The 'Sweetpea' Cast: Your Guide to Who Plays Who in the Starz Series

If the trend in feminist horror and thrillers in recent years has been proof of anything, it’s that we can’t help but love—and feel catharsis—seeing a woman enraged and unhinged. Sweetpea, Starz’s new series starring Ella Purnell, is more evidence of this. In the show based on C.J. Skuse’s popular thriller series of the same name, Purnell plays Rhiannon, a lonely, young woman dealing with grief, struggling to advance in her career, and feeling frustrated by how overlooked she’s been her entire life. So inevitably, her percolating rage leads her to commit murder, unlocking new sides of herself (which may or may not be moral).

Purnell, who produces the must-watch series created by Kirstie Swain, gives an incredible lead performance, and she’s joined by a cast of British actors who push her character over the edge. With the show airing on Starz in the U.S., following its October 11 premiere date, here’s what to know about the cast of Sweetpea and who plays who in the acclaimed thriller series.

Ella Purnell as Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a wallflower who leads a quiet life until she reaches a breaking point. Having experienced bullying and disappointment growing up, after her mother left her, her sister, and her father, her trauma has led her to harbor a quiet rage (and a list of people she’d like to kill that she rattles off internally). She begins the series still living with her father in the small town where she grew up and working as an office manager at the local paper.

Purnell has been one of the biggest breakout stars in TV in recent years. Aside from her scene-stealing turn as the fan-favorite character Jackie on Showtime’s hit (and fellow female rage-inspired vehicle) Yellowjackets, she also led this year’s popular video game adaptation series of Fallout. The British star’s career spans back to her childhood, working as a stage actor in U.K. theater productions and making her on-screen debut in Never Let Me Go. She’s also appeared in movies like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Army of the Dead, and other shows like Arcane.

Nicôle Lecky as Julia

Julia is a large source of Rhiannon’s trauma and who she considers a lifelong enemy. She resents the former queen bee from their school years together when she and her friends used to make fun of her during middle and high school. As an adult, Julia has a seemingly perfect life, with a husband and a successful job in real estate, and is still rather dismissive of Rhiannon when they reconnect.

East London-bred Nicôle Lecky is best known for her work on the stage. The writer/actress penned the 2018 acclaimed play Superhoe, inspired by online sex workers, and also starred in the production in multiple roles. The show was later adapted into a 2022 BBC miniseries titled Mood, which she starred in, wrote, and executive produced. Elsewhere, she’s done work behind and in front of the camera, writing for other TV shows and having arcs in hits like Sense8.

Jon Pointing as Craig

Craig works at Rhiannon’s father’s business and is a love interest for her. He’s a small-town type and much nicer to the protagonist than other people in her orbit, fueling her crush, but she eventually learns he has his motives.

English actor Jon Pointing has been a working actor for over a decade and starred in several U.K. series. He primarily leads comedies, including Plebs, Pls Like, and Big Boys, a Channel 4 college-set coming-of-age show for which he won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2023 British Academy Television Awards.

Jeremy Swift as Norman

Norman runs The Gazette, where Rhiannon works. He treats her like a personal assistant who hangs up his coat for him and brings him coffee and doesn’t have much interest in helping to advance her career.

Jeremy Swift is a London-based, Emmy-nominated performer who has acted professionally since the ‘80s. He most notably was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2021 Emmys for his work as Leslie Higgins in Ted Lasso. Aside from the Apple TV+ sitcom, he’s been in shows like Downton Abbey and Foyle’s War and movies like Mary Poppins Returns and starred in stage productions at The National Theatre and West End.

Calam Lynch as AJ

Through her job, Rhiannon meets AJ. While the office manager has been gunning for a junior reporter role, her boss goes with a nepotism hire, AJ. Though she’s frustrated by his hiring, AJ is very considerate and conversational and doesn’t look over Rhiannon in the same way as others do.

Sweetpea isn’t the only buzz-worthy show Calam Lynch has starred in. Bridgerton fans may remember him as season 2 heartthrob Theo Sharpe, who had Eloise smitten. Before the Netflix romance series, the actor was born in Warwickshire, England to Irish actor parents and began gaining roles while studying at university, in plays and movies like Dunkirk and Black Beauty. He’s also had roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Derry Girls, Mrs. Wilson, and more.

Dustin Demri-Burns as Jeff

Jeff is one of Rhiannon’s colleagues at The Gazette. While he’s a bit of a loud personality, he’s also a talented reporter who gets his byline on big stories. He doesn’t pay much mind to Rhiannon until she starts trying to prove herself more at work.

English actor Dustin Demri-Burns studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has appeared in a variety of projects, from The Great to Slow Horses. He’s known for both comedic and dramatic acting, and he and collaborator Seb Cardinal also helmed a sketch comedy show, Cardinal Burns, for Channel 4 in the early 2010s, which earned a BAFTA nomination.

Leah Harvey as Marina

Marina isn’t introduced until later in Sweetpea, but she’s a detective eager to solve the murders left in Rhiannon’s wake. Not unlike the main character, she feels undervalued at her job and like no one trusts her instincts, leading her to investigate on her own.

Leah Harvey hails from East London and is a London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art-trained actor. Their biggest role to date has been on Apple TV+’s acclaimed sci-fi series Foundation, for which they earned a BAFTA nomination. Their other credits include Tuesday, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Assessment, and they’ll soon re-team with Purnell on another project: the upcoming comedy-horror film The Scurry.

Alexandra Dowling as Seren

Seren is Rhiannon’s distant sister. She left their town to pursue a career and her own life elsewhere, and remains relatively out of touch with her sister, even as a tragedy brings them back together.

English actress Alexandra Dowling has appeared in several major U.K. productions. She began her acting career with an appearance on Merlin in 2012, then briefly appeared on Game of Thrones as Roslin Frey, Poirot, and other shows, most notably among the ensemble of The Musketeers as Queen Anne.

Dino Kelly as Marcus

Marcus is Julia's seemingly perfect, doting husband. Beyond closed doors, though, not everything is as it seems.

Dino Kelly is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and now based in London. The actor has been in a handful of series, including Peaky Blinders and Netflix's historical series Alexander: The Making of a God, and appeared in stage productions, as well.