmed in. Although the biggest names in the film were very well-known actors like Tim Roth and Stephen Rea, there were many other characters involved.
The Musketeers
Jan-Gregor Kremp plays Athos in the movie. He’s a German-born actor who has been active since 1977 and is perhaps the least well-known of all the musketeers in the movie.
Steve Speirs plays Porthos. The veteran Welsh actor is also known for his roles in movies such as Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. He was a very wise choice and a highly charismatic addition to the cast.
Nick Moran plays Aramis. He is the youngest of the three and the most well-known. He was born in East London. Moran plays a role in the later Harry Potter movies, but his acting in this movie brings a certain charisma and a fresh face with a smile.
Treville, the head of the musketeers is played by Michael Byrne, a veteran actor that can also be seen in the great movie Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade playing a Nazi character. Also, he played small roles in the blockbuster Braveheart (1995) and Gangs of New York (2003).
Kings & Lords
Daniel Mesguich plays King Louis XIII. He is a French actor born in Alger (now Algeria) who currently teaches at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris. He also worked on Francois Truffaut´s L´amour en fuite (1979) and La Belle Captive (1979) among many others.
Jeremy Clyde plays Lord Buckingham and is not a strange choice; after all, he is a direct descendent from “Iron Duke” Wellington who fought against Napoleon and beat him at the famous Battle of Waterloo. He started working on musicals with the great Jane Birkin. His acting work is featured in the film Crossbow (2007) which tells the story of a Swiss Robin Hood.
Other Characters
Jean-Pierre Castaldi plays Planchet, D´Artagnan´s savior. He is a French actor who is also known for his work at the movies Moonraker (1979), French Contact 2 (1975) and many others. He also hosted a reality TV show called Fort Boyard from 2000 to 2002, in which contestants go to a castle to perform feats of mind and body.
Bill Treacher plays Bonacieux. He is a veteran English actor better known for his work in EastEnders, a TV series that started in 1985 and examines the lives of the inhabitants of Albert Square. On this long-running show he has worked with other veteran British actors like Barbara Windsor and June Brown.
David Schofield plays Rochefort, the evil and loyal Richelieu henchman. He is better known for playing Falco in the movie Gladiator (2000) and also for his work in the several sequels of the American blockbuster franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. He was also the first actor to play the main role in the play The Elephant Man, a role that was later played briefly by David Bowie.
The cast of The Musketeer is led by Hollywood stars such as Stephen Rea, Tim Roth and Justin Chambers, but the secondary actors for the remaining roles are very well-known in the acting world. The key for directors with a limited budget is to choose wisely, creating a supportive and talented set of secondary characters that will aid and uplift the main actors without breaking the bank.