Captain Walker is the most senior officer in the White House Situation Room, responsible for overseeing Watch Floor duty officers.

Ferguson was thrilled to work with Bigelow. “The fact that Kathryn Bigelow wanted me to play a role in a film, that was enough for me,” she tells Tudum Magazine. “The roles that I had done thus far, they’ve all been characters. And what I haven’t done is to just be a normal human being.”

Ferguson played rogue MI6 agent Ilsa Faust in three Mission: Impossible films: Rogue Nation, Fallout, and Dead Reckoning. She also took on the role of Lady Jessica in Denis Villeneuve’s multi-part Dune adaptation. Elsewhere, she can be seen in Silo, The White Queen, The Greatest Showman, Doctor Sleep, The Girl on the Train, and more. She’ll next be seen in the upcoming Peaky Blinders film.

Major Gonzalez is the military officer in charge of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion in Fort Greely, Alaska — the facility responsible for launching Ground Based Interceptors that can take out an incoming missile.

Ramos recalls working with the real-life team that does the job depicted in the film. “We worked with these STRATCOM teams and later, once we’d shown them the finished film, when they saw our scene, one of them got emotional,” Ramos tells Netflix. “They haven’t been in a position where this has happened, but they said that it has come close a few times.”

Ramos rose to fame on Broadway when he originated the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s titanic hit Hamilton. He’s gone on to star in films including In the Heights, A Star Is Born, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Dumb Money, and Twisters, and television series including Ironheart, Blindspotting, and She’s Gotta Have It.

Admiral Miller is a White House official responsible for communication between the Situation Room and the president himself. 

Clarke sees Bigelow as an invaluable guide through the often tempestuous waters of the military-industrial complex. The director “takes the conspiracy and the mystique around these worlds, and she shows us just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances having to carry out their jobs,” he tells Netflix. “It’s not supermen or superheroes — they've got wives and kids and lovers and problems, and that’s the reality of it. Nobody is coming to save us. There is just us.”

While he hails from Australia, Clarke is no stranger to Washington: He’s starred in DC-set films including Oppenheimer, White House Down, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and Bigelow’s own Zero Dark Thirty. He’s also appeared in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, First Man, The Great Gatsby, Mudbound, and Public Enemies, and in series including Winning Time, Brotherhood, and Catherine the Great.

Petty Officer Davis is Captain Walker’s right-hand man in the White House Situation Room — and a confidant when things start to go south. 

This is Beasley’s feature film debut. He’ll next be seen opposite Jamie Foxx in boxing drama Fight for ’84.  

Rogers is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official in charge of coordinating a possible evacuation from Washington, DC. It’s a crucial element of disaster response that could help ensure continuity of government.

Ingram was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in The Queen’s Gambit. She’s also starred in films including The Tragedy of Macbeth, Ambulance, and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, and television series including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady in the Lake. 

Jansing is a CNN reporter working out of the White House Briefing Room during the incident. 

Fitzgerald starred on MTV’s Scream television show as final girl Emma Duval. Other roles include The Goldfinch, Regretting You, Strange Darling, Alpha House, Reacher, Pulse, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Jake Baerington is the second most senior staff member on the National Security Council; when the National Security Advisor is out of commission, he stands in as the president’s principal advisor on national security. 

“Jake is just checking into work when he’s thrust into a position he wasn’t expecting,” Basso tells Netflix. “He’s running interference for all these different three-letter agencies that are putting all this pressure on him and demanding answers. It’s about power structures and how terrifying it is now to be on the receiving end of government empires with zero accountability.”

As a teenager, Basso starred in J.J. Abrams’ science-fiction thriller Super 8 and played a recurring role on The Big C opposite Laura Linney. But he’s perhaps best known for his performance as FBI agent Peter Sutherland on hit Netflix series The Night Agent. Basso has also appeared in films including Hillbilly Elegy, The Kings of Summer, Juror #2, The Strangers: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, and The Whole Truth.

General Brady is the senior military officer in charge of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the Department of Defense combatant command that oversees the command and control of US strategic forces, including nuclear and missile defense operations.

Letts had some help with his role from a few on-set experts. “I had real STRATCOM guys with me on set, and I could rely on them for their expertise,” he tells Netflix. “It helps to play a general, because you can do anything. They impressed that upon me — you are not answerable to anybody, you set your own course.”

Letts is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter as well as an actor, having written plays including August: Osage County, Killer Joe, and Bug. As an actor, he’s appeared in films including The Lovers, Lady Bird, Little Women, Ford v Ferrari, and Deep Water, and television series including Homeland, Divorce, and Winning Time. 

Park is the National Security Advisor’s North Korea expert; she’s called in on her day off to provide context on the unattributed missile launch. 

Lee has nothing but positive things to say about working with Bigelow. “It all felt very guerrilla and I was totally blown away by Kathryn’s demeanor — she was just so even-keeled about everything,” she tells Netflix. “She knows what she wants but she’s not overbearing about it, she’s extremely trusting. She's just a badass.”

Lee received critical acclaim for her performance in Celine Song’s Oscar-nominated film Past Lives. She’s also appeared in films including Problemista, Money Monster, and Tron: Ares, and television series including Russian Doll, The Studio, The Morning Show, and High Maintenance. She’ll next be seen in 11817 opposite Wagner Moura. 

Lily Baerington is Jake’s wife and a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill.

O’Grady has appeared in films including It’s What’s Inside, Sometimes I Think About Dying, and Black Christmas, and television series including The White Lotus, Little Voice, and The Consultant.

Major General Kyle is a STRATCOM official alongside General Brady.

Akinnagbe played ruthless killer Chris Partlow on The Wire and aspiring actor Larry Brown on The Deuce. He can also be seen in films including Passing, Edge of Darkness, Independence Day: Resurgence, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and Bigelow’s most recent film Detroit.

Captain Zimmer is a bomber pilot responsible for performing the potential response to a missile strike.

Allen has appeared in films including West Side Story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, A Haunting in Venice, Rosaline, and The Life List, and television series including The Path, Strangers, and American Horror Story: Apocalypse.

The President of the United States is the final decision maker in a nuclear exchange. The buck stops here. 

“It’s the human moments in this movie,” Elba tells Netflix. “For POTUS, it’s a normal day. His shoes are a little tight. His wife is traveling in Kenya. The first thing on the schedule is to go meet these school kids playing basketball at an arena.” What happens next, no one could have predicted. 

Elba burst onto the scene playing drug kingpin Stringer Bell on HBO’s The Wire. He was nominated for four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of DCI John Luther on the BBC’s Luther. In 2023, he returned as John Luther in the feature film Luther: The Fallen Sun. He’s appeared in films including 28 Weeks Later, The Suicide Squad, Pacific Rim, American Gangster, Prometheus, Thor, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and The Harder They Fall, and in series including Hijack, The Office, and The Big C. 

Secretary of Defense Baker is the civilian leader of the Department of Defense, responsible for overseeing all US military forces and advising the president on defense policy.

Considering the subject matter, Harris was surprised at how calmly Bigelow’s set was run. “Kathryn Bigelow is this calm presence on set, which is very interesting because her films are such tense experiences onscreen,” he tells Netflix. “I found that juxtaposition fascinating. She is very generous in terms of ideas — there was no such thing as a bad question — and just tremendously supportive as well.”

Harris was Emmy-nominated for playing salesman Lane Pryce on Mad Men and Soviet chemist Valery Legasov in Chernobyl. He’s also appeared in films including Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Natural Born Killers, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Lincoln, and The Last of the Mohicans, and television series including The Crown, The Terror, Carnival Row, and Foundation

Lieutenant Commander Reeves is the Presidential Military Aide (MILAIDE) who accompanies the president at all times, maintaining custody of the nuclear football. He provides immediate access to its contents should the president need to authorize a nuclear strike or initiate emergency protocols.

Hauer-King played the role of Prince Eric opposite Halle Bailey’s Ariel in Disney’s 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid. He’s also appeared in films including The Song of Names, The Threesome, and this summer’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, and television series including Little Women, Howards End, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Doctor Who. 

SAIC Cho is the head of the president’s Secret Service detail. 

Tee played Drift King, the villain of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and starred as Dr. Ethan Choi on the first eight seasons of Chicago Med. He’s also appeared in films including Jurassic World, The Wolverine, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and television series including Reacher, Expats, and Crash. 

The First Lady is the President’s wife and a close personal advisor in difficult moments.

Goldsberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in Broadway’s smash hit Hamilton, for which she won a Tony Award. Other Broadway credits include Rent, The Color Purple, and Good People. She’s also appeared in films including Sisters, Waves, and tick, tick… BOOM!, and television series including The Good Wife, Altered Carbon, Girls5eva, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Caroline Baker is Secretary of Defense Baker’s daughter. 

Dever has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, for her performances in Dopesick and The Last of Us. She’s also starred in films including Booksmart, Ticket to Paradise, Beautiful Boy, Short Term 12, Rosaline, and Bigelow’s last film Detroit, and television series including Apple Cider Vinegar, Justified, Unbelievable, and Last Man Standing.

WNBA star Reese plays herself in a cameo scene at the Liberty Arena, where Elba’s President of the United States meets a class of young basketball players — before all hell breaks loose. 

On the court playing for the Chicago Sky; onscreen in The Money Game: LSU and Cardi B’s “Put It on Da Floor Again” music video; playable in NBA 2K26 on video game consoles