Get To Know: The Cast and Characters of Archive 81

When adapting a podcast to a full-fledged TV series, having an electric cast is the only thing that will help bring a story to life. Viewers need to connect with characters on an entirely different platform, transforming their imaginative storylines into real, visual ones. For Archive 81, the transition from popular fictional podcast to engrossing prestige series is one of monumental importance. Archive 81 centers on Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), a media archivist after he is tasked to restore a collection of videotapes recovered from an apartment building fire that occurred in 1994. Hired by a shadowy businessman, he soon begins to unravel a supernatural mystery many years in the making. So, who are the faces behind this riveting yet haunting story, now adapted for the screen? Ahead, we’ve mapped out all of the cast members of Archive 81 you will come to know — and hopefully love — while watching the series.

Mamoudou Athie as Dan Turner

Athie leads the cast of Archive 81 as Dan Turner, a traumatized media archivist who lost his family in a house fire. When he is hired to restore recovered VHS tapes documenting a 1994 apartment fire, the experience opens up old wounds. The Mauritania-born, Maryland-raised Athie made his debut in the much-praised 2016 comedy Jean of the Joneses and has since risen to prominence as one of Hollywood’s rising stars. Athie received recognition for his role as hip-hop legend Grandmaster Flash in The Get Down, as well as The Circle and Brie Larson’s feature directing debut The Unicorn Store. In 2018, he landed the lead role in Facebook Watch’s acclaimed series Sorry For Your Loss, alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Kelly Marie Tran. And if you love Athie’s performance in Archive 81, you can also catch him in next year’s production of Jurassic World: Dominion.

Dina Shihabi as Melody Pendras

Shihabi plays Melody Pendras, a young graduate student whose story unfolds in 1994. She’s recording an archeological documentary that’s secretly a front for her own personal search for answers about her past. Her story unexpectedly intertwines with Dan’s own attempts to confront his own tragic past. A Saudi Arabia native, Shihabi is quickly making an impact on American screens. She attended numerous schools in Dubai and, to pursue her passion for acting, she immigrated in 2007 to New York City, where she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 2011, Shihabi was the first Middle Eastern and Saudi Arabian woman to be accepted into the Juilliard and NYU acting programs, where she graduated with her MFA in 2014. Making her feature film debut in the 2014 romantic drama Amira & Sam, she quickly made a name for herself and, eventually, found herself cast in the immensely popular Netflix series Daredevil, where she played the role of Neda Kazemi. In 2018, Shihabi played the lead role in Amazon’s Jack Ryan reboot, and in 2020, she portrayed Dig 301 in the second season of Netflix’s Altered Carbon.  You can follow Shihabi on Instagram at @shihabidina and on Twitter @dinashihabi.

Matt McGorry as Mark Higgins 

McGorry plays Mark Higgins, Dan’s best friend and host of the Mystery Signals podcast. As Dan begins to spiral while restoring the mysterious videotapes, Mark becomes his confidante and his link to the outside world. The New York native was a personal trainer and writer before he became an actor. He made his TV debut in 2011 on ABC’s hit daytime soap opera One Life to Live, later making guest appearances in shows like Gossip Girl, Royal Pains and Elementary. But in 2013, he starred in the smash Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, launching his career and earning him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. The following year, he was cast in a leading role in How to Get Away with Murder, the ABC series in which he remained till the end of its run ended in 2020. Apart from acting, McGorry is known for using his social media platforms to learn and educate others on various social justice issues, including body positivity and racial equity.  You can follow Matt on Instagram @mattmcgorry and Twitter at @mattmcgorry.

Martin Donovan as Virgil Davenport 

Donovan plays Virgil Davenport, the enigmatic businessman who hires Dan to restore a collection of videotapes, shot by Melody, documenting a 1994 apartment building fire. His true motives are well hidden — secretive, even — to the point where Dan must conduct his restoration in a secluded location. Donovan has carved out a reputation for working in some of Hollywood’s most prestigious projects with some of the most talented directors in the industry. In 1983, he and his family moved to New York City where he appeared in numerous off-Broadway plays. With a background in theater, Donovan went on to star in the 2002 Christopher Nolan thriller Insomnia. From there, he received critical and commercial acclaim for his role on Weeds, earning him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2014, Donovan took a role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s seemingly impossible adaptation of Inherent Vice, inspired by the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name. Then, in 2019, he starred in Big Little Lies and reconnected with Christopher Nolan the following year to make Tenet.