It’s impossible not to be charmed by Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson in Voicemails for Isabelle, a new rom-com now streaming on Netflix.
Deutch co-leads the cast as Jill, a rising chef who copes with her sister Isabelle’s (Ciara Bravo) death by continuing to leave her voicemails. When Isabelle’s phone number is reassigned to Wes (Robinson), an enigmatic real estate agent, he starts to fall in love with Jill via these charming confessionals, the type of TMI stories you’d only share with your best friend. Glimpse Jill and Wes’s charged chemistry in the trailer.
With Voicemails for Isabelle, Deutch (Set It Up, Nouvelle Vague) and Robinson (Love, Simon, Maid) both return to the genre that made them such beloved, mainstay actors. Writer-director Leah McKendrick points to Deutch’s big brown eyes and her singular range to explain what makes her “endlessly lovable.” McKendrick says, “No one can access all the colors quite like Zoey can.” Robinson delivers old-school charm reminiscent of ’90s rom-coms but with a smart contemporary twist — and his unmistakable grin definitely doesn’t hurt. “That smile! We’d all follow him anywhere,” adds McKendrick.
Deutch and Robinson are joined by a stacked cast, including Nick Offerman as Jill’s full-of-hot-air boss, Lukas Gage as a regrettable one-night stand, Harry Shum Jr. as Wes’s deeply loyal best friend, McKendrick in a triple-threat turn, a darkly funny Bravo, and more. Assembling a group this funny comes with its own risks on set. “If this were middle school, Lukas and Zoey would have to be separated,” says McKendrick. “They make each other laugh uncontrollably.”
Fall in love with Jill and Wes yourself, and meet the rest of the Voicemails for Isabelle cast below.
Jill works for a pompous pastry maestro, Chef Bastien (Offerman) at Flâner, a renowned San Francisco bakery. Her dreams of one day opening her own spot buoy her during the long days of laboriously slicing kumquats. Jill’s search for love is about as bleak as her search for a good breakfast burrito in her adopted city, whose Mexican food offerings are a far cry from those in Jill’s hometown of Austin, Texas.
McKendrick knew that only Deutch could capture Jill’s range so sweetly and with such singular charm: “Jill’s journey spans from dark, debilitating grief to tingly, Lover-era T-Swift new romance,” says McKendrick. “We always knew we needed an actor who was disarming and hilarious, yet excruciatingly raw.”
Wes is a Shiner beer–drinking real estate agent with a thriving career in Austin and an avoidant attachment style. His sales tactics may or may not include plying his co-worker with lattes to hack people’s phones for information.
Wes’s dating life, on the other hand, is lagging. That is, until his new work phone starts receiving Jill’s voicemails meant for her sister, Isabelle. “Wes could easily come off as callous or even manipulative in the wrong hands. It was a concern on the page, but that faded as soon as we cast Nick,” says McKendrick. “There’s a genuine sensitivity to him, on and offscreen.”
The Kings of Summer, Everything, Everything
Andy is Wes’s “cousin” and voice of reason — their mothers were best friends, and Wes and Andy have been inseparable since they were young. Andy is engaged to marry Breeda, the longtime love of his life, and spends the duration of his engagement worried about Wes’s best man speech.
Everything Everywhere All At Once, Shadowhunters, Crazy Rich Asians
Breeda offers a much-needed woman’s perspective to Wes’s girl troubles. She’s there at every turn with a shoulder to cry on or a scathing indictment of his proclivity for influencers.
Scrambled, M.F.A.
Isabelle is Jill’s little sister. They grew up devouring episodes of Top Chef, crafting innovative dessert recipes (read: almost burning down the house), and choreographing a special routine to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” As the two girls get older, they only grow closer.
Cherry, Wayne
Jill and Isabelle’s dad spends a lot of his time putting out fires caused by his daughters’ culinary experiments.
Patriot, The Shawshank Redemption
Jill and Isabelle’s mom fields calls from Jill’s school about her suspensions, knowing full well that Jill just wants to stay home to kick it with her sister, Isabelle.
Fire Country, The Irrational
Chef Bastien rose to culinary acclaim thanks to Top Chef. These days he spends his time terrorizing his line cooks at the renowned San Francisco bakery Flâner. His French accent isn’t the only fraudulent thing about him, however.
The Last of Us, Parks and Recreation
Never without an immaculately gelled coiffure, Arthur also works at Flâner. McKendrick and Gage came up with one of the most surprising parts of the character over text one day.
“Arthur comes off like a bit of a frat boy in a bakery, but he’s actually deeply insecure and an undercover weirdo,” says McKendrick. “Before we knew it, there was a very large, very real taxidermy beaver in his bedroom and beaver tattoos on his body.”
The White Lotus, Euphoria
Zella also works at Flâner alongside Arthur and Jill. Like Jill, she’s excluded from Chef Bastien’s bizarre bakery boys’ club, which prompts her to take a risky opportunity later in the film.
Siren, Falling Skies
Tyler hosts a dating podcast with a rabid fandom, but he struggles to abide by the pillars of accountability that he preaches.
The Royals
When Jill goes out with Scott, he’s sporting a nasty case of pink eye that makes him look like “Sloth from The Goonies.” But thankfully, Scott knows that pink eye’s contagiousness is “just a common disconnection — fake news made up by big pharma.” What a keeper!
The Last of Us
