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    1. Culture
    2. TV shows

    What to Know About the Cast of 'The Abandons,' Netflix's Star-Studded Western Series

    Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson lead the gritty drama as two matriarchs facing off in the Wild West.

    Radhika Menon's avatar
    By Radhika Menon
    Published 4 December 2025 In News

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    Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan wearing braids and a cowboy hat riding on a horse in a western town square in a still from The Abandons
    (Image credit: Netflix)
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    Blood ties, land, and motherhood are the most important factors in The Abandons, Kurt Sutter’s new Netflix Western series set in the fictional town of Jasper Hollow. Facing off over a land dispute, the latest from the Sons of Anarchy creator (who, we should mention, left the series late in production over creative differences) finds aristocrat and mining mogul Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) in an ugly battle with Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey), a childless woman who has taken in a band of loyal orphans, for the future of their town. But what starts as a business disagreement soon turns both personal and fatal.

    Many familiar faces join both Headey and Anderson onscreen for this seven-episode face-off between the two matriarchs in the Wild West—including a few Game of Thrones cast reunions. Before you saddle up for the sprawling drama, find out who’s who in The Abandons on Netflix below.

    Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan

    Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan wearing a cowboy hat and a long braid looking off into the distance while standing in a western town square in the show the abandons

    (Image credit: Matthias Clamer/Netflix)

    Fiona, a devout Irish Catholic who has taken in four orphans to raise as her own, owns a settlement sitting atop silver-rich land. She has an antagonistic relationship with the Van Ness matriarch Constance, who is eager to take over her land.

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    Lena Headey, 52, is most recognizable for portraying Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, for which she was nominated for five Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award. On TV, she also starred as Sarah Connor in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and lent her voice to the animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Headey has also appeared in the films 300, The Brothers Grimm, The Remains of the Day, and Fighting with My Family.

    Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness

    Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness riding on a horse and Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness wearing a black dress and cowboy hat while riding on a horse in front of snowcap mountains in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Constance Van Ness is the head of a European aristocratic family who yields power over other families in the small Oregon town. A devoted mother, she springs into action when her eldest son, Willem, goes missing.

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    Gillian Anderson, 57, is known for her work in both the U.S. and the U.K. A TV stalwart, Anderson has starred on shows like The X-Files, Sex Education, The Crown, The Fall, and more. She has won two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work on these shows. On film, Anderson has appeared in The Last King of Scotland, Viceroy’s House, and two X-Files films.

    Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness

    Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness wearing a blazer and tie looking angry over his shoulder in a busy town square in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Garret is Constance’s younger son, forced to step up for his family after his older brother Willem goes missing. Like many in the Van Ness clan, he acts with an air of superiority—especially when interacting with the orphans in Fiona’s camp.

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    Lucas Till, 35, began his career in indie films like Walk the Line before becoming a Disney heartthrob in films like Hannah Montana: The Movie. He also played the romantic lead in the music videos for famous pop stars, like Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” and Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” in 2009. Since then, he has starred in the X-Men prequel films as Havok, the title character in the CBS reboot of MacGyver, and gained critical acclaim for playing Bob Zellner in the historical biopic Son of the South.

    Aisling Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness

    Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness having a conversation with Aisling Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness standing outside of a house in Episode 107 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Netflix)

    Trisha is Garret’s sister and the most gentle of the Van Ness family. She is a piano aficionado and harbors a secret romance with Elias, one of Fiona’s orphan sons.

    Aisling Franciosi, 32, is an Irish actress best known for appearing as Lyanna Stark in Game of Thrones. She also starred in the BBC series The Fall and the TNT drama Legends. In film, she has primarily appeared in horror and psychological thrillers like Speak No Evil, Stopmotion, The Unforgivable, and Home.

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    Nick Robinson as Elias Teller

    Nick Robinson as Elias Teller wearing a cowboy hat dirty white shirt with suspenders and high waisted pants standing next to a cloudy sky in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Elias Teller is one of the four orphans taken in by Fiona, along with his sister Dahlia. Elias is Fiona’s right-hand man when it comes to their land—a fact that is complicated by his slow-burning relationship with Trisha.

    Nick Robinson, 30, rose to fame on the television show Melissa & Joey and the gay romance film Love, Simon. He has appeared on the shows A Teacher and Maid, and in the films Jurassic World, The Kings of Summer, The 5th Wave, and Everything Everything.

    Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller

    Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller wearing a jacket over a dirty white dress leaning against a door in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Dahlia Teller is Elias’s biological sister and another orphan living with Fiona. Her violent encounter with Willem Van Ness in the first episode of the series sets off an even deeper hatred between the two families.

    Diana Silvers, 28, began her career on the Hulu thriller series Into the Dark and continued her work in the genre with starring roles in the M. Night Shyamalan film Glass and the Octavia Spencer-led horror movie Ma. Silvers also had a small role in the coming-of-age film Booksmart, and later appeared in the Netflix comedy series Space Force and the Amazon film Birds in Paradise, based on the novel Bright Burning Stars. In recent years, she's also pursued music; she dropped her debut album, the folk record From Another Room, in November 2025.

    Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason

    Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason wearing a cowboy hat on a ranch standing in front of a horse in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Albert Mason is an educated Black man, born free in Philadelphia before being “adopted” into Fiona’s family.

    Lamar Johnson, 31, is a Canadian actor and dancer who rose to fame on the dance drama series The Next Step. Johnson starred in the films The Hate U Give, Dark Phoenix, and All the Bright Places. On TV, he appeared on Your Honor and The Last of Us, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

    Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle

    Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle and Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan in Episode #104 of The Abandons standing next to a pine tree and a blue body of water on a hill

    (Image credit: Netflix)

    Lilla Belle is one of Fiona’s adopted children, originally of Indigenous descent.

    Natalia del Riego, 24, is best known for appearing in the ABC family drama Promised Land and as Rosa Reyes in NCIS: Los Angeles. She also lent her voice to the animated series Velma and Megamind Rules!.

    Michiel Huisman as Roache

    Michiel Huisman as Xavier Roache wearing a brown suit and holding a cowboy hat standing against a red wall in Episode 106 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Michelle Faye/Netflix)

    Xavier Roache is an outlaw hired by Constance to look into Willem’s disappearance. But once he’s under her payroll, she has him attend to some of her other unsavory business requests. According to Tudum, “his shifting allegiances and unpredictable nature make him a wild card in the battle for Jasper Hollow.”

    Michiel Huisman, 44, is a Dutch actor best known in the U.S. for playing the heartthrob Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones. He also appeared in the series The Haunting of Hill House and The Flight Attendant, as well as the films Wild and Rebel Moon.

    Ryan Hurst as Miles Alderton

    Ryan Hurst as Miles Alderton with a long beard and pointing a gun in the woods at night in Episode 107 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Miles Crist/Netflix)

    Miles is one of Fiona’s peers and the most vocal opponent, fearful that her outspokenness against the Van Nesses will spell ruin for the entire settlement. But Miles is also keeping a few secrets of his own, which come to light near the end of the season and threaten to bring down everything he’s built.

    Ryan Hurst, 49, reunites with Kurt Sutter on The Abandons after being a series regular in the acclaimed Sons of Anarchy, where he played Opie Winston. Hurst also appeared in The Walking Dead and Outsiders, and portrayed Gerry Bertier in the popular film Remember the Titans. His other film work includes Saving Private Ryan and Patch Adams, and he is slated to appear in Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated adaptation of The Odyssey next year.

    Katelyn Wells as Samara Alderton

    Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle, Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason pointing a gun, and Katelyn Wells as Samara Alderton all standing in a dark barn in Episode 101 of The Abandons

    (Image credit: Netflix)

    Samara is Miles’s meek daughter, targeted by Garret Van Ness once Miles’s past is discovered. In the aftermath, she has to decide who she is loyal to.

    Katelyn Wells, 30, is best known for playing Silver on Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia. Before that, she appeared in Anne Without the E and The Bold Type.

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    Radhika Menon
    Radhika Menon
    Freelance Writer

    Radhika Menon is a freelance journalist, with a general focus on TV and film. Her cultural criticism, reporting, and commentary can be found on Vulture, ELLE, Teen Vogue, Bustle, and more. You can find her across all socials at @menonrad.

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