Calendar Girls - Cast

Cast

• Helen Mirren as Chris Harper, the driving force behind the idea of stripping off for the local Women's Institute calendar. Modeled after real-life "calendar girl" Tricia Stewart, Mirren has described Chris as a "dash in"—character who shared similarities with Stewart but was actually not based on her real persona. The actress was initially resistant to joining the project, at first dismissing it as another middling British picture with a "middle-of-the-road, middle-class, middle-aged"—-themed background. Upon learning that Walters and other colleagues had signed on, however, Mirren rethought her original decision and accepted the offer.
• Julie Walters as Annie Clarke, Chris's best friend. Her husband John's leukemia death serves as the basis for her friend's idea to purchase a sofa for hospital visitors in remembrance of him. Based on Angela Baker whose husband died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1998, Walters was Cole's first choice to play the "more quiet and sensitive" role of Annie. Known for her comedic roles, Walters initially thought Cole had accidentally offered her the wrong part, and although pleased to have been cast against stereotype, she considered the role "a difficult path to trap" while striking a balance between Annie's grief and humorous moments. As a result, she was heavily involved in the modification of several scenes.
• Linda Bassett as Cora, a shop owner and divorced single mother. She is the official organist of the Knapely WI.
• Annette Crosbie as Jessie, a retired teacher.
• Celia Imrie as Celia, a major's wife.
• Penelope Wilton as Ruth Reynoldson, a carpet dealer's housewife. Wilton initially rejected the offer to join the project as she refused to be filmed semi-naked.
• Geraldine James as Marie, chairwoman of the Knapely WI group.
• Philip Glenister as Lawrence Sertain, John Clarke's nurse and photographer of the calendar, based on photographer Terry Logan.
• Ciarán Hinds as Rod Harper, Chris' husband, a florist.
• John Alderton as John Clarke, Annie's husband, who dies from leukaemia.
• George Costigan as Eddie Reynoldson, Ruth's husband.
• John-Paul Macleod as Jem Harper, Chris and Rod's only son.

The film's fellow calendar girls include Georgie Glen, Angela Curran, Rosalind March, Lesley Staples, and Janet Howd as Kathy, May, Truday, Julia, and Jenny respectively. Calendar Girls also cast Graham Crowden as Jesse's husband Richard, Belinda Everett as Cora's daughter Maya, Marc Pickering as Jem Haper's friend Gaz, and Harriet Thorpe as WI president Brenda Mooney. Gillian Wright appears as Eddie Reynoldson's lover, while John Sharian plays an American commercial director named Danny. In addition actors and actresses Richard Braine, Ted Robbins, Arthur Kelly, Alison Pargeter, Angus Barnett, John Sparkes, Elizabeth Bennett, Christa Ackroyd, Matt Malloy, Patton Oswalt, and John Fortune appear in short roles.

American television host Jay Leno appears as himself in the film during the ladies' visit to California; they also encounter the American heavy metal band Anthrax while relaxing by the pool. Anne Reid was offered a major role in Calendar Girls, but choose to do Roger Michell's The Mother (2003) instead.