Who’s In the Cast of ‘Despicable Me 4’? Meet the Stars Voicing Gru, His New Nemesis and More

This summer is going to be ba-ba-ba, bananas!

Illumination and Universal Pictures are bringing more minion mayhem to the big screen with Despicable Me 4, the fourth installment of the animated comedy franchise, which hits theatres on July 3. After welcoming a new child, former supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) and his family must go into hiding as a nemesis from his past emerges and seeks revenge.

On a June 2024 episode of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon asked Carell what keeps people so invested in the Despicable Me franchise. “It’s a lot of things, the minions are crazy funny [and] the writing is great,” he said.

Miranda Cosgrove and Kristen Wiig are among the stars reprising their roles alongside Carell, while newcomers include Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Joey King and Will Ferrell.

From their previous roles to off-screen relationships, here’s everything to know about the cast of Despicable Me 4.

Steve Carell as Gru

Carell returns as Gru, a former supervillain turned hero who adopts three orphaned girls and serves as a secret agent to fight other supervillains.

“I think the things that align with me in terms of Gru are the fact that all he cares about is being a good dad,” Carell told Today in June 2024. “And I think that reflects who I am.”

Born in Concord, Mass., the actor and comedian first rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show from 1995 to 2005. He is best known for his role as Michael Scott in NBC’s The Office from 2005 to 2011, which led to a Golden Globe award for best actor in 2006.

Some of his other most notable films include The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), Foxcatcher (2014), The Big Short (2015), Battle of the Sexes (2017) and IF (2024). He has also appeared in AppleTV+’s The Morning Show and Netflix’s Space Force.

As for his personal life, Carell married comedian Nancy Carell in 1995 and the couple have two children together: Elisabeth Anne and John.

Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal

Ferrell joins the franchise as Maxime Le Mal, also known as Max Superball, a villain who escapes from prison and seeks revenge on ex-classmate Gru.

Born in Irvine, Calif., the actor and comedian rose to prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s before going on to star in comedy films such as Elf (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Step Brothers (2008).

Ferrell is entirely new to the cast and the franchise. On a June 2024 Today show appearance, he revealed to Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that he had never seen the prior movies, and “didn’t even know who Gru was.” Playing a French villain, however, “was a bucket list thing.”

Despite not being well-versed in the franchise, he revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he thinks Despicable Me 4 is the “greatest movie of all time.”

Outside of his career, Ferrell married his wife Viveca Paulin in 2000 and the couple share three children.

Miranda Cosgrove as Margo

Cosgrove is returning as Margo, the eldest of the three orphaned sisters adopted by Gru.

“It’s been fun getting to play this character for so long. I started when I was 13 and now I’m 30, so it’s pretty crazy,” the actress told Hollywood Insider at Despicable Me 4‘s Hollywood premiere. She revealed that she loves playing Margo because of her confidence and protectiveness toward her two younger sisters.

The Los Angeles native rose to fame in School of Rock (2003), followed by her role as Megan in the Nickelodeon TV series Drake and Josh, which premiered the following year. She is best known for starring on Nickelodeon’s iCarly (2007-2012) and is both the star and executive producer of the 2021 revival of iCarly on Paramount+. She has also been featured in The Intruders (2015) and Mother of the Bride (2024).

Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde

Wiig revisits her role as Lucy Wilde, Gru’s supervillain wife.

“There’s just something about being part of this family that I am so grateful for,” the actress told Hollywood Insider in June 2024. “I love this movie [and] I’m so proud to be a part of these.”

Wiig’s breakout movie role was Bridesmaids (2011). However, she had previously gained fame as a performer on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2009. While her voice isn’t new to the franchise, it might also be recognized from her roles in How to Train Your Dragon and Big Mouth.

She is also known for starring in The Skeleton Twins (2014), Sausage Party (2016) and Ghostbusters (2016).

She was formerly married to Hayes Hargrove and is currently married to actor and producer Avi Rothman, with whom she shares twin children, Luna and Shiloh.

Sofía Vergara as Valentina

Sofía Vergara joins the Despicable Me franchise as Valentina, the girlfriend and sidekick of villain Maxime Le Mal.

The actress was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, and her breakthrough role was Gloria in Modern Family (2009-2020), which led to four Golden Globe nominations and four Emmy nominations. Vergara is also a co-producer for her son’s show, Celebrity Family Food Battle, and Netflix’s Griselda, which she also starred in, as well as a judge on America’s Got Talent.

In addition to her acting career, she has launched a suncare brand, Toty, a coffee line, ¡Díos Mio! Coffee, and a culinary brand, Toma.

Vergara shares one son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, with her ex-husband Joe Gonzalez. She was also previously married to actor Joe Manganiello from 2015 to 2024. She is currently dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.

Pierre Coffin as Minions

Pierre Coffin is bringing back the distinct, high-pitched voices of the minions, the squishy yellow creatures who serve as Gru’s loyal aides throughout his adventures.

Born in France, Coffin has also co-directed some of the Despicable Me projects.

Madison Skyy Polan as Agnes

Madison Skyy Polan is joining the franchise as the voice of Agnes, the youngest of Gru’s adopted daughters who has a love for unicorns and ballet.

She is the third person to play this role. Polan started in a Los Angeles acting school at age 3 but has never appeared in a movie or TV show. She told Hollywood Insider in June 2024 that she started “screaming and running around her room” when she found out she would be playing Agnes.

Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom

Steve Coogan is returning as Silas Ramsbottom, director of the Anti-Villain League, who plays a part in the ongoing battle against the new supervillain, Maxime Le Mal. He has voiced several other characters in the franchise, such as Professor Flux and Blind Tower Guard.

Originally from the United Kingdom, the British comedian and producer is best known for his roles in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Alan Partridge (2013) and Philomena (2013).

Stephen Colbert as Perry Prescott

Stephen Colbert plays the role of Perry Prescott, neighbor to Gru and husband to Patsy.

He is a comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor and television host. While his breakout role was as the host of The Colbert Report, he is best known as the current host of the CBS talk program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which began in 2015.

Colbert married Evelyn McGee-Colbert in 1993, and together they share three children.

Chloe Fineman as Patsy Prescott

Fineman joins the series as Patsy Prescott, neighbor to Gru and wife to Perry.

“It’s the dream summer movie, it’s literally for everybody, it’s joyous, it’s fun, it’s hilarious,” Fineman told Hollywood Insider. “I can’t believe I’m in the company of the funniest people in the world.”

She met her screen husband, Colbert, for the first time while a guest on his talk show. “We need to talk about our marriage,” Colbert joked, revealing that the actors record their character’s lines alone in a booth.

When discussing her character’s voice with Colbert, Fineman said she had tried the “cousin of Jennifer Coolidge and the older sister of Reese Witherspoon.” However, knowing Colbert’s South Carolina roots, she chose a Southern-like accent instead. Fineman later told Hollywood Insider that the final voice ended up sounding like the “cousin of Meryl Streep.”

The comedian is most known for her role on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which she joined as a feature player in 2019 and was promoted to repertory in 2021. Before joining the show, Fineman appeared in small roles in episodes of Mozart in the Jungle, Grown-ish and Jane the Virgin. She has since appeared in the TV series Search Party and Dickinson and the movies Father of the Bride (2022), White Noise and Babylon (2022).

Joey King as Poppy Prescott

Joey King is the voice behind Poppy Prescott, the child of Patsy and Perry Prescott and one of Gru’s new neighbors who aspires to be a supervillain.

“I love my character. I just think she’s so casually sinister, she’s absolutely mad and she’s funny, I love her so much,” she Hollywood Insider at the film’s premiere. “I grew up with these movies, my family loves these movies, I love these movies, and now I get to be in one of them. I’m just so happy.”

Originally from Los Angeles, the actress first gained recognition for her role in Ramona and Beezus (2010). She has since starred in films such as The Kissing Booth, Stonewall, The Bullet Train and The Conjuring.

She also portrayed Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu’s The Act (2019). While on set, she met director Steven Piet, whom she married in 2023.

Dana Gaier as Edith

Dana Gaier returns as Edith, the middle child of Gru’s three adopted daughters.

The actress’s breakout role was in Despicable Me. Following her debut, she was featured in films and shows such as Ernesto’s Manifesto (2019), The Ice Cream Truck (2017) and On My Block.