In the Hand of Dante: Full list of cast and characters explored

In the Hand of Dante was directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Schnabel and Louise Kugelberg. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2025. Based on Nick Tosches' 2002 novel of the same name, In the Hand of Dante begins with the discovery of a handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy in the Vatican Library.

The relic is subsequently acquired by a gang member in New York City before being sold to writer Nick Tosches. Fiction meets real life in the story as it alternates between characters from Dante's life and present-day individuals who get entangled in the world of the manuscript.

On September 3, 2025, the film In the Hand of Dante was shown at the Venice International Film Festival. The film features a phenomenal international cast. In the Hand of Dante also stars Oscar Isaac, who plays the dual role of Nick Tosches and Dante Alighieri, as well as supporting actors Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, and Louis Cancelmi.

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Who stars in In the Hand of Dante?

1) Oscar Isaac as Nick Tosches / Dante Alighieri

Oscar Issac at In the Hand of Dante Red Carpet (Image Via Getty)

Oscar Isaac plays two lead roles in In the Hand of Dante: the author Nick Tosches and the medieval poet Dante Alighieri. Isaac, who was born in Guatemala but grew up in the United States, studied at the Juilliard School before appearing on screen in the early 2000s.

He came to prominence through movies such as Balibo (2009), Drive (2011), and the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

His film work includes performances in A Most Violent Year (2014), Ex Machina (2015), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). On television, he has starred in miniseries like Show Me a Hero (2015), Scenes from a Marriage (2021), and Moon Knight (2022). Isaac's theatre work features starring roles in Hamlet (2017) and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (2023).

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2) Gal Gadot as Giulietta / Gemma Donati

Gal Gadot at Breakthrough Prize Awards and Ceremony 2025 (Image via Getty)

Gal Gadot stars as Giulietta and Gemma Donati, both characters from the world of Dante. Gadot initially gained international recognition as Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe franchise, starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and followed by Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

Outside the franchise, she has appeared in Fast & Furious movies, Red Notice (2021), Death on the Nile (2022), and Heart of Stone (2023). Gadot was born in Israel and was crowned Miss Israel in 2004, and also worked as an Israel Defense Forces combat trainer. She was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.

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3) Gerard Butler as Louie / Pope Bonifacio

Gerard Butler (Image via Getty)

Gerard Butler plays the dual role of Louie and Pope Bonifacio in In the Hand of Dante. Butler trained in law before turning to acting, securing early roles in Mrs Brown (1997) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

His big break was playing King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's 300 (2007). His range of work encompasses action, drama, and voice roles, including The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Coriolanus (2011), the Has Fallen series of action-thrillers, and the How to Train Your Dragon series. Recent additions to his output include Geostorm (2017), Greenland (2020), and Plane (2023).

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4) John Malkovich as Joe Black

John Malkovich (Image via Getty)

John Malkovich stars as Joe Black in In the Hand of Dante. Malkovich began his career with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company before transitioning to Broadway, where he garnered praise for his role in Death of a Salesman (1984).

His career on the screen involves Oscar-nominated roles in Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993). His other famous films are Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Of Mice and Men (1992), Con Air (1997), Being John Malkovich (1999), Burn After Reading (2008), and Red (2010).

He has also worked as a producer on the films Ghost World (2001) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and on Death of a Salesman (1985), for which he received an Emmy.

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5) Louis Cancelmi as Lefty / Guido da Polenta

Louis Cancelmi (Image via Getty)

Louis Cancelmi portrays Lefty and Guido da Polenta in In the Hand of Dante. Cancelmi is recognized for stage and television work, often with New York's Public Theater. His TV and movie work includes Boardwalk Empire (2014), Blue Bloods (2015–2016), Martin Scorsese's The Irishman (2019), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

Cancelmi grew up in Anchorage and Seattle, and he attended Yale College to study theater. Cancelmi is married to Elisabeth Waterston, who is actor Sam Waterston's daughter, and they reside in the Hudson Valley with their kids.

Supporting cast includes:

• Jason Momoa plays Al's brother Rosario
• Al Pacino as Uncle Carmine
• Martin Scorsese as Isaiah
• Sabrina Impacciatore plays Dr. Susanna Pulice
• Franco Nero as Don Lecco,
• Benjamin Clementine as Mephistopheles
• Lorenzo Zurzolo as Don Lecco
• Claudio Santamaria as archivist

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In the Hand of Dante premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2025.