‘Under the Bridge’ Cast and Character Guide — Who Stars in the Hulu Series?

In 1997, the small town of Saanich, British Columbia, came into a panic when fourteen-year-old Reena Virk was found dead – washed ashore on a major waterway on Vancouver Island. Hulu’s upcoming true crime drama series Under the Bridge follows police force member Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone) and nonfiction author Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough) as they dig into Reena Virk’s (Vritika Gupta) tragic story.

A victim of bullying before her death, Reena’s life was tragically taken by a group of teenagers who had taunted her for her insecurities. The series, based on the real-life Godrey’s book of the same name, dives into Reena’s story, showing how she disappeared after going to a party with friends. Through Godfrey’s perspective and a local cop’s, the show offers a chilling look into the young teens accused of the murder.

Under the Bridge officially premieres on Hulu with two episodes on April 17, 2024, followed by weekly releases. In the meantime, check out the cast and character guide for the series.

Lily Gladstone

Cam Bentland

Gladstone stars as Cam Bentland, a member of the police force in Victoria, British Columbia, assigned to the murder of Reena. As one of the few women of color on the force, Cam swiftly navigates the male-dominated field and works hard to bring justice to the forefront – even if it means masking herself as “one of the boys”. With a strong sense of morals and responsibility, Cam strongly believes that the justice system prevails, even when it fails to help people overlooked by the institution. Throughout Under the Bridge, Cam also comes face to face with her queer sexuality and identity, which factors into the way she runs things in her line of work.

With her roots in the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone broke the Internet with her role as Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorsese’s crime drama film Killers of the Flower Moon. Starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, the actress gained the attention of critics in her own right, ultimately earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. As the momentum from the Oscar slowly dissipates, Gladstone continues to be on an acting roll. In addition to Under the Bridge, she stars in the upcoming drama Fancy Dance, set to premiere on Apple TV on June 28, 2024.

Riley Keough

Rebecca Godfrey

Keough plays Rebecca Godfrey, the award-winning novelist and journalist most notable for her work “Under the Bridge.” Equal parts nonfiction and reportage, her novel recounts the 1997 murder of Reena in the hands of seven teenage girls and a boy. Filled with six years of research and interviews with the accused, the book provides harrowing insights into the minds of these teenage killers and what triggered them to perform such a tragedy. The real Godfrey passed away in 2022 due to lung cancer at age 54.

Keough debuted her feature film with a supporting role in The Runaways, followed by a minor role in Magic Mike. Her first big-budget project then came along when she was cast as Capable in the post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max: Fury Road. Keough is set to join Billy Crudup and Laura Dern in a still-untitled Netflix movie by Noah Baumbach.

Vritika Gupta

Reena Virk

Vritika Gupta stars as Reena Virk, the 14-year-old Canadian girl whose life fell short after her fellow peers murdered her. Before her death, Reena endured relentless bullying, yearning for acceptance, but often faced taunts from fellow teenage girls deeply involved in Los Angeles street gang culture. Succumbing to peer pressure, Reena became the subject of torment about her weight and insecurities.

While the motives behind her murder have sparked extensive debate over the years, Godfrey’s book mentions several possible motives contributing to Reena’s fate. Two of the girls involved in the initial assault claimed Reena had allegedly stolen a phone book from Nicole Cook, leading to rumors and retaliation. Another girl reportedly targeted Reena due to her race. Due to the nature of teen bullying involved, Reena’s case drew nationwide attention, causing panic amongst schools over girl violence.

Gupta started her acting career when she was only seven. Since then, she has appeared in several short films, most notably American Halloween, The Reunion, and Let It Slide. Besides acting for the screen, Gupta is active in other branches of acting, such as commercials, theater, and voice-overs.

Chloe Guidry

Josephine Bell (Nicole Cook)

Chloe Guidry takes on the role of Josephine Bell, infamously known by the nation as Nicole Cook. According to accounts from the case, Nicole allegedly inflicted violence upon Reena by extinguishing a lit cigarette on her face, an act believed to have triggered the murderous assault later on. Additionally, Nicole is said to have repeatedly punched and kicked Reena along with the rest of her peers. What’s striking about her motive is that Nicolce returned to the scene of the crime the day after the tragedy to retrieve Reena’s shoes and sweater, and forced someone in her group home to hide these items.

Before this, Guidry starred in projects such as Don’t Kill It, The Last Tycoon, and The Park.

Izzy G

Kelly Ellard

Izzy G plays Kelly Ellard, one of the teen assailants charged with the murder of Reena. As per the testimonies presented in the case, Kelly allegedly delivered the blow that forcefully struck Reena’s face against a tree, rendering her unconscious. She was reportedly responsible for dragging Reena into the water and ultimately drowning her. Kelly’s actions led to her facing trial on three separate occasions for the murder, resulting in convictions on two occasions.

Also known as Isabella Gaspersz, the actress is best known for starring alongside RuPaul Charles in Netflix’s AJ and the Queen and the TV series B Positive.

Javon Walton

Warren Glowatski

Javon Walton portrays Warren Glowatski, one of the convicted felons responsible for the murder of Reena. Based on the case testaments, Warren was part of the group fight that led to Reena’s death, kicking the victim twice. After Kelly smashed Reen’s face into a tree, Warren helped drag Reena into the water. Following his conviction, Warren was sentenced to life in prison. He was only 16 years old. Although he became eligible for parole seven years into his sentence, the court denied his first chance at day parole in 2004.

First discovered on social media, Walton is best remembered for his riveting portrayal of Ashtray in HBO’s critically acclaimed series, Euphoria. Since then, the actor lent his acting abilities to MGM’s animated The Addam Family 2 and the superhero thriller Samaritan. Most recently, he starred in Season 3 of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy as Sam.

Archie Panjabi

Suman Virk

Archie Panjabi takes on the role of Suman Virk, mother of the late Reena. After the murder of her daughter Reena, Suman spent the rest of her years until she died in 2018 championing anti-bullying in schools. Suman passed away at the age of 58. Despite the tragedy that has struck her family, Suman is remembered as a “kind, caring, open-hearted woman” by the criminal justice professionals involved in the case.

Originally from the U.K., Panjabi won the hearts of audiences with her role as Pinky Bhamra in the ultimate girlhood spots flick Bend It Like Beckham. Panjabi’s extensive acting roles include Maya Roy in Life on Mars and Nas Kamal in Blindspot. However, it was her portrayal of Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife that put Panjabi in the spotlight, earning her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 and an NAACP Image Award in 2012. Most recently, Panjabi starred alongside Idris Elba in Apple TV+s plane thriller Hijack, which has been renewed for Season 2.

Ezra Farouke Khan

Manjit Virk

Ezra Farouke Khan portrays Manjit Virk, husband to Suman Virk. Together with his wife, the pair refocused the pain from losing their daughter and translated into anti-violence efforts that lasted for decades. Their initiatives include going across the country to talk to high school students and participate in integrating anti-bullying programs within the school environment. Manjit also had to present for the trials that led to Glowatski and Ellard’s convictions.

Khan previously appeared in projects such as Doctor Strange, Melvin Goes to Dinner, and Damsel.

Other actors set to appear in Under the Bridge include Michael Buie as George Spiros, Aiyana Goodfellow as Dusty Pace, and Anoop Desai as Raj Masihajjar. Buie is best known for playing Fox News anchor Bret Baier in the 2019 film Bombshell, and for his recurring role in as Paul Dawson in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Goodfellow starred in projects like I Used to Be Famous and The Outlaws. Lastly, Desai appeared in the highly praised What We Do in the Shadows series and The Adults.

Watch on Hulu