The spy-action film The 355 is one of January 2021s few theatrical releases featuring a star-studded cast. Comprised mainly of women, the players include a crossover of Oscar nominees, winners, and action movie regulars. The financial success of the film will largely depend on the draw of its star-power, as the movie has had a scaled-back marketing push and mixed reviews before release.
Directed by Simon Kinberg, known for writing and directing the critically panned Dark Phoenix, the film follows Jessica Chastain as an unpredictable CIA officer. Her character teams up with female agents from other intelligence services of other countries to comprise The 355, named for a female spy during the American Revolution. Their mission is to recover a weapon that could be used to initiate World War III.
The 355 was produced by Chastain, who wanted to make a female-led spy movie akin to Mission Impossible or James Bond. Actors were attached to main roles in May of 2018; its release was delayed by the COVID pandemic. With all this in mind, it will be interesting to see whether the movie gains any traction with its wide release. Here is the cast and characters of The 355:
Jessica Chastain as Mason "Mace" Browne
Coming off a phenomenal performance in Scenes From a Marriage, Chastain receives top billing in The 355 as a wild card member of the CIA, who allies with agents of other intelligence agencies. She is well known for roles in other action-oriented movies such as Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain received an Oscar nod for her turn as Maya in that film and has recently gained more awards-talk for her titular role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Lupita Nyong'o as Khadijah
Nyong’o returns to the big screen for the first time since 2019 in The 355 as Khadijah, a computer specialist and former MI6 agent. Nyong’o was last seen on screen in the dual role of Adelaide/Red in Jordan Peele’s Us. She also gave a memorable voice performance as Maz Katana (arguably the worst new character) in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and received an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2013 for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave.
Diane Kruger as Marie Schmidt
Marie Schmidt is an agent for the German Federal Intelligence Service, known in German as the Bundesnachrichtendienst or the BND for short. Kuger is probably best known for her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure and its sequel film. She also played the critical role of Bridget Von Hammersmark in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.
Penélope Cruz as Graciela
Cruz jumps into the role of psychologist Graciela, an agent of the National Intelligence Directorate of Colombia, called the DNI for short. Cruz has previous experience in the action genre, having starred as Eva Rojas in Sahara and as Jack Sparrow love-interest Angelica in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Cruz has also been recognized at the Oscars; most recently, for her role as Carla Albanese in Nine.
Fan Bingbing as Lin Mi Sheng
An agent of the Ministry of State Security in China (aka the MSS), Sheng rounds out the international team of The 355. Fan Bingbing is a popular celebrity and actress in China, well-known for her red carpet fashion sense. She has broken into a couple of major American films, including X-Men: Days of Future Past as the teleporting mutant Blink.
Sebastian Stan as Nick Fowler
Joining The 355 as Mace’s CIA colleague Nick Fowler is Sebastian Stan, a favorite of the MCU viewing audience. Stan is best known for his long lasting role as Bucky Barnes in 7 MCU film entries and in the 2021 Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He has also had supporting roles as Lee Bodecker in The Devil All The Time and Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya.
The 355's Supporting Cast & Characters
Edgar Ramirez as Luis Rojas - Playing a DNI agent, Ramirez is no stranger to portraying government operatives having played CIA assassin Larry in Zero Dark Thirty.
Emilio Insolera as Hacker - Insolera is a deaf actor and producer, featured in this film as a master hacker. His only previous acting credit is as Tom Clerc, a mutant human with superpowers, in Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes.
John Douglas Thompson as Larry Marks - Thompson is primarily a stage actor, having played Shakespearan roles including Marc Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.
Jason Wong as Stevens - Stevens is another associate of The 355; Jason Wong takes on this role, who portrayed Phuc in The Gentlemen and is slated to play Dralas in the 2023 Dungeons and Dragons reboot.
