Cast
Tom Hiddleston as James Conrad:An ex-British Special Air Service Captain who served in the Vietnam War with the Australian Special Air Service Regiment that Randa hires as a hunter-tracker for the expedition. Hiddleston described his character as a man who holds "no political allegiance in the conflict" but "understands conflict." He further states, "He's a former soldier who has been formed by an understanding of war, but his specific skill set is something that's attached to the power of nature; and I think that's something people haven't seen in a long time."
Samuel L. Jackson as Preston Packard:The United States Army Lieutenant Colonel and Sky Devils helicopter squadron leader assigned to be the expedition's military escort. Jackson compares his character to Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick, stating, "He does have to exact some measure of revenge for the people he's lost. That's just the nature of how we operate—eye for an eye!"
John Goodman as William "Bill" Randa:A senior official in the government organization Monarch, who is in charge of the expedition.
Brie Larson as Mason Weaver:An anti-war photographer and investigative photojournalist. Larson stated her character has her "own sort of motive" for joining the expedition: "That's the interesting thing about this movie. It's a group of misfits that are all coming from different angles looking at the same thing. You get to see how many different views in regards to nature and how we should handle it are dealt with from many different perspectives". Larson further added that Weaver has an "interest and respect for nature" and "Through that she has a closer, more loving, and intimate relationship with Kong."
Jing Tian as San Lin:A biologist working for Monarch. According to Vogt-Roberts and Borenstein, her role was initially larger, but rewrites reduced it. Alison de Souza of the Straits Times wrote that in the final film, Jing Tian's role would be described in Chinese as a "hua ping" (花瓶), meaning a vase, which refers to insignificant parts, and that she "hardly does or says a thing."
Toby Kebbell as Jack Chapman:A United States Army major and Sea Stallion helicopter pilot who is Packard's right-hand man.
John Ortiz as Victor Nieves:A senior Landsat official on the expedition.
Corey Hawkins as Houston Brooks:A geologist and Yale University graduate, recruited by Monarch for his groundbreaking theories on seismology. An older version portrayed by Joe Morton appears in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Jason Mitchell as Glenn Mills:A warrant officer, helicopter pilot of the Sky Devils, and close friend of Cole.
Shea Whigham as Earl Cole:A seasoned Captain of the Sky Devils who wields an AK-47 instead of an M16 and a close friend of Mills.
Thomas Mann as Reg Slivko:A Sky Devils warrant officer, known for carrying a portable record player.
Terry Notary and Toby Kebbell as Kong (mo-cap performance):A 104 feet (31.7 m)-tall ape who is the last of his kind and is worshiped as the king and god on Skull Island by the Iwi natives. Notary stated that this Kong is an adolescent, and he tried to play Kong like a "14-year-old that's trapped in the life of an adult", saying it took three days to film the motion capture scenes. Besides playing Chapman, Toby Kebbell also provided some facial references for Kong, stating, "I gave some facial reference – certain subtleties, certain looks. Terry and I worked on stuff together and created what Kong needed. I was just there as backup for pieces that Terry really wanted to get details on. It's a real honor to be asked by someone who's a great performer, to come and help support their performance."
John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow:A U.S. Army Air Forces lieutenant of the 45th Pursuit Squadron stranded on Skull Island for nearly 29 years since World War II. He knows the island's creatures and is a friend of the Iwi natives. Will Brittain portrays a young Hank Marlow and also plays Marlow's son.
Additionally, Eugene Cordero appears as Reles, a Sky Devils warrant officer and Packard's door gunner; Marc Evan Jackson portrays Steve Woodward, a Landsat employee on the expedition; Richard Jenkins portrays Senator Al Willis, a politician who reluctantly funds the expedition; Miyavi portrays Gunpei Ikari, a Japanese World War II pilot who crash-lands on Skull Island alongside Marlow; and Robert Taylor plays the captain of the Athena. Thomas Middleditch, who would later play a key role in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, voices Jerry. Moisés Arias, Nick Robinson, and Erin Moriarty appear as bar guests, while Dat Phan portrays a bar thug.
