Avenue 5 cast - who's British and who's American?
Who's in the cast of the HBO and Sky sci-fi comedy? And whose accent is real?
As an HBO and Sky co-production, sci-fi comedy Avenue 5 has a transatlantic cast featuring established actors from both sides of the pond – but all sporting American accents.
So here's a guide to who they are, where you've seen them before – and exactly who is a Brit putting on a US accent, and a Yank speaking normally...
Hugh Laurie – British (obviously)
Though he's perfected his American accent from his time on US TV, Hugh Laurie couldn't be more British. Laurie, of course, made his name performing some very British comedy as part of Fry and Laurie, as well as playing up his accent in Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder.
His American accent was so good in his audition for US drama House that director Bryan Singer thought he was a native, and since then Laurie has starred in Veep, Tomorrowland and Catch-22 over the pond. In Avenue 5, Laurie plays incompetent captain Ryan Clark.
Suzy Nakamura – American
Originally from Chicago, Suzy Nakamura guest-starred on several sitcoms before being cast as Dr Allison Park in Ken Jeong comedy Dr Ken. She has since appeared in The Goldbergs and Veep, and also had a recurring role in an early season of The West Wing. Nakamura plays Iris Kimura, associate owner of Avenue 5.
Rebecca Front – British
Actress, writer and comedian Rebecca Front is best known for her BAFTA-winning performance as Nicola Murray in iconic British series The Thick of It and has also appeared in Humans, Poldark and The Aeronauts. She had a taste of an American production previously in Transformers: The Last Knight. Front plays passenger Karen Kelly in the series.
Josh Gad – American
Florida-born Josh Gad looks like he's having a blast playing Herman Judd, the playboy billionaire owner of Avenue 5. Gad is best known for voicing Olaf in a little film franchise known as Frozen, and played LeFou in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. He won a Tony award for his work on Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and has also appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, Pixels and the Angry Birds films.
Zach Woods – American
No stranger to comedy, New Jersey native Zach Woods is best known for playing Gabe Lewis in three seasons of The Office US and Jared Dunn in Silicon Valley. Like Nakamura he also had a recurring role in Veep, and has appeared in films The Other Guys, In The Loop and Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. Woods plays Matt Spencer, probably in the wrong job as Head of Customer Relations on Avenue 5.
Nikki Amuka-Bird – British
Nigerian-born British actress Nikki Amuka-Bird began her career in the Royal Shakespeare Company, before guest-starring in several UK shows such as Holby City, Silent Witness and Doctor Who.
She has appeared in big-budget US films such as Jupiter Ascending, The Omen and The Laundromat, and can currently be seen in ITV's Gold Digger.
Lenora Crichlow – British
London girl Lenora Crichlow is testing her American accent as second engineer Billie McEvoy and is best known for her role as ghost Annie in Being Human. She also appeared in comedy-drama Sugar Rush and sports film Fast Girls, and previously used her US accent in American shows Back in the Game and A to Z.
Ethan Phillips – American
New Yorker Phillips will retain his accent as Spike Williams, a former astronaut who is now a womanising alcoholic. He is best known for playing Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager and Pete Downey on Benson. His big-screen credits include Michael Bay thriller The Island, drama Irrational Man and introspective Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis.
Himesh Patel – British
Cambridgeshire boy Himesh Patel is playing stand-up comedian Jordan Hatwal and is best known as Tamwar Masood on Eastenders. That was until a little film called Yesterday came out in 2019, propelling Patel into roles in The Aeronauts and upcoming Christopher Nolan film Tenet. He can also be seen next year in limited series Station Eleven and The Luminaries.
Avenue 5 is on Sky One at 10pm on Wednesdays
