The Umbrella Academy is one of the latest comic book TV shows to take the world of pop culture by storm. It tells the story of a dysfunctional family fueled by child prodigies with superpowers. Oh, and they're all trying to get along amongst an impending apocalypse. So, let’s dive into the behind-the-scenes and take a look at the people who have made the pages of these comic books come to life.
While the cast features some familiar faces, it also showcases a lineup of lesser known, up and coming stars. Some have been seen around before, but some are just finding their edge. Most of us know who Ellen Page and Mary J. Blige are, but who are the rest of these people that play these eccentric individuals? We took a look at some of the common things these cast members share with their characters and broke it down for you.
ROBERT SHEEHAN SHARES HIS FASHION SENSE WITH KLAUS.
Klaus, Sheehan’s Umbrella Academy character, is seen to be wearing a variety of outfits. These outfits range from average to very out there. In episode 1, “We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals,” Klaus is wearing his sister Allison’s skirt that he seemingly steals from her closet. To her surprise, she asks, “Is that my skirt?” and he replies by telling her that it’s very airy.
During that same episode, at their father’s funeral, everyone chooses somber black umbrellas. But not Klaus. Instead, he opts for a flashy pink one. Just like Klaus, Sheehan is known for making statement choices in his outfits that don’t always fit into one mold. He has sported a variety of outfits at various appearances, including a mesh shirt and skirt at New York Comic Con and a variety of patterned pants.
AIDAN GALLAGHER IS AN ADVOCATE LIKE NUMBER FIVE.
At the young age of 15, Aidan Gallagher, who plays Five, has already accomplished more than most youngsters do. Most 15-year-olds are just living life trying to navigate high school, but not this guy. His character, Number Five, spends a lot of his time trying to save the world and get his siblings to believe in the Apocalypse that’s coming. He is often frustrated because they don’t really take it as seriously as he would like them to. In real life, Gallagher spends a lot of his time advocating for saving the world through environmental protection and is a United States Ambassador for the Environment. He’s expressed his own frustrations that others don’t take the cause seriously. So, he decided to do something about it, just like Five.
ELLEN PAGE AND VANYA HAVE BOTH BATTLED WITH ISOLATION AND SOCIAL ANXIETY.
Vanya Hargreeves is an outcast. She has gone her entire life feeling as though she is isolated and different than all of her siblings because she never thought she had powers. Page, who plays Vanya, has also gone through similar experiences being a closeted lesbian for a large part of her life.
Page has openly spoken about her experiences being afraid to come out as a lesbian and allowed her fear to affect her social relationships and mental state. Vanya also has trouble with her social relationships. She lets her fears and anxieties prevent her from opening herself up to her family and friends.
DAVID CASTANEDA HAS THE SAME BIRTH MONTH AND YEAR AS DIEGO (AND HIS SIBLINGS).
Castaneda plays Diego, the impeccable knife-throwing, assassin-like member of the group. He was born in October 1989, and so were the rest of the members of the Umbrella Academy. The same goes for the many babies born to non-pregnant women on that day that didn’t make it to the Academy. The only big difference is the birth day itself. All of the Hargreeves children were born on October 1, 1989, while Castaneda was born on October 24, 1989. This puts Castaneda at the exact same age as his character, Diego. It’s just one of those little coincidences that you don’t see very often, especially with actors always playing different ages.
TOM HOPPER IS A WORKOUT FIEND LIKE LUTHER.
On the Umbrella Academy, Hopper plays the ginormous Luther. The reason he's so huge is that he shares his genetic makeup with a gorilla thanks to a serum he received to save his life in the past. Luther is often seen doing all of the physical work and strength training to keep up with his huge shape. Obviously, Hopper trains more extensively and wears a muscle suit when he plays Luther. However, in reality, he is just as devoted to his workout regimen as Luther is. His regular gym routine includes lots of weights and something called a manmaker, and even when he’s on the road he doesn’t skip his workouts.
EMMY RAVER-LAMPMAN IS ALSO A HIGHLY TRAINED ACTRESS LIKE ALLISON.
On the show, Allison is a megastar who is now learning to enjoy being away from the spotlight of fame and reuniting with her siblings. Of course, Raver-Lampman is obviously an actress because she is playing her actress character, Allison.
However, her past in acting goes much deeper. She is a highly trained classical stage actress who has been in some major touring stage productions such as Hamilton, Hair, and Wicked. On top of that, she’s been involved in musical theater since she was a young child, attending the Governor's School for the Arts and traveling the world with her professor parents.
MARY J. BLIGE HAS BATTLED ADDICTION LIKE CHA-CHA.
It’s not really a focal point of her character in the show. But Cha-Cha and Hazel are both known to be huge sugar addicts. They thrive on a sugar high. In the show, it’s shown more with Hazel’s character and his love of donuts. However, Mary J. Blige, who plays Cha-Cha knows what addition is like firsthand. Blige has openly spoken about her struggle in the past with addiction to alcohol and drugs. The veteran rapper and unofficial Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is now sober. But she sure knows the experience that Cha-Cha is going through with her sugar addiction. Not to mention her addiction to killing, because that counts, too.
JOHN MAGARO AND LEONARD PEABODY BOTH STAY OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT.
One of the reasons that Leonard Peabody is able to become entangled in Vanya’s life and get in close enough to manipulate her is because he has stayed away from any attention throughout his lifetime. So, no one knows who he is. In that same vein, John Magaro, who plays Leonard, enjoys remaining out of the spotlight despite his up and coming status. A recent interview with him revealed that he doesn’t tell any of his friends about his projects and that he and his fiance prefer to just Netflix and chill instead of going out and attracting attention to themselves.
COLM FEORE HAS ALL THE PRESTIGE SIR REGINALD HARGREEVES DOES.
Despite the fact that the patriarch of the Hargreeves family is not known to have been the best father around, he is known for being a prestigious, prominent man within society. Colm Feore, who plays Sir Reginald, is also a prestigious Canadian actor who has received many honorary awards as well as an honorary doctorate degree. He’s considered a veteran of the Canadian stage, specializing in Shakespeare performances, and is completely bilingual in French and English. He was even made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013 for his contributions to Canadian theater, both for movies and stage productions.
CAMERON BRITTON IS NO STRANGER TO HAZEL’S WORLD OF SERIAL KILLING.
Cameron Britton plays Hazel, the other half of the assassin duo sent back in time to kill Number Five. Fortunately for Britton, he's already very familiar with being a killer. On screen, that is. Before being cast in The Umbrella Academy, Britton was known for playing serial killer Ed Kemper on the Netflix series Mindhunter. He was even nominated for an Emmy for that role. While Kemper is a more notorious murderer, Hazel is more of a sympathetic character because he doesn’t really want to be a villain and is ready to escape this life.