Meet the cast of Snowpiercer on Netflix
The sci-fi series boasts an impressive - and sizeable - cast list.
The TV adaptation of Bong Joon-ho's 2013 film Snowpiercer (itself based on a French graphic novel) has returned for a second season on Netflix - with new episodes release on a weekly basis in the coming weeks.
Just like the film version the series has something of an all-star cast, and this time around there are some high-profile additions to the series – most notably including Sean Bean.
Read on for everything you need to know about each of the major characters, including some details about where you might have seen the actors before.
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Jennifer Connelly plays Melanie Cavill
Who is Melanie Cavill? In the first series, Melanie was one of the most powerful figures on the train, serving as the head of hospitality, the voice of the train, and - most importantly - the apparent second in command to Mr Wilford. In season two, she is now working alongside the leaders of the revolt and has a tricky relationship with the recently returned Wilford.
What else has Jennifer Connelly been in? Connelly made her screen debut way back in 1984 at the age of just 14, appearing in Once Upon a Time in America, and went on to appear in a number of films in the '80s including Dario Argento's Phenomena and musical fantasy film Labyrinth.
Highlights from her film career include acclaimed roles in Requiem for a Dream, Blood Diamond and A Beautiful Mind - the latter of which saw her win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. More recently she had a supporting role in Alita: Battle Angel, while Snowpiercer marks her first small-screen role in nearly two decades.
Daveed Diggs plays Andre Layton
Who is Andre Layton? Originally one of the residents in the tail section of the train - where the least privileged passengers reside, former detective Layton was a leader amongst those who want to start a revolution to end Snowpiercer's rigid class system.
What else has Daveed Diggs been in? Diggs remains most well-known for his work in musical theatre - he was part of the original cast of big Broadway hit Hamilton, in which he played the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson - seeing him claim both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award.
As far as work for the screen goes, he wrote, produced and starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting, had recurring roles on sitcoms Black-ish and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and has appeared in films including Wonder and Velvet Buzzsaw - while he will also voice a character in the Pixar feature Soul.
Sean Bean plays Wilford
Who is Wilford? Wilford was regularly mentioned in the first run, but was thought dead until a major twist at the end of the season finale. He is the billionaire owner of Snowpiercer, and is referred to as the ‘Great Engineer’ – revered in almost God-like fashion by many of the train’s passengers.
What else has Sean Bean been in? One of the most decorated English actors of his generation, Bean is best known for playing two popular fantasy characters who suffered an early demise – Boromir in Lord of the Rings and Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. Other high-profile credits include GoldenEye, National Treasure and The Martian.
Alison Wright plays Ruth Wardell
Who is Ruth Wardell? In the first series, Wardell was the second-in-command in the train's hospitality department - working directly for Melanie Cavill. Amongst her duties is the role of preventing revolution in the less privileged sections of the train - something which is much easier said than done. She is very against the idea of structural change on the train and views Wilford very favourably.
What else has Alison Wright been in? Wright's most prominent role to date was on hit spy drama The Americans - with her portrayal of Martha Hanson garnering her a nomination for an Emmy Award in 2017. Other screen appearances include a recurring role on Sneaky Pete, one episode on Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Hollywood and a supporting role in 2016 movie The Accountant.
Rowan Blanchard plays Alexandra "Alex" Cavill
Who is Alexandra Cavill? Melanie's daughter Alex made her first appearance in the series one finale and is part of the main cast for series 2. A teenager, she has been working as Big Alice's Engineer for the last seven years and is now a close ally with Wilford – with negative views towards her mother.
What else has Rowan Blanchard been in? Blanchard first entered the spotlight when starring as Rebecca Wilson in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World back in 2011 and has since had roles in Disney Channel series Girl Meets World and ABC sitcom The Goldbergs.
Mickey Sumner plays Bess Till
Who is Bess Till? Bess is a brakesman on the train and part of Snowpiercer's security force. She has begun to question the train's rigid class system - especially since her recent move to second class to be with a romantic partner and later her introduction to Layton. In the second series, she is promoted to train detective by Layton.
What else has Mickey Sumner been in? Sumner has racked up credits in a range of films since her big screen debut in 2012, with highlights on her CV including roles in a series of Noah Baumbach films including Frances Ha, The Meyerowitz Stories and Marriage Story as well as parts in American Made and Battle of the Sexes. Her TV roles have been less frequent - but she did appear in crime drama Low Winter Sun in 2013.
Iddo Goldberg plays Bennett Knox
Who is Bennett Knox? Bennett is the long term engineer of Snowpiercer, who works closely with Melanie Cavill - and is one of her foremost allies.
What else has Iddo Goldberg been in? Goldberg may be familiar to fans of Peaky Blinders - he appeared as Freddie Thorne in the first series of the Birmingham gangster saga. Other roles include main parts on Secret Diary of a Call Girl and horror series Salem, while he recently appeared in three episodes of the third season of Westworld.
Susan Park plays Jinju Seong
Who is Jinju Seong? Jinju is the Head Agricultural Officer aboard the train and one of the elite passengers.
What else has Susan Park been in? Snowpiercer is arguably Park's biggest role to date, but she has appeared in a number of TV shows in supporting roles including season one of Fargo, five episodes of Fresh Off the Boat and two episodes of Hawaii Five-0.
Katie McGuinness as Josie Wellstead
Who is Josie Wellstead? Josie is a "tailie" and has adopted Miles as his own son, given that his parents did not make it onto the train. She is also very close friend - and sometimes lover - of Layton, and is much admired amongst her fellow tailies.
What else has Katie McGuinness been in? You might recently have seen McGuinness in two episodes of Hollywood - but Snowpiercer marks her first major role on a TV show.
Sam Otto plays John Osweiller
Who is John Osweiller? John is a young brakeman who goes about keeping order on the train in a somewhat militant manner - he was a footballer in his life before boarding the train.
What else has Sam Otto been in? Otto entered the spotlight in 2017 when he played one of the leads on Channel 4 series The State, while further appearances include roles in miniseries Collateral and 2019 film The Flood.
Sheila Vand plays Zarah Ferami
Who is Zarah Ferami? Zarah is Layton's ex-wife who escaped the tail section of the train to work in the Nightcar in Third Class. She has recently been living in solitary confinement after emerging as one of the suspects for the murders that Layton has been charged with solving.
What else has Sheila Vand been in? Vand's most high-profile role remains her appearance in Ben Affleck's Best Picture winner Argo, while other credits include the lead in horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and a main role on TV series 24: Legacy.
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Mike O'Malley plays Roche
Who is Roche? Roche is the leader of the brakesman, and is unhappy that Layton has been called on to help solve the murder case. He is particularly resentful of the tailies, comparing them to rats.
What else has Mike O'Malley been in? O'Malley started his showbiz career presenting children's TV, before starring in his own NBC sitcom titled The Mike O'Malley Show. He also starred as Burt Hummel in Glee - a role which saw him nominated for an Emmy, while more recently he has starred in episodes of shows including The Good Place and The Morning Show.
Annalise Basso plays LJ Folger
Who is LJ Folger? LJ is one of the youngest characters living in the train's first class - and has a penchant for causing chaos. She becomes caught up in the murder mystery that Layton is asked to solve, and in series two is seen to worship Wilford.
What else has Annalise Basso been in? Basso has made appearances in a range of films including Bedtime Stories and Ouija: Origin of Evil. TV credits include an episode of Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams and a regular role on drama series The Red Road. She appeared in 2017 film Captain Fantastic opposite Viggo Mortensen.
Jaylin Fletcher plays Miles
Who is Miles? Miles is a young boy living in the tail end of the train who uses his chance at an apprenticeship to gather information from the front to relay to Layton. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Fletcher described his character as a "very optimistic, intelligent, and talented person".
What else has Jaylin Fletcher been in? This is the most major role to date for young actor Fletcher, who is also set to appear in the upcoming Netflix series Clickbait.
Snowpiercer arrives on Netflix on Friday, 25th May – check out our list of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
