The upcoming Hulu thriller Nine Perfect Strangers, set for a staggered release in August, is the story of nine people who are seeking relief via a health and wellness retreat at the beautiful and isolated Tranquillum House. It's a fair assumption the series, adapted from the book of the same name by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, will provide its characters with quite a different experience than the brochure promised. The cast, led by The Undoing's Nicole Kidman and Thunder Force's Melissa McCarthy, is a who's who of awards show invitees, and I can't wait to see how this ensemble comes together to act out what is sure to be pure, delicious madness.
Created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Undoing), Nine Perfect Strangers promises to be a dark and twisty journey, with frequent Kelley collaborator Nicole Kidman leading the way as Masha, the head of Tranquillum House. The nine strangers who have signed up for the pricey ten-day retreat are all seeking transformation, and the eight-episode miniseries should give viewers plenty of quality time to take that trip with the eclectic bunch. Here's a look at who will portray the retreat-goers, as well as the Tranquillum House staff, and remember to check back for more updates as we get closer to the August 18 premiere.
Nicole Kidman (Masha Dmitrichenko)
No stranger to Liane Moriarty's work, Nicole Kidman will play the role of Tranquillum House leader Masha Dmitrichenko, which comes with a nice paycheck for Kidman, who is reportedly pulling in $1 million per episode. Aside from her award-winning role as Celeste on Big Little Lies — for which Moriarty might be working on Season 3 source material — Kidman starred in David E. Kelley's disturbing miniseries The Undoing. She's also known from her work as Satine in Moulin Rouge!, Virginia Woolf in The Hours, and multiple other roles, and has another high-profile upcoming project coming in Aaron Sorkin's Lucille Ball biopic Being the Ricardos.
Melissa McCarthy (Frances Welty)
Nine Perfect Strangers features Melissa McCarthy's return to television for her first series regular role since Mike and Molly, though Nobodies and SNL kept her busy in recent years. Her character, romance writer Frances Welty, goes to Tranquillum House "in need of some fixing," according to the series' trailer. A master of both comedy and drama, McCarthy is known for her hilarious roles in Thunder Force opposite Jason Bateman and as Megan in Bridesmaids, among others. And who could forget Sookie from Gilmore Girls?
Michael Shannon (Napoleon Marconi)
Michael Shannon is set to bring his signature intensity as the Marconi family patriarch Napoleon, who is attending the Tranquillum House retreat with his wife and daughter after a family tragedy. Shannon's ability to bring humor to a dramatic performance should fit this role perfectly. Shannon is known for portraying as Zod in Man of Steel, as well as Walt Thrombey in Knives Out and Richard Strickland in The Shape of Water, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Revolutionary Road. On the TV side of things, he's best known for playing Nelson Van Alden in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Shannon will also appear in Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt and most of the rest of Hollywood, set for release in 2022.
Asher Keddie (Heather Marconi)
Asher Keddie is set to play Napoleon Marconi's wife, Heather. The highly decorated Australian actress is known particularly for her role as Nina Proudman on the Australian drama Offspring, but American audiences might still recognize her. Keddie had a small role as Dr. Carol Frost in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman.
Grace Van Patten (Zoe Marconi)
Grace Van Patten rounds out the Marconi family as the couple's young adult daughter Zoe. Van Patten is known for her roles in the Netflix movies Tramps and The Meyerowitz Stories as Adam Sandler's daughter. As a child she made guest appearances in episodes of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire.
Luke Evans (Lars Lee)
Divorce lawyer Lars Lee will be played in Nine Perfect Strangers by Luke Evans, who won audiences over as Gaston in the 2017 live action remake of Beauty and the Beast (and will do the same again in the upcoming TV spinoff.) He'll take on another Disney role soon as The Coachman in the upcoming live-action Pinocchio movie. Others may recognize Evans as Owen Shaw from the Fast and Furious franchise and apparent bad-guy Scott in The Girl on the Train, while his most prominent TV work of late came in TNT's crime drama The Alienist.
Samara Weaving (Jessica Chandler)
Australian actress Samara Weaving has made a name for herself as one of the great modern scream queens for her roles in movies like Ready or Not, The Babysitter and Mayhem. Which makes me wonder just how horrifying the retreat will turn out to be for Weaving's seemingly lucky lottery winner Jessica Chandler in Nine Perfect Strangers. But Weaving is no one-trick-pony, as she showed off her comedy chops as Ted's daughter Thea in Bill & Ted Face the Music, as well as in SMILF and Guns Akimbo.
Melvin Gregg (Ben Chandler)
While the characters may have won the lottery, it doesn't appear as if Melvin Gregg's Ben Chandler and wife Jessica are living their dream, or anyone else's, as they make their way to Nine Perfect Strangers' Tranquillum House. Gregg is known for his roles as DeMarcus Tillman in Netflix's mockumentary series American Vandal and Erick Scott in High Flying Bird. He also played Marcus Parrish in The Way Back with Ben Affleck.
Regina Hall (Carmel Schneider)
Another entertainer known for her hilarious comedy skills, Regina Hall will presumably dial up the drama to play Carmel Schneider, a single mother struggling with the demise of her relationship. Hall is known for her roles as Jordan Sanders in Little and Brenda in the Scary Movie franchise. She played Lisa in the critically acclaimed film Support the Girls and is a standout opposite Don Cheadle as Dawn on the Showtime comedy Black Monday.
Bobby Cannavale (Tony Hogburn)
Tony Hogburn, a former athlete attending the Tranquillum House retreat, will be played by Bobby Cannavale, who appeared in Thunder Force with Melissa McCarthy. Cannavale has been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as a smorgasbord of HBO series including Sex and the City, two episodes of Oz, Boardwalk Empire (for which he won an Emmy) and Vinyl. You might also recognize him as one of Will and Grace's best guest stars as Vince D'Angelo, or from a zillion other roles. Cannavale has quite a few projects in the works, including Sing 2.
Manny Jacinto (Yao)
Best known as the Jacksonville Jaguars-loving Jason Mendoza from The Good Place, Manny Jacinto seems to be going in a wildly different direction as Tranquillum House staff member Yao. In fact, I bet there’s a good chance Yao has never yelled, “BORTLES!” even one time in his whole life, though he would certain bet the quarter back some refreshments and/or a hot towel. Jacinto is also set to play a pilot named Fritz in the highly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick later this year.
Tiffany Boone (Delilah)
Tiffany Boone rounds out the ensemble, playing fellow Tranquillum House staff member Delilah. No stranger to Hulu, Boone previously channeled her inner Kerry Washington as young Mia on Little Fires Everywhere and is also known for her roles as Roxy Jones on Hunters and Jerrika Little on The Chi.
Nine Perfect Strangers will bring loads of talent and personalities together on screen, and coupled with the storytelling of author Liane Moriarty and creator David E. Kelly, this Hulu miniseries should be considered a can't-miss event when it premieres August 18. Until then, be sure to check out our 2021 summer TV schedule, as well as what else is coming soon to Hulu.
