Transatlantic cast and character guide: Who stars in the Netflix drama?
By Mads Lennon
Varian Fry was a real American journalist on the ground in Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s. He was part of the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC) with the goal of rescuing as many refugees as possible. Transatlantic tells the story of the ERC and Fry’s efforts to save over 2,000 refugees from 1940 to 1941.
The new Netflix series comes from the creator of the acclaimed series Unorthodox, Anna Winger. It is inspired by the very true story of Fry, Mary Jayne Gold, and the ERC and based on Julie Orringer’s novel, The Flight Portfolio.
Transatlantic cast and character guide
Get to know the cast and characters in Netflix’s new period drama Transatlantic starring Gillian Jacobs, Corey Michael Smith, Corey Stoll, and more!
Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold
Mary Jayne is a wealthy Chicago heiress who uses her trust fund to bankroll the Emergency Rescue Committee. Her time in Europe opens her up intellectually and socially, giving her a sense of agency she never found back home.
Jacobs is best known for playing Britta Perry on the NBC sitcom Community and recently starred in Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy. She also starred in Girls, Invincible, Life Partners, and Ibiza.
Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry
Married and Harvard-educated, Varian Fry is driven by his moral compass and has been trying to help people since witnessing Nazi violence firsthand as a foreign correspondent in 1930s Berlin. He’s been hiding his true self most of his life, making him a perfect asset to the secretive nature of the ERC.
DC fans probably recognize Cory Michael Smith from playing Edward Nygma/The Riddler in the FOX series Gotham.
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Amit Rahav as Thomas Lovegrove
Thomas has been helping Jewish refugees escape to Palestine for years and found himself stuck in Europe in the process. These days he’s moonlighting as a spy for Margaux but opens his house to the ERC—and his heart to Varian.
Israeli actor Amit Rahav previously worked with Transatlantic creator Anna Winger on her acclaimed series Unorthodox where he played Yanky Shapiro.
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Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschman
German-Jewish refugee Albert has been running from the Nazis since 1993. After years spent running, Albert begins to think he has no chance of ever finding safety. He nurtures an adventurous spirit and loves flirting with women though he fears commitment.
Lucas Englander has previously appeared in episodes of The Great and The Witcher.
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Corey Stoll as Graham Patterson
Not everyone has ERC’s best intentions at heart. Graham Patterson doesn’t hesitate to use his Ivy League background and loquacious attitude to stand against them. A pragmatist at heart, Graham believes Nazi victory is unavoidable and will do whatever is necessary to maintain American neutrality abroad, no matter how steep the cost.
An accomplished American actor, Corey Stoll recently starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he returned to reprise his role as Darren Cross, now M.O.D.O.K. Before that, Stoll starred as Congressman Peter Russo in House of Cards and appeared opposite Damian Lewis on the Showtime series Billions. He’ll next star in Zack Snyder’s Netflix film Rebel Moon.
Transatlantic boasts a talented cast of individuals beyond the ones listed above. Here are the other actors who star in the Netflix series.
- Deleila Piasko as Lisa Fittko
- Ralph Amoussou as Paul Kandjo
- Grégory Montel plays Philippe Frot
- Lolita Chammah plays Lorene Letore
- Moritz Bleibtreu as Walter Benjamin
- Alexander Fehling as Max Ernst
- Jonas Nay as Walter Mehring
- Jodhi May as Peggy Guggenheim
- Rafaela Nicolay as Margaux
- Henriette Confurius as Lena Fischmann
Transatlantic is now streaming on Netflix. Add the series to your watchlist now.