Who's who in Little Fires Everywhere? Meet the cast in Celeste Ng's book adaptation

The hotly-anticipated drama has finally arrived on Amazon Prime Video
Kimberley Bond22 May 2020

Celeste Ng’s ground-breaking second novel Little Fires Everywhere was a huge success when it was released in 2017, with the story exploring wealth and class divisions amongst two families in the same American town being instantly gripping.

With its television adaption having already made waves in the States after it was released on Hulu earlier this year, Little Fires Everywhere is finally making its way to the UK – with its all-star cast likely to draw a wide audience.

Here’s who’s who in the brand new drama…

Who's in the Little Fires Everywhere cast?

Reese Witherspoon as Elena Richardson

Reese Witherspoon leads as journalist Elena
Hulu

The Hollywood actor, 44, is best known for her roles in early 00’s classic Legally Blonde and her Oscar-winning performance in 2005’s Walk the Line – but in more recent years, has taken on more television roles while also serving as a producer.

Little Fires Everywhere is her latest small screen role, having previously starred in Sky Atlantic’s Big Little Lies and Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

The Look Book: Reese Witherspoon

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In the series, Elena Richardson is a privileged journalist who wants to play by the rules, but also wants to uphold her family’s good social standing.

“Creating that character was a new challenge for me,” Witherspoon told Vanity Fair. “Despite her intelligence and social grooming, she has a deeply embedded lack of awareness of her privilege. She’s constructed a life that’s impervious to the world she lives in.

“She’s so comfortable in her social standing and her wealth that she feels entitled to analyse anyone outside her sphere but never takes a hard look at her own shortcomings.”

Kerry Washington as Mia Warren

Little Fires Everywhere launches on 22nd May on Amazon Prime Video

Starring opposite Witherspoon is Kerry Washington, who plays enigmatic single mother and artist Mia Warren who is new to the town.

Viewers may recognise Washington, 43, for her roles in the 2005 Fantastic Four film or as Broomhilda von Shaft in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, but it is for her role as crisis manager Olivia Pope in drama series Scandal that has won her huge critical acclaim.

Speaking about the role of Mia, Washington told NPR that the character reminded her of her mother.

Amazon Prime: Little Fires Everywhere - In pictures

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“I think there's so much of my mom in Mia,” she said. “One of the things I witnessed growing up was that my mom was very aware — as a black woman, as an academic, as the daughter of immigrants — she was aware of the assumptions that people would make about her, and she would play with those assumptions.

“A lot like Mia, she wrote her own rules when she was raising me.”

Joshua Jackson as Bill Richardson

AFP via Getty Images

Playing Elena’s well-to-do husband Bill, viewers may recognise the 41-year-old American-Canadian actor from 1999 film Cruel Intentions, playing Peter Bishop in JJ Abrams’ sci-fi drama Fringe, and as lawyer Mickey Joseph in Netflix’s When They See Us.

Lexi Underwood as Pearl Warren

Hulu

The 16-year-old actor, who stars as Mia’s daughter in the series, has had several roles on stage, including playing Young Nala in the Lion King musical.

Television roles include playing Shannon in Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home, and Athena in Amazon Prime Video’s Will vs The Future.

Jade Pettyjohn as Lexie Richardson

Jade Pettyjohn plays Elena's mini-me daughter
Hulu

The 20-year-old actor plays Elena’s eldest daughter Lexie in the series, with the high school senior very close to her mother.

Hulu

Some of her best-known roles include playing Summer in the television series of School of Rock, as well as starring as Caroline in Deadwood: The Movie.

Gavin Lewis as Moody Richardson

Little Fires Everywhere launches on May 22 on Amazon Prime Video

The 16-year-old actor, who plays Elena’s youngest son who becomes a fast friend of Pearl’s, is best known for playing Prince Emil in Netflix’s Prince of Peoria series, but has also had small roles in the Roswell, New Mexico TV show and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Megan Stott as Izzy Richardson

Playing Elena’s youngest and most rebellious daughter, this is the 16-year-old’s biggest role to date, having previously starred in film shorts.

To really get into Izzy’s psyche, Stott put a lot of research into the role.

“I felt like Izzy’s story needed to be told with truth and justice,” she told Advocate. “One of my inspirations for Izzy was her music. Every day I would listen to Alanis Morissette, Billie Eilish, and My Chemical Romance. It helped me get into Izzy’s headspace before I was on set.

“I also would journal as Izzy before and after scenes. This way I could reflect back on how she felt about things that were happening to her and how they affected her. Doing this helped me stay in touch with her emotions and maintain her depth. I would read the journal before going on set. I was just another layer to her skin.”

Jordan Elsass as Trip Richardson

Playing handsome jock Trip and the eldest Richardson son, this is 18-year-old Jordan Elsass’s biggest role, having previously had small parts in fantasy film Pegasus: Pony with a Broken Wing, and Sister Aimee.

Rosemarie DeWitt as Linda McCullough

Sisterly strife: Kym (Anne Hathaway) and Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt)

Starring as Elena's closest confidant, viewers may recognise Rosemarie DeWitt from 2016’s hit film La La Land, or as Midge Daniels from Mad Men which she starred in in 2007 and 2010.

Little Fires Everywhere is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video

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