While there is not (and probably never will be) any vampire story more influential and more often reinterpreted than Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is another classic tale about creatures of the night that may be slowly reaching the same level of prevalence. Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 bestseller, Let the Right One In, was first adapted into one of the most acclaimed vampire movies ever in 2008 before inspiring director Matt Reeves’ English-language update, Let Me In, two years later. This time, it has being reimagined as a TV series on Showtime.
Developed by Penny Dreadful writer Andrew Hinderaker, the plot of the show follows tradition by focusing on a “young” girl cursed with immortality and a thirst for human blood and the struggles of her father to provide what she needs by any means necessary. However, it is also the most dramatic departure from the original source material yet, from its modern-day setting (both films, like the book, were set in the 1980s) and the introduction of several new characters. Learn all about them and who plays who in Showtime’s Let the Right One In cast in our breakdown below.
Demián Bichir (Mark Kane)
Leading the Let the Right One In cast as Mark — the morally conflicted father of a vampire — is Demián Bichir, who is known best from his Academy Award nominated performance in 2011’s A Better Life, which was also one his first English-language productions after playing Fidel Castro in Steven Soderbergh’s two-part Che Guevara biopic and joining Showtime’s Weeds cast in 2008.
The Mexican-born actor would go on star in movies like The Heat, Savages, The Hateful Eight, and Godzilla vs. Kong and acquire other notable small screen credits like FX’s The Bridge and ABC’s Grand Hotel (both which of which are also remakes). His last horror reboot was 2020’s The Grudge, following his starring roles in the Conjuring Universe movie, The Nun, in 2018 and the sixth installment of the Alien movies (subtitled Covenant) the year before.
Madison Taylor Baez (Eleanor Kane)
As Mark’s undead, supposedly 12-year-old daughter, Eleanor, we have Madison Taylor Baez, who made her acting debut as a young con artist in the seven-minute fantasy comedy The Tooth Racket in 2019 — the same year she appeared on Tiffany Haddish’s reboot of Kids Say the Darndest Things.
The following year, she was cast as a young Selena Quintanilla in Netflix’s series based on the life of the late singer, Selena, before showing her vocal talent on the Wayne Brady-hosted Fox game show, Game of Talents, in 2021. Also in 2022, Howie Mandel gave Baez the Golden Buzzer after a stunning rendition of “Amazing Grace” for her dream-come-true America’s Got Talent audition.
Anika Noni Rose (Naomi Cole)
Single mother Naomi Cole is the latest detective played by Anika Noni Rose, whose first series regular gig was HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, following her feature film debut in 2003’s From Justin to Kelly and breakout performance in the Oscar-winning musical Dreamgirls.
She is also known for Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls, Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation, and yet another notable TV series remake (2016’s Roots), but her most famous role might be Tiana in Disney’s animated modern classic, The Princess and the Frog, whom she reprised in 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. Rose is also no stranger to horror, having starred in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones, played a DEA agent on Bates Motel, and gave a chilling performance in one of the scariest TV shows on Amazon, Them.
Ian Foreman (Isaiah Cole)
As Naomi’s son and Eleanor’s friend, Isaiah, we have Ian Foreman, who debuted in One TV’s original holiday movie, Merry Wish-Mas in 2018. Three years later, he appeared on a Halloween episode of NBC’s short-lived, multiverse drama, Ordinary Joe, which, I suppose, you could count as his “horror” debut. However, Let the Right One In marks Foreman’s first major role on a TV series.
Grace Gummer (Claire Logan)
Claire Logan — a scientist who specializes in researching diseases — is the latest role in a horror title for Grace Gummer, following her appearances on Seasons 3 and 4 of American Horror Story, a regular part on Halle Berry’s sci-fi series, Extant, and in Peacock's original true crime miniseries Dr. Death (which I would say counts).
She made her debut in the star-studded 1993 film, The House of the Spirits (which, misleadingly, sounds like horror), went on to lead Nickelodeon’s Gigantic from 2010 to 2011, star in Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha the next year, joined HBO’s The Newsroom cast in 2013, and played Nora Ephron on Amazon’s Good Girls Revolt. Gummer also starred alongside Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal in Standing Up, Falling Down in 2019 — the same year she and the rest of the Mr. Robot cast had their final curtain call on USA.
Jacob Buster (Peter Logan)
As Peter Logan — a young man suffering from the same curse as Eleanor — we have Jacob Buster, who, technically, has another horror TV show under his belt in the form of USA’s alien invasion series, Colony. However, the more prevalent genres in his career are holiday movies (from 2013’s Christmas for a Dollar to both of Hallmark’s Sister Swap movies) and faith-based films like Just Let Go and Miracle Worker. His other previous TV credits include guest spots on Suits and Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans and recurring roles on Ballers opposite Dwayne Johnson, and in co-creator Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries, Colin in Black & White.
Kevin Carroll (Zeke Dawes)
As Zeke — Mark’s restauranteur friend (and one of the few people aware of Eleanor’s condition) — we have Kevin Carroll, who has never been at odds with vampires before joining the Let the Right One In cast.
However, he has come at odds with the Devil on Lucifer, dangerous cults on Facebook Watch’s Sacred Lies, serial killers in Bloodline, murderous artwork in Velvet Buzzsaw, zombies on The Walking Dead, and his own faith on The Leftovers. You might also recognize Carroll as a cab driver in Being John Malkovich, a former Black Panther on FX’s Snowfall, and from the cast of Daveed Diggs’ Blindspotting in 2018.
Nick Stahl (Matthew)
Another Let the Right One In cast member with a zombie-fighting history (as part of the Fear the Walking Dead cast) is Nick Stahl, who plays a former solider and friend of the Logan family named Matthew. The actor also has a history warring against cyborgs as John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, a more biblical depiction of the apocalypse on HBO’s Carnivale, war itself in The Thin Red Line, and his parents in the Oscar-nominated In the Bedroom.
He made his feature film debut in star Mel Gibson’s directorial debut, The Man Without a Face, later joined the Sin City cast as Yellow Bastard, and starred in another 2022 horror title called What Josiah Saw, which is streaming exclusively on Shudder.
The Let the Right One In cast might be the most exciting ensemble in a show about vampires this year (which has had its fair share of such titles). Decide for yourself how you like the way they portray the now classic story this time by watching the series when it airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.
