Mike Flanagan’s upcoming take onCarriehas released its cast list, and so far there are a lot of interesting connections between the actors and the characters they are set to play. Before this announcement, little was known about Flanagan’s latest horror TV show, besides the fact that production is beginning this summer. However, theStephen King novelof the same name came out in 1974, so readers and audiences have had plenty of time to get familiar with the characters and storylines ofCarrie.
And, indeed,Carriehas a well-deserved reputation as one of King’s greatest horror novels.Its short narrative of religious trauma, teenage angst, and misogyny remains as powerful today as it was when it was released fifty years ago.The story of Carrietta “Carrie” Whiteis tragic, compelling, and worthy of multiple adaptations, whether in one of the several movie iterations ofCarrieor in the upcoming TV show. Now that Prime Video has released thecast for Mike Flanagan’s take onCarrie, it is possible to put new faces to the story’s iconic characters.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Summer Howell Compares To Carrie White
A Horror Movie Veteran To Play Horror’s Greatest Anti-Villain
Because Carrie White is the core ofCarrie, there is no character whose casting is more important. Summer Howell, who made her acting debut in the 2013 horror movieThe Curse Of Chucky, has been cast as Carrie for Flanagan’s take onCarrie. In a lot of ways,Howell’s acting experience makes her an ideal choice to play Carrie– she has been a horror actor since she was just 8 years old, so there is no doubt that she is up to the role.
There are only two potential drawbacks to her casting. Firstly, Carrie White is a 16-year-old high school student, whereas Summer Howell is 21. But the larger potential concern is thatSummer Howell does not look very much like Carrie White.Carrie is ridiculed for being overweight, having bad acne, and failing to live up to traditional beauty standards. Summer Howell would need a lot of makeup to match that book description. It matters thematically in King’sCarriethat Carrie is considered unattractive by everyone around her, so it will be interesting to see how Flanagan’s show deals with the character.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Matthew Lillard Compares To Principal Grayle
An Iconic Actor For A Smaller Role
For many viewers,Matthew Lillard is immediately recognizable as Shaggy from the 2002 live-action adaptation ofScooby-Doo. Most recently, he played Gus in Flanagan’s adaptation of another Stephen King novel,The Life of Chuck,and Steve Raglan inFive Nights at Freddy’s. Now,Matthew Lillard will play Principal Grayle inCarrie.
Principal Grayle wants to see the students who bully Carrie punished, but he is not able to step into Carrie’s life more directly…
For most ofCarrie,Principal Grayle is a force for good in the background, even if he is not a prominent character.Principal Gayle wants to see the students who bully Carrie punished, but he is not able to step into Carrie’s life more directly and offer help. At 55, Lillard is the right age to play Principal Grayle, and his decades of acting experience mean that he will do justice to the role.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Samantha Sloyan Compares To Margaret White
A Veteran Actor Who Has Worked Closely With Mike Flanagan
Samantha Sloyan is yet another star who will almost certainly elevateCarrie.In the upcoming show, Sloyan will be playing Margaret White, Carrie’s extremely Christian mother and one of the story’s primary antagonists.What makes Sloyan particularly exciting is her previous work with Flanagan.Sloyan has been a part of most of Flanagan’s previous streaming projects, and inMidnight Massin particular she played a religious zealot whose actions lead to the destruction of her whole town. Sloyan was amazing in that role, so she will almost certainly excel at playing Margaret White.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Siena Agudong Compares To Sue Snell
A Nickolodean Star Transitioning To Horror
Sue Snell is one of the most interesting characters inCarrie,and it will be exciting to see Siena Agudong’s take on the role. InCarrie,Sue is not only one of the most popular girls at Ewen High School; she is also one of the most mature. Although Sue participates in bullying Carrie at first, she quickly comes around and realizes that the way her fellow students treat Carrie is wrong.
In essence, Sue is the golden girl in her high school, who everyone expects to go on to be a future homemaker and leader of social clubs. As an actor increasingly making the shift from children’s TV to more adult shows,it will be exciting to see Agudong adapt the role to the twenty-first century.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Alison Thornton Compares To Chris Hargensen
The Biggest Bully At Ewen High
If Sue Snell is the golden girl of Ewen High School, Chris Hargensen is her dark reflection. Chris is also part of the popular clique that bullies Carrie, but unlike Sue, Chris doubles down on her actions as the plot progresses. Indeed,Chris Hargensen organizes the bloody prank that is the climax ofCarrie. Alison Thornton will play Chris Hargensen in Flanagan’s TV adaptation ofCarrie, and she absolutely fits the role.
Thornton has already shown her ability to play a popular high school mean girl, so there is no doubt that she can handle Chris.
In shows likeSchool Spirits, Thornton has already shown her ability to play a popular high school mean girl, so there is no doubt that she can handle Chris. The only potential drawback in Thornton’s casting is her age.At 25, Thornton is notably older than 17-year-old Chris Hargensen, but since she convincingly played a high schooler inSchool Spiritsas recently as 2025, that should not be a huge issue.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Amber Midthunder Compares To Miss Desjardin
An Established Actress Plays A New Teacher
Amber Midthunder has been an actor her entire life, and thatexperience and maturity is something that she will hopefully bring to the role of Miss Desjardin inCarrie.Miss Desjardin is in her first year teaching, and her character highlights the difference in maturity that only a few years out of high school creates. She is an advocate for Carrie White, and as a teacher she can and does stand up to bullies like Chris Hargensen.
What’s interesting is that,although at 28, Midthunder is approximately the same age as Miss Desjardin, she is only a few years older than the actors cast as high schoolersinCarrie. In all likelihood, the costuming and makeup departments will have to emphasize what is, in reality, a small age difference to make Midthunder seem older than her younger castmates.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Arthur Conti Compares To Billy Nolan
From Westeros To Chaimberlain Maine
Billy Nolan is one of the most terrifying characters inCarrie, embodying an intense alpha-male persona who does not flinch at violence.Although Aurthur Conti is relatively new to the world of acting, he has already made serious waves.Conti first appeared as the queen’s page in an episode ofThe House of the Dragonin 2022, before starring as Jeremy Frazier inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. InBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, Conti plays a more quiet and manipulative type of villain, so the more overtly violent and physically intimidating Billy Nolan will be an interesting shift.
How The Carrie TV Show’s Joel Oulette Compares To Tommy Ross
A New Face For Ewen High’s Golden Boy
Joel Oulette has been cast as Tommy Ross for Flanagan’sCarrie, and it will be exciting to see what he brings to the character. Right now, Oulette is most known for his roles inTrickster, Cascade,and the live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbender.Indeed, both Oulette and Amber Midthunder appeared in the same episodes ofATLA.Oulette will be playing Sue Snell’s boyfriend Tommy Ross, who, like Sue, responds to Carrie with kindness.
Carrieis expected to be released in 2026.
In the same way that Sue is the golden girl of Ewen High, Tommy is the golden boy. Since there aren’t many physical descriptions of Tommy inCarrie, it is easy to imagine Oulette in the role. However, since Tommy is a smaller character than Sue in the book, Oulette and Flanagan will have a lot of room to flesh out the character beforeCarriereleases on Prime Video next year.
