M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie, Old, hits theaters this weekend and promises to be another unsettling tale with a trademark Shyamalan mystery at its core. While his movies have been hit or miss, Shyamalan's highs, such as The Sixth Sense, have been extreme highs, and even some of his lows are starting to be reevaluated with time and distance. If nothing else, Shyamalan is to be commended for sticking to his vision every time.
As is usual with his films, not much is known about the plot of Old, though it is inspired by the Swiss graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters. The story follows a family who goes on a tropical vacation and travels to a secluded beach for an afternoon. However, they soon discover that something about the beach is causing them to age rapidly, and if they don't find a way out, they'll all die within a few hours.
While there's a relatively limited number of major characters in the film, there are quite a few more people in the cast as different actors play different characters at various points as they progress rapidly through aging. Here are the cast and characters of M. Night Shyamalan's Old, and where you may have seen the actors before.
Gael García Bernal as Guy
Veteran actor Gael García Bernal stars as Guy, the film's protagonist and devoted family man who must find a way off the beach before he and his family die. He's the husband of Prisca and father to Trent and Maddox and he scrambles to keep everyone together as his kids age in front of him. The Guadalajara-born Bernal breakout role was playing Julio Zapata in Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mamá Tambíen, and he's also known for Babel, Blindness, the voice of Héctor in Pixar's Coco, as well as playing maestro Rodrigo De Souza in TV series Mozart in the Jungle.
Vicky Krieps as Prisca
Vicky Krieps plays Prisca, the wife of Guy and loving mother to Trent and Maddox. Prisca finds the strange beach online and initially believes it's a hidden gem, but they soon learn others have discovered the beach's existence, as well. The Luxembourgian actress is best known to American audiences for her role in Paul Thomas Anderson's movie Phantom Thread, and from smaller roles in The Girl in the Spider's Web, The Last Vermeer, and A Most Wanted Man.
Rufus Sewell as Charles
Rufus Sewell brings another veteran screen presence to Old. He plays Charles, a middle-aged man who is married to a much younger trophy wife, Chrystal, and is the father of Kara. Sewell has a number of classic and cult classic films to his name, including playing John Murdoch in Dark City, Count Adhemar in A Knight's Tale, Armand in The Legend of Zorro, Crown Prince Leopold in The Illusionist, and Autolycus in Hercules, while his TV credits include The Man in the High Castle and The Pillars of the Earth miniseries.
Abbey Lee as Chrystal
Abbey Lee plays Chrystal, Charles' much younger wife and mother to Kara, who, when the movie begins, is only six years old. As the movie progresses, Chrystal can't handle Kara's rapid aging and runs away. Lee originally started out as a model before transitioning into acting with her breakout role in Mad Max: Fury Road as The Dag. She's also known for Gods of Egypt, The Dark Tower, The Neon Demon, and Office Christmas Party, with her gaining a whole new audience from her turn as the ambitious and duplicitous Christina Braithwhite in Lovecraft Country.
Aaron Pierre as Mid-Sized Sedan
In Old, Aaron Pierre plays Mid-Sized Sedan, an aspiring rapper on vacation. A classically trained stage actor, Pierre is a relative Hollywood newcomer. He first made his mark playing Roman soldier Antonius in BBC series Brittannia before landing a small role as Dav-Em on the short-lived Krypton, but his breakout role was this year's The Underground Railroad, where he played the escaped slave Caesar.
Ken Leung and Nikki Amuka-Bird as Jarin and Patricia
Ken Leung and Nikki Amuka-Bird play couple Jarin and Patricia. Leung is a notable character actor who is arguably best known from his long-running role as Miles Straume on Lost as well as playing Dr. Topher Zia on The Night Shift. Notable movies he's been in include Detective Stephen Sing in Saw, Kid Omega in X-Men: The Last Stand, Admiral Statura in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Lloyd Bowman in Red Dragon. Amuka-Bird is known for her work in BBC TV series Gold Digger, Luther and Bad Girls, and movies such as Cargo, The Omen, and A Private War. Her most notable recent movie roles were playing Mrs. Steerforth in The Personal History of David Copperfield, and Diomika Tsing in Jupiter Ascending.
Alex Wolff as Trent (Age 15)
Alex Wolff plays Trent, the son of Guy and Prisca, when he is age 15 in the movie. Wolff is young but has been acting since he was a kid, with his first notable role being Nickelodeon show The Naked Brothers Band with his brother, Nat, who is also an actor. Wolff's breakout film role was playing Spencer in 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, followed by 2018's Hereditary, then 2019 sequel Jumanji: The Next Level. He can currently be spotted in Pig alongside Nicolas Cage.
Thomasin McKenzie as Maddox (Age 16)
Thomasin McKenzie plays Maddox at age 16. The daughter of Guy and Prisca, she is fiercely close with her brother, Trent. McKenzie's breakout role was playing Elsa in the Acadamy Award-winning Jojo Rabbit, Mary Hearn in True History of the Kelly Gang, and Astrid in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Her notable TV roles are playing the titular character in Lucy Lewis Can't Lose and Pixie Hannah on Shortland Street.
Eliza Scanlen as Kara (Age 15)
Eliza Scanlen plays the 15-year-old version of Kara, who is only six when Old begins. She undergoes a dramatic aging arc, even suddenly becoming pregnant and giving birth in the course of just a few hours. The Australian actress Scanlen has only been acting for a handful of years, with her most notable role being Beth March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women. Audiences will also recognize her as Lenora in The Devil All the Time, as well as from the TV series Sharp Objects and Home and Away.
Old Supporting Cast
Emun Elliott as adult Trent - Emun Elliott is known for playing Marillion in Game of Thrones, Chance in Prometheus, and Brance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Embeth Davidtz as adult Maddox - Embeth Davidtz is best known for playing Sheila in Army of Darkness, Helen Hirsch in Schindler's List, Miss Honey in Matilda, Natasha in Bridget Jones's Diary, Annika in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mary Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Rebecca Pryce in Mad Men.
Kathleen Chalfant as Agnes - The mother of Charles and mother-in-law of Chrystal, as well as grandmother to Kara. Chalfant is known for playing Laurie Stolt on The Guardian, Margaret Tilden on House of Cards and Margaret Butler on The Affair.
Luca Faustino Rodriguez as Trent (age 11) - Old is Luca Faustino Rodriguez's first acting role.
Nolan River as Trent (age 6) - Nolan River has previously had small roles in the movie Adverse, and Reginald Veljohnson on an episode of New Girl.
Alexa Swinton as Maddox (age 11) - Alexa Swinton is best known for her roles in two TV series, playing Eva Rhoades in Billions and Piper in Emergence.
Mikaya Fisher as Kara (age 11) - Mikaya Fisher has previously appeared in movies The Deep Ones and Hibiscus, as well as in an episode of Job Guys.
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Old is in theaters on Friday, June 23.
