HBO Max's Love & Death will adapt a shocking true story while also featuring an all-star cast.
The upcoming series will cover the story of how real-life ax murderer Candy Montgomery killed schoolteacher Betty Gore on June 13, 1980.
Similar to the usual true crime stories, Love & Death will serve as a character study of Candy Montgomery, revealing how and why the housewife decided to kill for love.
Who Are the Cast of HBO’s Love & Death?
1.) Elizabeth Olsen - Candy Montgomery
Elizabeth Olsen, who is famously known as the MCU's Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch, will be pushed to the forefront in a different and surprising role in Love & Death.
Olsen will portray Candace "Candy" Montgomery, an ordinary housewife from Wylie, Texas who murdered middle school teacher Betty Gore. Candy had an affair with Betty's husband, Allan.
During the trial, Candy's legal team didn't seek to deny she had killed Betty. Instead, they contended she had done the deed due to self-defense and should therefore be found not guilty of murder. Love & Death is expected to do a deep dive into Betty's journey and the trial and murder that shocked the world.
2.) Jesse Plemons - Allan Gore
Jesse Plemons (Netflix's The Power of Dog) will portray Allan Gore, the husband of Betty and the one who had an extramarital affair with Candy. In the January 1984 edition of Texas Monthly magazine, Allan is described as a churchgoing man with a sense of humor.
Allan and Candy first met during a church volleyball game, which was followed by weeks of flirtation. After engaging in some back and forth about a potential affair, via Texas Monthly, the pair decided to have an affair on December 12, 1978 (yes, there is an actual date).
Candy and Allan were engaged in an affair for a few months. However, the birth of Allan and Betty's second child made the former tell Candy to distance himself from the affair and work on his marriage.
3.) Patrick Fugit - Pat Montgomery
Patrick Fugit will portray Pat Montgomery, an electrical engineer and the husband of Olsen's Candy.
According to Texas Monthly, Pat and Candy's marriage was described as "comfortable," with Pat making a good salary at a technology company named Texas Instruments. However, Candy admitted that her life was boring due to Pat's job being routine, leading to her affair with Allan.
4.) Lily Rabe - Betty Gore
Lilly Rabe (American Horror Story) is set to play Betty Gore, the middle school teacher who befriends Candy and the wife of Allan. Betty's close friendship with Candy led her to eventually meet Allan, culminating in their extramarital affair.
While Allan was away on a business trip, Betty was brutally murdered by Candy, striking her with an axe 41 times. She died on June 13, 1980.
Candy later claimed that she did what she had to do due to self-defense.
5.) Kira Pozehl - Elaine Williams
Kira Pozehl will play Elaine Williams in Love & Death. It is unknown what her exact role will be, but it's possible that she is one of either Betty or Allan's neighbors who could be aware of their affair.
6.) Harper Heath - Alisa Gore
Harper Heath plays Alisa Gore, the eldest daughter of Allan and Betty.
According to Oxygen's program Snapped, Candy told authorities that Alisa stayed at her house overnight and that she had seen Betty in the morning to retrieve her swimsuit ahead of a swimming lesson.
Upon her arrival to get the swimsuit, Betty confronted Candy about her affair with Allan. Out of rage, Betty took an axe, leading to a clash that led to her demise. Betty's death left Alisa's sister, one-year-old Bethany, all by herself in her crib.
After Betty's death, Allan lost custody of the children. As a result, Alisa and Bethany were raised by Betty's parents in Norwich, Kansas.
7.) Keir Gilchrist - Ron Adams
Keir Gilchrist plays Pastor Ron Adams in Love & Death. The character will serve as the pastor of the Methodist Church of Lucas, the place where Betty and Candy first met.
8.) Elizabeth Marvel - Jackie Ponder
Elizabeth Marvel plays Pastor Jackie Ponder (via Deadline), one of the pastors in the Methodist Church of Lucas. The actress joins Keir Gilchrist's Pastor Ron Adams in the stellar cast.
9.) Tom Pelphrey - Don Crowder
Tom Pelphrey will portray Don Crowder, Candy Montgomery's attorney in the trial for the murder of Betty Gore.
In the official trailer of the series, Crowder can be seen telling Candy that "the jury needs to see [her] as a human," indicating that Love & Death will show how he will go all-out in defending his client in court.
10.) Krysten Ritter - Sherry Cleckler
Krysten Ritter plays Sherry Cleckler, Candy Montgomery's business partner and closest friend. Sherry and Candy reportedly discussed almost everything about their lives, most notably the latter's affair with Allan Gore.
According to Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, Sherry revealed why Candy and Allan parted ways, implying that she knew everything about her friend's extramarital affairs.
Love & Death's trailer actually proved that this is the case since Ritter's character can be seen giving advice to Elizabeth Olsen's Candy.
11.) Beth Broderick - Bertha Pomeroy
Beth Broderick plays Bertha Pomeroy, Betty Gore's mother. After Betty's death, she took custody of her kids and raised them alongside her husband.
Broderick's past roles include Psycho Beach Party and Echoes of War.
12.) Richard C. Jones - Tom Cleckler
Richard C. Jones plays Tom Cleckler, the husband of Krysten Ritter's Sherry. Jones is known for playing roles in 2016's The Vessel and 2014's Hellion.
13.) Aaron Jay Rome - Richard Garlington
Aaron Jay Rome's Richard Garlington is one of the friends of Allan Gore from the Methodist Church of Lucas. The actor is known for portraying characters in The Vampire Diaries and Reservation Dogs.
14.) Fabiola Andújar - Mary Adams
Puerto Rican actress Fabiola Andújar portrays Mary Adams, one of Candy's friends from the Methodist Church of Lucas. Andújar is known for Walker and The Chosen.
15.) Brian d’Arcy James - Fred Fason
Brian d'Arcy James' Fred Fason had a major role in the trial for Betty's murder, considering that the character conducted a hypnosis session to find out the truth behind Candy's claims.
d'Arcy James previously portrayed Andy Baker in 13 Reasons Why and Matt Carroll in Spotlight.
16.) Olivia Applegate - Carol Crowder
Olivia Applegate portrays Carol Crowder, the wife of attorney Don Crowder in Love & Death. It's possible that she could serve as the moral ground for her husband when it comes to admitting that Candy did kill Betty in cold blood.
Applegate's previous credits include Euphoria and Song to Song.
17.) Mackenzie Astin - Tom O’Connell
Mackenzie Astin plays District Attorney Tom O'Connell. In the trial, he stands against Candy and attorney Don Crowder, with him even telling the accused that she could've fled the crime scene instead of choosing murder as a solution.
Astin is best known for playing Gil Bingham in Netflix's You.
18.) Adam Cropper - Robert Udashen
Adam Cropper plays defense attorney Robert Udashen who joins Don Crowder in defending Candy Montgomery in the trial of Betty Gore's murder.
Cropper previously appeared in Tenet and Good Girls.
19.) Bruce McGill - Tom Ryan
Bruce McGill plays district judge Tom Ryan, who presides in the much-talked-about trial of Betty Gore's murder. In Love & Death's trailer, he tells Candy directly that he thinks that she killed Betty.
McGill's past credits include The Insider, Collateral, Lincoln, and Ride Along.
20.) Drew Waters - Jerry McMahan
Drew Waters portrays Jerry McMahan, a neighbor of Allan Gore who works as an analyst. He is one of the neighbors who investigated why Betty was unreachable, leading to him finding out that Allan's wife was already dead.
Waters previously portrayed Wade Aikmen in Friday Night Lights.
21.) Sunday Dangerstone - Tina Grant
Young actress Sunday Dangerstone portrays Tina Grant. In Love & Death's trailer, the character can be seen ringing the doorbell in, presumably, Betty's home.
It's possible that she is one of Alisa Gore's playmates, and she could be instrumental in finding out why Betty was unreachable which ultimately led to the investigation.
22.) Amelie Dallimore - Jenny Montgomery
Amelie Dallimore portrays Jenny Montgomery, the youngest daughter of Pat and Candy. Not much is known about what happened to Candy's kids after the trial, but Daily Mail reported that Montgomery and her kids relocated to Georgia.
23.) Bonnie Gayle Sparks - Jo Ann Garlington
Bonnie Gayle Sparks plays Jo Ann Garlington, a member of the church choir and the leadership board at the Methodist Church of Lucas. Sparks, via wanetah, described her character as "sassy" and "opinionated."
24.) Sara Burke - Barbara Green
Sara Burke plays Barbara Green. It remains to be seen how she fits in Love & Death's story, but IMDb noted that she will appear in five episodes, indicating that she has a significant role in the series.
Similar to Jo Ann Garlington, there's a chance that she could also be one of Candy's church friends.
25.) Jennie Page - Betty Huffhines
Jennie Page plays Betty Huffhines in Love & Death. In the trailer, the character can be seen looking over the window of her house, indicating that she Betty Gore's neighbor.
Love & Death premieres on HBO Max on Thursday, April 27.
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