Good Omens S2: Who Plays Shax And Why Does She Look So Familiar?

Nothing is more divine than comedy. Fortunately, that's where "Good Omens" comes in. Based on a written work of the same name by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, the Prime Video original series is a religious jokefest that approaches Christian mythology with a smattering of wit and a passionate defense of humanity.

The story of Season 1 follows an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) as they attempt to avert the literal apocalypse. And the story of Season 2, which is based on further writings by Gaiman and Pratchett that were never published, follows those same immortal agents as they try to avoid their former bosses, who can't seem to keep their business in order.

"Good Omens" Season 2 also introduces a ladder-climbing bootlicker named Shax, a new demon to serve as a secondary antagonist. Returning viewers will recognize her as Miranda Richardson, the English actress who portrayed Madame Tracy in Season 1. In fact, Richardson is one of at least three talents to return for Season 2 in a new role.

Richardson's resume stretches back to the early 1980s and features over 130 credits, many of which are separate projects where she played the same role multiple times. It cannot be overstated how cool her resume is, either, covering everything from TV and film to video games and animation. Here are some of her many career highlights.

The anthology format isn't exclusively for horror or suspense. Starting way back in 1983, BBC One began releasing "Blackadder," a series of period sitcoms all starring Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder. Now, Blackadder is not the name of a singular character but rather the name of many, all of whom are a little grumpy and a lot greedy, and all of whom are played by Atkinson. The "Blackadder" umbrella features a number of titles, including "Blackadder II," "Blackadder the Third," and Blackadder Goes Forth."

Miranda Richardson appears in five "Blackadder" projects, including all the aforementioned titles as well as "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" and "Blackadder Back & Forth." In most of these, Richards portrays Queen Elizabeth I. Better known by the nickname Queenie, Elizabeth is something of a flirtatious prankster, especially in "Blackadder II," where she goes to any length to cause Blackadder distraction and distress. In fairness, he kind of deserves it.

According to The Guardian, Queenie's antics were inspired by Richardson's comic stylings long before she was ever cast in the role. That said, Richardson's talent for unhinged buffoonery caused her career to stagnate. Studios only wanted to cast her as a brash, hysterical woman, and she wanted to explore other character types. Despite this, in 2021, Richardson voiced a willingness to return to "Blackadder," should the possibility ever arise.

No, this isn't about BBC One's "Merlin," the one that fans think ruined its legacy with a bad ending. This is about NBC's 1998 two-part miniseries of the same name. Among the many differences between the two projects, NBC's "Merlin" features a staggering amount of celebrity talent. Starring Sam Neill as the titular wizard, it also boasts Martin Short, Helena Bonham Carter, James Earl Jones, and Lena Headey. Yes, that's Ned Nederlander, Bellatrix Lestrange, the voice of Darth Vader, and Cersei Lannister all in one picture.

Miranda Richardson serves double duty as Queen Mab, the primary antagonist of "Merlin," and the Lady of the Lake, a kindly enchantress ingrained in the lore of Arthurian legend. As Mab, Richardson lords over all the fairies of her realm. To ensure her continued authority, she influences a young woman to give birth to Merlin, whom she believes will be her mage and champion. As the Lady of the Lake, Richardson guides Merlin along his path to defeat the villainess who created him.

Richardson's dual casting is less a matter of artistic messaging and more a matter of necessity, as Queen Mab and the Lady of the Lake are sisters in this version of "Merlin." But, also yes, there's something poetic about Richardson fighting for both sides. In 2006, Richardson returned to the role of the Lady of the Lake for "Merlin's Apprentice," a follow-up two-part miniseries.

In 1999, Tim Burton realized that Washington Irving's classic horror story was missing one crucial element –- it wasn't a police procedural. And while that might be something of an oversimplification, it sets the tone for change. Through Paramount, Burton released "Sleepy Hollow," an adaptation of Irving's American classic. Starring Johnny Depp as the famous Ichabod Crane, who's an NYPD constable rather than a grade school teacher, the cast features Christina Ricci, Micahel Gambon, and Christopher Lee. And some of them even survive the Headless Horseman!

Miranda Richardson, who seemingly refuses all projects in which she's only allowed to play one role, primarily portrays Lady Mary Van Tassel, the unkind stepmother of Katrina Van Tassel (Ricci) who also happens to be a vengeful witch. She also plays the Crone, the Lady's less fortunate sister. As the Crone, she is kinder, but as Mary, she's the source of everyone's pain and suffering because she's the one who is controlling the Headless Horseman. She's the one bidding him to plague the town with a killing spree. And why, though? Revenge mostly. It's a whole thing.

But therapy would have suited her better because Ichabod and Katrina break Lady Mary Van Tassel's control over the Headless Horseman, who immediately decides to drag the bitter woman back to hell with him. The moral here is that, hey, maybe you shouldn't play with cursed skulls.

Sure, the critics might have hated it but Joel Schumacher's 2004 cinematic adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera," which is Andrew Lloyd Weber's 1986 musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel, is the kind of film that audiences can never quite forget. And why would we want to forget it? The melodic melodrama, which stars Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and Minnie Driver, follows Christine Daaé (Rossum), a young singer, who wards off the romantic advances of the Phantom (Butler), her older vocal coach, who resorts to violence whenever he feels minorly inconvenienced. In his defense, he's lived in the Parisian sewer system for most of his life ... and the French tend to decorate with skeletons.

Miranda Richardson portrays Madame Giry, a retired ballet instructor and the woman who saved little Eric –- the Phantom's real name -– from the circus, only to dump him in the sewers beneath the theatre where she and Meg Giry (Jennifer Ellison), her daughter, find work. Madame Giry is a woman with many secrets, and she tends to keep them to herself otherwise, even if they would save lives. Look, she's not a great person but she does at least tell Raoul (Wilson) to protect himself against the Phantom's proclivity for rope-based strangulation, which he immediately fails to do.

Despite being partially responsible for the Phantom's lust-driven killing spree, Madame Giry makes it through the movie unscathed. She does pay for her sins later in "Love Never Dies," Lloyd Weber's sequel musical to "Phantom," but nobody counts that one, not really.

Since Miranda Richardson is a well-established European talent and has been for quite some time, it shouldn't really come as a surprise that she shows up in the "Harry Potter" franchise. But we'll get to that in a second. For those who still don't know, "Harry Potter" is a series of eight Warner Brothers films, adapted from Joanne K. Rowling's series of seven novels, that were released between 2001 and 2011. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, the films follow Harry Potter (Radcliffe) as he learns how to be a wizard ... and also how to kill a quasi-immortal wizard dictator.

Richardson portrays Rita Skeeter, a slimy journalist more interested in a story than the truth, in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." She also appears in "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts," a cinematic attraction at Universal Studios Florida. In "Goblet of Fire," Rita covers the Tri-Wizard Tournament for the Daily Prophet and dishes poorly sourced gossip about the contestants. In "Deathly Hallows Part 1," she publishes a tell-all biography about Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris and Michael Gambon), exposing many of the secrets that the late headmaster preferred to keep private.

Tragically, the films cut out Rita's most interesting character development. It's one of the many big differences between the "Harry Potter" books and the movies because, in the books, she's an Animagus, which means that she can transform into an animal — a beetle, to be precise. And that just feels like the kind of silliness Richardson would have loved to portray.