Nine Perfect Strangers: Cast & Character Guide
Mia Smith Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers features an ensemble of rising stars and Hollywood A-listers. Here's a guide to the cast and characters.
Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers cast features many Hollywood heavy-hitters playing an eclectic group of characters. The series based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty was created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Undoing) and John Henry Butterworth. The eight-episode series follows nine guests at a wellness center who turn to an enigmatic spiritual guru in hopes of alleviating their emotional turmoil.
Nine Perfect Strangers is set at Tranquillum House, a California resort with a purpose: to heal the internal suffering of its guests through unconventional methods. Nine guests (not all strangers) aren't just carrying around pain but also secrets, but nobody is more of a mystery than the woman who is the reason they've all come together for the remote retreat. Of course, the smoothies, meditation, and breathtaking scenery are just distractions, and a larger mystery begins to unfold.
Nine Perfect Strangers is one of the summer's most highly-anticipated shows, thanks in large part to its ensemble cast, comprised of Hollywood A-listers and gifted character actors. Here's a look at the cast of Nine Perfect Strangers and where the audience has seen them before.
Nicole Kidman As Masha Dmitrichenko
Nicole Kidman plays the founder of Tranquillum House Masha, who is acting as a spiritual guide to each of her hand-picked guests. It's unclear what qualifies Masha to tinker with people's heads or why the guests have entrusted a woman who runs a new-age spa with their mental and emotional well-being, but it doesn't take long for them to begin to suspect the ethereal Russian beauty may not be what she seems.
Nine Perfect Strangers is Kidman's third time collaborating with Kelley and the Academy Award-winning actress who also served as an executive producer on the series. Kidman's first outing with Kelley was HBO's Big Little Lies (2019), in which Kidman played abused wife Celeste Wright, and the Australian actress won an Emmy for the role. In 2020 she reteamed with the writer for HBO Max's The Undoing about a woman whose life is turned upside down after a mother at her son's elite private school is brutally murdered.
Melissa McCarthy As Frances Welty
Melissa McCarthy plays Frances Welty, a romance novelist whose personal and professional life is in upheaval. Heading to the resort to clear her head after a bad breakup, Frances gets a call informing her that her publisher is considering dropping her, sending her into an emotional tailspin. McCarthy told Newsweek Frances is a woman who believes she's at a point in her life where she should be "peaking at every level," and her failure to do so is taking its toll.
Melissa McCarthy served as an executive producer on the series alongside Kidman. McCarthy is best known for her big-screen comedic roles in the films Bridesmaids and The Heat. She's also appeared in two successful, long-running television series, Mike & Molly and Gilmore Girls. Prior to Nine Perfect Strangers, her most recent role was Lydia Berman in Netflix's Thunder Force, a comedic take on the superhero genre.
Bobby Cannavale As Tony Hogburn
Bobby Cannavale plays retired football player and recovering drug addict Tony Hogburn. Although Tony voluntarily seeks Masha's help, he is suspicious of her methods and reluctant to participate. He also forges a strong connection with Frances over the course of the 10-day stay. Cannavale told Slash Film Tony is a man "at the bottom of the rope," and he's "just looking for any reason to end it all." The Emmy-winning actor has appeared on Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, and Vinyl. His film credits include Ant-Man and the Wasp and The Irishman.
Michael Shannon As Napoleon Marconi
Michael Shannon plays high school teacher Napoleon Marconi. Napoleon and his wife and daughter are less financially well-off than the other guests, but Masha gives the family a discount. Although he's suffered a great loss, Napoleon tries to keep his grief in check to hold his family together. Shannon has appeared in The Shape of Water and Knives Out. His previous television work includes Boardwalk Empire, the miniseries Waco, and At Home with Amy Sedaris.
Asher Keddie As Heather Marconi
Asher Keddie plays Napoleon's wife Heather, a bereaved mother mourning the loss of her son. Keddie spoke to Marie Claire about where the Marconi's are emotionally when they arrive at Tranquillum. "They feel alone in their grief. There are there is a lot of pain, a lot of sadness, they're stuck, and they're really very much alone," Keddie stated. The Australian actress earned rave reviews for her performance as Clare Kowitz in Stateless, currently streaming on Netflix. American audiences will most likely recognize Keddie as Dr. Carol Frost in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Samara Weaving As Jessica Chandler
Samara Weaving plays Jessica Chandler, a social media influencer who attends the health and wellness retreat with her husband. Everything about Jessica appears very surface-level, reinforced by her obsession with the trappings of fame and fortune (she and her husband are lottery winners), and it's caused a disconnect between herself and her spouse. Weaving has appeared in Snake Eyes, Ready or Not, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Her television credits include Ryan Murphy's Hollywood.
Melvin Gregg As Ben Chandler
Former Vine sensation Melvin Gregg plays Jessica's husband, Ben. Jessica and Ben turn to Masha to help them work through the problems in their marriage. Gregg told Digital Spy that Ben is a departure from the types of characters he usually plays. "A lot of my characters have a lot of bravado, and Ben, he doesn't. He has insecurities. He's carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders, and that translates into his demeanor," Gregg said. Gregg has appeared on Snowfall, Netflix's American Vandal, and Lifetime's dark take on The Bachelor, UnREAL.
Regina Hall As Carmel Schneider
Regina Hall plays Carmel Schneider, whose husband leaves her for a younger woman, and she's lost her feelings of self-worth. As someone who dedicated her life to her family, Carmel finds herself at a loss about her sense of purpose. In an interview with Screen Rant, Hall discussed Carmel's reason for coming to Tranquillum. "She's come for many reasons, but she's come to boost her self-esteem and maybe meet new people. She doesn't have children. I think her children are with their new stepmom, so she's [trying] to cultivate a new beginning for herself," Hall said. Hall's previous work includes recurring roles on Insecure and Black-ish, and roles in The Hate U Give and Girls Trip.
Luke Evans As Lars Lee
Luke Evans' character Lars Lee comes to Tranquillum with a very different agenda than the other guests. He's an undercover reporter writing an article about the resort and its enigmatic founder. Lars is skeptical of Masha and her methods upon arrival, but he shares more in common with his fellow guests than he realizes despite his prickly exterior. The Welsh actor's credits include Dracula Untold, The Alienist, Beauty and The Beast, and The Fate of the Furious.
Grace Van Patten As Zoe Marconi
Grace Van Patten plays Zoe, the 20-year-old daughter of Heather and Napoleon. On the cusp of turning 21, Grace is mourning the loss of her twin brother. Van Patten's small screen acting credits include The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and Maniac.
Manny Jacinto As Yao
Manny Jacinto plays Yao, Masha's right-hand man, whose job is to help keep the guests calm as they deal with their inner turmoil. Even though he's close to Masha, like everything and everyone else at Tranquillum, there's more to their relationship than meets the eye. Jacinto is best known for playing Jason Mendoza on the hit comedy The Good Place, but before landing the role that brought him widespread fame, he appeared on iZombie, Once Upon a Time, and Supernatural.
Tiffany Boone As Delilah
Tiffany Boone plays Masha's other trusted employee, Delilah. Like Yao, it's Delilah's job to keep the guests calm with the added responsibilities of taking care of their day-to-day needs as well as having a small hand in their spiritual journey. Delilah is involved romantically with Yao. Despite the pandemic, 2020 was a breakout year for Boone, who appeared in George Clooney's Netflix film The Midnight Sky, and the small screen adaptation of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu.
In addition to the main cast, other actors appear in supporting roles.
Hal Cumpston as Zach Marconi - Cumpston plays Heather and Napoleon's deceased son Zach. The actor appears as Silas Plaskett in The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
Zoe Terakes as Glory - plays a follower of Masha's and an employee at Tranquillum. Terakes' other acting credits include Wentworth and The Moth Effect.
