Deep Cover Cast & Character Guide

Deep Cover features a great cast of versatile stars that bring a level of comedy and danger to the film. Helmed by frequent Ghosts director Tom Kinglsey, Deep Cover is a hilarious riff on the crime thriller genre that focuses on a trio of amateur actors who find themselves stuck in the London underworld. When improv teacher Kat and her students Marlon and Hugh are approached by the police about taking part in a sting operation, they see a chance to put their acting skills to the test.

However, it turns out the trio are better than they could have expected, as they quickly find themselves diving further and further into a world of ruthless killers and brutal criminals. Deep Cover is one of the most quietly exciting comedies of the summer. It has a fun premise and a committed cast that brings the necessary stakes (and laughs) to the action. Here are the stars of Deep Cover, where you’ve seen them before, and how they fit into the crime thriller/comedy.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Kat

Born March 2, 1981

Active Since: 1989

Actor: The daughter of Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard was born in Los Angeles and got her start as a child actor before becoming a leading actress in films like Deep Cover. Howard’s breakout role performance came with M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. Howard has appeared in a number of award-nominated films like As You Like It and The Help, as well as blockbuster franchises like Spider-Man, Twilight, and the Jurassic World trilogy. Howard has also established herself as a director, helming episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, as well as documentaries like Dads.

Character: Kat is a comedy actor living in London who feels like her big break has passed her by and can’t seem to shake herself out of a rut compared to her succesful friends. Getting by as an improv teacher, Kat decides to take the police sting job from Billings for the easy cash. However, the chaos that quickly ensues proves to be the perfect chance for Kat to break out of her rut and put her dormant acting skills to the ultimate test.

Orlando Bloom as Marlon

Born January 13, 1977

Active Since: 1994

Actor: Born in Canterbury, Kent in England, Orlando Bloom made his debut in Casualty and found his breakout role as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The success of that movie elevated Orlando Bloom to stardom, with the actor taking lead roles in fantasy adventures and historical epics like the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Troy, and Kingdom of Heaven. On top of his acting work, Bloom has become prolific in his humanitarian work. In recent years, Bloom headlined the Prime Video series Carnival Row and earned accolades for his performance in films like The Outpost.

Character: Marlon is one of the students training under Kat. A self-styled method actor who throws himself into any role with the vigor of an award-winning thespian even as he can only find work flipping signs in public, Marlon quickly overcommits to the mission. However, his big performances prove to be a very useful tool in the group’s dynamic, especially as they find themselves deeper and deeper into the London criminal scene.

Nick Mohammed as Hugh

Born October 4, 1980

Active Since: 2006

Actor: Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England, Nick Mohammed made his comedy debut in 2006. He appeared in several BBC comedies before his BBC Radio debut Quarters elevated his career in Britain. After appearing in several films and shows (including voicing Piglet in the 2018 film Christopher Robin and starring alongside Friends alum David Schwimmer in Intelligence), Mohammed came to huge international attention for his performance as Nate Shelley in Ted Lasso.

Character: Hugh is the third improviser recruited into the sting operation and the least experienced of the actors at the heart of the film. A shy IT worker in London, Hugh takes on Kat’s improv class as a means of improving his confidence. His lack of acting skills and improv abilities causes plenty of problems for the trio, but he also showcases a commitment that increasingly impresses his companions.

Sean Bean as Billings

Born April 17, 1959

Active Since: 1983

Actor: Born in the Handsworth suburb of Sheffield in England, Sean Bean became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in several theatrical roles before making his film debut in Caravaggio opposite Tilda Swinton. Bean rose to prominence in Britain thanks to projects like the ITV series Sharpe and came to international fame after his villainous role in the Harrison Ford film Patriot Games. Bean has appeared in some of the biggest franchises in entertainment, delivering memorable performances in major TV shows like Game of Thrones and blockbuster films like GoldenEye and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Character: Billings is the detective who sets off the plot of Deep Cover. Desperate to bring down the local criminal organizations, Billings resorts to using improv comedians to make their way into the criminal underworld. Impressed by Kat and her class, Billings recruits and serves as the trio’s support system. He’s pleasantly surprised (and outright shocked) by the success of the trio that he finds thanks to Kat, who get in deeper and more in a matter of days than he and the police have done in years of undercover operations.

Deep Cover’s Supporting Cast & Characters

Deep Cover Has Some Truly Great Actors Filling Out The Supporting Cast

Deep Cover boasts a strong supporting cast, who add some menace and heighten the stakes of the film. Paddy Considine (The World’s End) appears as Fly, a low-level crime boss that the trio of improv comics work with in their criminal “identities.” Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina) appears as Shosh, Fly’s associate who develops a fondness for Hugh. Ian McShane (From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) appears as Metcalfe, a lethal and frightening crimelord who Fly answers to.

The comedy duo Ben Ashenden and Alexander Own (The Pin) appear as Dawes and Beverley, a pair of police officers unaware of the trio’s three true identities and complicate the situation. The film also features Omid Djalili (His Dark Materials) and Nneka Okoye (Halo) in other wildcard roles. All of these supporting characters, even the more heroic ones, bring a level of danger to the plot as the trio of improv actors struggle not to break character. Deep Cover is a great action comedy that benefits from the deep bench of versatile actors who bring the story to life.

Deep Cover

Release Date

June 12, 2025

Runtime

100 Minutes