For fans looking to find a comprehensive list of the cast and characters for the new horror film Exorcist: Believer from Universal, then this is the right place to be.
The latest Exorcist film is aiming to be a sequel to the original 1973 film The Exorcist, with the narrative avoiding the franchise’s previous entries entirely. This new installment, which comes in at 1 hour, 51 minutes and is Rated-R, stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, and Ellen Burstyn from the original film.
Previously, the film’s director, David Gordon Green, teased that “radical choices” were made for the upcoming film and that fans shouldn’t expect an abundance of “fan service” to be present.
Sadly, the reception to the film is not great. Believer is currently sitting at a 22% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Cast and Characters of ‘Exorcist: Believer’
Victor Fielding - Leslie Odom Jr.
Victor Fielding (played by Leslie Odom Jr.) is the main character of Exorcist: Believer and the father of Angela Fielding, who is one of the two young girls possessed.
Following the death of his wife and Angela’s subsequent birth, Victor becomes a very isolated man. The one thing that means the world to the photographer is his daughter.
In a press release for the movie, Odom Jr. explained how Victor “doesn’t connect too well to his community or his neighbors” and that “the events of this story challenge his worldview on a fundamental level:”
“Angela is everything to Victor, and he lives a very isolated life. He doesn’t connect too well to his community or to his neighbors, and he has put church and faith behind him. Instead, he puts everything he has into the protective relationship and world of his daughter. The events of this story challenge his worldview on a fundamental level. This isolated character becomes exposed to community, to other ways of looking at the world, and to other ways of providing freedom and expression to his daughter.”
The Victor actor is most well known for his role as Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical Hamilton and more recently starred in Netflix’s Glass Onion.
Ann - Ann Dowd
Ann Dowd's Ann is Victor Fielding’s next-door neighbor, and she works as a nurse at the local hospital.
While she is initially just an annoyance for Victor, Ann ends up becoming a valuable ally in the fight against the demonic entity possessing Angela and Katherine.
Talking about her character Ann Dowd revealed that secretly, Ann was originally posed “to serve the Lord and become a nun:”
“I don’t think Ann knew she had any of this in her… She’s a very private person who hasn’t sorted through her life’s early disappointment. She was ready to serve the Lord and become a nun, but that crashed due to her actions. I don’t know that she was able and willing to sit with forgiving herself or come to an understanding of what her faith means on a very personal level.”
Some of Ann Dowd’s previous work includes The Leftovers, The Handmaid's Tale, and Hereditary.
Chris MacNeil - Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as Chris MacNeil from the original 1973 movie The Exorcist.
After her daughter Regan’s exorcism, Chris eventually went on to write a book about the experience. While the book took off, Regan had a falling out with her mother due to its publication.
After reading about her, Victor Fielding tracks her down for some help in his daughter’s case.
Burstyn expressed in a press release for the horror film that she was very interested in exploring the “experiences that happened to [Chris MacNeil] in those 50 years:”
“Chris has had 50 years of living… And I thought, ‘Who has she become? What are the experiences that happened to her in those 50 years, and how does that affect the person she is now?’ That interested me creatively. We are, in any moment of time, the sum total of everything that has happened to us and how that has become part of our character. That was an interesting challenge to explore.”
Outside of the Exorcist franchise, Burstyn is known for roles in Requiem for a Dream, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and The Last Picture Show.
Miranda - Jennifer Nettles
Miranda, brought to life by Jennifer Nettles, is the mother of Katherine and wife to Tony. She is strong-willed and is the pillar of her town and church community. The character has an unshakeable faith in God that defines who she is.
After her daughter starts acting strange, she’s quick to think that something evil has found Katherine. It doesn’t take long for her to ask her church’s pastor for help.
Nettles revealed in a press release for the movie that “Miranda is the first one who calls this a possession:”
“Miranda is the first one who calls this a possession. She is also the only mother represented in the current story. To have that feeling of helplessness about her child—that no one’s going to believe me, and I have no idea how to help her—was emotionally intense.”
She previously played a sizeable role in the television series The Righteous Gemstones.
Tony - Norbert Leo Butz
Tony (played by Norbert Leo Butz) is the father of Katherine and wife to Miranda. Unlike his wife, he quickly finds his faith crumbling after his daughter is possessed.
A darker temptation eventually sets in as the characters fight for the souls of these children, which could have dire consequences.
Butz can be seen in other projects such as Justified: City Primeval, The Girl from Plainville, and Debris.
Tyler - Rory Gross
Rory Gross brings to life Believer's Tyler. Tyler is Katherine’s brother and only briefly appears in the movie.
Gross’ only other onscreen credit is for Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King in Paramount+.
Hannah - Norah Elin Murphy
Just like Tyler, Norah Elin Murphy's Hannah, Katherine’s sister, also doesn’t play a large role in the proceedings—but she is established as one of the family.
Murphy is also seen in Kindred and A Friend of the Family.
Angela Fielding - Lidya Jewett
Angela Fielding (portrayed by Lidya Jewett) is Victor’s daughter, and the two share a close relationship. Angela’s mother, Sorrene, died when she was born, so she’s never met her.
Hoping to change that, Angela and her best friend Katherine secretly take a trip out to the woods to try and communicate with Sorrene. Next thing they know, three days later, the girls are found shivering together in the corner of a barn.
While it’s not immediately apparent, that was the beginning of Angela’s possession.
In the film’s press release, Jewett talked about her experience in the role, noting that at times, “it felt natural” to embody the possession, mostly thanks to the “lighting” and “[the duo] being strapped to the chair:”
“When I was in the mirror practicing lines, it felt weird because I was just me. But when I had my demon makeup on, it just became the character. With our lighting and with us being strapped to the chair, it felt natural. I was embodying her—mentally, vocally, and physically. The makeup and the lighting did half the work. We didn’t have to be as creepy as we might have if we had no makeup on. The lighting and makeup from different angles made it scarier...without my saying anything.”
Prior to her time on Exorcist: Believer, Lidya Jewett played a major role in the now-canceled television series Good Girls as Sara Hill.
Katherine - Olivia O’Neill
Olivia O'Neill's Katherine is Angela’s best friend, whom she ends up possessed alongside after their trip into the woods doesn’t go as planned.
O’Neill shared in the film’s press release that she “wanted to make sure you could clearly see where these stages [of possession] were:”
“I had to know who Katherine was, who demon Katherine was, and everything in between… I wanted to make sure you could clearly see where these stages were but also blend them together when Katherine is possessed. My YouTube search history is full of weird, possessed videos...”
Exorcist: Believer is O’Neill’s first onscreen credit.
Pastor - Raphael Sbarge
The Pastor (played by Raphael Sbarge) leads Miranda and Tony’s church and joins the community in being excited for Katherine’s return after she mysteriously vanishes for three days.
However, after the child terrifies those in the church with an outburst, the pastor quickly becomes involved in Katherine’s spiraling situation.
Other projects that Sbarge can be seen in include Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Gaslit, The Rookie, and The Resident.
Father Maddox - E.J. Bonilla
E. J. Bonilla brings to life Father Maddox, a the man from the Catholic Church whom Ann goes to help perform an exorcist. It’s a big ask—and a task that he clearly has many doubts about pulling off.
Bonilla has also starred in The Old Man, Gemini Man, and Bull.
Stuart - Danny McCarthy
Stuart (played by Danny McCarthy) is a local friend of Victor Fielding who offers him some unconventional help—even if he has to cross some boundaries to do it.
Some of Danny McCathy’s work includes Blue Bloods, Chicago P.D., and Somebody Somewhere.
Sorrene - Tracey Grave
Sorrene is the late wife of Victor Fielding and the mother to his daughter, Angela. Portrayed by Tracey Grave, Sorrene sadly passes away after becoming trapped in an earthquake in Haiti.
Tracey Grave’s previous roles include parts in On Ten, Sebastian, Super Turnt, and LAndies.
Dr. Beehibe - Okwui Okpokwasili
Okwui Okpokwasili’s Dr. Beehibe is someone first brought in by Stuart to help Victor’s daughter, but Mr. Fielding isn’t very accepting of her ways at first. However, as the movie progresses, he opens up, and she lends her helpful hand.
Okpokwasili can be seen in Remote, Master, The Blacklist, and Madeline’s Madeline.
Exocist: Believe is now playing in theaters.
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