What the Bombshell Movie Cast Looks Like in Real Life

• Bombshell, the movie inspired by the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Fox News exec Roger Ailes, arrives in theaters on December 13.
• The film stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie as fictional news producer Kayla Pospisil.
• John Lithgow stars as Ailes.

There isn't an Oscars category for casting directors, but whoever was in charge of assembling the cast of Bombshell deserves some type of award. The upcoming drama, which revolves around the Roger Ailes sexual harassment controversy and fallout at Fox, stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson—and they're dead-ringers for their real-life counterparts.

Theron's resemblance to Kelly is especially shocking. With a clean updo, thick eyeliner, and a stern smile, she's almost entirely transformed into the former Fox News anchor.

Left: Megyn Kelly. Right: Charlize Theron portraying Kelly in Bombshell.

Kidman looks quite similar to Carlson too, in a fuchsia sheath dress and the Miss-America-winner-turned-TV-commentator's signature blonde bob.

Left: Gretchen Carlson. Right: Nicole Kidman as Carlson in Bombshell.

Margot Robbie also stars as a fictional Fox News producer named Kayla Pospisil, who appears in the trailer with Kelly and Carlson as they head to the network's executive suite on the second floor.

Margot Robbie plays a fictitious news producer named Kayla Pospisil.

While the three leading stars appeared in the initial teaser released in August, the full-length preview gave a deeper look at the whole ensemble. John Lithgow as Roger Ailes is in the bunch, sporting a heavy dose of prosthetics.

Left: Roger Ailes. Right: John Lithgow in Bombshell.

Mark Duplass stars as Kelly's husband, Douglas Brunt, an author and former CEO of the Internet security company Authentium, Inc.

Left: Douglas Brunt. Right: Mark Duplass in Bombshell.

Bree Condon (Ironclad, Vampire Diaries) also makes an appearance in the form of Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and Donald Trump Jr.'s current girlfriend. She left the network last year and reportedly pressured women at work to support Roger Ailes amidst sexual harassment allegations, according to Vox. (That should explain the "Team Roger" T-shirt in her onscreen portrayal.)

Left: Kimberly Guilfoyle. Right: Bree Condon in Bombshell.

Alanna Ubach (Coco, Legally Blonde) also makes a cameo as Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who also defended Ailes.

Left: Jeanine Pirro. Right: Alanna Ubach in Bombshell.

A number of other recognizable stars appear in the film that we didn't get to see in the trailer. Many of them embody familiar Fox News talents. For example, Anne Ramsay (Mad About You) plays news anchor Greta Van Susteren.

Left: Greta Van Susteren. Right: Anne Ramsay.

And Ugly Betty's Tony Plana transforms into talk show host Geraldo Rivera.

Left: Geraldo Rivera. Right: Tony Plana.

Connie Britton is Roger's wife Beth Ailes.

Left: Elizabeth Ailes. Right: Connie Britton.

Malcolm McDowell portrays Rupert Murdoch, media mogul and owner of News Corp., whose many properties include Fox News.

Left: Rupert Murdoch. Right: Malcolm McDowell.

Murdoch’s sons, Lachlan and James, are played by real-life brothers, Ben and Josh Lawson, respectively.

Left: James Murdoch. Right: Josh Lawson.

Left: Lachlan Murdoch. Right: Ben Lawson portraying him in Bombshell.

Rudy Giuliani (yes, he even weaseled his way into the Ailes scandal) is portrayed by actor Richard Kind.

Left: Rudy Giuliani. Right: Richard Kind.

Spencer Garrett (Air Force One) portrays conservative talk show host and commentator Sean Hannity.

Left: Sean Hannity. Right: Spencer Garrett.

Elisabeth Rohm (Law & Order) portrays Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum.

Left: Martha MacCallum. Right: Elisabeth Rohm.

Ashley Greene (Twilight) makes an appearance as Abby Huntsman, a former Fox & Friends co-host who moved on to The View.

Left: Abby Huntsman. Right: Ashley Greene.

Allison Janney plays Susan Estrich, Ailes’s lawyer who also managed Michael Dukakis’s presidential campaign in 1988.

Left: Susan Estrich. Right: Allison Janney.

Nancy Erika Smith, one of Gretchen Carlson’s lawyers, is portrayed by Robin Weigert (Deadwood, Big Little Lies).

Left: Nancy Erika Smith. Right: Robin Weigert portraying Smith in Bombshell.

Bill Shine, a former Fox News producer and executive who eventually became Trump’s communications director, is played by Desperate Housewives’ Mark Moses.

Left: Bill Shine. Right: Mark Moses.

Nazanin Boniadi (Homeland, How I Met Your Mother) portrays journalist and anchor Rudi Bakhtiar, who alleged that she was fired from Fox News for complaining about sexual harassment.

Left: Rudi Bakhtiar. Right: Nazanin Boniadi.

Comedian Kevin Dorff portrays Bill O'Reilly, and She’s Out of My League’s Alice Eve plays Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt. Kate McKinnon has a big role as well, but her character, like Robbie's, is fictional.

Written by Charles Randolph (The Big Short) and directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents), Bombshell offers a "revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time: Fox News, and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it," according to its official synopsis.

In 2016, Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment, which led more women, including Kelly, to come forward with allegations against the Fox News CEO. Ailes resigned in 2016 and died a year later at the age of 77.

Bombshell is now in theaters. Watch the full trailer above.

This story has been updated.

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. 

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