“Atlanta” and “Swarm” creator Donald Glover is back with a new TV show and he’s once again pushing genre boundaries with Amazon’s action-packed love story, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” The series is co-created by Francesca Sloane (“Fargo,” “Atlanta”), who says they aimed to “subvert the spy and action genre by whole-heartedly focusing on the characters, on their relationship, on their marriage.”
The series keeps a tight focus on Glover’s John Smith and Maya Erskine’s (“PEN15”) Jane Smith as they navigate their home and work life, which are inexorably intertwined with life or death stakes. Inspired by Doug Liman’s 2005 film of the same name starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, the show follows the super-sexy spy duo through the highs and lows of a cover marriage — or is it?
Glover and Sloane’s “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” puts its own spin on the material, but the relationship is ways foremost at the center of the story, allowing a rotating cast of characters to filter in and out around the core duo. Each episode brings a new guest star or two, and the cast of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is full of familiar faces. If you’re wondering who’s who, here’s a handy guide.
Donald Glover as John Smith
Co-creator of the series, Donald Glover also writes, directs, produces and stars in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” as one-half of our leading duo, a spy known as John Smith. Also known as Childish Gambino in his music career, Glover has a wide-ranging resume from his days as a writer on “30 Rock” to starring in “Community,” creating, starring in and winning Emmys for “Atlanta.” Glover has an overall deal with Amazon, where he previously released “Guava Island” and “Swarm.” He also starred in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Magic Mike XXL” and “The Lion King” remake.
Maya Erksine as Jane Smith
Maya Erksine stars as the title Mrs. Jane Smith, a fellow spy who operates alongside her “husband,” John. Best known for starring in Hulu’s “PEN15,” Erksine’s recent credits also include “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Plus One” and the voice of Mizu in Netflix’s animated series “Blue Eye Samurai.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” Guest Stars
The full cast of the “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” reboot has been known for some time, but half the fun of the series is seeing the surprise of when and where they pop up throughout the eight-episode run. With that in mind, we’re going to keep this guide completely spoiler-free, sans character or episode details, but if you’re wondering where you’ve seen all those familiar faces before, we’ve got you covered!
Alexander Skarsgård
Best known for his HBO hits, Skarsgård’s resume includes “Succession,” “True Blood,” his Emmy-winning performance in “Big Little Lies.” Notable film roles include “The Northman,” “Infinity Pool,” “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “The Legend of Tarzan,” the 2016 film that has recently been climbing the Netflix charts.
Skarsgård previously worked with Glover when he appeared as himself in an episode of “Atlanta.”
Eiza González
Skarsgård’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” costar Eiza González also appears in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Her previous titles include “Baby Driver,” “I Care A Lot,” “Hobbs & Shaw” and “Ambulance.”
Paul Dano
Emmy-nominated actor Paul Dano has kept busy in recent years with films including “The Batman,” “The Fabelmans” and “Dumb Money.” Some of his previous standout work includes “There Will Be Bood,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Looper,” “Ruby Sparks,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Escape at Dannemora” and “Prisoners.”
John Turturro
Spike Lee and Coen Brothers regular Turturro’s best known titles include “The Big Lebowski,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Barton Fink,” “Quiz Show,” “O, Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “The Batman” and several films in the “Transformers” franchise. More recently, Turturro has earned accolades for his performance on the AppleTV+ series “Severance.”
Sharon Horgan
Actress, writer, producer, director and three-time Emmy nominee, Horgan is best known for co-creating and starring in “Catastrophe” and “Bad Sisters.” She also created the series “Divorce” and “Shining Vale.” Film roles include “Man Up,” “Game Night,” “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”
Billy Campbell
“The Rocketeer” himself, Billy Campbell is best known for Joe Johnston’s 1991 film, as well as “The 4400,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Helix,” “Enough” and “The Killing.”
Parker Posey
1990s indie queen Parker Posey made her name in films like “Party Girl,” “House of Yes,” “Waiting for Guffman” and “Dazed and Confused.” Other titles of note include “Scream 3,” “Superman Returns,” “Josie and the Pussycats” and “Best in Show,” while her most recent work includes “Beau Is Afraid,” “The Staircase” and Netflix’s “Lost in Space” series.
Wagner Moura
Even if you never saw Moura as Pablo Escobar in “Narcos,” you almost certainly saw the memes. The actor is also known for “Elite Squad,” “Shining Girls,” “The Gray Man,” and most recently, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”
Ron Perlman
Depending on what you know him from, you might recognize Perlman’s voice before you recognize his face. Some of his best known roles, from “Hellboy” to “Beauty and the Beast” required heavy prosthetics, and Perlman has lent his voice to countless roles including “Teen Titans,” “Danny Phantom,” “The Book of Life” and “Adventure Time.” Perlman is also known for starring in “Sons of Anarchy,” “Hand of God” and his many collaborations with Guillermo del Toro.
Sarah Paulson
Emmy winner and eight-time nominee, Sarah Paulson is a Ryan Murphy regular, from “Nip/Tuck” to nine seasons of “American Horror Story,” two seasons of “American Crime Story” and “Ratched.” She’s also known for “Deadwood,” “Bird Box,” “Ocean’s Eight,” “12 Years a Slave” and most recently, a standout episode of “The Bear.”
Michaela Coel
Coel is best known for creating and starring in her series “Chewing Gum,” for which she won a BAFTA, and “I May Destroy You,” for which she became the first Black woman to win the Emmy Award for best writing on a limited series, movie or dramatic special. Other roles of note include “Black Earth Rising,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and two episodes of “Black Mirror” — “Nosedive” and “USS Callister.”
