The Recruit cast: Meet the characters in Netflix spy thriller
The action-packed series stars Black Adam breakout star Noah Centineo.
Launched on 16th December, Netflix's spy-adventure series The Recruit has proven to be a big success across the festive period – the series even dethroned the mighty Wednesday to become the streamer's no. 1 show in the US. (To give you a sense of just how popular the Noah Centineo-starring thriller has been, Wednesday was Netflix's most-watched English-language series behind Stranger Things 4.)
The Recruit follows Owen Hendricks (Centineo), a lawyer newly-recruited by the CIA who becomes entangled in international politics and conflicts when an asset tried to expose her relationship to the agency, leaving Owen seriously out of his depth.
Series creator Alexi Hawley recently described Centineo – who also served as executive producer on the series – as a "great partner" to collaborate with in an interview with Netflix's Tudum.
"He really got the show on a DNA level, which is always incredibly rewarding when it’s been living in your head for so long," Hawley said. "He was all in. He was excited about doing the job, so it was a pleasure. He was incredibly valuable during casting, because not every leading actor wants to participate on the level of reading with people and all that. He was just so invested in finding the perfect people that he did all the chemistry reads. Then all the moving pieces of production, from set design to shooting and prep, he was there for them."
Talking about what he enjoyed about the role, Centineo recently Screen Rant: "The Recruit was just phenomenal. I felt like I had the opportunity to work with Laura in such a close, intimate way that has a completely new character dynamic than I had ever acted with and been in before.
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"Plus, there are so many rich, beautiful, funny, [and] intense characters in the show. And being able to lock in for six or seven months and just, every day, be in that world."
While we wait for news on whether a second season is forthcoming after that jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending, read on for an introduction to the cast of The Recruit on Netflix.
The Recruit 2022 cast: Who stars in the Netflix series?
Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks
Who is Owen Hendricks? Owen is a freshly graduated lawyer who lands a job at the CIA straight out of university. At just 24 years old, he suddenly finds himself thrown into a dangerous world of espionage and intrigue, which kicks into overdrive when a threatening letter is found from a former asset gone rogue.
Centineo told TUDUM: "This is a guy who clearly just wings it. Not that Owen doesn’t work hard. Not that he’s not smart... [He’s just like,] ‘It’ll work out and I trust my gut.’ That doesn’t really work well with the CIA at all."
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What else has Noah Centineo been in? Centineo broke out in the cast of teen romcom trilogy To All the Boys I've Loved Before, which led to similar projects like Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and The Perfect Date. He has eyed a shift to more action-oriented roles with 2019's Charlie's Angels and this year's DC Comics blockbuster Black Adam, where he played goofy superhero Atom Smasher.
Vondie Curtis-Hall as Walter Nyland
Who is Walter Nyland? Walter is a senior figure at the CIA.
What else has Vondie Curtis-Hall been in? Curtis-Hall will be known to comic book fans as journalist Ben Urich from Marvel's Daredevil. His other projects include Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and television dramas Rosewood, For the People and Evil.
Laura Haddock as Max Meladze
Who is Max Meladze? Max is a former asset of the CIA who has since turned on the organisation for reasons unknown. She holds the potential to do serious damage if she goes public about her past activities, meaning Owen will need to use some deft negotiating skills in order to prevent an international incident.
What else has Laura Haddock been in? Haddock is best known for her roles in television dramas Da Vinci's Demons, The Capture and White Lines. Meanwhile, she also plays Star-Lord's mother, Meredith Quill, in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and had a key role in 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight. Most recently, she has appeared in Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Kaylah Zander plays Amelia Salazar
Who is Amelia Salazar? Amelia is one of Owen's CIA colleagues, who he becomes close with.
What else has Kaylah Zander been in? Zander has previously appeared in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, iZombie and The 100.
Colton Dunn as Lester Kitchens
Who is Lester Kitchens? Lester is another CIA operative, who works closely with Violet.
What else has Colton Dunn been in? Dunn will be best known to fans of US comedy, thanks to his roles in long-running sitcom Superstore, sketch show Key & Peele and Star Trek: Lower Decks, where he voices Captain Dorg.
Aarti Mann as Violet Ebner
Who is Violet Ebner? Violet is a CIA operative who works with Owen.
What else has Aarti Mann been in? Mann played the recurring role of Priya Koothrappali in US sitcom The Big Bang Theory and went on to guest appearances in Suits, Scandal, Grey's Anatomy and Netflix's Never Have I Ever.
Fivel Stewart as Hannah Copeland
Who is Hannah Copeland? Hannah is Owen's ex-girlfriend, who he managed to stay on relatively good terms with after their relationship ended. They still live together as housemates, along with mutual friend Terence.
What else has Fivel Stewart been in? Stewart is coming off a three-season run on Netflix's comedy-drama Atypical, where she played high school student Izzie Taylor. Earlier this year, she appeared opposite Sandra Oh in horror film Umma.
Kristian Bruun as Janus Ferber
Who is Janus Ferber? Janus is another CIA operative, who struggles with the pressure of the job.
What else has Kristian Bruun been in? Bruun is known for his roles in sci-fi dramas Orphan Black and Snowpiercer.
The Recruit is available to stream on Netflix now – read our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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