The Snowpiercer TV series, featuring a star-studded cast, adds a new twist to the story from Bong Joon-ho’s 2013 film. This show, which airs on TNT, is based on French graphic novels and takes place in a frozen world where only a few thousand people survive on the huge Snowpiercer train. Built by the wealthy Mr. Wilford for rich passengers, the train’s tail section is filled with poor refugees living in harsh conditions. The strict class system creates constant tension and the risk of a revolution. The show has been renewed for Snowpiercer season 4, which premiered on July 21, 2024, on AMC+, continuing the story well beyond the original film!
Discover everything you need to know about the key characters, and find out where you might have seen the cast of the TV series, Snowpiercer before!
Full Cast Breakdown of The Snowpiercer TV Series
1- Jennifer Connelly plays Melanie Cavill
Connelly started her acting career in 1984 at just 14 years old with a role in Once Upon a Time in America. She then appeared in several films in the ’80s, including Dario Argento’s Phenomena and the musical fantasy Labyrinth.
Advertisement In the first season, Melanie was one of the most important people on the train, handling hospitality, being the train’s spokesperson, and acting as Mr. Wilford’s second in command. In the second season, she works with the leaders of the revolt and has a complicated relationship with the newly returned Wilford.
Some of her notable film roles include Requiem for a Dream, Blood Diamond, and A Beautiful Mind, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Recently, she had a supporting role in Alita: Battle Angel. Snowpiercer is her first TV role in nearly twenty years.
2- Daveed Diggs plays Andre Layton
Originally from the tail section of the train, where the least privileged passengers live, former detective Layton became a leader for those wanting to start a revolution against Snowpiercer’s strict class system. On-screen, he wrote, produced, and starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting. He also had recurring roles in the sitcoms Black-ish and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and appeared in movies like Wonder and Velvet Buzzsaw. He will also voice a character in the Pixar film Soul.
Diggs is best known for his work in musical theater. He was in the original cast of the Broadway hit Hamilton, playing Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. His performance earned him both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award.
3- Sean Bean plays Wilford
Wilford was often mentioned in the first season but was believed to be dead until a big twist at the end of the finale. He is the billionaire owner of Snowpiercer and is known as the ‘Great Engineer,’ with many passengers on the train viewing him almost like a god.
Bean is one of the most acclaimed English actors of his generation, known for playing two famous fantasy characters who met early deaths: Boromir in The Lord of the Rings and Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. He also appeared in major films like GoldenEye, National Treasure, and The Martian and shows like Shardlake Season 1.
4- Alison Wright plays Ruth Wardell
Wardell was Melanie Cavill’s right-hand person in the train’s hospitality department. Her job was to prevent uprisings in the poorer sections of the train, which was not an easy task. She strongly resists any changes to the train’s system and has a very positive view of Wilford.
Wright’s most notable role was on the popular spy drama The Americans, where her performance as Martha Hanson earned her an Emmy nomination in 2017. She also had a recurring role on Sneaky Pete, appeared in one episode of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Hollywood, and had a supporting role in the 2016 movie The Accountant.
5- Rowan Blanchard plays Alexandra “Alex” Cavill
Melanie’s daughter Alex first appeared in the season 1 finale and is now a main character. As a teenager, she has been working as the engineer for Big Alice for the past seven years. She is now a close ally of Wilford and has a negative attitude toward her mother.
Blanchard first gained attention for her role as Rebecca Wilson in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 2011. Since then, she has appeared in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World and the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs.
6- Mickey Sumner plays Bess Till
Bess is a brakesman on the train and works in Snowpiercer’s security. She has started to question the train’s strict class system, especially after moving to second class to be with a romantic partner and meeting Layton. Layton promotes her to train a detective.
Since Mickey’s film debut in 2012, Sumner has appeared in many movies. Notable roles include parts in Noah Baumbach’s films like Frances Ha, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Marriage Story, as well as in American Made and Battle of the Sexes. She has had fewer TV roles but was in the crime drama Low Winter Sun in 2013.
7- Iddo Goldberg plays Bennett Knox
Bennett is Snowpiercer’s long-time engineer and works closely with Melanie Cavill, being one of her top allies.
Goldberg might be known to fans of Peaky Blinders for his role as Freddie Thorne in the first season. He has also had main roles in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the horror series Salem. Recently, he appeared in three episodes of the third season of Westworld.
8- Katie McGuinness as Josie Wellstead
Josie is a “tailie” who has taken Miles in as her own son since his parents didn’t make it onto the train. She is also a close friend and sometimes lover of Layton and is well-respected among her fellow tailies. McGuinness recently appeared in two episodes of Hollywood, but Snowpiercer is her first major TV role.
9- Sam Otto plays John Osweiller
John is a young brakeman who maintains order on the train with a strict approach. Before joining the train, he was a footballer. Otto gained attention in 2017 for his role in Channel 4’s The State. He has also appeared in the miniseries Collateral and the 2019 film The Flood.
10- Sheila Vand plays Zarah Ferami
Zarah is Layton’s ex-wife who left the tail section of the train to work in the Nightcar in Third Class. She is now in solitary confinement after being suspected of the murders Layton is trying to solve.
Vand is best known for her role in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning film Argo. She has also starred in the horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and had a main role in the TV series 24: Legacy.
11- Mike O’Malley plays Roche
Roche leads the brakesmen and is upset that Layton is helping with the murder case. He particularly dislikes the tailies, comparing them to rats.
O’Malley began his career presenting children’s TV and later starred in his own NBC sitcom, The Mike O’Malley Show. He is also known for playing Burt Hummel in Glee, which earned him an Emmy nomination. Recently, he has appeared in episodes of The Good Place and The Morning Show.
12- Annalise Basso plays LJ Folger
LJ is one of the youngest characters living in the train’s first class and loves causing trouble. She gets involved in the murder mystery that Layton is trying to solve and is seen worshiping Wilford.
Basso has appeared in various films like Bedtime Stories and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Her TV credits include an episode of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and a regular role on The Red Road. She also had a part in the 2017 film Captain Fantastic with Viggo Mortensen.
13- Jaylin Fletcher plays Miles
Miles is a young boy living in the tail section of the train. He uses his apprenticeship to collect information from the front of the train and pass it on to Layton. Fletcher, who plays Miles, described his character as “very optimistic, intelligent, and talented” in an interview.
This is Fletcher’s biggest role so far, and he’s also in the Netflix series Clickbait.
Wrap Up!
The cast of the Snowpiercer TV series includes a mix of well-known and rising stars. Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs lead the cast, while new talents like Rowan Blanchard and Sasha Frolova also make their mark. Each actor brings something special to their role, adding to the story’s excitement and depth. Together, they help make Snowpiercer a compelling and engaging show. Also, check a good girls guide to murder cast, ciao house cast and cast of humane film as well.