The Emperor’s New Clothes

A brilliant strategist whose escape plan hinges on impersonation. He is intensely ambitious, yet increasingly aware of the personal costs of power as he becomes entangled with Pumpkin. His journey blends political calculation with a longing for belonging and a simple life.

The apparently hapless deckhand who assumes Napoleon's identity to enjoy a life of luxury. He is quick-witted and self-serving, yet his comfort with the deception leads him to emotionally entangle with Pumpkin. His actions set off a chain of consequences that ripple back to Saint Helena.

Widowed, entrepreneurial, and pragmatic, Pumpkin runs a fruit-seller business and offers a surprisingly steady center for Napoleon's upheaval. She forms a tentative bond with Napoleon, valuing loyalty and family over grand political schemes. Her warmth ultimately clashes with the emperor’s ambitions.

A jealous physician with designs on Pumpkin who discovers the Napoleon impersonation. He manipulates information and uses the search for dirt to threaten Napoleon, embodying the film's tension between science, vanity, and vengeance.

Loyal former Imperial Guard who provides a link to the true Napoleon’s past and later challenges the illusion from the shadows. He embodies duty and discipline amid the chaos of the impersonation plot.

The officer whose supposed death creates the opening for the impersonation. He is absent from the present actions, but his memory anchors the deception and the relationships formed around his widow.

The adopted boy who believes in the stories around Napoleon and serves as a quiet witness to the unfolding deception. He functions as a bridge between legend and reality, offering a child’s-eye perspective on the events.