From Daniela Vega in A Fantastic Woman to Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams in Disobedience, filmmaker Sebastian Lelio has a terrific eye for a lead.
It should come as no surprise then that his latest film The Wonder, which is now available on Netflix, features a mesmerising performance from the acting force that is Florence Pugh.
Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel of the same name, The Wonder stars Pugh as English nurse Lib Wright, who’s hired to spend two weeks in an Irish village in 1862 and observe what many believe to be a religious miracle: an 11-year-old girl (Kíla Lord Cassidy) who claims not to have eaten for months but remains healthy.
But who else stars in the movie? Read on for everything you need to know about the cast.
Who’s in the cast of The Wonder on Netflix? Full list
- Florence Pugh as Lib Wright
- Kíla Lord Cassidy as Anna O’Donnell
- Elaine Cassidy as Rosaleen O’Donnell
- Tom Burke as William Byrne
- Niamh Algar as Kitty O’Donnell
- Caolán Byrne as Malachy O’ Donnell
- Toby Jones as Dr McBrearty
- Ciarán Hinds as Father Thaddeus
- Dermot Crowley as Sir Otway
- Brían F O’Byrne as John Flynn
- David Wilmot as Sean Ryan
- Josie Walker as Sister Michael
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast, including where you might have seem them before.
Florence Pugh plays Lib Wright
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Who is Lib Wright? An English nurse who’s invited to rural Ireland in 1862 to observe a “fasting girl”, Anna, who claims not to have eaten for months. While Anna’s parents and many of the town’s all-male committee believe the child’s situation is a religious miracle, Lib is firmly in science’s corner and adamant it’s trickery. However, proving so, it soon turns out, is more difficult than it initially seems…
Speaking to RadioTimes.com about the challenges of portraying Lib, Pugh revealed dialling back her character’s resistance to the religious delusion around her was both “frustrating” and “exciting”.
“For the first time ever in any role that I’ve done, I actually couldn’t be loud about it,” she explained. “I had to be quiet about it, and that was what made it really, really exciting and fascinating to do. Her push back was infuriating but it couldn’t be done in a loud aggressive way that we can do now, and that was exciting for me to do.”
What else has Florence Pugh been in? Pugh’s breakthrough role came in the 2016 film Lady Macbeth. She has since emerged as one of the most well-known acting forces in the world and gone on to star in films including Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, and Little Women. For the latter, she bagged an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. In 2021, she made her MCU debut as Yelena Belova, appearing in both Black Widow and Hawkeye. Most recently she appeared opposite Harry Styles in Don’t Worry Darling.
Kíla Lord Cassidy plays Anna O’Donnell
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Who is Anna O’Donnell? An 11-year-old girl living in post-famine Ireland who claims not to have eaten a morsel of food since her birthday four months ago – and to be surviving off “manna from heaven”.
What else has Kíla Lord Cassidy been in? Kíla, the real-life daughter of The Wonder star Elaine Cassidy, starred in the 2020 thriller The Doorman, alongside Ruby Rose, at the age of nine. She also has an uncredited role in the 2019 movie Mrs Lowry and Son, in which she appeared as a street girl.
Elaine Cassidy plays Rosaleen O’Donnell
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Who is Rosaleen O’Donnell? Anna’s mother. She is wary of Lib as an outsider and insistent that there is no trickery at play.
What else has Elaine Cassidy been in? Cassidy has had leading roles in a number of dramas over the years, including horror-thriller Harper’s Island, police corruption drama The Ghost Squad, BBC One’s The Paradise, Channel 4’s No Offence and Channel 5’s Intruder. Most recently, she portrayed Louisa de Clermont in Sky One’s fantasy hit A Discovery of Witches.
Tom Burke as Will Byrne
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Who is Will Byrne? A rather sceptical journalist who hangs about the local pub to cover the story for the Daily Telegraph. A local who moved to London, Will has his own tragic story after the family he left behind starved to death.
What else has Tom Burke been in? Viewers will recognise Burke from his role as Athos in The Musketeers and roguish Dolokhov in War & Peace. Other notable appearances have been in The Hour, Great Expectations and Utopia. He also starred as the titular private detective in the BBC’s adaptation of JK Rowling’s Cormoran Strike novels.
Niamh Algar as Kitty O’Donnell
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Who is Kitty O’Donnell? The family’s live-in servant.
What else has Niamh Algar been in? Algar’s career has been going from strength to strength in recent years. She is known for her roles in Channel 4 drama Deceit, Pure, The Virtues, Raised by Wolves, MotherFatherSon, and The Bisexual.
Josie Walker as Sister Michael
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Who is Sister Michael? A nearly silent nun brought in to share shifts with Lib so that the child is never alone.
What else has Josie Walker bee in? Walker’s TV credits include Call the Midwife, Waterloo Road, and Holby City. Walker is also an Olivier-nominated musicals star, with credits including Cats, The Beautiful Game, Evita, Matilda the Musical, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Toby Jones as Dr McBrearty
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Who is Dr McBrearty? Anna’s physician who helps set up and manage the watch. He believes that Anna is a medical anomaly/miracle, and has a theory that she could be living off light.
What else has Toby Jones been in? Acclaimed actor Toby Jones has appeared in franchises including the Harry Potter series as Dobby the house elf. He has also appeared in films Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Empire of Light. On TV he has starred in Doctor Who, Detectorists, Wayward Pines and Sherlock.
Ciarán Hinds as Father Thaddeus
Who is Father Thaddeus? The local priest, Father Thaddeus wants to believe that Anna’s situation is a religious miracle.
What else has Ciarán Hinds been in? Hinds has starred in films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Frozen, Belfast, Justice League, The Phantom of the Opera and Munich. His TV credits include Game of Thrones, Shetland and The Terror.
Caolán Byrne as Malachy O’ Donnell
Who is Malachy O’ Donnell? Anna’s father.
What else has Caolán Byrne been in? Viewers will recognise Byrne from a number of TV shows including Bloodlands, Doctor Who, Das Boot, Britannia and Porridge.
The Wonder was released in UK cinemas on 4th November and will come to Netflix on Wednesday 16th November. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.
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