The Secret Life of Pets wasn’t the greatest animated movie in the world, but it did have a solid cast of A-list talent. As with most movies of its kind, a chunk of the audience was certainly sitting in their seats, holding their fingers to their mouths and pondering, “where do I know that guy from? I KNOW that voice, who is it!?” Luckily, we’re here to help.
As we said, the cast is quite stellar and many have enjoyed long and prosperous acting careers. These are other big movies that the cast members of The Secret Life of Pets are in.
Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan played Ozone, the Sphynx cat with a Cockney accent. Coogan is a renowned actor and has appeared in dozens of movies throughout the years, although he has preferred to remain a supporting actor than become an A-list leading man. He has played Octavius in the Night at the Museum films alongside Ben Stiller, who gave him an extended cameo as the director in his Tropic Thunder. He was recently Gustav Klinger in the critically eviscerated Holmes & Watson and Stan Laurel in Stan & Ollie.
Bobby Moynihan
Moynihan wonderfully played the hyperactive pug, Mel. Most people know Bobby from Saturday Night Live where he remained a regular cast member from 2008 to 2017. That said, he has appeared in numerous films throughout the years. He provided the voice of Chet Alexander in Monsters University, portrayed Alex in the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler-led Sisters, and starred as Donnie in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led B-movie Killing Gunther. Nothing major, but, hey, he’s a comedian, not an actor!
Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Buress is another television actor, known primarily for his work on Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show. However, he still has over a dozen film credits to his name, including the voice of Buddy in The Secret Life of Pets. He was Officer Watkins in Neighbors, Griff in Daddy’s Home, Bill in The Disaster Artist, and Coach Wilson in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 2018 saw Hannibal starring in three different movies - Blockers, Tag, and Slice. Hopefully, we see more of Hannibal in the future now that The Eric Andre Show is over!
Dana Carvey
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Dana Carvey on the big screen! We heard his voice in The Secret Life of Pets, where he played the old Basset hound named Pops. But, aside from that, Dana has been taking it relatively easy. You undoubtedly know him as Garth from the two Wayne’s World movies, as it is his signature role. The 2000s and 2010s saw a slower creative output from Carvey, as he only popped up in the movies The Master of Disguise, Hotel Transylvania 2, and Sandy Wexler.
Lake Bell
Lake Bell has enjoyed success on television, starring in shows like Boston Legal and Children’s Hospital. While her film credits are substantial, she hasn’t quite attained A-list status. At least, not yet.
She provided the voice of the obese cat named Chloe, which is one of her more substantial film roles. She appeared as Lucy in No Strings Attached and Kate Harlon in the 2017 thriller Shot Caller. 2018 proved to be a good year for Lake, as she voiced Vanessa Fisk in the critically acclaimed animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper shot onto the scene in the early 2010s by starring as Kelly Erin in The Office. Since then, she landed the main role in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Her film roles, on the other hand, are a little scarce. Kemper voiced Max and Duke’s owner Katie. Aside from that, she had small roles as Becca in Bridesmaids and Ms. Griggs in 21 Jump Street.
Kemper has mostly stuck to voice work, providing the voice not only for Katie, but for Phyllis in The Lego Batman Movie and Smurf Blossom in Smurfs: The Lost Village.
Kevin Hart
Everyone knows who Kevin Hart is! He lent his signature voice and vocal inflections to the rabbit Snowball. Hart has enjoyed enormous mainstream success in recent years. While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when he transitioned from stand-up comic to movie star, most people would place it somewhere around 2014 when he starred in Ride Along.
Since then, he has starred in Get Hard, Central Intelligence, The Wedding Ringer, and, of course, the two Jumanji movies. When it comes to recognizing voices, Kevin Hart isn’t particularly hard to nail down. You know him when you hear him!
Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate is another big-time TV actress, starring in the likes of Big Mouth, Saturday Night Live, and Bob’s Burgers. As such, she’s not really known for her movie work.
Yet, that’s not to say it’s non-existent! Slate provided the voice of Gidget the Pomeranian, but it wouldn’t be her last vocal performance. She also done work as Mitzi in The Ark and the Aardvark, Valerie Da Vinci in Despicable Me 3, Dawn Bellweather in Zootopia, and Harley Quinn in The Lego Batman Movie! She also recently portrayed Dr. Dora Skirth in the live-action Venom.
Eric Stonestreet
Hey, wouldn’t you know it, it’s another TV star! Stonestreet is widely known as Cam from Modern Family, as it is easily his most popular work and the role that made him a star. His film work is admittedly… a little weak. The Secret Life of Pets and its sequel are the latest film efforts from the Modern Family funnyman. Before that, he was Kirk in Bad Teacher, Big Chuck in Identity Thief, and Marty Landry in The Loft. Like we said, nothing particularly exciting!
Louis C.K.
Louis C.K. is primarily known for his stand-up work, although his FX comedy/dramas Louie and Horace and Pete have earned incredible amounts of critical acclaim. Louie C.K.’s traditional acting work took off somewhere around 2008 when he appeared as a security guard in Role Models.
Since then, he has appeared in The Invention of Lying, Blue Jasmine, Trumbo, and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. Perhaps his most substantial film work is American Hustle, where he appeared as Stoddard Thorsen alongside the likes of Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jennifer Lawrence.
