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The Cast Behind Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Donald Glover (Community, The Martian, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Atlanta, Guava Island) and Maya Erskine (Insecure, PEN15) portray John and Jane Smith, the titular spy couple of the series, respectively.
Guest Roles
Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman, Infinity Pool) and Eiza Gonzalez Reyna (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, Baby Driver, Ambulance) appear in the pilot as one John and Jane Smith duo, respectively. Tamara Torres plays Marla the “sandwich lady”. Caleb Hearon appears as the voice of Jane’s Uber driver.
In the second episode, Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Okja, The Batman, The Fabelmans) portrays Harris aka “Hot Neighbor”, a supposed real estate analyst. John Turturro (Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Barton Fink, the Transformers film franchise, The Batman) portrays Eric Shane, a real estate mogul.
In the third episode, Sharon Horgan (Game Night) and Billy Campbell portray Gavol and Parker Martin, a married couple vacationing in Italy, respectively.
Dano briefly reprises his role as Harris in Episode 4. Parker Posey (Scream 3, Blade: Trinity, Beau is Afraid) and Wagner Moura (Elysium, Shining Girls, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) guest star as an older John and Jane Smith couple, respectively.
Úrsula Corberó (Netflix’s Money Heist and Lift) appears as Rooney, a former girlfriend of John’s. Dave Fierro plays a juice man at a farmer’s market.
In the fifth episode, Ron Perlman (Cronos, Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pacific Rim) portrays Toby Killinger.
In the sixth episode, Moise Morancy and Dontaé Hawkins portray Rodrick and Terrance, respectively. Sarah Paulson portrays John and Jane Smith’s therapist. Rell Battle also makes a guest appearance.
In the penultimate episode, Dave Attell portrays a Kosher Food Mart clerk. Beverly Glover—Donald and Stephen Glover’s mother in real life—makes an appearance as John’s mother, Denise. Michaela Coel portrays Bev, a woman from another spy agency who has an affair with John.
Dano, Posey, Moura, and Beverly Glover reprise their roles in the finale as Harris, the older John and Jane Smith, and Denise, respectively.
Smaller Roles
Here are the prominent co-stars of Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season 1. Note that not everyone on the overall roster is mentioned here.
Aki Ando appears in the pilot episode as an older lady at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Angela Chew plays a cashier at the 88 Palace indoor marketplace.
Lauren B. Martin plays the garden party host.
Ralphy Lopez plays Marla’s boyfriend. Moti Margolin plays a mechanic whose garage John and Jane hide in.
In the second episode, Alexander Blaise plays the auction party host.
In the third episode, Dominic Raacke and Eva Holzapfel play John’s elderly “vacation friends” named Tom and Rita, respectively. Aaron Kane plays Graham, Gavol and Parker’s son.
In the fourth episode, Donald Glover’s real-life son, Legend Glover, appears as Benjamin, Rooney’s 6-year-old son.
Marco Dzul appears as a Salvadorian man.
In the fifth episode, Martinus Tocchi and Livia Massimi play a fisherman and a fisherwoman, respectively. Antonio Nicolai plays their child.
Alex Huynh plays a “seedy man” in the sixth episode.
Magnus Newville plays the therapist’s son.
Leroy Powell plays a restaurant owner in the penultimate episode.
Danny Hilt plays a bystander in the finale.
Performances and Character Developments
Glover and Erskine’s performances as the eponymous characters are quite a lovely dynamic. Viewers can appreciate how the writers were able to tap into these figures’ strengths and flaws—a feat that was not necessarily the case in the original film. John Smith is a competitive man, demonstrated through his and his dynamic with other couples, not to mention with his wife alone. This presents both an external and an internal conflict for the character, who constantly subscribes to the notion that he must always be in the right. Meanwhile, Jane Smith is secretive, almost always withholding her thoughts and opinions. Erskine’s portrayal of the character is nothing short of brilliant, proving Jane has what it takes to step up to another level in the game of espionage.
Their personalities are emphasized excellently when mirroring other couples. While the older John found his match in replacing his Jane with a new one, the central John and Jane are adamant in their willingness to stay together. Despite how odd their chemistry is sparked in the first few episodes, there is an inebriating dynamic between the main Smiths that is eventually accepted as normal. They do have some issues, such as when Gavol and Parker Martin (guest stars Sharon Horgan and Billy Campbell) serve as foils or parallels to John and Jane. Gavol pushes her husband away, while John eventually tries to distance himself from his wife.
One and the Same
Despite their differences, it is not difficult to set aside the disparity between the two. In “Second Date”, we learn that John was not allowed to watch violent cartoons at a younger age. Similarly, Jane was never fond of this specific kind of animation. The audience sees how the two are inexperienced and unwise they both are with their certain line of work. This is evidenced in their backgrounds. Jane failed a psychological evaluation into the CIA, while John was let go from the Marine Corps due to having asthma.
Glover performs best in “Couples Therapy” where he defends his mother, Denise (guest star Beverly Glover), from some disparaging remarks by Jane. Moreover, he delivers a morose performance where John talks about paying his father and grandmother back by siring children. This sounds like a nice nod to Glover’s 2013 song, “centipede,” where he expresses similar sentiments about his real-life grandmother in a household where his grandfather was not present.
Erskine delivers better when Jane has scenes without John. When her character breaks down into tears over learning that John needs space to be his own person, it definitely hits home. While the role of Jane could possibly work if originally portrayed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Erskine’s portrayal of Jane as a woman of color offers more merit to the narrative.
Guest Roles
While I do wish there were more to Dano’s character, Harris makes for a fine guest role in what few appearances that he has. Dano delivers best in the finale when he tells John: “Work, life, money, romance—they’re all part of the same project. Marriage is a house you built, and sometimes, your tastes change or maybe you never had any of it to begin with.” Given that he makes his introduction in the same episode as Turturro, I cannot help but get the idea that the two are related somehow.
Turturro’s presentation as Shane is classy. Personally, he demonstrates his character as an interesting blend between his Spike Lee joint roles and his crackpot Transformers character, Seymour Simmons. Shane getting vertigo from the double jabs of truth serum and riding in the back seat of the Smiths’ vehicle is a neat visual sequence that I would love to see more of in this series. The fact that he talks about having been married but left his wife, who eventually died after delivering a child, has me theorize that Dano’s Harris is his secret son.
Perlman’s role as Hellinger is possibly the best of all the guest appearances. Hellinger is depicted as an infantile grown-up who expresses guilt for his mistakes. When the actor breaks down into tears due to John’s refusal to reward him with a cigarette, it is maybe one of the more heartwrenching moments of the series, paving the way to the gravity of life’s heavinesses. John’s dynamic here fills the hole in his life that was left with the passing of his father. This feels more like a son-in-law/father-in-law relationship, whereas Jane and Hellinger naturally appear as if they could play the roles of a daughter and father.
Parker Posey
Much of the hairstyling and costume designs are attributed to Glover and Erskine’s John and Jane, respectively. However, when it comes to the guest roles, Posey reigns superior over the men with her stylish looks. Her older Jane Smith is relentless, even if she does have two episodes credited to her name. Posey has a nice pairing with Moura, but I do feel that she could work just as well alone.
Final Thoughts on Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith
While the finale does not quite provide answers to the fate of the protagonists and their story, the context clues do help. For the most part, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a solid television event that is easier to comprehend than Swarm. The show does not answer all the questions. Yet, it does lend insights into post-modern romance and the world built around it. John Smith is an unusual character at first, but he surely earns his praises as the narrative progresses. Overall, great watch for fans of the romance genre and of spy tales.
4.5/5
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is now streaming via Prime Video!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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