Colors of Evil: Red features a Polish cast that includes up-and-comers as well as faces that may be familiar from some English-language projects. The crime thriller movie, which is a hit on Netflix, was directed by Werewolf‘s Adrian Panek from a screenplay that Panek co-wrote with The Getaway King‘s Łukasz M. Maciejewski. While it bears elements reminiscent of true crime, it is based on the fictional 2019 novel of the same name (originally published in Polish as Kolory Zła: Czerwień) by Małgorzata Oliwia Sobczak.

The novels seem to be inspired by the Three Colours trilogy, movies from the mid-1990s made by director Krzysztof Kieślowski. The trio, which bore the subtitles Blue, Red, and White (representing the colors of the French flag), told stories inspired by the national values that those colors represent. With the trilogy being Polish co-productions from a notable Polish director, it is possible that Sobczak’s book and its follow-ups Black and White intended to present a more twisted version of the iconic movies. This may lead into a movie trilogy, though it is unknown if any Red cast members would return.

Jakub Gierszal As Leopold Bilski

Date Of Birth: March 11, 1988

• Active Since: 2009

Actor: Jakub Gierszal was born in Kraków, Poland and had his breakout role in the 2011 movie Suicide Room, which won two Polish Film Awards. Before joining the cast of the new Netflix movie, he had already collaborated with Maciejewski on projects the screenwriter had penned including the movies The Getaway King and White Courage. Gierszal has also dabbled in English-language roles by appearing opposite Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper in the 2013 Universal Monsters reimagining Dracula Untold and Craig Robinson in the 2016 dramedy Morris from America.

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Character: In Colors of Evil: Red, Jakub Gierszal plays Leopold Bilski. Leopold is the prosecutor who becomes involved in solving the murder of Monika, a young woman who works as a bartender and who is found dead, washed up on a beach. Bilski is convinced that her death is somehow linked to a case from two decades ago.

Maja Ostaszewska As Helena Bogucka

Date Of Birth: September 3, 1972

• Active Since: 1993

Actor: Maja Ostaszewska was born in Kraków, Poland and made her screen debut in the Oscar-winning Steven Spielberg Holocaust drama Schindler’s List. She is also well known as a stage actor, largely with Warsaw’s Teatr Rozmaitości, starring in plays throughout her career including Anton Chekhov’s Platonov and William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. In addition to appearing in another English-language Holocaust drama, 2002’s The Pianist, she has also appeared in a variety of Polish projects both on the big and small screens.

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Character: In Colors of Evil: Red, Maja Ostaszewska plays Helena Bogucka. Helena is Monika’s grieving mother, who is attempting to rebuild her relationship with her husband Roman. She is also a judge, and she eventually teams up with Bilski in a desperate attempt to solve her daughter’s murder.

Zofia Jastrzębska As Monika Bogucka

Date Of Birth: December 7, 1998

• Active Since: 2019

Actor: Zofia Jastrzębska was born in Kraków, Poland and had her first major film role in 2022’s Kundel. Her most prominent recent roles have been collaborations with Netflix just like Colors of Evil: Red, namely starring in the hip-hop drama Infamy and the romantic sci-fi drama A Girl and an Astronaut.

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Character: In Colors of Evil: Red, Zofia Jastrzębska plays Monika Bogucka. Monika is the murder victim at the center of the crime thriller. Details of her life and its tragic end begin to unfold as the investigation plays out over the course of the movie.

Colors Of Evil: Red Supporting Cast & Characters

Other Accomplished Polish Actors Round Out Colors Of Evil: Red

Wojciech Zieliński as Waldemar Mila: Wojciech Zieliński, who plays Monika’s former boss Waldemar Mila, has been performing in Polish projects since the early 2000s and is well known for long-running television roles including Cyga in Odwróceni, Daniel Orda in Lekarze, and Sub-Commissioner Piotr Zeromski in Komisarz mama.

Andrzej Zieliński as Roman Bogucki: Andrzej Zieliński, who plays Monika’s father Roman Bogucki, appeared opposite his onscreen wife Maja Ostaszewska in 2002’s The Pianist.

Andrzej Konopka as Tadeusz Dubiela: Andrzej Konopka, who plays medical examiner Tadeusz Dubiela, previously starred opposite Jakub Gierszal in titles including White Courage and the 2015 mermaid horror musical The Lure.

Jan Wieteska as Mario Dubiela: Jan Wieteska, who plays Tadeusz’s son Mario Dubiela, has been acting since the late 2010s, largely playing roles in television projects including Dawid on Barwy szczescia and Adam on Sexify, in addition to holding a small part in the Polish version of The Office.

Przemysław Bluszcz as Kazar: Przemysław Bluszcz, who plays gangster Kazar in Colors of Evil: Red, is another actor with many Polish films and television shows under his belt, with his longest-running role being Janusz Karcs, a character he has played on 520 episodes of Lesniczówka.

Click here to watch Colors of Evil: Red on Netflix