See“ The Sheep Detectives'” woolly sleuths side-by-side with the actors voicing them

Randall ColburnTue, May 12, 2026 at 9:34 PM UTC

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'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Amazon MGM StudiosKey Points -

The Sheep Detectives follows a flock of sheep as they investigate the mysterious murder of their kindly shepherd.

Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, and Nicholas Braun lead the live-action cast.

The actors voicing the sheep include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O'Dowd, and Regina Hall.

The Sheep Detectives is melting the hearts of audiences in much the same way that James Cromwell's relationship with a piglet named Babe did 30 years ago.

Based on Leonie Swann's 2005 novel Three Bags Full, director Kyle Balda's tale centers on the relationship between a shepherd, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), and the flock of sheep he looks after (and occasionally enthralls with detective stories). When George turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, the sheep take it upon themselves to find answers. Hey, they seem to be as well-equipped as the local constable (Nicholas Braun).

While the live-action cast is plenty impressive — with Jackman and Braun joined by Emma Thompson, Hong Chau, Molly Gordon, and Nicholas Galitzine — you may be surprised to learn that the actors voicing the sheep are equally star-studded.

Read on to see who's voicing which sheep in this woolly new comedy.

01 of 08

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily

Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices Lily in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

Julia Louis-Dreyfus leads the pack as Lily, a Shetland sheep who emerges as a natural leader among the flock.

“It's a very unusual film in its fantasy and whimsy,” Louis-Dreyfus told USA Today. “At the same time, it has important themes of inclusion and the power of community that are particularly apt at this moment we're living through.”

Louis-Dreyfus will forever be known as Elaine on Seinfeld, for which she won the first of her 11 Emmy Awards. Her performance on the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine nabbed her another trophy, while her sublime leading turn on HBO's political satire Veep earned her nine more (three as a producer).

Over the past decade, Louis-Dreyfus has pivoted between the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), in which she plays the shadowy Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and independent films such as Nicole Holofcener's You Hurt My Feelings and Daina O. Pusić's Tuesday, both released in 2023.

02 of 08

Chris O'Dowd as Mopple

Chris O'Dowd voices Mopple in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Noam Galai/WireImage; Amazon MGM Studios

Chris O'Dowd voices Mopple, a merino sheep who, unlike his cohorts, has a sharp memory. That, of course, is essential to any murder investigation.

“My character, Mopple the sheep, is really the only one who remembers things, and that resonated with me a little bit," O'Dowd said in a recent interview. "Not because I have a particularly great memory, but because we all curate our own lives in a way. We carry certain memories with us because we want to, and sometimes we hold onto things we’d probably rather forget."

He continued, “I thought that was a really interesting theme in the movie — that these sheep can choose to forget everything. Obviously, we as humans can’t really do that, and yet we still try to in our own way."

The Irish actor and comedian rose to fame starring on Channel 4's The IT Crowd, and earned greater fame in the U.S. with memorable roles in films like Bridesmaids (2011), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), and Molly's Game (2017). You may also remember him as Jessa's wretched husband Thomas John on HBO's Girls, or from the most heartbreaking episode of Black Mirror season 7.

O'Dowd is also a regular voice actor, having voiced characters on Big Mouth, Human Resources, Puffin Rock, and The Simpsons, as well as the films Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and My Father's Dragon (2022).

03 of 08

Regina Hall as Cloud

Regina Hall voices Cloud in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Dominik Bindl/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

Playing the fluffy and ambitious Cloud is Regina Hall, who cut her teeth in the rude, crude Scary Movie franchise before earning acclaim for her work in Girls Trip (2017), Support the Girls (2018), and the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another (2025).

Hall has also been busy on the small screen, having played memorable roles on Ally McBeal, Black Monday, Nine Perfect Strangers, and The Best Man: The Final Chapters.

Next up for Hall is a return to the Scary Movie universe alongside her original costar, Anna Faris.

04 of 08

Patrick Stewart as Sir Richfield

Patrick Stewart voices Sir Richfield in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

The solemn, horned Sir Ritchfield is voiced by a legend of the screen and stage: Sir Patrick Stewart.

Stewart, an accomplished theatre actor, is best known to American audiences for a pair of roles in storied sci-fi franchises.

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First, there's Star Trek's Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the USS Enterprise, a role he played on Star Trek: The Next Generation, its film spinoffs, and the Paramount+ series Picard, among others. And then there's the X-Men franchise's Professor Charles Xavier, whom he's played on and off over the past 26 years. He'll soon reprise the character in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

A prolific voice actor, Stewart's low, resonant, and authoritative voice has appeared in films like The Prince of Egypt (1998), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), and Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), as well as on episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, and Futurama.

05 of 08

Bella Ramsey as Zora

Bella Ramsey voices Zora in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Joe Maher/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

The pint-sized Zora is zippy, curious, and voiced by Bella Ramsey, who has been working with The Sheep Detectives writer Craig Mazin over the past several years on his HBO adaptation of The Last of Us. The role has earned them two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.

After breaking out as the outspoken Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, Ramsey took on roles in Judy (2019) and Lena Dunham's Catherine Called Birdy (2022), and the animated Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023). They also voiced the titular character on Netflix's Hilda for 34 episodes across three seasons.

Ramsey will soon put their own investigative skills to the test on season 2 of The Celebrity Traitors.

06 of 08

Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes

Rhys Darby voices Wool-Eyes in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

Rhys Darby lends his Kiwi accent to Wool-Eyes, a Lincoln Longwool whose sense of smell is more developed than his sight

As daffy band manager Murray, Darby regularly stole scenes from Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie on HBO's Flight of the Conchords.

From there, the New Zealand actor appeared in several Taika Waititi films, including What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and Next Goal Wins (2023). He also starred on HBO's Our Flag Means Death.

Darby has dozens of voice credits to his name. Highlights include episodes of Bob's Burgers, The Simpsons, Infinity Train, Voltron: Legendary Defender, and SpongeBob SquarePants, among many others.

07 of 08

Brett Goldstein as Reggie and Ronnie

Brett Goldstein voices Reggie and Ronnie in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: John Shearer/WireImage; Amazon MGM Studios (2)

Brett Goldstein voices a pair of rowdy Norfolk Horn sheep named Ronnie and Reggie.

The English actor won two Emmys for his role as Roy Kent on Apple TV's Ted Lasso, on which he also served as a writer and executive producer. He went on to co-create Apple's acclaimed Shrinking, starring Jason Segal and Harrison Ford.

Elsewhere, Goldstein was teased to play Hercules in the MCU at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). He has several voice credits to his name, including in The Garfield Movie (2024) and on episodes of Harley Quinn; Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock; and Love, Death & Robots.

08 of 08

Bryan Cranston as Sebastian

Bryan Cranston voices Sebastian in 'The Sheep Detectives'
Credit: Aurore Marechal/BAFTA/Getty; Amazon MGM Studios

Sebastian, a black Icelandic Leadersheep who feels like an outcast from the flock, is voiced by Bryan Cranston.

"Sebastian’s perspective is essential to good storytelling," Cranston said in a recent interview, speaking to Sebastian's innate cynicism. "You need contrasting viewpoints, something for the character to push against. Otherwise, it’s boring."

Cranston is TV royalty, having earned numerous Emmy nominations (and winning seven) for his work on shows like Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle, Your Honor, and The Studio. He also has an Academy Award nomination under his belt thanks to his starring role in Trumbo (2015).

In 2026, he reprised his role as Hal for Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, on which he also served as an executive producer.

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