felt that Affleck would be perfect for the role because of his deadpan timing. Alan Alda as Arthur Shaw, a Wall Street billionaire living at the Tower who was placed under house arrest for embezzling $2 billion and trying to flee the city with help from some men. On his character, Alda said "Shaw is sometimes described as a Bernie Madoff like character. I don't think anyone has ever operated on the scale that Madoff did. And I don't know if what Shaw did technically qualifies as a Ponzi scheme. Shaw was willing to steal money from people who really needed it – who couldn't afford to lose it – and was willing to take everything they had ... yes, he's in Bernie territory, with both feet." Ratner initially approached Robert Redford to play the role having been a fan of his work in the heist film The Hot Rock, but Redford turned him down. Matthew Broderick as Mr. Fitzhugh, a bankrupt former Wall Street investor who aids Josh. Broderick joined the cast on October 26, 2010. Judd Hirsch as M. Simon, the Tower's general manager. Téa Leoni as Claire Denham, an FBI special agent assigned to Shaw's case. Leoni joined the cast on October 21, 2010. Leoni worked with FBI technical advisor Anne C. Beagan to prepare for her role. On her character and work with Beagan, Leoni said: "Agent Denham is your standard-issue, ball-breaking FBI agent. She's certainly a very tough lady, and it's not my first waltz with this type of character. However, I was able to spend some time with Anne, a great technical advisor we had on set. She's got this steely gaze that is terrifying, but what's underneath that is a very interesting lady. Beyond the technical aspects of the job, she provided so much more for me to use." Michael Peña as Enrique Dev'reaux, the elevator operator and the newest employee of the Tower's staff. Peña was cast on October 19, 2010. Gabourey Sidibe as Odessa Montero, a Jamaican-born maid at the Tower threatened with deportation by Shaw's theft. To perform her character's Jamaican accent, Sidibe had three dialect coaches help her prepare along with a friend of Jamaican heritage. Additionally, Sidibe worked with an actual safecracker to accurately portray breaking into locks. Sidibe was cast on October 19, 2010. Stephen McKinley Henderson as Lester, the Tower's retiring doorman. Henderson was cast after