Dopesick: 10 Other Movies & TV Shows Where You’ve Seen The Cast

Hulu’s Dopesick debuted its first three episodes on October 13 to critical acclaim. The show is based on a book by Beth Macy and stars Michael Keaton as it focuses on “the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction” across the USA, as reported by Deadline.

Keaton returns to television after eight years to star as Dr. Samuel Finnix. Joining him is a cast of prominent and critically acclaimed actors, including Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg, and up-and-coming talents like Will Poulter and Kaitlyn Dever. Fans will recognize these performers from numerous TV and movie projects, confirming Dopesick as one of the season’s most exciting and promising shows.

Michael Keaton – Birdman, Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance

Michael Keaton leads the cast of Dopesick, playing Dr. Samuel Finnix, a fictional character based on the many doctors who prescribed Oxycontin. Keaton’s career suffered a resurgence in 2014, thanks to his leading role as aging actor Riggan Thomson in Alejandro González Iñarritu’s Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance. The part earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The acclaimed actor has been working since the 1980s, having played several iconic characters, including Batman and Beetlejuice, and appeared in critically acclaimed movies like Jackie Brown and Spotlight. Keaton will return to the role of Batman in 2022’s The Flash. 

Michael Stuhlbarg: Call Me By Your Name

The ever underrated Michael Stuhlbarg plays American billionaire Richard Sackler in Dopesick. Sackler was the chairman and president of Purdue Pharma, developer of the opioid, OxyContin.

Stuhlbarg is a character actor who has appeared in multiple movies during the last decade. His breakthrough came with the Coen Brothers’ 2009 A Serious Man. In 2017, he played one of his most critically acclaimed and recognizable roles, Mr. Perlman, the father to Timothée Chalamet’s Elio, in the indie coming-of-age romantic drama Call Me By Your Name.

Will Poulter: We’re The Millers

The opioid epidemic would’ve never been possible had it not been for the enormous sales and marketing push by big pharma. In Dopesick, Will Poulter plays Billy Cutler, a pushy sales rep employed by Purdue Pharma to sell OxyContin.

Poulter began as a child actor, playing roles in movies like The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. However, his breakthrough role came when he played the awkward but sweet Kenny in the crime comedy film We’re The Millers. Poulter will play Adam Warlock, one of the most powerful members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in the franchise’s third entry.

Rosario Dawson: The Mandalorian

Dopesick uses many timelines and multiple POVs to depict all sides of the opioid crisis in the States. Veteran actress Rosario Dawson plays Bridget Meyer, a DEA agent dealing with the situation and digging up evidence against Purdue Pharma.

Dawson rose to prominence with Larry Clark’s highly controversial 1995 coming-of-age drama, Kids. She went on to have a consistent career throughout the 2000s. Last year, she played the immensely popular Ahsoka Tano in season two of The Mandalorian. Her performance was so well-received by critics and fans that a spin-off show centering on her character is currently in development at Disney+.

Kaitlyn Dever: Unbelievable

The opioid crisis in the USA has claimed thousands of victims, and their stories launched a thousand lawsuits and fines. In Dopesick, Kaitlyn Dever plays Betsy Mallum, a young woman the actress describes as someone whose life “gets completely ruined by the drug.”

After her breakthrough role in Booksmart, Kaitlyn Dever played Marie Adler, a sexual assault survivor in Netflix’s Unbelievable, a unique crime show that’s unlike any other procedural. The role earned her rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series. Dever also stars in Dear Evan Hansen, currently in cinemas.

John Hoogenakker: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

Reviews for Dopesick have been primarily positive. Critics particularly praised the cast, and John Hoogenakker is particularly lauded. Hoogenakker plays real-life figure Randy Ramseyer, an eager and undeterred Assistant US Attorney working to take down the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma.

Although he lacks the same name recognition as other cast members, Hoogenakker is a working actor with plenty of experience. He recently played Matice, a leading black ops operative with the CIA Special Activities Center, in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski.

Cleopatra Coleman: The Last Man On Earth

Australian Actress Cleopatra Coleman plays Grace Pell in Dopesick. The character is a funny and bold gay woman, unafraid to live her life freely in her conservative mining town.

Coleman played a leading role in the now-canceled Fox series, The Last Man on Earth in which she was Erica Dundee, a self-described “political nerd” and Gail’s long-time traveling companion. Coleman also had guest roles in the critically acclaimed series Better Things and Sorry for Your Loss.

Jake McDorman: The Right Stuff

The marketing of OxyContin was at the center of the lawsuits against Purdue Pharma. Dopesick chronicles this battle through Jake McDorman’s character, John Brownlee, a US Attorney overseeing the case against Purdue.

McDorman began acting in the early 2000s and rose to prominence with roles in shows like Shameless and Limitless and movies like Aquamarine and American Sniper. In 2020, he played the leading role of astronaut Alan Shepard in Disney+’s The Right Stuff. The streaming service canceled the show after one season.

Phillipa Soo: Hamilton

Phillipa Soo joins Poulter as part of Purdue Pharma’s sales team reps. In Dopesick, the actress plays Amber, a young woman part of Purdue’s first team to sell OxyContin.

Soo is best known for her work on Broadway. A respected theatre performer, Soo originated the role of Eliza Hamilton in the musical juggernaut, Hamilton, based on the real-life founding father of the same name. Her performance earned her Tony and Emmy nominations and cemented her place among Bordaway’s most respected performers. Soo returned to Broadway in 2017 in the title role of the musical, Amélie.

Peter Sarsgaard: The Killing

Joining Randy Ramseyer’s crusade against Purdue Pharma is Rinck Mountcastle, an Assistant US Attorney going out of his way to bring justice to Purdue’s victims. Versatile character actor Peter Sarsgaard brings Mountcastle to life with all the passion and commitment that fans have come to expect from him.

Sarsgaard rose to prominence thanks to roles in Boys Don’t Cry and Shattered Glass. He played one of his most challenging roles in 2013, during the third season of The Killing. His portrayal of a man who may or may not have committed murder ranks as one of his most layered performances to date. Sarsgaard is also familiar with blockbuster cinema, having played roles in 2011’s reviled Green Lantern and being part of the upcoming cast of The Batman.

About The Author

David Caballero
(798 Articles Published)

David is a twenty-eight-year-old Mexican writer and reader. Having studied Marketing in school, he spent three years working a nine-to-five desk job before deciding to pursue a writing career. He now works as a Senior Writer in ScreenRant and does some more freelancing job, talking about the entertainment business he so loves. Currently, he’s also writing his second novel while actively working to get his first one published.

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