“What is this place? And why does everyone look like an Easter egg?”
It doesn’t take long for Sirens to lure you into its world of luxury. With its serene setting, overt glamour, and otherworldly accents, the limited series makes it easy to plunge right in and become enthralled. Amid the pretty pastels, there’s a cast of characters — who are just as colorful as the candy-colored hues they don daily — and not all of them are as sweet as they appear.
Starring Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell, Meghann Fahy as Devon DeWitt, Milly Alcock as Simone DeWitt, and Kevin Bacon as Peter Kell, Sirens is now streaming. “These actors are incredible,” Fahy tells Tudum of working alongside her fellow cast, which also includes Glenn Howerton, Felix Solis, Bill Camp, and Josh Segarra.
From showrunner Molly Smith Metzler (and based on her play Elemeno Pea, which she wrote during her time at the Juilliard School), the darkly comedic series is told over the course of one explosive weekend at the Kells’ lavish island estate. Sirens follows Devon as she struggles to reconnect with her sister and navigate uber-wealthy waters, all the while trying to figure out what is so irresistible about this world and who on the island really holds the power.
Read on to learn all about the series’ cast of characters and be sure to keep a clear head as you dive into Sirens.
Michaela is a philanthropist, animal activist, and grande dame of island high society. She has a close (some would say too close) relationship with her assistant, Simone (Milly Alcock).
Showrunner Smith Metzler still can’t quite believe that Moore ended up playing Michaela. “I think if we go back through my journals from when I was at Juilliard writing this play, I’m sure I dreamt of her playing Michaela then,” she tells Tudum.
She adds that it’s Moore’s empathetic nature that really sells Michaela as this goddess-like character. “It’s easy to understand why a whole community would want to be with her,” says Metzler. “She’s just so knowing as a human and as a performer.”
And the actor’s seemingly effortless glamour doesn’t hurt either. “She’s just the dream for this role because she does feel ethereal — she is from another kingdom.”
May December; Still Alice; Crazy, Stupid, Love
Michaela’s husband Peter Kell comes from old money and is the highest-status person in every room he enters. He is a successful businessman, avid outdoorsmen — and devoted pothead.
The character of Peter didn’t appear in Smith Metzler’s play on which the series is based, but the audience does hear about him. “You feel his presence, but you don’t meet him,” says the showrunner.
That meant that Peter was mostly created for the limited series, and when Bacon signed on, Smith Metzler was still writing the show so, she says, he “helped shape that character in really significant ways. He’s such an intelligent guy, and his questions about Peter really informed the writing.”
While Peter is the richest and therefore potentially the most powerful player in Sirens, it was Bacon’s down-to-earth nature that made him ideal for the role. “One of the most winning things about Kevin is that he has this quality that you could believe his family is all fishermen — he’s a guy next door,” says Smith Metzler. “He brought such warmth and compassion to Peter. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Peter because Kevin has such genuine humanity. And when his heart is broken about his family, it really, really felt true that this was a man who would genuinely suffer without being in touch with his children.”
For Smith Metzler, there was just one occupational hazard of having Bacon on set: “You just start singing ‘Footloose.’ ”
Leave the World Behind, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, MaXXXine
Devon is on a downward spiral back in Buffalo, New York, where she’s stuck caring for her ailing father in her childhood home. She is funny, resilient, and fiercely protective — especially of her younger sister Simone — but she’s sick of talking to Simone’s voicemail.
“There was something about the spirit of the character that I really connected to,” Fahy tells Tudum. “Because I had played so much of the glamorous, sort of opposite of [Devon], I was really nervous that nobody would want to see me doing it or would want to let me try. So it was really, really exciting to get to step into that space with Devon.”
Fahy adds that Devon is someone who doesn’t see herself clearly or “with a very kind eye,” and she particularly loved that the character doesn’t realize how “loving and generous with her spirit” she is.
Considering the mix of dark comedy and more serious themes in the series, and in particular with regard to Devon’s character, Smith Metzler knew casting the role would be tricky. “She’s the metronome of the show,” says the creator. “She sets the pace, and especially the comedy.” But when Smith Metzler met Fahy, it was as simple as, “Oh, it’s Meghann.”
So is Devon the hero, the antihero, or the martyr of the story? “I think she’s probably a little bit of [all three],” says Fahy. “I think they all are. And not to quote Meredith Brooks, the song ‘Bitch,’ but, ‘I'm a little bit of everything all rolled into one.’ ”
The Perfect Couple, The White Lotus, The Bold Type
Simone is Devon’s polished, Ivy-educated younger sister who has dropped out of law school to become the live-in personal assistant to Michaela Kell.
Smith Metzler says that when Alcock came in to read for the role, everyone was immediately enthralled by her. “She’s just incandescent,” says the showrunner. “And she has a ferocity that’s really important for Simone because Simone’s slippery, and Milly just got her. We fell in love with her and offered it to her immediately, and that was really easy.”
Simone may be prim and polished when we come to meet her on the island, but Devon’s little sister hasn’t always been so put-together. “She’s running desperately away from who she is,” says Fahy of Alcock’s character. “And we watch [her become] who she really wants to be seen as being.”
House of the Dragon, Pine Gap, the upcoming Superman
Bruce is Simone and Devon’s father, and a former Navy man and Buffalo, New York, native. He’s struggling with early-onset dementia, and caring for him is taking a huge toll on Devon.
Camp says that at this point in his life, Bruce’s goal is “to have as much contact as he can with his daughters so he can remember them.”
That meant Camp and Fahy got to share multiple scenes — much to Fahy’s delight. “I’ve been obsessed with Bill Camp for forever,” she tells Tudum.
When it came to preparing for the role, in addition to doing some research, Camp says he “spent a little bit of time with a couple of people in a similar state of evolution of where Bruce is at, but other than that I just trust my instincts and have fun and use my own life experience.”
Camp also credits the costume department for really helping him embody Bruce. In particular, he points to the bag Bruce carries as a crucial prop. “It was so important for Bruce to have that bag because of what it meant to him,” he says. “The clothes I was wearing allowed me a certain freedom because every time I put them on, I was Bruce. It starts with the feet. If you look very closely at my shoes, there's something going on with my shoes. And that was essential.”
Ethan Corbin III is a neighbor and dear friend of the Kells. He is an unrepentant playboy and Simone’s secret boyfriend — and he owns a blazer embroidered with duckies.
“It’s so great to be able to actually physically put on that costume before you go to shoot,” Howerton tells Tudum. “Because as you’re putting it on, you feel yourself becoming that guy.”
Howerton adds that while Ethan is a little out of touch, he’s not a bad guy at his core. “He has such a limited view of the world that I think he needs this massive wake-up call in order to possibly get in touch with who he really is and what he really wants.”
Blackberry, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, A.P. Bio
Raymond is Devon’s on-and-off toxic boyfriend, who just so happens to be married. He is the proud manager of a falafel restaurant franchise in Buffalo.
Abbott Elementary, The Other Two, The Following (starring Kevin Bacon)
Jordan is the captain of Ethan’s yacht. All the society ladies have a crush on him, and it’s easy to see why.
The Equalizer, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, FBI
Jose has been head of security at the Cliff House for nearly two decades and is Peter Kell’s right-hand man. He has his finger on the pulse of all things happening at the Kell’s home, sees everything that goes on, and knows more than some of the others around him. He walks a fine line of being the staff caretaker and enforcer.
“Jose has two looks,” says Solis. “He has his work look and then he has his work look. [As an actor] you work from the shoes up, you work from whatever's tactile on you. If you're wearing something that's very work-oriented then you put yourself in that place. So it was easy for me to show up and go, ‘Oh I'm that version of Jose today, or I'm the other version of Jose today.”
When it comes to Jose’s relationship with Peter, Solis explains that Jose feels a debt of gratitude towards his boss, because he has really provided for him and his family. Simply put, “his desire is to serve the man who has been kind to him.”
The Recruit, Ozark, One Day at a Time
Missy is the seasonal housekeeper for the Kells, and the curator of the staff’s snarky text chain.
The Umbrella Academy, Long Bright River, Dead Ringers
Patrice is the tough personal chef to the Kell family. She makes the most beautiful smoothies that no one ever drinks.
Hacks, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Special
Partial to a pastel palette, Cloe is a follower, ahem, friend of Michaela’s. She’s part of Michaela’s Folger Glen Wildlife Preservation Society (a fundraising juggernaut!) and is rarely seen without Lisa and Astrid, who are also friends of Michaela. In that trio, she’s the mean girl.
Dead Boy Detectives, Claws, Justified
Another friend of Michaela’s, Lisa has never met a floral pattern she didn’t like. She’s also a member of the Folger Glen Wildlife Preservation Society and moves in a pack with Cloe and Astrid. Lisa is the zealot.
Gypsy, Julia, Fellow Travelers
Not as bright as her clothing, Astrid is part of the Folger Glen Wildlife Preservation Society and in a trio with Cloe and Lisa. She’s the ditz of the group.
Sunny Side Up, FBI: Most Wanted, Tell Me a Story
Devon bumps into Lily-Rose when she takes an unexpected trip to the island’s jail. They bond, and Lily-Rose braids Devon’s hair while filling her in on her theories about Kiki’s (Moore) supposed cult. Lily-Rose thinks Devon’s name is Kevin.
The Lovebirds, Only Murders in the Building, Search Party
