‘Wine Country’ Cast: Who’s Who in Amy Poehler’s Directorial Debut?

By Anna Menta

Published May 10, 2019, 10:30 a.m. ET

Collage of the cast of Wine Country — Photos: NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Amy Poehler in Wine Country — **Amy Poehler**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Abby, a control freak who snaps at anyone who deviates from her detailed itinerary. She also directed this movie!

**Where you've seen her before:** Oh, c'mon, you know Amy Poehler. If you haven't seen her as my personal inspiration Leslie Knope in the Emmy-nominated NBC sitcom *Parks and Recreation*, you're depriving yourself of pure joy. But you've surely seen her in comedy blockbusters like *Baby Mama*, *Inside Out*, *Sisters*.

**When she was on *SNL*:** 2001 to 2008, as a cast member and co-anchor of Weekend Update.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Maya Rudolph in Wine Country — **Maya Rudolph**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Naomi, a chill mom with too many kids who's avoiding an ominous call from her doctor.

**Where you've seen her before:** Everything Rudolph touches is a treat, but you may know her best as Kristen Wiig's reasonable-yet-hilarious best friend in *Bridesmaids.* More recently, when she's not stealing every scene as the all-powerful, burrito-loving judge in *The Good Place*, she's starring in the Prime Original *Forever* with Fred Armisen, or lending her voice to Connie the Hormone Monstress in *Big Mouth*.

**When she was on *SNL*:** 2000 to 2007, as a cast member.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Rachel Dratch in Wine Country — **Rachel Dratch**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Rebecca, the birthday girl who's afraid to turn 50.

**Where you've seen her before:** So many things! Dratch has almost definitely guest starred in your favorite comedy, like, just to name a few, *Parks and Recreation*, *30 Rock*, *Broad City* and *King of Queens.* You may also know her as Adam Sandler's assistant who transitions in *Click.*

**When she was on *SNL*:** 1999 to 2006, as a cast member.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Paula Pell in Wine Country — **Paula Pell**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Val, a lonely lesbian who gets romantically involved with a young waitress named Jade.

**Where you've seen her before:** Though she gives a great performance in *Wine Country*, Pell is better known as a writer, on both *SNL* and *30 Rock*. But you may have also seen as Helen the office worker in *A.P Bio*, Erika in *Love* or Tammy Zero in *Parks and Recreation*.

**When she was on *SNL*:**1995 to 2013, as a writer.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Emily Spivey in Wine Country — **Emily Spivey**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Jenny, the timid introvert who would rather stay inside all weekend. She also co-wrote this movie!

**Where you've seen her before:** Like Pell, Spivey is better known for her work as a writer, which might be why she's a co-writer on *Wine Country*. She created the NBC series *Up All Night*, and wrote on *The Last Man on Earth*, *Parks and Recreation*, and *King of the Hill*. But maybe you also recognize for her small role in *Parks and Recreation*, as Dr. Van Dyne, or *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, as Dr. Gertrude Mindel.

**When she was on *SNL*:** 2001 to 2010, as a writer.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Ana Gasteyer in Wine Country — **Ana Gasteyer**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Catherine, a workaholic who just can't seem to unplug and be present with her friends on vacation.

**Where you've seen her before:** It's Miss Cinoman, the drama teacher from the ABC sitcom *The Goldbergs* and its spinoff, *Schooled*! Perhaps you also know her as the voice of Krolia on *Voltron* or as Cady's mom in *Mean Girls*.

**When she was on *SNL*:** 1996 to 2002, as a cast member.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Tina Fey in Wine Country — **Tina Fey**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Tammy, the gruff owner of the rented house the ladies stay, who's not afraid to tell it like it is.

**Where you've seen her before:** We assume you know who Tina Fey is! From Liz Lemon in the Emmy-winning sitcom she created, *30 Rock*, to Sarah Palin on *SNL*, her characters are iconic. As an actress, you might remember her from comedy blockbusters like *Date Night*, *Sisters*, *Baby Mama*, *Mean Girls*, the last of which she also wrote. And that's not to mention her status as a big time TV boss on *30 Rock*, *Great News*, and *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*.

**When she was on *SNL*:** 1997 to 2006, as a writer (promoted to *SNL*'s first female head writer in 1999) and as the co-anchor of Weekend Update from 2000 to 2006.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Cherry Jones in Wine Country — **Cherry Jones**

**Who she plays in *Wine Country*:** Miss Sunshine, a pessimistic psychic who tells the women the opposite of what they want to hear.

**Where you've seen her before:** Wow, where to even begin? For those who are younger and/or don't care about theater, Jones is a five-time Tony-nominated Broadway actor, and one of the most respected names of the stage. Highlights include *The Heiress* and *Doubt*, both of which earned her Best Actress in a Play. She is currently on Broadway opposite Daniel Radcliffe in *The Lifespan of a Fact.* TV-wise, you may know her as Allison Taylor on the Fox drama *24.*

**When she was on *SNL*:** Cherry Jones is far too refined to have ever been an *SNL* cast member, and she never made a guest appearance (though we hope she does, someday).
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Jason Schwartzman in Wine Country — **Jason Schwartzman**

**Who he plays in *Wine Country*:** Devon, the eccentric cook making a heck of a lot of paella.

**Where you've seen him before:** You've for sure seen Schwartzman in something. He's a favorite of director Wes Anderson, and stars as Max Fischer in *Rushmore*, and has roles in *The Darjeeling Limited*, *Fantastic Mr. Fox*, *Moonrise Kingdom*, *The Grand Budapest Hotel*, and *Isle of Dogs*. (He also co-wrote several of those films with Anderson.) Perhaps you also know him as Gideon Graves in *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World*.

**When he was on *SNL*:** Never! Schwartzman is one of the few actors in this film who's not an alum.
Photo: Netflix/Colleen Hayes

Maya Erksine in front of a white background — Photo: Getty Images

Where to Stream:

Wine Country

Amy Poehler

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It’s not a stretch to say that the Wine Country cast is the best part of Wine Country. That is, arguably, the point of this Netflix comedy about six middle-aged women who embark on a lavish vacation in California’s Napa Valley. (Whether the film managed to skate by on its charismatic cast alone is a question for another post, which I have also written.)

Almost everyone involved has some sort of connection to Saturday Night Live. Former SNL writers Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey handled the script (Spivey also stars, while Cackowski has a cameo). Former Weekend Update anchor Amy Poehler directs and stars. Then you’ve got SNL alums Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer and Paula Pell rounding out the cast. It will surprise no one to learn that these very funny ladies all overlapped at SNL and are close friends in real life. In fact, according to an interview with Vanity Fair, Wine Country is based on a real vacation that Poehler took with her buds, for Dratch’s 50th birthday, in which Poehler thought she had lost her phone that contained the trip’s meticulously planned itinerary. (And Pell, like her character in the film, really did buy everyone vibrators as party favors, complete with batteries.)

Most viewers will be familiar with the powerhouse trio that is Maya-Tina-Amy—surely you watched them introduce the Oscars this year—but some of the others may not be so familiar, particularly if you’re one of those people who “stopped watching SNL because it just wasn’t funny anymore!” (Pick any decade you’d like for that well-worn utterance.) And let’s not even get started on the supporting roles of the film, which included Cherry Jones as a psychic, Jason Schwartzman as an eccentric cook and Maya Erskine as a cool millennial.

Who are those actors, you ask? Scroll through the above slideshow to find out!

Stream Wine Country on Netflix