When it came time for Man on Fire showrunner Kyle Killen to cast John Creasy, the grizzled veteran at the heart of the new series, he knew there was only one man for the job: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“The thing about Yahya is he can do everything,” Killen tells Tudum. “It’s not that I saw one thing and said, ‘That’s John Creasy.’ It’s that I saw his range, and realized, ‘That’s what John Creasy needs.’ ”
Creasy is the ultimate warrior, an ex-agent who remains legendary to those who know him and deadly to those who don’t. At the beginning of the season, we meet him at the height of his powers, organizing a mission in Mexico. When it goes horribly wrong, Creasy is set adrift — until another tragedy draws him back into the violent world he left behind.
In order to navigate that world, the self-sufficient operator will need some help, whether he likes it or not. “His trauma is such that he’s afraid to make friends,” Abdul-Mateen tells Tudum. “Creasy has no problems helping someone else, but when it comes to saying yes, allowing himself to be helped, then that’s when we see him really, really struggle.”
To build Creasy’s team — and his enemies — the Man on Fire crew turned to an international cast that reflects the diverse landscape of Man on Fire. “That’s really the story of the season,” Killen says. “Creasy dropping his guard, letting other people in, and then discovering that they can accomplish more as a team than he can as an individual.” A story not unlike the making of a television series itself.
Read on to meet the cast of Man on Fire, streaming on Netflix now.
Creasy is a former special forces agent, searching for a fresh start in a life that’s gone off the rails. When a friend tries to get him a new job in Brazil, he’s drawn into a killer scheme that threatens his own life — and the life of Poe, the young woman he’s been tasked with protecting.
As the season goes on, Creasy must reignite his own skill set, left rusty after the tragic loss of his Mexico City team. “We’re not watching someone that’s at the top of that game,” Abdul-Mateen says. “We’re watching someone who is trying to rebuild himself and who has doubts about whether or not he can still do the thing that he’s always done.”
Creasy’s journey through the season is one from solitary vengeance towards a more collective justice. “He can be a protector, but he’s really reticent to get close or be a friend,” Killen says. “As much as he tries to resist it, he gets drawn into this web of people who are helping him realize that he can’t do this on his own.”
Abdul-Mateen has played superheroes (Watchmen, Wonder Man), supervillains (Aquaman), sentient computer programs (The Matrix Resurrections), unlikely bank robbers (Ambulance), disco princes (The Get Down), and more. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his aforementioned work on Watchmen, and was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Topdog/Underdog.
Poe is a teenager chafing against the boundaries of her father’s life. Uprooted in Brazil, she witnesses a shocking crime and becomes a target of dangerous men. Creasy will do his best to protect her, but can she protect herself?
Abdul-Mateen has nothing but glowing things to say about working with relative newcomer Boullet. “Billie is just so smart,” Abdul-Mateen says. “She asked all of the right questions, the challenging questions, and so she was an excellent scene partner. We just trusted each other.”
Boullet was the finalist in a wide-ranging casting search. Upon getting the role, Boullet threw herself into the character. “She was very keen to get under the skin and understand where she was coming from,” Killen says. “She worked really hard to build out a character that was true, and likable, and have her own inner strength that paired nicely with what Yahya brought to his character.”
Boullet was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for her performance as Anne Frank in the Hulu series A Small Light. She also appeared in the fourth season of the BBC series The Worst Witch.
Valeria is a cab driver who’s drawn into Creasy’s orbit as she tries to find a way out of the country for herself and her daughter. She knows Rio like the back of her hand and proves an invaluable ally.
Braga’s Brazilian heritage was an asset for the production. “She was always advocating for authenticity, saying, ‘OK, we’ve got to say it like this because this is how it would land more to the Brazilian fans,’ ” Abdul-Mateen says. “I think a lot of the things that we were able to get right were due to having her be a part of the team.”
Braga originally read for a different part before being offered the role of Valeria. “She just brought so much knowledge and authenticity,” Killen says. “[She had] a depth that I’m not sure we would’ve had if we had approached the character any other way or with any other actor. As a person who could both be hard on Creasy, and draw out that softer side of him, she felt absolutely perfect.”
Braga has built a career in films both Brazilian and American, including City of God, I Am Legend, The New Mutants, The Suicide Squad, God Only Knows, Lower City, and Repo Men. She’s also starred in television series including Queen of the South and We Are Who We Are.
Paul is an old friend of Creasy’s, a CIA operative now based in Brazil with his family. He invites Creasy to stay with him and offers him an in with a new employer.
Cannavale was the only choice for Rayburn. “You needed somebody with Bobby's outsized presence,” Killen says. “You could understand how his energy was the right yin to Creasy’s yang. Creasy is shut down and contained, and Rayburn isn’t browbeating him, but he’s leading him back to life by essentially just being an enthusiastic believer that Creasy is still in there, and all he needs is the right circumstances to come out.”
Cannavale won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance as gangster Gyp Rosetti on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Other film and television roles include Vinyl, Spy, Ant-Man, Chef, Mr. Robot, Homecoming, Blue Jasmine, MaXXXine, The Bone Collector, and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Tappen is the Deputy Director of the CIA and Creasy’s former colleague. It doesn’t take long before he’s embroiled in Creasy’s one-man war.
“He’s such a smart and adaptable actor,” Killen says. “He really wanted to understand what made this person tick. He’s looking at geopolitical consequences, not individual harms.”
McNairy won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble as part of the cast of Argo. Other film and television roles include Halt and Catch Fire, Killing Them Softly, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Speak No Evil, Nightbitch, True Detective, and A Complete Unknown.
Prado is the right-hand man of Brazil’s president, and the potential employer Rayburn introduces to Creasy.
Aquino has appeared in films and television series including The Others, O Doutrinador, Treze Dias Longe do Sol, Bacurau, and the Academy Award–nominated The Secret Agent.
Ivan is an old colleague of Creasy’s who joins him on his mission in Brazil.
Ozerov-Meyer has appeared in television series including The Americans, Orphan Black, Slasher, Another Life, and Brilliant Minds.
Livro is a young man from the favelas who befriends Poe while she’s in hiding.
Baptista made his television debut in Supernova. He’s also appeared in Hot Line and Never Give Up.
Vico is a street smart, self assured, and dangerous capo in the gang that ultimately controls a Rio favela.
Xavier made his film debut in Motel Destino. This is his first television series.
Other cast members include:
