In Only Murders in the Building, the body count is high. But the celebrity count? Even higher.
For five seasons, the Hulu original series has featured one stacked cast after another. The group ranges from Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd to the latest season with Renée Zellweger and Christoph Waltz.
So, just who would Steve Martin, MartinShort and SelenaGomez like to see next on their Emmy-nominated comedy?
“I would love, I know he’s busy, but I think Pope Leo would be great,”Shortquipped in an exclusive interview with Parade. “With an attitude, maybe.”
Martin then jokingly suggested “Brando!” Though Short reminded him, “No, he’s gone.”
“Still,” Martin said, tongue in cheek.
While Short asked his co-stars about Ryan Reynolds, Martin threw the name of one of his pals into the mix. “I would be very happy with my friend, English actor Richard E. Grant,” the It’s Complicated star said. “The reason being that, if he came on, you’d know he did it.”
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Asked whether fellow actors ever pitch themselves at events, Short admitted, “No.”
“Well, I never go out,” Martin joked.
“I actually was gonna say the same,” Gomez said.
Although celebrities might not be approaching them for roles on Only Murders in the Building, Martin has heard of actors’ agents calling to say they’d love to be on the show. “Which is a very nice thing to do, but I don’t know how it’s finally resolved,” he said. “That’s sort of the business side of it. But we love everybody we’ve had. I mean, anybody! They say ‘We’d like to run by Eugene Levy,’and we go, ‘Are you kidding? Of course!'”
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When it comes to those celebrity guest roles, showrunner and co-creator John Hoffman doesn’t go with “the most famous people” and “stack the deck like that.” Instead, he goes from the character.
“We write the characters, we write things that feel smart and hopefully funny, and all of those things for the show in the tone. And then we say, ‘Well, who will we cast for these parts?’ So when you’re talking about this opportunity that we’ve had where all of a sudden people are seeming to lean in to be on the show, even though we don’t pay very much,” Hoffman told Parade with a laugh, “And the opportunity to come aboard and then give of time like that, but also have the experience of the fun of doing the show, I think that’s obviously the draw and the magnet of our central trio, what they’ve created.”
Steve Martin (L) and Christoph Waltz (R) in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Hoffman continued, “So all of that feeds into me stepping back with the casting director and going, ‘Well, okay, if you want my dream person to play Bash Steed or Camila White and Jay Pfluig, let’s talk Renée Zellweger, who I’ve always dreamed of working with. Christoph Waltz, who doesn’t adore him and simultaneously they’re terrified of him? And then Logan Lerman just has this sweet, unbelievably talented sort of center to him that could also be dialed in in a way that makes you wonder, ‘Oh, is he good or bad?’ And that, all of that, started to feel like, ‘Well, okay, that’s who I would ask, but I’m sure they won’t do it. So let me give you the list beyond that.’ And then they just miraculously say yes, more often than not, because of, I think, what the vibe has been.”
Hoffman noticed a slight change when one particular A-lister came on board in Season 3. He revealed, “When Meryl Streep joined the show, there was a little bit of a shift for us where you get a great embrace like that, and a sort of stamp of approval on the writing, on the producing and directing and everything else and the time she had was pretty evident, so it drew people to it in that way, I think.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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