Why The Cast Of The Acolyte Looks So Familiar

The "Star Wars" franchise continues to grow with the addition of the newest series, "The Acolyte." Set during the High Republic time period, which is about 100 years before the events of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," the series follows several Jedi and associated individuals as they try to track down someone who is systematically killing off other Jedis.

The new series features an almost entirely new cast compared to other "Star Wars" projects and introduces new characters to the rich science fiction universe. From new Jedi Masters to a group of Force wielders who approach the power differently than the Jedi, along with characters who have previously appeared in books and even more lightsaber color options, fans have plenty of new characters to meet and surprises to learn about as they follow their journeys. 

The cast portraying these new characters is filled with household names from television and film, rising stars audiences are sure to know from recent projects, and even a familiar Wookiee from the "Star Wars" universe, so here's where you've seen the cast of "The Acolyte" before. Be warned, there are small spoilers for the first three episodes of the series.

Amandla Stenberg stars in "The Acolyte" as twin sisters Osha and Mae Aniseya. Mae is presumed dead after a tragedy on their home planet. At the time of Mae's apparent death, Osha is taken to the Jedi Temple for training after displaying a connection to the Force, but leaves six years before the series starts and is now working as a meknek, or illegal mechanic. Meanwhile, Mae is still alive and has taken a darker, more dangerous path.

Stenberg is best known for the young adult book-to-screen adaptations she did early in her career. Her breakthrough performance was as Rue, a tribute from District 11, in "The Hunger Games," and she continued to land leading roles in "Everything, Everything" opposite Nick Robinson, "The Darkest Minds" alongside Mandy Moore, and "The Hate U Give" with Sabrina Carpenter. Stenberg also appeared in four episodes of "Sleepy Hollow."

As she moved away from book adaptations, Stenberg played Julie Udo in "The Eddy," a French-American drama series that follows a former pianist and club owner, and was part of the main cast in the short-lived 2015 sitcom "Mr. Robinson." She also appeared in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen" as Alana Beck. Unlike the musical, Alana has a dedicated song in the movie, which Stenberg helped write. The actress also ventured into horror with the films "Bodies Bodies Bodies" and "My Animal," and lent her voice to "Rio 2" and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

Carrie-Anne Moss is Indara, the Jedi Master that Mae kills at the start of "The Acolyte." She was part of a group of Jedi that were on Osha's home planet when the young girl was rescued and taken to the Jedi Temple.

The actress is best known for her breakthrough role as Trinity in "The Matrix" franchise, but that was hardly the start of her career. Fans of crime dramas may recognize the actress from her first on-screen role in the '90s series "Dark Justice," where she portrayed a character named Tara for nine episodes. The actress' career in TV has continued ever since, with regular roles in "Models Inc." and "F/X: The Series" in the mid-'90s, a lead role in the 2012 single-season program "Vegas," and more recently a part in the second season of "Tell Me a Story" and a recurring role in the Marvel universe as Jeri Hogarth in "Jessica Jones" and "Daredevil."

While "The Matrix" may be the highlight of her film career, audiences will also recognize her from movies like "Memento," "Disturbia," and "Fido" in the early 2000s. In the 2010s, the actress appeared in the horror movie "The Bye Bye Man," the historical epic "Pompeii," the drama film "Brain on Fire," and the video game adaptation "Silent Hill: Revelation."

When audiences meet Jedi Master Sol in "The Acolyte," he's training Padawans, but we later learn he was Osha's teacher at the Jedi Temple in Coruscant. Sol is also one of the Jedi that rescued her from her home planet, and because of this, became close with her. The Jedi is firm in his belief that Osha is not behind Master Indara's murder and is confident in his ability to read people.

Lee Jung-jae, who plays Sol on "The Acolyte," may be familiar to audiences from his role in the hit Netflix series "Squid Game." He played Seong Gi-hun in the show, the main character whom viewers follow through the game. While that may be where most Western audiences know him from, the South Korean actor has a stacked resume filled with plenty of projects in his native country.

Lee's career began with modeling before he transitioned to acting. His first on-screen appearance came in 1993, in the TV series "Dinosaur Teacher." Since then, Lee has appeared in dramas like "Sandglass," "Chief of Staff," and "Blue Birthday." The actor also has been in a variety of films. He's known for his roles in "New World," "The Face Reader," "Hunt," and "Deliver Us from Evil." His 1994 movie "Feelings" is considered his breakthrough role in South Korean cinema.

Rebecca Henderson is Vernestra Rwoh, a member of the Jedi Order who audiences meet in the first episode of "The Acolyte." She's considered a prodigy and hails from the planet Mirial. The character is featured heavily in the "Star Wars: The High Republic" book series, but "The Acolyte" marks her first live-action appearance.

Henderson's first on-screen role came in the 2010 crime drama "Meskada," where she appears alongside Jonathan Tucker, Kellan Lutz, and Norman Reedus. Henderson's career only grew from there, with roles in the movies "Compliance," "The Mend," and "Mistress America." Her recent films include the 2018 romantic comedy "A Simple Wedding," the 2021 horror comedy "Werewolves Within," and 2023's "You Hurt My Feelings."

The actress also made waves on television, with guest roles in popular series like "The Good Wife," "Westworld," and "Orange Is the New Black," before becoming a part of the recurring cast of Netflix's "Russian Doll" as Lizzy. Her work with the streamer continued with another recurring role in the miniseries "Inventing Anna." She also starred in "Single Drunk Female" as Olivia for two seasons. Fans of the "Grand Theft Auto" video game franchise may know Henderson as the voice of Michelle, also known as Karen Daniels, in "Grand Theft Auto IV," "Grand Theft Auto V," and "Grand Theft Auto Online."

Charlie Barnett portrays Jedi Knight Yord Fandar in "The Acolyte." Once a friend of Osha's during her time at the Jedi Temple, he sticks to the rules and believes Osha is responsible for Master Indara's murder before the Jedi discover that Mae is still alive. As audiences meet him, it's clear he will be the most difficult Jedi to persuade of Osha's innocence.

Barnett's career may have started with guest roles in crime procedurals like "Law and Order" and the 2006 movie "Circus Camp," but he quickly rose to mainstream success when he landed a lead role in "Chicago Fire" in 2012. The actor portrayed Peter Mills for the first three seasons. Barnett's main roles in TV only grew from there as he appeared in the anthology series "Secrets and Lies" as Patrick Warner and the military drama "Valor" as Ian Porter.

His career on television continued to thrive. Like his "The Acolyte" co-star Rebecca Henderson, he appeared in an episode of "Orange Is the New Black" and joined the cast of "Russian Doll." Barnett added recurring characters in "Arrow," "You," and "Special" to his resume, in addition to leading roles in "Tales of the City" and "Ordinary Joe." The actor's movie career has been less high-profile, although he did score roles in films like "Men in Black 3" and "The Stand In."

Dafne Keen is Padwan Jecki Lon, Master Sol's half-Theelin, half-human trainee. She accompanies Sol and Yord to find Osha on her first-ever mission, and is similar to Sol in believing that there could be other factors at play rather than assuming the worst in Osha.

Keen's resume may not be as vast as her "Star Wars" castmates, but audiences are sure to know her from the projects she's done. The actress first appeared in the drama series "The Refugees" in 2014, playing Ana "Ani" Cruz Oliver in seven episodes alongside her father, actor Will Keen. The father-daughter duo also appeared together as members of the main cast of the HBO show "His Dark Materials," with Dafne portraying Lyra Belacqua and Will playing Father Hugh MacPhail.

Superhero movie fans may recognize the actress from her film debut in 2017's "Logan," where she played Laura, Logan/Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) biological daughter. Keen snagged the role over Millie Bobby Brown. Her only other feature film role to date has been the titular character in the 2020 comedy-drama "Ana." But Keen's voice may be familiar to podcast fans. She voiced Shirley Hitchings in the BBC 4 horror podcast "The Battersea Poltergeist," alongside Toby Jones and Sorcha Cusack.

Jodie Turner-Smith plays Mother Aniseya, the leader of a witch coven, in "The Acolyte." She, along with other members of the coven, can wield the Force and are teachers to Mae and Osha. Turner-Smith had her first on-screen role as a siren on HBO's "True Blood" in 2013. The actress had guest roles in "Mad Dogs” and "Ice" before landing a starring role for two seasons in the TNT series "The Last Ship." That was followed by a lead role in Syfy's "Nightflyers” as Melantha Jhirl, the titular character in the Channel 5 miniseries "Anne Boleyn," and a recurring presence as God on Netflix's "Sex Education."

The actress has also appeared in a variety of movies. Her first was "The Neon Demon" in 2016, in which she played a personal assistant. One of her most notable films was the 2019 romantic crime drama "Queen and Slim," where she portrayed Angela "Queen" Johnson opposite Daniel Kaluuya's Ernest "Slim" Hines. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her performance. Her other films include "White Noise," "The Independent," and "Murder Mystery 2."

Music fans may also recognize the actress' face from several music videos. Her first was for The-Dream's song "Walkin' on the Moon" in 2009. In 2016, she appeared in Zayn Malik's clip for "Pillowtalk" and Noah Cyrus' video for "Make Me (Cry)." She also was part of Rita Ora's music video for "You Only Love Me" in 2023.

Manny Jacinto plays Qimir on "The Acolyte." Once a smuggler, the character is introduced while helping Mae on the planet Olega. He works as a trader, helping Mae procure a poison that Osha identifies as being from the twins' home planet.

Jacinto is easily recognizable for his role in NBC's "The Good Place," which ran for four seasons. Jacinto played Jason Mendoza, a drug-dealing DJ from Florida, though viewers originally believe he's a monk under a vow of silence. Audiences may also know the actor from his guest roles before "The Good Place" in episodes of "The 100," "Bates Motel," "iZombie," "Supernatural," and "Wayward Pines." After his time as Jason, Jacinto has continued on TV as part of the main casts of "Nine Perfect Strangers," "Brand New Cherry Flavor," and "Hailey's On It!" before joining "The Acolyte."

The actor is also known for his film roles. Jacinto portrayed Lieutenant Billy "Fritz" Avalone in the 2022 legacy sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," while thriller fans may also recognize him as Waring "Wade" Espiritu from the 2018 movie "Bad Times at the El Royale." Jacinto also lent his voice for the English dub of the Japanese animated film "Belle," voicing Shinobu "Shinobu-kun" Hisatake, and voiced Kenshi in 2022's "Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind."

Dean-Charles Chapman is Jedi Master Torbin, one of the Jedi that Mae is after. He's introduced to audiences on Olega while under a Force meditation. Like Masters Sol and Indara, he was among the group of Jedi that were on the twins' home planet during the tragedy all those years before.

The actor got his start in the stage production of "Billy Elliot: The Musical." He first portrayed Small Boy before moving on to the roles of Michael and Billy Elliot. Chapman transitioned to the screen with a role in the British medical drama "Casualty" in 2007. Audiences may know him from his time on "Game of Thrones" as both Martyn Lannister (Season 3) and Tommen Baratheon (Seasons 4, 5, and 6). The actor's other TV roles include the titular character in the BBC miniseries "The Revolting World of Stanley Brown," AMC's "Into the Badlands," and the British true-crime series "The Walk-In."

Chapman also has a variety of movies on his resume. He is most recognizable for portraying Lance Corporal Thomas Blake in the Academy Award-winning film "1917." The actor also starred in the 2020 drama "Here Are the Young Men" opposite Anya Taylor-Joy. Chapman's other movies include the Liam Neeson-led action thriller "The Commuter," the Andrew Garfield-led drama "Breathe," and the Bella Ramsey-led musical comedy "Catherine Called Birdy."

Margarita Levieva plays Mother Koril in "The Acolyte." Like Jodie Turner-Smith's Mother Aniseya, Mother Koril is a part of a coven of witches that use the Force, though there may be more to her story than meets the eye.

The actress is known for her role as Reggie Campo in the 2011 movie "The Lincoln Lawyer." Though not her first film, "The Lincoln Lawyer" was a breakthrough for her in the industry. Levieva has dabbled in a variety of genres, from the supernatural thriller "The Invisible" to the comedy-drama "The Diary of a Teenage Girl." Her most recent films include 2017's "It Happened in L.A.," along with 2018's "Future World" and "Inherit the Viper."

Levieva is most recognizable from her TV projects, with a number of recurring and main roles. She portrays recurring characters in "How to Make It in America" as Julie, "The Blacklist" as Gina Zanetakos, and "Revenge" as Amanda Clarke and Emily Thorne. Her lead roles include playing Marcy Collins in the drama series "Vanished," Abby Parker in the drama series "The Deuce," Marina Litvinenko in the British miniseries "Litvinenko," and Jenny Franklin in the spy thriller series "In From the Cold." The actress also had guest roles in "Law and Order: Trial by Jury," "Kings," and "We Bare Bears."

Twins Lauren and Leah Brady play Little Osha and Mae, respectively, in "The Acolyte." The younger versions of the protagonists appear as images from their childhood.

Lauren Brady appeared in the 2022 short film "Wake," written by Liam Higgins and directed by Martin Wolfgang Klapperbein. The young actress also portrays Alice in the 2022 drama film "Midnight at the Paradise." Leah Brady's first project was also a short film, 2017's "Hunting, a documentary," and fans of "The Umbrella Academy" may remember the actress as Patrick's (Braden Hendrickson) daughter in the episode "Meet the Family." 

Leah is most recognizable for her role as Trudy, a young girl channeling her inner Kevin McCallister, in the 2022 holiday action comedy "Violent Night" alongside David Harbour. In the movie, Trudy asks Santa (Harbour) for a unified family, which turns into him saving her family from some mercenaries. The young actress has also been in "Erin's Guide to Kissing Girls," "The Love Club," "Relax, I'm from the Future," and "Interstellar Ella."

In "The Acolyte," Joonas Suotamo plays Jedi Kelnacca, a Wookiee who lives on his own in the forest of Khofar. He is a part of the group of Jedi that Mae is hunting down in the series. "Star Wars" fans may not know Suotamo's face, but they will certainly recognize his work within the franchise. Suotamo began portraying Chewbacca as a character double in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," alongside Peter Mayhew, who played the role since the first "Star Wars" movie in 1977. The former professional basketball player completely took over as Chewbacca starting with "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi," reprising the iconic Wookiee in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker."

While playing Chewbacca is easily the best-known gig on his resume, Suotamo also portrayed The Scourge in the Disney+ series "Willow." The actor is also set to appear in the second season of Netflix's "Wednesday" in an unknown role.