People say they would be willing to go to the ends of the Earth to keep their family safe, but LaKeith Stanfield’s character is forced to go even farther than that in the Apple TV+ original series, The Changeling. Not to be confused with George C. Scott's 1980 haunted house film of the same name, this bizarre horror-fantasy series is an adaptation of the award-winning 2017 novel from author Victor LaVelle, with Terra Nova creator Kelly Marcel handling the adaptation.
The twisted, heart-wrenching, and visually arresting odyssey will be told across eight episodes from the point of view of the desperate husband and father played by the aforementioned Atlanta vet. Stanfield's role, and the actor's previous career achievements, will be the base camp for the following breakdown of who's playing who among The Changeling's cast, and where else you may recognize them from.
LaKeith Stanfield (Apollo)
Leading Apple TV+’s The Changeling cast as Apollo — an ordinary man forced to take extraordinary measures after his wife and son go missing — is executive producer LaKeith Stanfield. The actor is already no stranger to the horror genre, from his small appearance in one of the Purge movies (Anarchy) to his memorable supporting role in Get Out to arguably, the best episode of Atlanta (and undeniably the scariest), “Teddy Perkins.” Not to mention his most recent big-screen starring role as part of Disney’s Haunted Mansion cast.
Since debuting in 2013’s Short Term 12, Stanfield would go on to be recognized as an exciting and versatile talent for roles in movies like 2018’s surreal satire Sorry to Bother You, the great A24 drama Uncut Gems, and his Oscar-nominated performance as a real-life Black Panther Party infiltrator in Judas and the Black Messiah. He is reuniting with his The Harder They Fall director, Jeymes Samuel, to play the title role of the upcoming 2024 movie, The Book of Clarence.
Clark Backo (Emma)
Playing Apollo’s wife, Emma, is Montreal-born actor Clark Backo, who also has a few notable horror credits under her belt. She had a guest spot on the early Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove, a recurring role alongside the Supernatural cast, and she also starred in the Shudder original horror movie Random Acts of Violence, opposite star, director, and fellow Canadian Jay Baruchel.
The latter slasher was not the first time she shared a credit with one of her fellow Letterkenny cast members, either, having also landed a recurring role opposite Mrs. McMurray actor Melanie Scrofano on Wynonna Earp; she also guested alongside the Handmaid’s Tale cast, just like Lisa Codrington (Gail) did. Backo also recently appeared on one of the best Max original TV shows, Station Eleven, and in the Amazon Prime original rom-com, I Want You Back.
Adina Porter (Lillian)
Adina Porter’s experience with horror dates back to when she played Lettie Mae Thornton in HBO’s True Blood cast. Of course, her most notable contribution as of late is her multiple seasons on FX's American Horror Story — she earned an Emmy nomination for her role in the seventh season, subtitled Cult.
In her 30-plus-year career, Porter has definitely explored a variety of other genres, from sci-fi as part of The CW’s The 100 cast, to crime with recurring roles on Ray Donovan and Netflix’s Outer Banks, and fantasy with Amazon Prime originals, Paper Girls and The Power. Some of her more grounded dramatic work includes HBO’s The Newsroom, WGN’s historical drama Underground, Apple TV+'s critical darling The Morning Show.
Jared Abrahamson (Brian West)
Another Letterkenny veteran in the Changeling cast is Jared Abrahamson, who has appeared on the Canadian-based Hulu TV comedy on several occasions as the hyper-patriotic American Jake, one of many characters who could lead their own spin-offs. A Canadian in real-life, the actor also has plenty of experience with horror, including a couple of episodes of Fear the Walking Dead, the Bella Thorne-led home invasion thriller Keep Watching, and most recently, the 2023 Shudder original Bad Things.
Abrahamson is also known for 2012’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the MTV dramedy Awkward., and leading the dark 2016 sports drama Hello Destroyer. He also played one of lead roles of the 2018 docu-drama, American Animals, had a starring role in the Netflix sci-fi series, Travelers, and had a recurring role on another Hulu comedy, Ramy.
Alexis Louder (Young Lillian)
Playing a younger version of Adina Porter’s character Lillian is Alexis Louder, who has led a very impressive career since landing a small, nameless role in 2018’s Oscar-winning superhero flick, Black Panther. She appeared in the 2019 biopic, Harriet, had an important role in HBO’s small-screen iteration of Watchmen, and led the intense Netflix original short, Weathering.
Louder has also starred in two hit Amazon originals opposite Chris Pratt — namely the futuristic sci-fi epic The Tomorrow War, in 2021, and the action-packed hit TV drama, The Terminal List, which released the following year. She is also known for two widely acclaimed action thrillers of late, having appeared opposite Gerard Butler in Copshop and in the Violent Night cast with David Harbour.
Malcolm Barrett (Patrice)
Yet another The Changeling cast member with plenty of previous experience acting in horror is Malcolm Barrett. He has appeared in two creepy anthology TV shows (Dimension 404 and Disney+’s Just Beyond), a segment of the Shudder original anthology movie Horror Noire, an installment of Hulu’s Into the Dark (Pooka Lives!), and let's not forget his recurring role on AMC’s Preacher, which technically isn't a horror but still featured some truly horrific moments.
While also dabbling in sci-fi with his starring role on the short-lived time-travel drama, Timeless, and his recurring role alongside Amazon Prime’s The Boys cast, Barrett is best known for comedy. Most notably, he had a main role on ABC’s Better Off Ted, starred in one of the funniest Key & Peele sketches (“Prepare for Terries”), and was one of dozens of talented actors in Hulu’s History of the World: Part II cast.
Jane Kaczmarek (Cal)
Former Malcolm in the Middle cast member Jane Kaczmarek is used to making audiences laugh, though that presumably won't be the talent she's leaning hardest on in Changeling. She previously starred in the short-lived, romantic legal drama, Equal Justice, had recurring roles on hit series like Party of Five and Felicity, and appeared in 1998 fantasy dramedy, Pleasantville.
After her tenure as a now iconic sitcom mom ended, Kaczmarek starred as a judge in another short-lived legal drama called Raising the Bar — and she portrayed that profession again for the animated series Animals. and The Simpsons. She also played a police captain in the 2017 feature-length adaptation of CHiPs and, a year earlier, starred in a horror movie inspired by the Manson Family murders called Wolves at the Door.
Victor LaVelle (Narrator)
Fittingly serving as the narrator of The Changeling is Victor LaVelle, the man responsible for the novel the series is based on. The show marks the author’s first “acting” credit, though he previously appeared as a talking head in the docuseries Eli Roth’s History of Horror — a TV show available on Shudder — and in the 2022 documentary about the creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters.
Also serving as an executive producer on this new series, LaVelle previously wrote the segment "Daddy" from the aforementioned horror anthology movie, Horror Noire. According to Bloody-Disgusting, an adaptation of his Lovecraftian novella, The Ballad of Black Tom, has been in development since 2017.
Log into your Apple TV+ subscription to see the Changeling cast making things spooky and fantastical just in time for the Halloween season.
