The cast of The Royal Hotel (2023) brings Kitty Green’s psychological thriller to life with a tight ensemble that turns a remote Australian pub into a pressure cooker of menace and survival. Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick anchor the film as backpackers Hanna and Liv, while a gallery of male supporting actors—Hugo Weaving, Toby Wallace, Daniel Henshall, and James Frecheville—each embody a different shade of toxic masculinity. This guide breaks down every major performance, the true story behind the film, and what the ending means, drawing on critic reviews and verified production details.

Last checked: 2026-07-06

Title: The Royal Hotel · Release year: 2023 · Director: Kitty Green · Writers: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding · Lead actress: Julia Garner as Hanna · Co-star: Jessica Henwick as Liv

The Royal Hotel at a glance

1 Critical reception

• Metacritic score: 73 out of 100 (generally favorable, 34 critic ratings) (Wikipedia)

2 Rotten Tomatoes critics

• 86% approval rating (from 105 reviews) (Wikipedia)

3 Audience score

• Rotten Tomatoes audience: 64% (250+ user ratings) (Wikipedia)

4 Director’s previous film

• Kitty Green’s first feature The Assistant holds a 92% RT critics score (Wikipedia)

Key facts about The Royal Hotel (2023)

Attribute	Detail
Title	The Royal Hotel
Release year	2023
Director	Kitty Green
Writers	Kitty Green, Oscar Redding
Lead actress	Julia Garner as Hanna
Co‑star	Jessica Henwick as Liv
Supporting actor	Hugo Weaving as Billy
Filming location	Australia (remote outback pub set)
Genre	Psychological thriller / Drama

Main cast of The Royal Hotel

Cast table for The Royal Hotel

Actor	Character	Role description
Julia Garner	Hanna	Cautious North American backpacker; increasingly alarmed by the bar’s misogynistic atmosphere
Jessica Henwick	Liv	Hanna’s best friend, more open to risk and slower to perceive danger
Hugo Weaving	Billy	Volatile, alcoholic pub owner who both employs and threatens the women
Toby Wallace	Matty	Charming yet dangerously infatuated local patron
Daniel Henshall	Dolly	Brutish, overtly frightening regular
James Frecheville	Teeth	Polite but possessive miner obsessed with Liv
Ursula Yovich	Carol	Billy’s partner and pub cook, depicted as more caring and potentially protective
Herbert Nordrum	Torsten	Fellow backpacker; appears early in the film before the main setting

What true story is The Royal Hotel based on?

The film is loosely inspired by the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie, directed by Pete Gleeson, which follows two Finnish backpackers working at a remote Australian pub. Wikipedia confirms that Green and Redding adapted the documentary’s premise into a fictional narrative. Whereas the documentary is a direct observational account, The Royal Hotel amplifies psychological tension and recasts the central figures as North American travelers Hanna and Liv.

The implication: the shift from documentary to fiction allows the filmmakers to sharpen the allegorical dimensions of female labor and survival. Real‑life pubs in outback mining towns have long been sites of gendered power imbalances, and the film uses its cast to dramatize that pressure without being bound to every real‑world detail.

Who is in the cast of The Royal Hotel?

Main cast and characters

Julia Garner plays Hanna, a cautious North American backpacker who takes a bartending job out of desperation. ScreenRant notes that Hanna is “more cautious and alarmed by the bar’s misogynistic behavior” than her friend Liv. Jessica Henwick plays Liv, Hanna’s travel partner, who “initially leans into the job as adventure and is slower to perceive danger,” according to MovieWeb. This contrast between the two leads drives much of the film’s interior conflict.

Hugo Weaving appears as Billy, the pub’s owner. In a review for The New York Times, critic Jeannette Catsoulis calls Billy “a volatile drunk” and notes that his girlfriend Carol (Ursula Yovich) “appears to be caring and potentially protective.” Weaving’s performance lends the role a menacing unpredictability that keeps both characters and audience on edge.

“Of the clientele, Teeth (James Frecheville) is polite but possessive. Matty (Toby Wallace) is a slippery joker. Dolly (Daniel Henshall) is a brute.”

Jessica Kiang, Variety

The supporting male cast forms a spectrum of threat. Toby Wallace’s Matty presents as charming but increasingly inappropriate; Daniel Henshall’s Dolly is frightening from his first appearance; James Frecheville’s Teeth uses politeness as a mask for obsessive interest in Liv. Variety describes this ensemble as representing “different shades of toxic masculinity.” What to watch: the way each man systematically escalates his behavior, pushing Hanna and Liv toward their breaking point.

Why this matters: The cast isn’t just a list of names—each character functions as a specific psychological threat, and the film’s power lies in how these male performers collectively create an atmosphere where no single villain is needed; the whole pub feels dangerous.

Supporting actors

Ursula Yovich plays Carol, Billy’s partner and the pub’s cook. Critics view Carol as an ambiguous figure: maybe protective, maybe complicit. The film leaves her motivations deliberately unclear, adding to the tension. Herbert Nordrum appears early as Torsten, a fellow backpacker who briefly interacts with Hanna and Liv before they head to the outback. Other minor roles include Cassie, Jules, and Kev, though these characters have little screen time and limited background in available sources.

Where did they film The Royal Hotel?

The Royal Hotel was filmed in Australia, on a purpose‑built set designed to replicate a remote outback pub. Wikipedia states that the production team constructed the bar in a location that could convincingly represent a fictional mining town. No specific city or regional name is confirmed in the research notes, but the film’s sense of isolation is central to its effect. The pattern: by keeping the setting generic, Green emphasizes that this kind of environment—and the gendered dynamics within it—exists across many outback communities.

What does the ending of The Royal Hotel mean?

Interpretation of final scene

The ending sees Hanna and Liv fleeing the Royal Hotel after a violent confrontation. Their escape is both literal and symbolic: they reject the bar’s system of male control. Reviews suggest the finale is deliberately ambiguous about their future—do they find safety or merely another version of the same threat? The New York Times notes that the film “refuses to resolve the tension cleanly,” which keeps the focus on the broader pattern of survival.

Connection to female labour theme

In an interview‑based piece on ScreenRant, the film is described as a “chilling immersion into a place and time fraught with constant danger.” The ending, therefore, is not a victory lap but a temporary reprieve. The takeaway: Green uses the cast—especially Garner and Henwick—to illustrate that women in such precarious labor positions often must rely on each other to survive, and that escape does not guarantee safety.

Alternatives for fans of The Royal Hotel

If you enjoyed the cast dynamics and psychological tension of this film, consider these similar titles:

• The Assistant (2019) – Kitty Green’s debut, also starring Julia Garner, explores workplace harassment in a quieter but equally tense setting.
• Hotel Coolgardie (2016) – The documentary that inspired The Royal Hotel, offering a real‑life parallel to the fictional story.
• The Stranger in the Woods (2023) – Another Australian thriller that uses isolation and a small cast to build dread.

Each of these features strong ensemble acting and a focus on gendered power dynamics, making them natural companions for viewers drawn to The Royal Hotel’s cast performances.

Frequently asked questions about The Royal Hotel

Is The Royal Hotel based on a true story?

Yes, the film is loosely inspired by the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie, which follows two Finnish backpackers working in a remote Australian pub. Wikipedia confirms this connection.

Who directed The Royal Hotel?

The film was directed by Kitty Green, who also co‑wrote the screenplay with Oscar Redding. Green previously directed The Assistant (2019).

What is the rating of The Royal Hotel?

The film is rated R by the MPAA for sexual content/nudity and pervasive language. Rotten Tomatoes lists this rating.

What is the runtime of The Royal Hotel?

The film runs approximately 1 hour 31 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes provides this runtime.

How does The Royal Hotel connect to The Assistant?

Both films are directed by Kitty Green and star Julia Garner. They share thematic concerns about workplace power dynamics and gendered harassment, though The Royal Hotel is set in a more extreme environment. Wikipedia notes Green’s consistent interest in these themes.

Sources cited

• Wikipedia – The Royal Hotel (film)
• ScreenRant – The Royal Hotel Cast Guide
• MovieWeb – The Royal Hotel Cast and Characters
• The New York Times – Review of The Royal Hotel (Jeannette Catsoulis)
• Variety – Review of The Royal Hotel (Jessica Kiang)
• Vague Visages – The Royal Hotel Cast on Amazon
• TV Guide – The Royal Hotel Cast
• Rotten Tomatoes – The Royal Hotel