Stardust is the weirdest movie with the most iconic cast
15 years later and I'm still thinking about this fever-dream film all the time.
- by
Tina Burke
Sometimes I look back upon my childhood spent watching every movie under the sun and think, what a little weirdo. I was obsessed with films, so much so that watching Grease became my earliest memory. Not running through a park or playing with my siblings. No! That would be too obvious, too pedestrian.
I was all about film, baby. And that means I have fond memories of movies. Fern Gully? Little Giants? A Kid In King Arthur's Court? Every time I talk about one of these movies with intense feelings, even my pop-culture obsessed colleagues look at me like I'm speaking in riddles.
Nothing better encapsulates this than the 2007 film Stardust. It was written, produced and directed by the iconic Matthew Vaughn and stars an enviable A-list cast... and it's the most camp, silly, epic fantasy film you can imagine. Yet, more than a decade later, I'm still of the opinion that not enough people seem to have seen it. So, let's rectify that.
What is Stardust about?
Adapted from Neil Gaiman's novel Stardust,the movie tells the story of Tristan: a young man who leaves his town and travels into the magical fantasy kingdom of Stormhold, where he encounters a fallen star, evil witches, murderous princes and flouncy pirates.
Who is in the Stardust cast?
The film starred big Hollywood names and British favourites, such as Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett, Mark Williams, Mark Heap, Peter O'Toole and Ricky Gervais. Plus, it was narrated by the one and only Sir Ian McKellan.
And of course, there were the then lesser-known actors who would go onto be big stars, such as Henry Cavill, Ben Barnes and Charlie Cox in his breakout role as the main character, Tristan.
If you were a nerd with a penchant for fantasy films, this cast was as good as it got.
Claire Danes and Charlie Cox in Stardust.
Stan
Not only was the cast stacked, but the whimsical plot had esteemed actors like De Niro frolicking about in a pink feather boa as the pirate, Captain Shakespeare, while Pfeiffer played a decaying murderous witch. Meanwhile, Danes was busy shining like a glow-stick as she effortlessly embodied a "fallen star."
10 years after its release in 2017, Cox spoke with Vanity Fair about the weird, alluring magic of Stardust.
"I remember talking to [Matthew Vaughn] about the movie he wanted to make, and he kept on saying that he’d recently had two young children, and he was tired of watching movies with them that they loved but he hated," he told the publication.
"At the time, I think I was just grateful to have a job and to be telling such a phenomenal story."
And you know what, he was right. It is a phenomenal - albeit, chaotic - story.
Robert De Niro was a knockout in Stardust.
Stan
Where to watch Stardust in Australia?
You can stream Stardust on Stan - or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Tina BurkeTina Burke is the Digital Managing Editor of WHO Magazine and TV WEEK. With a Bachelor of Arts Media and 10 years of experience in Australian media, Tina has worked across magazines, websites, social channels and more. If she's not busy writing an essay about Bridgerton or scrolling through Tiktok, she's probably busy talking about Taylor Swift.