Painkiller cast: All actors & characters in Netflix series

❘ Published: 2023-08-09T19:49:02

Netflix

Here’s your guide to the full cast and characters in Painkiller, a gripping new Netflix series about the origins and aftermath of America’s opioid epidemic.

Netflix continues to flesh out its drama category, with numerous TV series based on true stories proving to be a success with subscribers.

Whether it’s crime cases explored in the likes of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, (mostly) factual historical events in The Crown, or the social commentary and injustice highlighted by Unbelievable, dramatizations give viewers a deeper understanding of the emotional and cultural context behind real-life events.

Although many viewers learned all about Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis in Hulu’s Dopesick, now Netflix is having a go with its dramatization of the same subject. With the limited series just around the corner, we’ve broken down the Painkiller cast, including the actors and the characters they play.

Contents

Richard Sackler: Matthew Broderick
Edie Flowers: Uzo Aduba
Glen Kryger: Taylor Kitsch
Shannon Schaeffer: West Duchovny
Britt Hufford: Dina Shihabi
Lily Kryger: Carolina Bartczak
Tyler Kryger: Jack Mulhern
Arthur Sackler: Clark Gregg
US Attorney John Brownlee: Tyler Ritter
Mortimer Sackler: John Rothman

Painkiller cast and characters

There are plenty of familiar faces in the Painkiller cast, but before we get into it, here’s the synopsis: “A fictionalized retelling of events, Painkiller is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.”

It goes on to say that the Netflix series is “an examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans,” and is based on the book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier and the New Yorker article ‘The Family That Built an Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe.

Richard Sackler: Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler in Painkiller

Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler, a member of the Sackler family, which founded and owns a significant portion of Purdue Pharma, the pharmaceutical company known for producing and aggressively marketing the opioid painkiller OxyContin.

As per his character description: “He’s the nephew of Arthur Sackler, the founder of Purdue. After Arthur passes away and saddles his family with debt, it’s Richard’s idea to make opiates the company’s profit engine.”

Speaking to The Guardian about the show and the case upon which it’s based, Broderick explained: “I think the original intent to develop the drug is not inherently evil. It’s only when you get people hiding the evidence of how addictive it is that it becomes an awful story.”

Broderick is arguably best known as the eponymous character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He’s also starred in the likes of WarGames, The Cable Guy, and more recently, No Hard Feelings.

Edie Flowers: Uzo Aduba

Uzo Aduba plays Edie Flowers in the Painkiller cast. Edie is a no-nonsense lawyer working for the US attorney’s office in Roanoke, Virginia – one of the areas of the country that was hit the hardest by Purdue’s aggressive marketing tactics.

While investigating the new drug OxyContin, “she attempts to bring a case against Purdue Pharma.” In short, she’s got her work cut out for her.

In a conversation with Parade about the role, Aduba said: “She’s the medical equivalent of a journalist. And she finds herself in this sort of Alice in Wonderland as she goes down the rabbit hole in getting all the information and the facts. It’s a lingering need to save lives.”

Aduba is perhaps best known for portraying Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. Since then, she’s gone on to star in Mrs America and In Treatment, as well as lending her voice to Lightyear and My Little Pony.

Glen Kryger: Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger in Painkiller

Taylor Kitsch plays Glen Kryger, a fictional character who symbolizes the millions of people who have faced devastation as a result of the opioid crisis.

His character description states that Glen is “a hardworking family man and small business owner whose life is upended after he suffers an injury at work and his doctor prescribes him OxyContin.”

Kitsch’s acting accolades include Friday Night Lights, True Detective, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and American Assassin.

Shannon Schaeffer: West Duchovny

West Duchovny as Shannon Schaeffer in Painkiller

West Duchovny plays Shannon Schaeffer in the Painkiller cast. The character is set to represent one of many Purdue sales reps who were the messengers of the firm’s aggressive marketing techniques.

As an ex-college athlete who’s “desperate to leave her parents’ home in Ohio,” she finds herself in a financially exciting situation when joining the Purdue sales team – but eventually, “her conscience comes into play.”

Duchovny has appeared in The Magicians, A Mouthful of Air, and The Report.

Britt Hufford: Dina Shihabi

Dina Shihabi as Britt Hufford in Painkiller

Dina Shihabi plays Britt Hufford, another Purdue sales rep who acts as a mentor to Shannon. “Beneath her unflinching devotion to the company lies deep insecurity,” states her character bio.

Shihabi has taken on roles in the likes of Jack Ryan, Daredevil, Altered Carbon, and MVP.

Lily Kryger: Carolina Bartczak

Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger in Painkiller

Carolina Bartczak plays Lily Kryger, Glen’s wife who will find it a struggle to continue supporting her husband and his injury when he descends into addiction.

“She is very much in love with him,” but finds herself “pushed to the brink by his increasingly dangerous and harmful behaviors.”

As well as starring in shows and movies such as The Bold Type and X-Men: Apocalypse, Bartczak has lent her voice to various video games including Watch Dogs: Legion, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and Rainbow Six: Siege.

Tyler Kryger: Jack Mulhern

Jack Mulhern as Tyler Kryger in Painkiller

Jack Mulhern plays Tyler Kryger in the Painkiller cast. Tyler is Glen and Lily’s teenage son who will also face the repercussions of the opioid crisis and its impact on his family.

His character is said to be “prone to angst and rebellion,” and “he struggles with guilt because Glen’s accident happened while they were arguing at their family-owned tire shop.”

Mulhern’s acting accolades include Unconformity, Mare of Easttown, Odd Man Rush, and The Society.

Arthur Sackler: Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg as Arthur Sackler in Painkiller

Clark Gregg plays Arthur Sackler, the founder of Purdue and the patriarch of the family.

“He is the one who realized that the big money in medicine was in sales and marketing,” reads his character bio. “He appears to Richard as an apparition throughout the series to guide his nephew in his handling of the family legacy.”

Gregg has appeared in MCU properties Agents of SHIELD, Captain Marvel, Thor, Iron Man, and The Avengers as Agent Phil Coulson. He’s also taken on roles in the likes of Florida Man, Choke, 500 Days of Summer, and One Hour Photo, to name a few.

US Attorney John Brownlee: Tyler Ritter

Tyler Ritter as US Attorney John Brownlee in Painkiller

Tyler Ritter plays US Attorney John Brownlee in the Painkiller cast. He is Edie Flowers’ new boss, described as “a clean-cut straight-shooter.” He takes some convincing from Edie to eventually approve the investigation into the powerful pharma company.

Ritter has starred in Who Killed Cooper Dunn?, Homecoming, The Food Doctor, and Arrow.

Mortimer Sackler: John Rothman

John Rothman as Mortimer Sackler in Painkiller

John Rothman plays Mortimer Sackler, Richard Sacker’s uncle and the co-owner of Purdue.

Rothman’s acting career on screen dates back to 1980, with some of his credits including Ghostbusters, Big, Taxi, The Devil Wears Prada, Enchanted, and Nocturne.

That’s everything we know about the cast of Painkiller, which drops on Netflix on August 10. In the meantime, you can check out some of our other Netflix hubs below: