Players cast guide: Here's who stars in Netflix's romantic comedy

Netflix's Valentine's Day rom-com Players might have received mixed reviews from critics, but I think most of us can agree that the film is elevated by its talented cast.

The charisma and chemistry between the core group of friends, featuring Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Joel Courtney, Liza Koshy, and more, is easily the film's heart and soul. Directed by Pitch Perfect 3's Trish Sie, Players hits pretty much all of the familiar beats we've come to expect from the genre, but Rodriguez's performance really helps it stand out.

Rated TV-MA for some of its raunchy jokes and sexual content, Players is a fun watch for adults with an attractive cast that clearly had a great time making the movie. Below, we're going over the cast members so you learn more about who plays who in the movie and where you might have seen them before!

Gina Rodriguez as Mackenzie

Gina Rodriguez plays the leading lady Mackenzie, or "Mack." Rodriguez is best known for her starring role in the acclaimed CW series Jane the Virgin, a role that won her a Golden Globe.

Before landing the part of Jane Villanueva, Rodriguez mostly had recurring and guest roles on shows such as Rizzoli & Isles, Law & Order, The Mentalist, and the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Post-Jane the Virgin, the 39-year-old actress' career really took off and she starred in Annihilation, Miss Bala, Someone Great, Carmen Sandiego, and Diary of a Future President. Nowadays, she's starring in and executive producing the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet.

Mack is the protagonist in our story. A talented sports writer, she and her friends have been devising intricate "plays" straight out of a high-stakes game of baseball for years now. They use their playbook to score dates, relationships, and hook-ups, but when Mack meets a charming war correspondent she finds herself wanting something more than a one night stand and must decide whether her playbook can help make that happen—or if she needs something more.

Damon Wayans Jr. as Adam

The hilarious Damon Wayans Jr. was cast as Adam, the co-lead in the movie alongside Rodriguez. Wayans Jr. is a long-time actor and comedian and the eldest son of Damon Wayans. He got his start in some of his father's projects, like My Wife and Kids, but his big breakout came along with the beloved comedy Happy Endings.

Even though it was short-lived, Happy Endings still has a very devoted fanbase all these years later. Other roles he's known for include New Girl, Let's Be Cops, The Harder They Fall, and Cherry. He's currently hosting the game show Raid the Cage and will soon star in the CBS comedy Poppa's House alongside his father.

Adam is Mack's long-time best friend and basically the co-ringleader of their friend group. He's very supportive of Mack and their other friends as they regulalry get together to concoct new plays and schemes. Adam also knows Mack better than basically anyone and is there to help set her straight whenever it seems like she's forgetting herself.

Tom Ellis as Nick

Tom Ellis' biggest claim to fame thus far has been his time spent playing Lucifer in the fantasy series of the same name based on the comic series. Lucifer started out as a FOX show and then got canceled before Netflix swooped in and famously saved it.

Before Lucifer, the Welsh star gained notoriety from the BBC sitcom Miranda. Recently, Ellis joined the cast of Hulu series Tell Me Lies season 2 and he'll also lend his voice to Netflix's animated series Exploding Kittens based on the game of the same name.

In Players, Ellis plays a war correspondent named Nick. Mack and Nick have an instant connection when they meet and Mack is determined to do whatever it takes to hook Nick, meaning she'll have to devise the perfect play to charm him with the help of her friends. But is Nick really the right person for her? You'll have to watch the movie to see what happens!

More Players cast and characters

• Augustus Prew as Brannagan: This English actor has a reccurring role as Sean in The Morning Show and also plays Médhor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In Players, he's one of Mack and Adam's best friends who regularly helps the gang with their many plays as well as running some himself.
• Joel Courtney as Little: The character Little is, as you might have guessed, the little brother of Brannagan. Actor Joel Courtney is no stranger to Netflix as he starred as Lee Flynn in all three of The Kissing Booth movies. Most recently he also starred in Peacock's slasher Sick and in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution. Next he'll star in the biographical drama On Fire.
• Liza Koshy as Ashley: Koshy's claim to fame started with her YouTube career where she has more than 17 million subscribers. In recent years she's branched out more into acting, making her debut in Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween and later the Hulu series Freakish. She had a big year in 2023, starring in Cat Person, Good Burger 2, Transformers: Rise of the Beast, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. She's be in the upcoming Netflix film A Family Affair starring Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron.
• Marin Hinkle as Karen Kirk: Emmy-nominated actress Marin Hinkle plays Mack's boss Karen Kirk in Players. Hinkle received her nomination for her work on the acclaimed Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Some of her other credits include Two and a Half Men and Once and Again.
• Ego Nwodim as Claire: You probably recognized Adam's on-screen girlfriend Claire from her time on Saturday Night Live, on which she's currently a main cast member after joining the show in 2018. Like Koshy, Nwodim was also in Good Burger 2.