The Renfield cast is full of great actors, who are mainly playing well-known literary characters, like Count Dracula and the eponymous protagonist. Conceived by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Renfield provides a fresh take of Dracula’s story, with the movie following the perspective of the infamous Count’s loyal manservant. R.M. Renfield decides he wants to leave his toxic work environment behind when he falls for a traffic cop, Rebecca Quincy, in modern-day New Orleans. Renfield has been widely praised by critics for its self-aware use of hard-R gore, its mix of blood-soaked horror set-pieces and contemplative emotional beats, and the terrific performances by its actors.
A comedic spin on Bram Stoker’s gothic horror classic, Renfield is anchored by a cast of colorful characters, both familiar icons from the source material and original creations invented just for the movie. Renfield’s primary villain Dracula, is one of the most charming horror villains ever created, while its secondary villains, Ella and her mafia goons, are an exciting new addition to the canon. The characters of Renfield are brought to life by brilliant performers, ranging from A-list stars like Cage and his co-star Nicholas Hoult, to acclaimed character actors, like Adrian Martinez.
Nicholas Hoult As R.M. Renfield
The Renfield cast is led by Nicholas Hoult, who plays Dracula’s loyal henchman, Renfield. Hoult got his breakthrough as a child actor with the lead role of Marcus Brewer opposite Hugh Grant in 2002’s About a Boy. His best-known recurring characters are Tony Stonem in the teen dramedy series Skins and Beast in the X-Men prequels. He also played Tyler in 2022’s The Menu, Nux in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and zombie love interest R in 2012’s Warm Bodies. Hoult is also known for playing historical figures like Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien in the 2019 biopic Tolkien and Peter III in the Hulu series The Great.
Nicolas Cage As Count Dracula
Renfield’s narcissistic boss Dracula, a self-centered, hot-headed vampire from Transylvania, is played by Nicolas Cage. Cage is a versatile movie star who has played a wide range of characters, from action heroes like Cameron Poe in 1997’s Con Air and Castor Troy in 1997’s Face/Off; he has also taken comedic roles like H.I. McDunnough in 1987’s Raising Arizona and a satirical version of himself in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of writer Ben Sanderson in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas and scored a second nomination for playing twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in 2002’s Adaptation.
Awkwafina As Rebecca Quincy
Awkwafina appears in the Renfield cast as Rebecca Quincy, a traffic cop in New Orleans and Renfield’s love interest. Awkwafina started out creating her own content on YouTube. She got her breakthrough with the hugely popular comedy rap song “My Vag” and went on to play such film roles as Goh Peik Lin in 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, Billi Wang in 2019’s The Farewell, and the eponymous Marvel superhero’s best friend Katy in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Awkwafina stars in her own semi-autobiographical Comedy Central series, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, which she also co-created, writes, and executive-produces.
Ben Schwartz As Teddy Lobo
Mob enforcer Teddy Lobo is played by Ben Schwartz. Schwartz is most famous for his TV roles as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein in Parks and Recreation and Clyde Oberholt in House of Lies. He voiced the title characters in Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja and the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, as well as Rutabaga Rabitowitz in BoJack Horseman and Leonardo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Schwartz also played Yasper in the Apple murder mystery series The Afterparty, F. Tony Scarapiducci in the Netflix workplace comedy Space Force, and Rabbi Charles “Boner” Grodner in This is Where I Leave You.
Adrian Martinez As Chris Marcos
Adrian Martinez has a supporting role in the Renfield cast as Chris Marcos, Quincy’s co-worker, a fellow traffic cop. Martinez is recognizable as the “Discount Double Check” guy from Aaron Rodgers’ State Farm commercials. He also played Hernando in the 2013 fantasy drama The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Farhad in the 2015 crime caper Focus, Big Dave in the 2012 creature feature Piranha 3DD, and Officer Harris in the 2015 Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Sisters. Martinez is one of the few on-screen actors alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in 2021’s Netflix’s tense procedural thriller The Guilty in the role of Manny.
Shohreh Aghdashloo As Ella
Ella, a notorious mob boss and one of Renfield’s main villains, is played by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Aghdashloo has also played Dr. Kavita Rao in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, Dr. Sadira Adani in 2005’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Commodore Paris in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Nadereh Behrani in 2003’s House of Sand and Fog. Aghdashloo is also known for her TV roles as Dina Araz in 24 season 4 and the starring role of Chrisjen Avasarala in The Expanse.
Renfield’s Supporting Cast & Characters
Brandon Scott Jones as Mark: Mark, the leader of Renfield’s support group, is played by Brandon Scott Jones. Jones has also played Captain Isaac Higgintoot in Ghosts on CBS and is known for his supporting roles in the Netflix original movies Senior Year (which he co-wrote), in which he played Mr. T, and Isn’t It Romantic, in which he played Donny.
Jenna Kanell as Carol: Carol, a member of Renfield’s support group, is played by Jenna Kanell. Kanell is known for other horror roles like Tara Heyes in the Terrifier series and Kim Hansen in 2017’s The Bye Bye Man. She also branched out into other genres to play Ginny Terzano in the political drama The Front Runner and Med Tech Webb in episode 5 of the iconic MCU superhero miniseries: WandaVision.
Bess Rous as Caitlyn: Another member of the support group, Caitlyn, is played by Bess Rous. Rous previously played the ghost of Gertrude Aldridge in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, as well as lead TV roles like Karen Lipinski in Other Space (from Ghostbusters director Paul Feig) and Ivana West in Murder in the First season 1.
James Moses Black as Captain J. Browning: James Moses Black appears in the Renfield cast as Captain J. Browning. Black is also known for playing Brother Jamal in two episodes of Snowfall, Reverend Hawley in two episodes of This is Us, and the recurring role of Donald Simms, the Director of National Intelligence, in 24: Legacy.
Caroline Williams as Vanessa: Vanessa is played by Caroline Williams in Renfield. Williams is known for playing Vanita “Stretch” Brock in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. She also played the minor roles of a Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Jennie Burns in the Tom Cruise NASCAR movie Days of Thunder.
