By Patrick Cremona

Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 12:00 am


Joe and Anthony Russo’s latest film The Gray Man is the most expensive Netflix Original movie to date – and looking at the cast list, it’s easy to understand why.

Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas all have starring roles – while British actors like Regé-Jean Page and Jessica Henwick and international stars such as Dhanush also all feature prominently.

And that’s not even including big names such as Alfre Woodard, Billy Bob Thornton and child star Julia Butters – who previously had a memorable appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Read on for everything you need to know about the cast, including who they’re playing and where you might have seen them before.

Ryan Gosling plays Six

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Stanislav Honzik/Netflix

Who is Six? A CIA black ops mercenary who is forced to go on the run after uncovering incriminating secrets about the agency.

What else has Ryan Gosling been in? One of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, Gosling first rose to fame as a child star on Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club and has since appeared in a wealth of high-profile films. He’s been nominated for two Best Actor Oscars, for Half Nelson and La La Land, while other key credits include The Notebook, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines, Only God Forgives, The Big Short, The Nice Guys, Blade Runner 2049 and First Man.

Chris Evans plays Lloyd Hansen

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Netflix

Who is Lloyd? A psychopathic former colleague of Six who leads the manhunt to capture him.

What else has Chris Evans been in? By far, Evans’s most famous role is as Steve Rogers/Captain America in the MCU – appearing in 10 films in total before bowing out in Avengers: Endgame. Other notable big screen credits have included Not Another Teen Movie, Fantastic Four, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Snowpiercer and Knives Out, while he voiced the titular character in the recent Pixar film Lightyear.

Ana de Armas plays Dani Miranda

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Netflix

Who is Dani? A smart and tough agent, without whose support the Gray Man would have been dead many times over. 

What else has Ana de Armas been in? De Armas has emerged as one of the biggest movie stars in the world in recent years thanks to her appearances in films such as Blade Runner 2049 and Knives Out and a scene-stealing turn in No Time To Die. She starred alongside Ben Affleck in Deep Water earlier in 2022, and will also play Marilyn Monroe in Blonde before the year is out.

Jessica Henwick plays Suzanne Brewer

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Netflix

Who is Suzanne? A CIA agent and The ‘Deputy’ Group Chief who thinks her immediate boss is reckless and arrogant – and believes his job would be hers if it was based on merit and not gender.

What else has Jessica Henwick been in? Henwick rose to prominence in the mid 2010s by starring in a number of the biggest film and TV franchises in the world – as Nymeria Sand in Game of Thrones, as Jessika Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and as Colleen Wing in Marvel’s various Netflix TV shows. More recently she had a key role as Bugs in The Matrix Ressurections, and is part of the impressive ensemble cast for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Regé-Jean Page plays Denny Carmichael

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Netflix

Who is Denny? The ruthlessly ambitious Group Chief, who hires Lloyd for the job – and who attended Harvard alongside both Suzanne and Lloyd.

What else has Regé-Jean Page been in? Page become a massive star overnight thanks to his star-making turn in the first season of Bridgerton, after previousluy appearing on shows such as Waterloo Road, Roots and For the People. Film roles have included Survivor, Mortal Engines, and Sylvie’s Love – while he’s also been installed as one of the bookmaker’s favourites to become the next James Bond.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Donald Fitzroy

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Netflix

Who is Donald? Fitzroy ran the agency and created the Sierra program that handled operatives like Sierra Six, but has since retrired to care for his orphaned niece.

What else has Billy Bob Thornton been in? Thornton has appeared in a huge number of films since making his big screen bow in the mid ’80s, with his most prominent credits including Sling Blade (which he also wrote and directed), Armageddon, A Simple Plan, Monster’s Ball, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights, Eagle Eye, and Faster. On the small screen he had a memorable role as Lorne Malvo in the first season of Fargo and played the lead role in Amazon Studios series Goliath.

Julia Butters plays Claire Fitzroy

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Netflix

Who is Claire? Fitzroy’s 12-year-old niece, who has only two people she can count on: her uncle Donald and the Gray Man, with whom she forms a special bond.

What else has Judith Butters been in? Child star Butters had a breakout turn three years ago in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and has also appeared in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and the TV shows Transparent and American Housewife. She’ll have a key role in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans next year.

Wagner Moura plays Laszlo Sosa

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Netflix

Who is Laszlo? A talented counterfeiter who Sierra Six turns to when he needs new documents.

What else has Wagner Moura been in? Brazilian actor Moura will be best known to UK audiences for his turn as Pablo Escobar in Narcos, while other credits have included Elysium, Wasp Network and the TV show Shining Girls.

Dhanush plays Avik San

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Netflix

Who is Avik San? A killing machine who is hired to terminate Sierra Six.

What else has Dhanush been in? Dhanush is a huge, award-winning star of Tamil cinema and is making his English language debut in The Gray Man. Key credits from his career include Polladhavan, Aadukalam, 3, Mariyan, Anegan, Vada Chennai and Asuran – while he’s also a massively popular singer and lyricist.

Alfre Woodard plays Maurice Cahill

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Netflix

Who is Maurice? A former bureau chief forced into retirement by a new regime – whom Sierra Six soon calls on for help.

What else has Alfre Woodard been in? Four-time Emmy award winner Woodard has appeared in several acclaimed films – including Passion Fish, Crookyln, Primal Fear, Love & Basketball, 12 Years A Slave and Clemency. She’s also appeared in Star Trek: First Contact, Captain America: Civil War and The Lion King, while her notable TV credits include Hill Street Blues, Miss Evers’ Boys, The Practice, Desperate Housewives, Luke Cage and See.

The cast also includes: Callan Mulvey (Avengers: Endgame), Eme Ikwuakor (Inhumans), Robert Kazinsky (Captain Marvel), DeObia Oparei (Loki) and Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire).

The Gray Man is currently schowing in select UK cinemas and is available to stream globally on Netflix from 22nd July 2022.

If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Movies hub for all the latest news.

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