'Alex Rider' cast: Meet Otto Farrant, Brenock O'Connor, Ronke Adekoluejo and rest of the stars of spy thriller
IMDb TV's first TV series 'Alex Rider' is the reboot of the beloved book series by Anthony Horowitz meant for both new, young readers and the big fan base of children who grew up reading them but are now in their 20s. So predictably, the show has a dark, gritty approach with lots of thrilling action sequences with a perfectly cast ensemble of characters who bring the story of teenage espionage to life, without it seeming ridiculous. A big reason why this 'junior James Bond' premise works is because of its cast. Here are the key characters you should know about and the actors who play them.
Otto Farrant as Alex Rider
The protagonist of the show is Alex Rider. He has been trained by his uncle all his life to be a spy, without knowing it. While he thinks his uncle is a boring banker, he is actually a spy. A traumatic sequence of events turns him into a reluctant agent for the British government. Otto Farrant, who plays Alex, is known for 'Clash of the Titans', 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen', 'War & Peace' and 'The White Queen'.
Ronke Adekoluejo as Jack Starbright
Jack Starbright came to Britain for a gap year and ended up staying, employed as a housekeeper and becoming a surrogate sister to Alex. She is played by Ronke Adekoluejo known for Netflix's 'Been So Long', 'Christopher Robin' and also for appearing in 'Doctor Who'.
Brenock O'Connor as Tom Harris
Alex's best friend is Tom Harris, a bit of an outsider figure who thinks of himself as a misunderstood genius. He is troubled when Alex starts hiding things from him. Brenock O'Connor plays Tom and you will probably remember him as Olly from "Game of Thrones'. He was also Peter Cratchit in the BBC One series 'Dickensian'.
Andrew Buchan as Ian Rider
Ian Rider is Alex's uncle and his sole guardian, following the death of his brother. He is also, unknown to Alex, a senior operative for a secret subdivision of the MI6. He is killed following a lead that Alex gave him about an ex-classmate who went to a mysterious boarding school for troubled teenagers. Ian Rider's character is played by Andrew Buchan, who is best known for playing the grieving and angry father of the murdered boy in 'Broadchurch' and also the part of Andrew Parker-Bowles in the third season of 'The Crown'.
Stephen Dillane as Alan Blunt
A Machiavellian operator with an absolute genius for manipulating people, Alan Blunt developed and now heads the secretive offshoot of MI6 -- the 'Special Operations' division. He also makes the rather dubious choice of putting a teenager, Alex, in a dangerous, undercover mission, right after Alex's uncle is killed following a lead Alex gave him. Stephen Dillane who plays the part is best known for playing Stannis Baratheon in the 'Game of Thrones'. He has also starred in films like 'The Hours' and the HBO miniseries 'John Adams' for which he earned a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Vicky McClure is Mrs Jones
As Alex Rider's handler, she is a natural foil to her superior Alan Blunt's ruthlessness. Her calm demeanor and attempts to emotionally detach from the job hides her concern for Alex's welfare and her wariness of the danger that Blunt puts Alex in. Victoria 'Vicky' McClure essays the role and is a known face in the UK entertainment industry. She has played Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series 'Line of Duty' since 2012. She is also known for the 'This Is England' franchise in which she plays Lorraine "Lol" Jenkins and as Karen White in 'Broadchurch'. She also appeared in 'Filth and Wisdom', the first feature film directed by pop singer Madonna.
'Alex Rider' premieres on free-to-stream IMDb TV via Amazon Prime Video on November 13.