Liza is a fictional character placed at the center of the Pain Hustlers scam, a single mom who takes a job at Zanna Therapeutics to help pay for her daughter’s medical condition. Swept up in the dangerous allure of the company, Liza helps them make millions — before it all comes crashing down. 

“Her superpower is that she understands people, and she’s a bit of a dreamer,” Yates said. “She’s also hugely ambitious, and what she’s really looking for, ultimately, I think, is validation and acceptance.”

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Pete Brenner is the slimy marketing executive who brings Liza onboard at Zanna and reaps the rewards of her canny sales techniques. Pete is happy to bend the rules to make a quick buck — an attitude that could cost him dearly. 

“Everything in Pete’s life is transactional,” Yates told Netflix. “It’s all about the sale. He doesn’t really have any deep connections with anyone beyond that notion of hitting the right numbers. So there’s a superficiality to him, but equally there’s a vulnerability to him. He’s also very entertaining because he’s completely unfiltered — loud, brash, profane.”

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Dr. Jack Neel is the eccentric founder of Zanna and the creator of its increasingly popular drug Lonafen. Ostensibly driven by the death of his wife, Neel cloaks his greed with altruism. 

“Andy wouldn’t leave the set,” Yates said of veteran performer Garcia. “We would finish work with him, say at two in the afternoon, and normally an actor can’t wait to get away and prepare for the next day, but Andy would go get changed and then come sit by the monitor, and we’d watch the scenes together of the other actors, and we’d chat about filmmaking and talk about life. He was lovely to have around.” 

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Jackie Drake is Liza’s equally money-hungry mother, who soon joins the Zanna sales team and causes several problems for her daughter — not the least of which is an ill-advised flirtation with Dr. Jack. 

“Catherine is a gifted comedienne, as well as a terrific actor,” Yates said. “There was one moment where she walks out at the big party scene, in front of Andy Garcia, and the way she moves is simply Chaplinesque. Given the tone of the movie and the fact that we didn’t want it to be too serious, Catherine was a perfect addition to the cast.”

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Dr. Lydell is the first of the many doctors that Liza convinces to prescribe Lonafen. Soon, he’s wrapped up in Zanna’s paid-speaker program, and business is booming — until trouble comes knocking.  

“Dr. Lydell is quite sleazy and unpleasant, clearly morally askew,” Yates told Netflix. “But Brian brings a quirky vulnerability and softness to the man, which makes him into a fully rounded human being. He’s breaking the law and killing people by overprescribing, but at the same time he’s desperately needy and looking for love.”

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Phoebe is Liza’s daughter, whose struggle with a seizure-inducing brain condition prompts her mom to do whatever it takes to reverse her precarious financial condition. When Liza’s work at Zanna starts to pay off, Phoebe is thrilled.

“It was great to have Chloe with us,” Yates said. “She’s a terrifically authentic actor, you rarely see the acting. It’s all about just being. She also did her research on the medical condition that Phoebe is dealing with, to ensure that aspect of the story felt as real as possible, and helped us with a fab Spotify playlist — not just as inspiration for Phoebe’s character but for the world of Pain Hustlers in general.”

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Larkin is the vice president of marketing at Zanna and Brenner’s sworn rival. He’s as slimy as Brenner but has no patience for his counterpart’s showboating.

“Jay had a lot of good ideas that he brought into play,” Yates said of Duplass. “[He] helped design his own office and had a lot of fun with [costume designer] Colleen Atwood in selecting costumes, digging into the world of Florida pharma reps. He’s a delightfully toxic office lieutenant.”

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