The Dink Cast: Who Plays Who in the Pickleball Movie
Quick Answer: The Dink cast is led by Jake Johnson as washed-up tennis pro Dusty Boyd, with Ben Stiller as Dr. Stone, Ed Harris as his father Chuck, and Mary Steenburgen as Candace, the partner who teaches him pickleball. Andy Roddick and John McEnroe play themselves, and Patton Oswalt plays Skip, the club’s pickleball superfan.
The Dink hit Apple TV today with one of the deepest comedy benches a sports movie has fielded in years. If you’re watching and asking “wait, who is that?”, here’s the full who-plays-who, including the faces you recognize but can’t place.
Who Are the Main Characters in The Dink?
Jake Johnson as Dusty “The Hammer” Boyd. The former tennis prodigy now coaching kids at his father’s fading country club. Johnson, best known as Nick from New Girl, also produced the film, and he trained from scratch in both tennis and pickleball for the role. Our full breakdown of what the actors really learned covers his coaching, including work with Andre Agassi’s old coach Brad Gilbert.
Ed Harris as Chuck Boyd. Dusty’s father and the club’s owner, a tennis purist who treats pickleball as a personal insult. Four Oscar nominations, and now the most decorated actor ever to glare at a whiffle ball. His character famously refuses to play, so Harris needed exactly zero paddle training.
Mary Steenburgen as Candace. The experienced pickleball partner who shows Dusty the game. The Oscar winner has the best backstory in the cast: her son gave her a paddle and suggested she try pickleball about two months before the role came her way, a story she told on the Today show. Then she learned the sport for real to play the one character who’s supposed to know what she’s doing.
Ben Stiller as Dr. Stone. The doctor who prescribes pickleball as rehab for Dusty’s wrecked wrist, setting the whole story in motion. Stiller also produced the movie through his company Red Hour, so the man who gave us Dodgeball is a godfather of the first big pickleball comedy, which feels correct.
Patton Oswalt as Skip. The club’s loudest pickleball evangelist and, in his own way, the engine of the club’s civil war. If you’ve ever met the guy at open play who won’t stop recruiting people to the sport, you’ve met Skip.
Do Andy Roddick and John McEnroe Play Themselves?
Yes, both tennis legends appear as themselves. Roddick gets the bigger role: he plays Dusty’s childhood nemesis, the rival from junior tennis who went on to the career Dusty never had. The US Open champion even gets his own on-screen assistant, played by Eli Jane. McEnroe’s appearance was kept quiet before release, and we won’t spoil where he turns up. Our full guide to what the tennis legends do in the movie goes deeper on both.
Who Else Is in The Dink Cast?
The supporting bench is stacked with comedy veterans:
- Chloe Fineman as Marisa. The SNL star brings her impressionist energy to the club.
- Aaron Chen as PJ. The Australian comedian is one of the film’s discoveries for American audiences. We can neither confirm nor deny that we love the character’s initials.
- Chris Parnell, the SNL and 30 Rock veteran, in a supporting role.
- Christine Taylor, sports-comedy royalty from Dodgeball, reuniting with Stiller.
- Martin Kove, forever Kreese from The Karate Kid, adding villain-coach credentials to any sports story he enters.
- Lynne Marie Stewart, Don Lake, Wayne Wilderson, Lennon Parham, and Fortune Feimster round out the club’s membership.
Young Dusty is played by three actors across the flashbacks: Robert Rebetsky at 6, Boone Nelson at 10, and Nathan Blair at 16.
Who Is the Most Surprising Cast Member?
For pickleball players, it’s Steenburgen, because her character has to look like the real deal, and at 73 she learned the sport to do it. For comedy fans, it’s the density: Oswalt, Parnell, Fineman, Taylor, and Kove is a lineup you’d expect in an ensemble farce, all orbiting a pickleball court. The movie treats the sport’s world as big enough to deserve a full cast, which says something about where pickleball is in 2026.
FAQ
Who plays the main character in The Dink? Jake Johnson plays Dusty Boyd, the washed-up tennis pro. Johnson also produced the film and trained in both tennis and pickleball for the role.
Who plays the dad in The Dink? Ed Harris plays Chuck Boyd, Dusty’s tennis-purist father who blames pickleball for his club’s decline.
Who is the woman who teaches pickleball in The Dink? Mary Steenburgen plays Candace. She learned pickleball in real life for the role, shortly after her son had coincidentally gifted her a paddle.
Is Andy Roddick really in The Dink? Yes. He plays a fictionalized version of himself as Dusty’s childhood tennis rival, and John McEnroe appears as himself too.
Who plays PJ in The Dink? Australian comedian Aaron Chen plays PJ, one of the club’s memorable characters.
Who plays Skip in The Dink? Patton Oswalt plays Skip, the club’s relentless pickleball enthusiast.
Is Christine Taylor in The Dink? Yes, the Dodgeball star appears in a supporting role, reuniting her with producer and co-star Ben Stiller.
The cast learned the sport; you can too, minus the film crew. Our beginner guides cover the rules and skill levels, and the directory can find you a court where your own supporting cast plays every week.
Written by the Pickler Junction Team.
