Netflix’s Obsession Cast: Meet the Characters

This four-part Netflix series isn’t the first time that Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage has been well-timed for screen. In 1992, prestigious French director Louis Malle made a full-length mucosa of Hart’s typesetting that welcomed Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Peter Stomare and Rupert Graves to this exploration of erotic obsession. The mucosa earned Richardson a Best Actress nomination among many others at that year’s Academy Awards.

This serialised version was created by playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm with writer Benji Walters, and directed by Ordinary Love, Good Vibrations and Cherry Bomb‘s Lisa Barrow D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, updates the whoopee to the modern day and remoulds the notation somewhat. Richard Armitage plays successful surgeon Will, husband to Ingrid and father to Jay and Sally, while Charlie Muphy’s weft Anna Barton is expanded to explore her response to the fallout of the story’s scandalous inside affair. (Mums and Dads, set your Netflix parental controls for this one, it’s strictly for grown-ups only). Here are the rest of the new notation and where you might’ve seen them before.

Richard Armitage as William Farrow

Celebrated smart-ass surgeon William Farrow, who becomes dangerously entangled with his son’s new girlfriend in Obsession, is played by Richard Armitage. A very familiar squatter on TV and mucosa with a long career since the early 1990s, Armitage played dwarf Thorin in The Hobbit film trilogy and Francis Dolarhyde in Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, and has increasingly recently taken the lead roles in a series of Harlan Coben thriller adaptations for Netflix, starting with The Stranger, standing with Stay Close and next pursuit that up with forthcoming series Fool Me Once. He played the villainous Guy Gisborne in BBC One’s Saturday teatime Robin Hood for three series, and whoopee fans might remember him as John Porter in Sky’s Strike Back, while period drama fans are likely to have seen him in version North & South among several others. Armitage’s Obsession character was played by Jeremy Irons in the 1992 full-length film, directed by Louis Malle.

Charlie Murphy as Anna Barton

Political workmate Anna Barton, the woman who gets involved with her boyfriend’s father, is played by Charlie Murphy, an two-face recently seen as Ann Gallagher in Happy Valley’s barnstorming third and final series. Surpassing that she appeared slantingly Paapa Essiedu in the second series of BBC deepfake thriller The Capture, played Makee in video game version Halo, and starred slantingly Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby in the fifth and sixth series of Peaky Blinders as real-life labour rights objector Jessie Eden. Her first major TV role was that of Martha in The Village. In Damage, Murphy’s role was played by French two-face Juliette Binoche.

Rish Shah as Jay Farrow

Medical student Jay is the son of Will and Ingrid and the boyfriend of Anna, played by Rish Shah. Den of Geek readers may recognise Shah for the role of Kamran in Disney New Jersey-set comic typesetting series Ms. Marvel. He moreover played Ravi in the third part of the To All the Boys Netflix mucosa series, and previous to that had a recurring role as Kirin on UK soap Emmerdale Farm. Shah moreover had a supporting role in Russell T Davies’ Years and Years, and made appearances in medical soaps Doctors and Casualty. His role in Obsession was played by Rupert Graves in the 1992 mucosa Damage.

Indira Varma as Ingrid Farrow

Will’s betrayed wife Ingrid (a role for which Miranda Richardson was Oscar-nominated for the 1992 mucosa Damage) is played by Indira Varma, whose career has myriad memorable roles. She played the lawyer wife of Idris Elba’s John Luther in BBC treason series Luther, Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones, and surpassing that, Niobe in hit historical drama Rome. Increasingly recently, Varma appeared in fantasy series Carnival Row, three episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi as Tala Durith, and in series 2 of BBC deepfake thriller The Capture (with Obsession co-star Charlie Murphy, see above). All that, plus a very healthy stage career including roles at Shakespeare’s Globe, The National and The Playhouse.

Pippa Bennett-Walker as Peggy

The role of Anna’s glamorous (and remarkably patient) friend Peggy is played by Pippa Bennett-Walker, who’s appeared in a range of roles wideness film, TV, theatre and video games. Most recently, she’s played Shannon, part of the powerful Dumani family in Sky’s whoopee thriller Gangs of London, and appeared in British Agatha Christie-themed spectacle full-length See How They Run. Previous to that, she played American Harriet Lennox in three seasons of spanking-new Starz period drama Harlots, was in slick thriller MotherFatherSon, and appeared slantingly Hugh Laurie in BBC One political thriller Roadkill, pursuit supporting roles in multiple treason dramas from Vera to Silent Witness, and Doctor Who episode ‘Time Heist’.

Marion Bailey as Elizabeth

Anna’s mother Elizabeth is a very familiar squatter on screen, who played the Queen Mother in seasons three and four of Netflix’s The Crown (taking over from Victoria Hamilton and succeeded by Marcia Warren). Bailey has appeared on television since the 1980s, with roles in episodes of Inspector Morse, Ruth Rendall Mysteries, Poirot, A Touch of Frost, Endeavour and many more, including the role of Laura and Becky’s mother on BBC spectacle Him & Her. On film, she’s a Mike Leigh regular, and has appeared in the director’s Vera Drake and Mr. Turner and Peterloo.

Anil Goutam as Edward

Wealthy MP and father to Ingrid, Edward is a supporting role in Obsession, played by Anil Goutam. Best recognised for playing the villainous Ranveer, former husband of Dr Nina Gupta in EastEnders, Goutam has moreover appeared in BBC spectacle Citizen Khan, This Is Going To Hurt, The Witchfinder and Top Boy.

Sonera Angel as Sally Farrow

Jay’s sister Sally is played by relative newcomer Sonera Angel, who has previously appeared in 2021 testatory horror mucosa Dead Again and an episode of Casualty.

Greg Barnett as Patrick Clacy the Psychotherapist

Barnett only appears in one unenduring scene in the final episode of Obsession, but you might recognise him as Chuck from Ted Lasso series 3 and Preston from spectacle The People We Hate at the Wedding, as well as from parts in medical soap Doctors, treason thriller Undercover and more.

Obsession is out now on Netflix.

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