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Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya 

The movie's protagonist, a talented young Black photographer. Chris is perceptive, resourceful, and listens more than he talks. He’s carrying around a lot of unresolved trauma from his mother’s death in a hit-and-run accident. He’s initially unwilling to condemn the Armitage family and their friends for their smugly performative allyship. His intelligence and survival instincts are put to the test during the movie’s main conflict.  

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Rose Armitage, played by Allison Williams 

Chris’s seemingly loving and supportive girlfriend, and one of the movie's antagonists. She initially presents herself as protective of Chris and angry at the racist behavior of her family and neighbors, but she later reveals just how calculated all of her actions are. 

Read an in-depth analysis of Rose Armitage

Dean Armitage, played by Bradley Whitford 

Rose’s father, a neurosurgeon who performs the Coagula procedure. Dean is a performatively “woke” white man who pretends to love and respect the Black community while secretly transplanting white individuals’ consciousness into Black bodies. He masks his sinister intentions with overly friendly behavior and repeated protestations that he would have voted for Obama three times if he could.  

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Missy Armitage, played by Catherine Keener 

Rose’s mother, a deceptively warm and calm hypnotherapist who uses hypnosis to subdue and control victims before they're forced to undergo the Coagula procedure. 

Jeremy Armitage, played by Caleb Landry Jones 

Rose’s aggressive, crude, frat-boy brother. Jeremy is indiscreet and troubled, and on the surface, his crudeness is at odds with the rest of his family’s polished behavior. It’s clear from the beginning that Rose’s brother is a lot more volatile than she is, especially when he demonstrates how much he enjoys asserting dominance over Chris at the dinner table.  

Rod Williams, played by Lil Rel Howery 

Chris’s best friend, a TSA agent who provides most of the film’s comedic relief. Rod is also the movie’s voice of reason, repeatedly warning Chris that he’s walking into a bad situation and that he should trust his instincts. Rod is a loyal friend who trusts his instincts and is willing to embarrass himself if it means helping Chris. 

Jim Hudson, played by Stephen Root 

A blind art dealer who purchases Chris’s body in the auction. Unlike the other bidders, Jim does not express overtly racist admiration for Chris’s physique. Rather, Jim repeats over and over that he’s interested in Chris’s success as a photographer; he wants to steal Chris’s perspective and his talent. 

Georgina, played by Betty Gabriel 

The Armitages’ timid, mostly silent housekeeper, whose body has been taken over by Rose’s grandmother. Georgina clearly struggles against her conditioning, as the Coagula hypnosis doesn’t appear to fully restrain her original consciousness. The brief moments of distress and emotional dissonance she shows to Chris are some of the audience’s earliest foreshadowing into the uncanny events happening on the Armitage house’s beautifully manicured grounds.  

Walter, played by Marcus Henderson 

The Armitages’ groundskeeper, a Black man’s body inhabited by Rose’s grandfather. Walter is physically young and strong but speaks and moves like a much older man. He confuses and frightens Chris by running at him at full pelt when Chris sneaks out for a smoke on his first night. 

Andre Hayworth / Logan King, played by LaKeith Stanfield 

Andre Hayworth was a young Black man who was abducted and had his body taken over by an older white man. Logan acts suspiciously old-fashioned and clueless to Black cultural cues for a person his age. When Chris’s camera flash disrupts his Coagula conditioning, he briefly regains control and warns Chris to “get out!” 

Detective Latoya, played by Erika Alexander 

A police detective who dismisses Rod’s concerns when he tries to report Chris’s disappearance. She and her colleagues dissolve into laughter when Rod tries to tell them he believes Chris and Andre have been sold into sex slavery by “kinky white people.” 

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