American Psycho Cast & Character Guide

Christian Bale leads the American Psycho cast in an unforgettable role, but there are other familiar faces in the pitch-black satire. Released in 2000, the movie adapts Bret Easton Ellis’s puzzling book, introducing the unconventional Patrick Bateman, a successful banking executive. Despite being rich and an influential businessman in New York City, Patrick decides to give in to dangerous instincts, consumed by an insatiable desire to kill. American Psycho is a sharp send-up of men’s obsession with materialism as Patrick effectively represents the embodiment of toxic masculinity and male privilege.

American Psycho is one of the best movies set in the ’80s, capturing a rich and vibrant Manhattan in contrast with Patrick’s dark impulses. Bale cemented himself as one of the most interesting actors of the 21st century with his mix of dark intensity and goofy humor. The other characters in American Psycho add to the surreal nature of the story while also featuring an amazing assortment of actors, including a couple of future Oscar winners.

Christian Bale As Patrick Bateman

Date Of Birth: 30 January 1974

Character: Patrick Bateman is the infamous protagonist of American Psycho. From the film’s first minutes, it’s clear that he is losing his edge: he becomes immersed in a meticulous routine, yet seems to feel something is missing. While he spends his life obsessed only with himself, he finds a new compulsion: killing people. As the body count stacks up and Patrick increasingly exposes himself to danger, he suspects his careful routine will soon come to an end.

Actor: Christian Bale is one of the most prolific Hollywood actors, who started as a child actor, leading Steven Spielberg’s war epic Empire of the Sun. Following the success of American Psycho, Bale found his most high-profile role as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight trilogy. Bale won an Oscar for his performance as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter and has received three other nominations for American Hustle, The Big Short, and Vice. Bale will next be seen as Frankenstein’s monster in The Bride!

Chloë Sevigny As Jean

Date Of Birth: November 18, 1974

Character: Patrick Bateman’s personal secretary, Jean, is played by Chloë Sevigny. Always with a shy expression on her face and her eyes cast down, Jean’s insecurity makes her a perfect target for Patrick, although he gives up on killing her at the last minute. Her would-be murder scene is one of the few moments where Patrick genuinely seems to care about someone, asking Jean to leave so that he won’t hurt her.

Actor: Chloë Sevigny made her debut in the controversial 90s drama Kids which kickstarted her successful career. Sevigny scored an Oscar nomination for her performance in Boys Don’t Cry as Lana Tisdel and she won a Golden Globe for her role as Nicolette Grant in the HBO drama Big Love. Sevigny has also appeared in Zodiac, Broken Flowers, and Dogville. Most recently, she played Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez in the controversial Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Reese Witherspoon As Evelyn Williams

Date Of Birth: March 22, 1976

Character: Evelyn is Patrick Bateman’s “supposed” fiancée, as he tends to point out, although the two don’t really like each other. Evelyn and Patrick share the same friend circle and seem to be together purely for convenience. While in the restaurant on a “date” their ambivalence for each other is clearly shown as Evelyn is barely paying attention to anything Patrick is saying. This hints at her own self-centered behavior, preventing her from noticing his darker side.

Actor: Prior to American Psycho, Reese Witherspoon was already on her way as an up-and-coming actor in Hollywood with roles in Cruel Intentions, Pleasantville, and Election. She found big success as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde followed by the rom-com Sweet Home Alabama. Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance as June Carter in Walk the Line. Lately, Witherspoon has found a lot of success on television in series like Big Little Lies and The Morning Show.

Jared Leto As Paul Allen

Date Of Birth: December 26, 1971

Character: Paul Allen is a charismatic businessman who becomes Patrick’s archenemy after showing up with the best business card in the office. Mistaking Patrick for another one of their colleagues, and further angering Patrick’s ego, Paul spends an evening drinking with him, only to end up as one of his early victims, brutally murdered with an ax. His death gives rise to a concerning investigation involving Patrick’s office.

Actor: Jared Leto rose to fame following his role as Jordan on My So-Called Life. He went on to appear in a number of high-profile movies in the 1990s, including The Thin Red Line and Fight Club. Leto went on to win an Oscar for his performance as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club. This led to a career resurgence that included playing Joker in Suicide Squad, Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049, and Michael Morbius in Morbius.

Willem Dafoe As Donald Kimball

Date Of Birth: July 22, 1955

Character: Donald Kimball could be considered American Psycho‘s antagonist for two reasons. Firstly, he spends the movie on Patrick Bateman’s heels while investigating Paul Allen’s disappearance. Secondly, he’s either terrible at his job or the best man in the business. His scenes with Patrick are conducted in a way where it’s impossible to tell whether Kimball is suspecting something or just acting blatantly naive, which makes both the audience and Patrick anxious.

Actor: Willem Dafoe is one of the most acclaimed and prolific actors working in Hollywood now, most famous for his role as Green Globin in the Spider-Man movies. Dafoe has been nominated for four Oscars, for Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project, and At Eternity’s Gate. He has also appeared in The Boondock Saints, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, John Wick, and The Lighthouse.

Samantha Mathis As Courtney Rawlinson

Date Of Birth: May 12, 1970

Character: Although she’s engaged to one of Patrick’s closest coworkers and is his fiancée’s best friend, Courtney is having an affair with the main character of American Psycho. She’s described as an almost perfect-looking woman who’s constantly abusing a wide range of psychiatric drugs. Similar to his fiancé Evelyn, Courtney is a woman in Patrick’s life who is too oblivious to the world around her to really understand the monster sitting in front of her.

Actor: Samantha Mathis has had a lot and successful career in movies and television, best known for playing Sara Hammon in Billions. She started her career in the teen movie Pump Up the Volume, then went on the voice the lead character of Cryusta in the animated movie FernGully: The Last Rainforest and played Daisy in Super Mario Bros. She also appeared in Little Women, The American President, Broken Arrow, and The Punisher.

American Psycho Supporting Cast & Characters

Justin Theroux as Timothy Bryce – Timothy is Patrick Bateman’s charming co-worker, who according to him might be having an affair with Evelyn. The character is played in American Psycho by Justin Theroux, who would later become part of the cast of The Leftovers. He is also known for his multifaceted role in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

Matt Ross as Luis Carruthers – Patrick calls Luis the biggest doofus in the business, and he’s engaged to Courtney, with whom Patrick is having an affair. Ross is famous for playing supporting roles in John Woo’s Face/Off and Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, but his biggest achievement is having directed the acclaimed movie Captain Fantastic.

Stephen Bogaert as Harold Carnes – Patrick’s erratic lawyer, Harold Carnes, is played by Stephen Bogaert. The actor is known for playing Carl Cooper, one of the antagonists of The Umbrella Academy‘s second season. In the Stephen King adaptation It, Bogaert plays Beverly Marsh’s abusive father.

Bill Sage as David Van Patten – David is one of the members of Patrick’s main social circle, played in American Psycho by Bill Sage. Sage is known for his villain role in the dark teen movie Mysterious Skin and for being one of the most loyal collaborators of indie filmmaker Hal Hartley, starring in such films as Simple Men and The Girl from Monday.

Cara Seymour as Christie – Christie is one of the sex workers hired by Patrick Bateman and features in the iconic chainsaw death scene. She’s played by Cara Seymour, known for her role as the mysterious Sister Harriet in the period medical drama The Knick and movies such as Hotel Rwanda and Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation.

Guinevere Turner as Elizabeth – One of Patrick Bateman’s acquaintances and victims, Elizabeth, is played by Guinevere Turner in the American Psycho cast. The actress also appears in Kevin Smith’s Dogma and in the LGBTQ+ romance The Watermelon Woman.