Netflix's limited series Stay Close has a lot of complex characters brought to life by many actors that audiences have likely seen before — here is the Stay Close cast guide. Stay Close is based on the novel by American mystery writer Harlan Coben. Stay Close is the first of 15 upcoming adaptations of Coben's work on Netflix, so expect to become familiar with him very soon. This show follows 3 Londoners trying to overcome the failures of their pasts and a mysterious woman who seems to connect them all.
Instead of casting British stars who are more recognizable in America, the creative team behind Stay Close chose to work with a seasoned cast of British television veterans. Many of these actors are classically trained, learning and using their craft just as much on the stage as they do on screen. The choice pays off, as the Stay Close cast effortlessly oozes drama in every frame. Stay Close holds a lot of its cards close to the vest over its 8-episode run. One thing that's no secret is the immense talent in front of the camera. Here's a guide to the cast and characters of Netflix's limited series Stay Close.
Cush Jumbo as Megan Pierce
The character of Megan in the Stay Close cast is played by English actor and writer Cush Jumbo. Cush Jumbo takes on the challenge of headlining a Netflix series by playing Megan Pierce, a mother of three in suburban London trying to outrun the ghosts of her past life. Audiences find out that Megan has a past as an exotic dancer named Cassie Morris at the notorious Vipers club. She eventually reveals her secrets about her past and her connections to the mysterious murders to her husband Dave, who it turns out has some secrets of his own.
Jumbo is most widely recognized for her role as lawyer Lucca Quinn in the beloved CBS drama The Good Wife and its streaming-only spin-off The Good Fight. Jumbo is also the writer and star of Josephine and I, a one-person show based on the real-life of the French performer and Nazi-fighter Josephine Baker. Her next two projects include the sports/thriller fencing movie Balestra in which she plays Joanna, and the crime/thriller TV series Criminal Record as DS June Lenker.
Richard Armitage as Ray Levine
The man behind the camera in the Stay Close cast is none other than British character actor Richard Armitage. Ray Levine is a heartbroken former war photographer who cynically works as a paparazzo to make ends meet after his fiancé walks out on him. He inadvertently takes the very last picture ever of Carlton Flynn, a sexual abuser who mysteriously disappears in Stay Close, and this among a few other things leads Broome to mistakenly arrest him as the serial killer. Eventually, he and Megan both reveal that neither of them is the killer.
Armitage can be seen in Hollywood blockbusters like The Hobbit trilogy (as Thorin) and Captain America: The First Avenger as the HYDRA agent who assassinates Dr. Erskine, one of the MCU's saddest side-character deaths. Armitage is also a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which boasts alumni including Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen. Since appearing in Stay Close, Armitage has voiced Be'lakor in the video game Total War: Warhammer III and played Quart in The Man From Rome. He also appeared in the miniseries Obsession as William Farrow.
Sarah Parish as Lorraine Griggs
Lorraine of the Stay Close cast is played by prolific English television actor Sarah Parish. On Stay Close, Sarah Parish plays Lorraine Griggs, a mysterious woman with connections to Megan's past. Turns out that Lorraine knows Megan from her days at Vipers, and lets her know that her once-presumed-dead stalker Stewart is still alive. She gets into a pseudo-relationship with Broome, but ends up being forced to come clean with him. Lorraine is the serial killer who has been targeting men guilty of sexual abuse against her Vipers coworkers.
Parish, whose notable credits include Doctor Who, Broadchurch, and The Keith & Paddy Picture Show, is originally from Somerset County, and studied acting at London's Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. After the Stay Close twist ending, Parish appeared in the drama TV series Industry as Nicole Craig. Other previous roles of note for actress Sarah Parish include Hannah in The Holiday, Natalie in Blackpool, and Allie in Cutting It.
James Nesbitt as Michael Broome
James Nesbitt is on the case as the Stay Close cast member Michael Broome. The Northern Ireland-born Nesbitt had the honor of adding to his roster Michael Broome, a police detective obsessed with solving a missing persons case that has eluded him for 17 years. Over the course of Stay Close, Broome attempts to unravel the mystery of Stewart Green, but ends up unearthing the fact that a serial killer has been abducting and murdering abusive men once a year. He tries to save Lorraine from assassin Ken, but it turns out Lorraine didn't need his help — and she's the killer.
Fans of the Lord of the Rings series will recognize Nesbitt from all three Hobbit films, in which he played Bofur the dwarf. Broome isn't the first detective role that Nesbitt has embodies, as he also played Detective Banner in Match Point. The actor is also known for appearing as Pig Finn in Waking Ned Divine and Ivan Cooper in Bloody Sunday. He most recently appeared in Suspect and Bloodlands, playing another detective in the latter, but will soon take on the opposite role of a bank robber in Joy to the World.
Stay Close Supporting Cast
Eddie Izzard as Harry Sutton - England's beloved multi-lingual, marathon-running comedian features in the Stay Close cast as Megan's friend and former lawyer, Harry. Unfortunately, he's killed by Barbie and Ken in Stay Close because he didn't have any information on Carlton Flynn. Izzard is famous for the stand-up comedy special Dressed to Kill, and can also be seen in movies like Valkyrie, Across the Universe, and My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. He also played Peter Solomon in The Lost Symbol.
Daniel Francis as Dave Shaw - Daniel Francis plays Megan's fiancé Dave in the Stay Close cast. The ending of the series shockingly reveals that Dave killed Carlton Flynn by pushing the car he was detained in into a lake after he tried to assault his daughter. Daniel Francis appeared repeatedly on ABC's Once Upon a Time and is in the AppleTV+ series Liasion, which also stars Vincent Cassel and Eva Green.
Hyoie O’Grady as Ken - Aside from doing voice-over for the video game series Star Ocean and a small role in Karen Cinorre's 2021 movie Mayday, young actor Hyoie O'Grady is very much a newcomer. Ken of the Stay Close cast is one of the two "musical theater murderers", who has been hired by Carlton Flynn's father to find out who murdered his son. He voiced Sebastian in the video game Dead Island 2 and will soon play Chip in Young Woman and the Sea.
Poppy Gilbert as Barbie - The second half of the musical theater murderers in Stay Close is Barbie, played by Poppy Gilbert. Gilbert has had a busy few years, appearing on British television programs including Call the Midwife, Midsomer Murders, and Chloe. She has also had roles on The Catch and Perfect Addiction. Her next role is a short film called My Week With Maisy in which she plays Nurse Lucy.