The Mother is a 2023 action drama produced by Netflix and starring Jennifer Lopez, who leads a strong cast of actors. In The Mother, a deadly assassin has left the criminal world and lived quietly, avoiding contract killers who seek her out. After one too many failed assassination attempts, the contract killers get her out of hiding by targeting the woman’s daughter, whom she gave up at birth. Originally hoping to keep the daughter away from her criminal life, the Mother is forced to confront her past to save her daughter. The Mother is Niki Caro’s eighth feature film after Whale Rider (2002) and Mulan (2020), among others.

While avoiding these contract killers, the Mother and her daughter have the almost equally dramatic tension of repairing a fundamentally broken relationship. It’s a globetrotting movie that goes from snow-filled mountains to sunny locales as the characters fight and flee from their pasts. Production originally began in 2021 but was disrupted due to COVID-19, according to MovieWeb. The Mother is an action-packed thrill ride with an emotional core that raises the stakes of the movie with a talented cast of characters including Lopez in a typically-typecast-breaking role and some newer faces.

Jennifer Lopez (The Mother) - Selena, Hustlers

The unnamed titular character of The Mother is played by Lopez. The Mother is a former assassin whose previous jobs have put her in the crosshairs of powerful enemies. Movie veteran Lopez is a triple-threat singer, dancer, and actor who has been performing for over three decades. In nearly every category, Lopez is a historic star. She has sold nearly 80 million records and $5 billion in sales from her brand, according to EW. Lopez has had a lauded film career, earning two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress for Selena (1998) and Best Supporting Actress for Hustlers (2020), and has produced and acted in dozens of movies.

Joseph Fiennes (Adrian Lovell) - Shakespeare in Love, The Handmaid's Tale

Joseph Fiennes plays Adrian Lovell in The Mother, one of the last targets Lopez’s the Mother was unable to assassinate for the FBI and who is now after her. Fiennes first gained attention for his starring role as William Shakespeare in the Academy Award darling Shakespeare in Love, for which he was nominated for two SAG, winning as part of the ensemble. He went on to star in Enemy at the Gates as Commisar Danilov followed by Killing Me Softly as Adam Tallis. Fiennes is best-known for playing Commander Fred Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale. The show killed off Fred Waterford in season 4.

Gael García Bernal (Hector Álvarez) - Coco, Station Eleven, Werewolf By Night

Hector Álvarez is the other FBI target that the mother never got to and is now on the run from. In The Mother, Hector is played by Gael García Bernal. Bernal is a Mexican actor who began his career in Spanish-language films that resulted in him starring in Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también as Julio Zapata, the movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He voices Héctor Rivera in Coco and is the lead in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old as Guy Cappa. Bernal plays Arthur Leander in miniseries Station Eleven and stars in the Marvel horror TV movie Werewolf by Night as the titular character.

Lucy Paez (Zoe) - Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar

In The Mother, the mother without a name must avoid assassins and repair the broken relationship with her daughter Zoe. Zoe is played by newcomer Lucy Paez. This is only Paez’s fourth role of her career and by far the most significant. Before The Mother, she appeared in bit parts in Silencio, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and The Exorcism of Carmen Farias. The Mother sees Paez spending long stretches of time alone with Lopez and has to play angry, lonely, and happy, and still be believable in an action sequence, which is not an easy role for even an experienced actor.

Omari Hardwick (William Cruise) - Power, Army Of The Dead

The protagonist in The Mother doesn’t just have enemies; there are allies she’s made over the course of her missions as well. One of these is William Cruise, played by Omari Hardwick. Hardwick is best known for his lead role in Power as James "Ghost" St. Patrick for six seasons. Power took up most of Hardwick’s time in the 2010s, but he still managed a varied career with notable directors. Hardwick is in Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna as Platoon Commander Huggs. He is also in the surrealist black comedy Sorry to Bother You as Mr. _______. In 2021, Hardwick was cast as Vanderohe in Army of the Dead.

Paul Raci (Jons) - Sound of Metal

Paul Raci plays Jons in The Mother and continues his late-career bloom as an actor. Raci has been acting in television and film since 1987 when he appeared in a small role in Rent-a-Cop. Since then, he has played minor roles in a handful of lesser-known movies like The Glimmer Man and She Wants Me. He had a little more success in television appearing in Scrubs and Lucky Louie, and played Eugene Dredge in Parks and Recreation. His big break came in 2019 with Sound of Metal in his first starring role as Joe, a part for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

The Mother Supporting Cast & Characters

Fahim Fazli As Afghan Hammam: Fahim Fazil has had a long career, primarily in smaller roles in movies, but he has been a part of some notable projects such as Argo, Aloha, and Iron Man.

Noah Crawford As El Gobo: El Globo is played by Noah Crawford in his third role. Before this he had small roles in the TV series Maid and Once Upon a Time in an uncredited and unnamed role respectively.

Yvonne Senat Jones: Yvonne Senat Jones' role in the Mother cast is unknown. Jones has primarily appeared in TV shows over the course of her career. Most notably, she has recurring roles in The Crossover, The Orville, and Ruthless.

Jesse Garcia: Garcia is a veteran screen actor whose part is unknown The Mother. Prior, Garcia appeared in movies including Ambulance, The Starling, and in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role in The Avengers. On television, Garcia had recurring roles in Sons of Anarchy and Narcos: Mexico.

Edie Falco: Based on The Mother trailer, Edie Falco appears to be an ally of sorts to Lopez's protagonist. Falco is most famous for playing Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos and the titular Nurse in Nurse Jackie. She has won four combined Emmys for those roles.