The real-life Gilbreth family has seen two film adaptations of their family memoir, which humorously recalled what it was like to grow up in a family with twelve children. The 1950 film, directed by Walter Lang, featured Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as the Gilbreth parents and stars like Jeanne Crain and Barbara Bates portraying the twelve kids. Then the Shawn Levy-directed 2003 remake brought Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt to the screen as Mr. and Mrs. Baker with their twelve children, some of whom were played by early 2000s favorites like Hilary Duff, Alyson Stoner, and Piper Perabo.
Now Disney+ has released its reboot, Cheaper by the Dozen, on March 18, 2022. This remake features new faces and family dynamics, recreating the classic Baker (once Gilbreth) family.
Related:'Cheaper by the Dozen' Trailer Showcases More Baker Family Antics
Zach Braff as Paul Baker
Zach Braff plays Paul Baker, the father and stepfather to the Baker children and husband of Zoe Baker. Braff, a Jewish American actor, is well-versed in the comedy genre. He is most well known for playing the lead role in the nine-season comedy-drama show, Scrubs. In that television series, he was interning doctor J. D. Dorian, a skilled physician whose habit for daydreaming made him endearing. Braff saw one Primetime Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe nominations for his part in this series.
Braff has starred in other various comedies through film and television. In The Last Kiss, directed by Tony Goldwyn, he led the romantic comedy movie as Michael, a 30-year-old man with relationship problems and commitment issues. Braff also led the ABC sitcom Alex, Inc. as Alex Schuman, a husband and father with a midlife crisis who quits his job to start a podcast. He took lead on the comedy The Ex, directed by Jesse Peretz, as Tom Reilly, a struggling businessman who finds himself fighting for his job and his wife.
Braff’s talent extends to his voice acting. He voiced the young and unexpected avian hero in Chicken Little, the 2005 Disney comedy directed by Mark Dindal. Braff lent his voice to the 2013 Oz the Great and Powerful, directed by Sami Raimi, in playing the devoted winged monkey, Finley.
Braff has also has experience in directing. Wish I Was Here, which he directed and co-wrote with brother Adam Braff, tells the story of Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff). Bloom is an actor who is failing to find his purpose until he decides to homeschool his children. Braff also directed and starred in Garden State, the comedy that won a Grammy Award for its music, which Braff picked out himself.
With Braff’s extensive experience with comedy, both directing and starring in it, and his history of playing dysfunctional middle-aged men, Cheaper By the Dozen is guaranteed to be humorous with his depiction of the awkward and lovable Paul Baker.
Gabrielle Union is Zoey Baker
Gabrielle Union plays Zoey Baker, the matriarch of the Baker family and wife to Paul Baker. Like Braff, Union has seen her fair share of comedic film and television roles. She played supporting roles in the romantic comedies 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, and the drama Love & Basketball. These roles preceded her big break as Isis, the captain of the East Compton Clovers cheerleading team, in the comedy Bring It On directed by Peyton Reed. This role in a cult classic launched Union into her acting career.
Union starred as lead Evangeline “Eva” Dandridge in the 2003 romantic comedy directed by Gary Hardwick, Deliver Us From Eva. She played a prominent role in Bad Boys II, directed by Michael Bay, as DEA Special Agent Sydney “Syd” Burnet and Will Smith’s character’s love interest. Union’s part in Bad Boys II set her up for a two-season series, L.A.’s Finest, where Syd now works with the Los Angeles Police Department and is a partner to Detective Nancy McKenna (Jessica Alba).
Union’s other lead roles include her part as a psychiatric patient, Rachael, in the indie drama Neo Ned, directed by Van Fischer. She scored the main love interest role in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls as an attorney hired to help Monty James (Idris Elba) win custody of his three daughters. Union held supporting roles in various films, such as the 2004 comedy Breaking All the Rules and the moving historical drama, Something the Lord Made. She worked with Tyler Perry again in his 2012 film Good Deeds, co-starring as his fiance, and as “The Girl Who Wants the Ring” in Steve Harvey’s Think Like A Man.
In 2013, Union started leading her own show, created by Mara Brock Akil, called Being Mary Jane. The show ran for four full seasons and concluded with a one-episode final season. Union’s character, Mary Jane, is a TV news anchor, and the series follows her personal journey with family and romance and her professional career in news television.
Compared to Braff, Union’s screen experience has included more drama and romance, diversifying the genres she has worked within. Yet there’s no doubt as to her acting abilities and understanding of comedy, considering her list of films and television work. This reimagining of Mrs. Baker is new, exciting, and different with Union’s personal touch as a Black woman adding a new dimension to the story.
Related:Gabrielle Union on 'Cheaper By the Dozen,' How It's Relatable, and Controlling On-Set Mayhem
Journee Brown is Deja Baker
First up in our list of the Baker children is Deja Baker, played by Journee Brown. Cheaper By the Dozen marks what will be her biggest movie role thus far. She previously played a supporting character, Lena, in the 2018 drama Night Comes On, directed by Jordana Spiro. She also portrayed a younger version of Janae (Vicky Jeudy) in two episodes of Orange Is the New Black.
Kylie Rogers is Ella Baker
Kylie Rogers plays Ella Baker, bringing her more extensive film experience to the family. Rogers has worked on numerous TV movies, The List, The Gates, and the 2014 horror Finders Keepers, to name a few. She has done brief, one-episode roles in television shows like Days of Our Lives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Deadtime Stories. She played the recurring role of Millie in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and as Minx Lawrence for all 13 episodes of The Whispers.
One of Rogers’s most notable roles is in the 2016 Miracles from Heaven, directed by Patricia Riggen and based on a true story, where Rogers played the miracle child, Anna Beam. More recently, Rogers has starred as a younger Beth in Yellowstone and as Izzy Lisko in Home Before Dark.
Andre Christopher Robinson is DJ Baker
Playing DJ Baker is Andre Christopher Robinson, who is mostly known for his work in voice acting. Like Rogers, he’s been featured in singular episodes on multiple TV series, including Dragons: Race to the Edge, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, and Stillwater.
Robinson has held bigger roles in voice acting projects as well. He voiced the long-term role of Donny McStuffins in the Disney Junior show Doc McStuffins and Cutter in the Netflix Original Series, Dragons: Rescue Riders, and the Peacock Original series, Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky. He scored a leading voice acting role in Netflix’s A Tale Dark and Grimm as Hansel, co-starring alongside Disney star Raini Rodriguez, who voiced Gretel. Additionally, Robinson led the Amazon Prime Original series, Niko and the Sword of Light, voicing the titular character, Niko. He also voiced the recurring role of Clyde in the five-season Nickelodeon show, The Loud House. Fans of these cartoons are in for an interesting treat as they see the versatile voice actor step in front of the camera for Cheaper By the Dozen.
Caylee Blosenski is Harley Baker
.jpg "Cheaper by the Dozen Cast & Character Guide: Meet the all-new Bakers (7)")
Newer actress Caylee Blosenski plays Harley Baker. Blosenski previously worked on the thriller podcast series, Last Known Position, voicing the role of Marty/Martty Cavanaugh. According to IMDB, Cheaper By the Dozen is her first film.
Related:Zach Braff on 'Cheaper By the Dozen,' Florence Pugh in 'A Good Person,' and Directing 'Ted Lasso'
Aryan Simhadri is Haresh Baker
Disney Channel actor Aryan Simhadri plays Haresh Baker in the Disney+ reboot. Like other child actors on this list, he began his acting career with small roles in episodes of TV shows, making features in SEAL Team, The Unicorn, and . He gained experience and greater prominence through working with Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Nickelodeon.
Simhadri had the recurring role of Norvin in the Disney Channel interactive TV show, Just Roll With It. In the 2021 Disney Channel Original Movie Spin, directed by Manjari Makijany, he played the supporting role of Rohan, Rhea’s (Avantika Vandanapu) brother.
Simhadri has had two recent voice-acting roles. In the Disney Junior show Mira, Royal Detective, he voiced the recurring role of Dhruv, and he voiced Banky in the Nickelodeon and Paramount+ Original TV series, Adventures in Wonder Park.
With his significant experience in working with Disney, Simhadri is well-prepared for his role in Cheaper By the Dozen.
Leo Abelo Perry and Mykal-Michelle Harris are Luca Baker and Luna Baker
One of the younger Bakers, Luca, is played by child actor Leo Abelo Perry. According to IMDB, Perry’s first role was in Black-ish, where he played a young Justin in one episode. He had another one-episode role in the FOX TV show, The Big Leap. Playing Luca Baker in Cheaper By the Dozen is Perry’s first casting in a major film.
Mykal-Michelle Harris is Luna Baker in this film. Aside from minor appearances in shows and short films, Harris found her place in Big Little Lies as the child version of Bonnie. She also played Madeline in three episodes of the Golden Globe-winning show, The Affair. Harris’s most recent, long-standing role was that of Santamonica Johnson in Mixed-ish, the TV series prequel to Black-ish. Harris comes with a recognizable experience in family comedy, fully equipped for her part in Cheaper By the Dozen.
Related:'Cheaper By the Dozen': Director Gail Lerner on Her Collaboration With Kenya Barris and the Film's Emotional Impact
Christian Cote and Sebastian Cote are Bailey Baker and Bronx Baker
Christian Cote plays Bailey Baker. Previous to this role, he starred in one episode of the Hulu horror anthology series Monsterland as George Keller. Cheaper By the Dozen is his film debut. Sebastian Cote takes on the part of Bronx Baker. Like his brother Christian Cote, Sebastian’s acting career has been fairly brief, limited to his starring in Monsterland in the same role of George Keller. Cheaper By the Dozen is his film debut.
Luke Prael is Seth Baker
Luke Prael is Seth Baker and the final Baker child on this cast list. Prael began his work on-screen with the short film, Boy in a Backpack. He went on to play Aiden, the love interest of Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), in Bo Burnham’s film Eighth Grade. Prael took the lead role in the 2018 horror Boarding School, directed by Boaz Yakin, as the troubled and tormented boy, Jacob Rathbone. Cheaper By the Dozen is his third full-length feature film.
Erika Christensen is Kate
Playing Kate, Paul's ex-wife and free babysitter for the Bakers, is Erika Christensen. Christensen had her first recurring role in the historical sitcom, Thanks, as Abigail Winthrop. In 2000, she starred in the crime drama Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, for which she individually won an MTV Award and won a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the entire cast.
Christensen notably worked on two other TV series, in Parenthood as Julia Braverman-Graham and Wicked City as Betty Beaumontaine. She co-starred with Mike Vogel as Leslie Strobel in the Jon Gunn-directed drama Case for Christ, and she recently had a supporting role in the HBO Max thriller Kimi, also directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Kate is an eccentric and quirky addition to the Baker tribe, showing the true chaos, and unique bonds, of blended families. Christensen’s film and television experience prove she is a worthy addition to the Cheaper By the Dozen reboot.
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