Cast and characters
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, a charming but dangerous man who shows traits of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders that primarily manifest as an obsessive romantic fixation. He is first introduced as the manager of Mooney's bookstore in New York, who stalks and dates Beck in the first season. In the second season, he transfers to Los Angeles and going by the name Will Bettelheim, gets himself employed as a bookstore clerk at Anavrin, where he falls into old patterns after meeting the store's manager, Love Quinn. In the third season, he is going by Joe once more, married to Love and raising their son, Henry in the suburbs. In the fourth season, Joe is in London masquerading as a university professor called Jonathan Moore, obsessing over Kate and has kidnapped Marienne. He begins disassociating and has a mental break. In the fifth season, he reverts back once more to his original name, and his new obsession is Bronte. Joe is portrayed as a teenager by Gianni Ciardiello in the first season, and as a child by Aidan Wallace and Jack Fisher in the second and third seasons, respectively.
Elizabeth Lail as Guinevere Beck (season 1; special guest seasons 2 & 4–5), a broke NYU graduate MFA student with daddy issues and an aspiring writer and poet who enters into a relationship with Joe, with secrets of her own
Luca Padovan as Paco (season 1, special appearance season 5), Joe's young neighbor who sees Joe as a source of support and a role model, who Joe helps when his abusive step-father is threatening
Zach Cherry as Ethan Russell (season 1, special appearance season 5), a bookstore clerk who works with Joe and dates Beck's friend Blythe
Shay Mitchell as Peach Salinger (season 1), a wealthy and influential socialite, with narcissistic, controlling and obsessive qualities and Beck's best friend whom she met at Brown University, who harbors a secret passion for her
Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn (seasons 2–3, special guest season 4), an aspiring chef and health guru in Los Angeles who gets involved with Joe and has dark secrets herself, they later have a son, Henry
Carmela Zumbado as Delilah Alves (season 2), Ellie's older sister, an investigative reporter who leases Joe's flat to him and they have a brief romantic encounter
Jenna Ortega as Ellie Alves (season 2), Delilah's fifteen-year-old sister who lives in the same block of apartments as Joe/Will, with a passion for film
James Scully as Forty Quinn (season 2; special guest season 3), Love's beloved and troubled twin brother who relies on Love for support in most matters due to his addictions and mental health issues
Ambyr Childers as Candace Stone (season 2; recurring season 1), Joe's ex-girlfriend from before Beck, who follows him to Los Angeles seeking revenge
Saffron Burrows as Dottie Quinn (season 3; recurring season 2, special appearance season 5), Love and Forty's mother who is narcissistic and an alcoholic
Tati Gabrielle as Marienne Bellamy (seasons 3–4, special guest season 5), a librarian and keen observer of the neighborhood's denizens. Beneath her practical exterior, Marienne is hiding personal struggles with drugs and addiction that set her back, as she tries to create a better life for herself and her daughter. She moves with her daughter to Paris after the events of the third season. In season 4 she is kidnapped by Joe in London. In season 5 she returns to seek revenge.
Shalita Grant as Sherry Conrad (season 3, special appearance season 5), a locally famous "momfluencer", admired by her social media followers for her well crafted persona, she often insults people through veiled insults and sees herself as superior to everyone in Madre Linda. She is very fake and only seeks things that support her personal interests.
Travis Van Winkle as Cary Conrad (season 3, special appearance season 5), a wealthy, charismatic, and self-proclaimed founder who runs his own supplement company and is married to Sherry with whom they share twin girls
Dylan Arnold as Theo Engler (season 3), a troubled college student who has a strained relationship with his stepfather, Matthew Engler, and who has a crush on Love and brief romantic encounter
Charlotte Ritchie as Kate Galvin-Lockwood (seasons 4–5), a fearsomely intelligent art gallery director. Her partying boyfriend Malcolm will bring Joe into their lives.
Tilly Keeper as Lady Phoebe Borehall-Blaxworth (season 4, guest season 5), a wealthy social media influencer who is part of the royal family. She is romantically involved with Adam and has a dramatic yet bubbly personality.
Amy-Leigh Hickman as Nadia Farran/Fareedi (season 4, recurring season 5), one of Joe's students in London. She is outspoken and competitive, and a lover of genre fiction. He later frames her, and she returns in season 5, seeking revenge.
Ed Speleers as Rhys Montrose (season 4), an author and mayoral hopeful whose memoir about his experiences in prison lifted him out of poverty. He appears to quickly form a connection with Joe over their similar personal backgrounds.
Lukas Gage as Adam Pratt (season 4), an American playboy who hails from a wealthy family and owns Sundry House, an elite London social club. He is dating Lady Phoebe and has a strained relationship with his father, who he typically consults to bail him out of debt from his failed business ventures.
Madeline Brewer as Bronte / Louise Flannery (season 5), an enigmatic and free-spirited playwright who comes to work for Joe, who has a history with Beck, she is easy manipulated by Joe and falls for him
Anna Camp in a dual role as identical twins:
Raegan Lockwood (season 5), a cutthroat CFO of the Lockwood Corp who has her eyes on the throne and hates her sister Kate and frequently bullies her twin Maddie
Maddie Lockwood (season 5), a thrice-divorced socialite and master manipulator whose job is 'vaguely PR', she resents Raegan for making her be her surrogate
Griffin Matthews as Teddy Lockwood (season 5), a snarky yet loyal brother-in-law of Joe, who was the secret child of Kate's father's 'help' who was never fully accepted by the Lockwood family apart from Kate who brings him into the family business
