Which actor plays Eli Cash in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums?

Owen Wilson plays Eli Cash in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

Eli is a novelist and longtime friend of the Tenenbaum children. Although he is not one of the family’s biological children, he grew up close to them and became especially connected to Richie and Margot. His public success contrasts with his private instability and complicated loyalties.

Owen Wilson co-wrote The Royal Tenenbaums with Anderson and also helped shape its distinctive ensemble of characters. His performance as Eli is notably different from Luke Wilson’s portrayal of Richie, even though the two actors are brothers in real life.

The film’s cast includes Gene Hackman as Royal, Anjelica Huston as Etheline, Ben Stiller as Chas, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot, and Luke Wilson as Richie. Eli’s surname, Cash, is sometimes mistaken for a Tenenbaum family name.