Meet the cast of Kaos on Netflix and their Greek god counterparts
Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus and Janet McTeer plays Hera in the Netflix fantasy series.
Netflix's Kaos landed on the streamer at the end of August, electrifying audiences with its fresh portrayal of the Greek pantheon.
Despite the streamer's less than stellar track record awarding second seasons to its fantasy properties, viewers will be hoping the positive reviews and a spot in Netflix's Top 10 help get Kaos season 2 over the line, particularly after its dramatic ending.
Its original premise – the series comes from the mind of The End Of The F***ing World creator Charlie Covell – certainly takes a lot of credit when it comes to its success, as does its soundtrack – but it's the cast who truly steal the show.
Jeff Goldblum's turn as Zeus is so compelling, it's hard to imagine the role was meant to go to Hugh Grant originally.
He is joined by the likes of Secret Invasion star Killian Scott, Juice's Nabhaan Rizwan, Ozark's Janet McTeer, Doctor Who's Billie Piper and Suzy Eddie Izzard.
More like this
Want to know who they play and who else is joining them? Read on to find out.
Who's in the cast of Kaos on Netflix?
Below is the main line-up for Kaos, which you can catch on Netflix. Scroll down for cast and characters breakdown.
- Jeff Goldblum as Zeus
- Janet McTeer as Hera
- David Thewlis as Hades
- Rakie Ayola as Persephone
- Cliff Curtis as Poseidon
- Stephen Dillane as Prometheus
- Aurora Perrineau as Riddy
- Killian Scott as Orpheus
- Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus
- Misia Butler as Caneus
- Stanley Townsend as Minos
- Leila Farzad as Ari
- Billie Piper as Cassandra
- Debi Mazar as Medusa
- Suzy Eddie Izzard as Lachy
- Ramon Tikaram as Charon
- Michelle Greenidge as The Tacita
- Susan Wooldridge as Pious Agatha
Read on for everything you need to know about the actors and who they play.
Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus
Who is Zeus? Zeus is the king of the gods, who starts to worry that his downfall is coming when he finds a new wrinkle on his forehead. In Greek myth, Zeus is the god of sky and thunder and rules Mount Olympus.
Goldblum recently told Radio Times magazine of his version of Zeus: "He is horrible. Zeus’s cruelty arises from a bad relationship with his family. His dad tried to kill him and his brothers and sisters too. He's been feeling wounded for thousands of years, and he’s still dealing with that."
What else has Jeff Goldblum been in? Goldblum is best known for his roles in Independence Day, The Fly and the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World film franchises.
He has also appeared in the MCU, playing the Grandmaster, as well as in films such as Annie Hall, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He has also had roles in series including Friends, Will & Grace, Glee and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and hosted his own show called The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Nabhaan Rizwan plays Dionysus
Who is Dionysus? Dionysus is Zeus's favourite son, whose mother was mortal but who was made into a full god by Zeus, becoming the keeper of pleasure, madness, and wild frenzy.
He exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "I wanted to bring something fresh, like new and like crazy. And I was really expecting everyone to be like, "Why is he walking like that? What is he doing?' But no one kind of said that, and everyone kind of encouraged it. It was awesome. And then you work with Jeff and Janet, and they're bouncing off you. It was amazing."
What else has Nabhaan Rizwan been in? Rizwan has appeared in 1917, Mogul Mowgli, Industry, Station Eleven and Juice.
David Thewlis plays Hades
Who is Hades? Hades is the god of death and Zeus's middle brother, who is the only one who takes Zeus's worries seriously. In Greek mythology, Hades was the first-born son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.
What else has David Thewlis been in? Thewlis is known for his role as Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter film series, as well as for appearing in The Big Lebowski, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, War Horse, The Theory of Everything, Legend, Wonder Woman and Enola Holmes 2.
His TV roles have included appearances in Fargo, Landscapers, The Sandman, Big Mouth, Human Resources and The Artful Dodger.
Killian Scott plays Orpheus
Who is Orpheus? Orpheus is a world-famous musician and Riddy's husband.
During one scene, Orpheus performs during a huge gig, with Scott actually performing an original song. He told RadioTimes.com: "With the gig scene, we mapped out the vague movements for the camera department... when you're on the stage, you've got this amount of room to play with, and that was very liberating.
"I was like, 'I want to hear action and then we'll just see what happens.' I've seen a million gigs in my life so I think I was probably subconsciously working off stuff I've seen but I like it to be natural and whatever my version of the thing is."
What else has Killian Scott been in? Scott has been in films such as Calvary and '71, as well as series including Call the Midwife, Love/Hate, Ripper Street, Strike, Dublin Murders and Secret Invasion.
Cliff Curtis plays Poseidon
Who is Poseidon? Poseidon is god of the sea and Zeus's younger brother, who enjoys partying and spending time on his yacht. In the show, Poseidon has an affair with Hera.
What else has Cliff Curtis been in? Curtis is known for his roles in films such as Sunshine, Die Hard 4.0, The Meg, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Doctor Sleep and Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as for appearing in series including Fear the Walking Dead and Invincible.
Stephen Dillane plays Prometheus
Who is Prometheus? Prometheus is Zeus's oldest friend, who Zeus keeps chained to a cliff, with his liver being pecked out every day by an eagle. This is as punishment for stealing fire from the gods and sharing it with humanity. During the show, Prometheus's love story is also explored.
What else has Stephen Dillane been in? Known for playing Stannis in Game of Thrones, Dillane has also starred in films including The Hours and Zero Dark Thirty, and series such as The Crown, The Tunnel, Vigil and Alex Rider.
Aurora Perrineau plays Riddy
Who is Riddy? Riddy is a version of Eurydice from Greek mythology, who is the wife of Orpheus, a world-famous musician, but who has no idea of her cosmic significance.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Perrineau said: "What I really liked about this season is that Riddy is kind of finding her agency and discovering how to speak up and be in her body. And so I would like to see more of that as she goes on [in potential future seasons], and hopefully that helps the greater good."
What else has Aurora Perrineau been in? Perrineau has previously appeared in Pretty Little Liars, Passengers, Truth or Dare, When They See Us, Prodigal Son and Westworld.
Janet McTeer plays Hera
Who is Hera? Hera is queen of the gods, who married to Zeus, who is also her brother. In Greek myth, she is the goddess of marriage and childbirth, and the protector of women - something that is brought to the show through her Tacitas.
Hera is still calculating and cruel though, treating humans as though they're nothing. McTeer recently told Radio Times magazine of how she approached Hera's cruelty: "It was difficult for us at the beginning to get our heads around that, it really was.
"But by the end, all I could think of was, ‘These human people, they’re just ants.’ I would squash an ant in my house and not feel bad about it. My function in the piece, and all the gods actually, is to not give a s**t about the little people."
What else has Janet McTeer been in? McTeer is known for her roles in films such as Wuthering Heights, Velvet Goldmine, Maleficent, Insurgent, Me Before You and The Menu, as well as in series including Sense & Sensibility, The White Queen, Jessica Jones, Sorry For Your Loss and Ozark.
Rakie Ayola plays Persephone
Who is Persephone? Persephone is the queen of the Underworld and Hades's wife. The series diverges from Greek mythology with her character. In the stories, it's common for it to be said that Hades abducted Persephone, whereas in the show they're in love and work well as a team.
Ayola recently exclusively told RadioTimes.com that the script was not what she was expecting.
"I was thinking I'd be in a corner, crying, breaking my heart. I loved it from the moment I started reading that first episode, I genuinely loved it and believe me, it doesn't happen often.... I was like, I really want to play this woman."
What else has Rakie Ayola been in? Ayola is best known for playing Kyla in Holby City, while she has also had roles in Doctor Who, Black Mirror, No Offence, Shetland, Noughts + Crosses, Alex Rider, The Pact and Grace.
Misia Butler plays Canaeus
Who is Canaeus? Canaeus is a man in the Underworld who has been dead for 10 years, but who is unexpectedly promoted. In the original Greek myth, the character is turned from a woman into a man and this is brought to the show by making the character trans.
Butler recently opened up to RadioTimes.com about what this moving storyline meant to him, saying: "It was just incredible. I think I've said this so often throughout filming, throughout this whole run. I mean, as soon as I learnt about this character, I was obsessed. And I learnt about the character in school, so I'm, like, even more obsessed.
"And to just experience such incredible writing that really allows for a character, a trans character, trans-masculine character, to have such character outside of their identity, is really special. I think that it doesn't happen so often, and I feel very blessed for that."
Butler continued: "I think it was my first day of filming, we were doing this scene, my audition scene, where me and another character on a bench were just chatting for a really long time, and I was so moved. And then afterwards I saw Charlie was really moved too. And we both were just crying and hugging.
"And I was like, I just know that if I was watching this scene as the child that I was, I would feel immeasurably seen, and just have had a much stronger experience, because I would have been represented in such a strong way."
What else has Misia Butler been in? Butler has previously appeared in Doctors, Kiss Me First, The School for Good and Evil and The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself.
Stanley Townsend plays Minos
Who is Minos? Minos is the ruthless president of Krete and Ari's father.
What else has Stanley Townsend been in? Townsend has appeared in series including Hustle, Waking the Dead, Sherlock, Call the Midwife, Fresh Meat, Galavant, The Hollow Crown, Death in Paradise, Becoming Elizabeth, Andor, Dangerous Liaisons and The Regime, as well as films including Cars 2 and The Current War.
Leila Farzad plays Ari
Who is Ari? Ari is Minos's daughter and the heir to his throne in Krete.
Recently chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com of Ari's future, Farzad said: "She wants to fight the good fight. She wants to get justice done. And she's sick of having been subjugated by a totalitarian regime, which is kind of what she lives under. So I think she will fight the good fight."
What else has Leila Farzad been in? Farzad is known for her roles in Peppa Pig, Avenue 5, I Hate Suzie, Better, Black Mirror, The Decameron and The Marvels.
Billie Piper plays Cassandra
Who is Cassandra? Cassandra is a Trojan seeking refuge in Krete, who is subject to a curse which means no one believes a word she says.
Creator Covell recently told RadioTimes.com of Piper's character: "The thing that Georgi (Banks-Davies, director) and I were talking about with Billie was that Cassandra is telling the truth, but everybody else thinks she's mad. And so in episode 1, the audience meet her, and she does seem to us like she's not quite of sound mind – and by [episode] 8, you realise she's a truth teller.
"So the audience goes on that journey, kind of with Riddy, I suppose. And the idea for Cassandra was that it's tragic – she speaks truth, and no one believes her, and that's the most awful torment to be in."
What else has Billie Piper been in? Piper is best known for playing Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, while she has also starred in series such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Penny Dreadful, Collateral and I Hate Suzie, as well as films including Rare Beasts, Eternal Beauty, Catherine Called Birdy and Scoop.
Debi Mazar plays Medusa
Who is Medusa? Medusa is an occupant of the Underworld who has been dead for a long time and who is in charge of Riverbank Management at the Lethe.
What else has Debi Mazar been in? Mazar has previously appeared in films including Goodfellas, Malcolm X and Collateral, as well as series such as Civil Wars, LA Law, That's Life, Entourage and Younger.
Suzy Eddie Izzard plays Lachy
Who is Lachy? Lachy is one of the Fates, and is a timeless, immortal being, who writes prophecies for humans which are beyond Zeus's control.
What else has Suzy Eddie Izzard been in? Izzard has appeared in films including Velvet Goldmine, Mystery Men, Ocean's Twelve, Valkyrie and The Lego Batman Movie, as well as series such as The Riches, The Good Wife, Hannibal, Stay Close and Culprits.
Michelle Greenidge plays The Tacita
Who is the Tacita? The Tacita is a loyal servant of Hera, who has cut her tongue out to forever be silent. She also happens to be Riddy's mother.
What else has Michelle Greenidge been in? Greenidge is also well known for her roles as Carla Sunday in Doctor Who, Valerie in After Life, and Lola Okonedo Akimbo in Mandy.
Kaos is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
