Netflix’s newest drama Painkiller, about the emergence of OxyContin in the US in the 1990s, premiered on August 10.
The series is a fictional retelling of how Richard Sackler’s Purdue Pharma business skyrocketed during the country’s opioid crisis – which continues to this day.
Purdue Pharma’s connection to the epidemic was the subject of multiple lawsuits and fines, including paying $600 million in 2007 having pled guilty to misleading the public about OxyContin’s risk of addiction.
So, who play the moguls, victims, and truth-seekers in Netflix’s new six-part drama?
Find out below…
Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler
Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler – the chairman and president of OxyContin producers Purdue Pharma.
After climbing the ranks of the business, Richard pushes the promotion of the opioid painkiller that goes on to become the subject of citizens’ addictions.
If you think you recognise Broderick, 61, but cannot quite place it, that might be because you have not seen him since he was some 37 years younger as the title character in the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
Similarly, you may recognise his voice but not his face, which could be put down to his voice-acting performances as Simba in The Lion King (1994) and Adam Flayman in the Bee Movie (2007).
However, Broderick has had evergreen success, including a role in June’s No Hard Feelings.
Uzo Aduba as Edie Flowers
Uzo Aduba plays Edie Flowers – a lawyer who takes no rubbish in pursuing the truth about OxyContin, and the series’ anchor.
After investigating the opioid the new drug, she attempts to bring a case against Sackler’s company.
This is not Aduba’s first appearance in a big Netflix series, after playing Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren in Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019).
She has also starred in hit shows In Treatment (2021) and Mrs. America (2020).
Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger
The most closely followed victim in the series is Glen Kryger, played by Taylor Kitsch.
Before his addiction, Glen is a hardworking family man running a small business.
But his life is ruined after he suffers a debilitating back injury at work, and his doctor prescribes him OxyContin.
Painkiller’s director Peter Berg has previous with Kitsch, having worked together on Friday Night Lights, and he said: ‘Taylor is like my little brother.’
Besides that, Kitsch has also appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), John Carter (2012), and The Terminal List (2022).
West Duchovny as Shannon Schaeffer
Another key character in the Painkiller plot is the bombshell saleswoman Shannon Schaeffer, played by West Duchovny, 24.
Shannon is a former college athlete who is desperate to leave her parents’ Ohio home.
She finds a job which promises to fulfill that, as a new recruit to the Purdue sales team – which brings her conscience into question the more lucrative it all becomes.
Duchovny – a relative newcomer – has also featured in Saint X, which is another series which debuted in 2023.
Dina Shihabi as Britt Hufford
Shannon’s mentor is Dina Shihabi’s character Britt Hufford.
Britt is a veteran sales representative of Purdue Pharma, who demonstrates an unwavering devotion to her employer.
The Saudi Arabia-born actress, 33, has a long CV of television appearances after moving to the US to pursue acting.
They include Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018), Daredevil (2018), and Archive 81 (2021).
Tyler Ritter as US Attorney John Brownlee
Tyler Ritter plays the skeptical, clean-cut, attorney, who has to be persuaded of the need to move against Purdue.
US Attorney John Brownlee eventually succumbs to Flowers’ case in the pursuit of justice.
The 38-year-old actor has also appeared in The McCarthys (2014-2015), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015), and Merry Happy Whatever (2019).
Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger
Another victim, indirectly, of the opioid crisis is Glen’s wife Lily.
Played by Carolina Bartczak, Lily works alongside him in their garage.
She tries to support her husband as his addiction and condition worsens, but eventually cannot cope.
Bartczak, 37, has also featured in Moonfall (2022), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and Hall (2020).
Clark Gregg as Arthur Sackler
While Broderick’s Sackler is the president of Purdue Pharma, Arthur Sackler is its founder.
Arthur died in 1987, but visions of the patriarch – portrayed by Clark Gregg – follow Richard as he builds the company.
Gregg is perhaps best known for portraying Agent Phil Coulson in a range of Marvel films and series including Iron Man (2008), Thor (2011), and Avengers Assemble (2012).
He has also starred in The West Wing (2001-2004), Will & Grace (2003), How I Met Your Father (2023), and many more.