Here’s where people might recognize the StartUp cast from. Headlined by Adam Brody and Edi Gathegi, the Crackle TV show explores what happens when a Miami banker uses dirty money to fund a progressive tech company. StartUp was created by Ben Ketai, who previously developed the Crackle series Chosen, and co-wrote the 2018 franchise movie The Strangers: Prey at Night.
In StartUp, Nick Talman (Brody) uses his father’s money to financially invest in a new cryptocurrency business called GenCoin. When the young banker’s financial moves pique the interest of a local gangster, Ronald Dacey (Gathegi), the two men decide to become business partners. Over several seasons, the GenCoin / Araknet CEOs are investigated by the FBI, the NSA, and underworld figures.
Alongside Brody and Gathegi, the StartUp cast features TV veterans like Ron Perlman and Addison Timlin. People who have seen The Hobbit movie franchise will immediately recognize Martin Freeman, while followers of late 2010s indie cinema may recognize Kelvin Harrison Jr. in a minor role. If there’s a breakout star in StartUp, it has to be Otmara Marrero, who stars as the GenCoin mastermind, Izzy Morales. Here’s a character guide to help identify the leading players in the StartUp cast.
Adam Brody As Nick Talman
Adam Brody stars as Nick Talman, a morally-conflicted banker who uses dirty money to develop a tech company. Brody starred as Seth Cohen on The OC and portrayed Derek in Single Parents. He also appeared as Daniel in Ready or Not and the superhero version of Freddy in Shazam!
Edi Gathegi As Ronald Dacey
Edi Gathegi co-stars in the StartUp cast as Ronald Dacey, a Haitian-American gangster who forms a business alliance with Nick. Gathegi portrayed Laurent in The Twilight Saga: New Moonand Darwin / Armando Muñoz in X-Men: First Class. He also appeared as Matias Solomon in The Blacklist and AD Singe in Briarpatch.
Otmara Marrero As Izzy Morales
Otmara Marrero portrays Izzy Morales, a tech entrepreneur who develops the cryptocurrency company GenCoin. Marrero portrayed Karen in the 2019 movie Clementine and Annie in Connecting. She had a supporting role in the award-winning short film. Yoshua.
Martin Freeman As Phil Rask
Martin Freeman appears as Phil Rask, a corrupt FBI agent. Freeman is best known for starring as Bilbo in The Hobbit movie trilogy. He also appeared as Lester Nygaard in Fargo season 1, Dr. John Watson in Sherlockand Everett K. Ross in Marvel’s Black Panther.
Ron Perlman As Wes Chandler
Ron Perlman portrays Wes Chandler, a multimillionaire who funds Araknet and worries about losing $ 250,000 every month. Perlman starred as Vincent in the ’80s series Beauty and the Beastand also portrayed the titular character in the Hellboy movie franchise. He headlined Sons of Anarchy as Clay Morrow and appeared in Hand of God as Pernell Harris.
Addison Timlin As Mara Chandler
Addison Timlin portrays Mara Chandler, Wes’ daughter and Nick’s love interest. Timlin appeared as Sasha Bingham in Californication and Alex in Stand Up Guys. In the late 2010s, she starred in the movies Little Sister, Like Me, and Life Like.
Mira Sorvino As Rebecca Stroud
Mira Sorvino portrays Rebecca Stroud, a woman who claims to be an NSA agent but has secret motivations for investigating Araknet. Sorvino is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in the 1995 film Mighty Aphroditeand she appeared as Jeanne Crandall in Hollywood. She also starred as the heavily referenced Romy White in the 1997 movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and portrayed Dr. Green in The Expecting.
StartUp’s Supporting Cast & Characters
A decent supporting cast can make or break a television series. The Crackle / Netflix show already has a solid main cast, but the supporting players can hold their own. Many of these faces have been seen in everything from True Blood to Seinfeld. So, where does one know these members of the StartUp cast from? Here are the supporting players of the show and what else they’ve been in.
Ashley Hinshaw As Taylor
First up in the StartUp cast is Ashley Hinshaw, who plays Taylor – Nick’s season 1 love interest. Ashley Hinshaw portrayed Casey Letter in Chronicle and Brigette in True Blood.
Kristen Ariza As Tamara Dacey
In the StartUp cast, Kristen Ariza plays Ronald’s wife, Tamara Dacey. Kristen Ariza portrayed Judy Smith in Confirmation and Laura Cooke in Bosch.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. As Touie Dacey
Next on the list is Ronald’s son, Touie Dacey, who is portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr. The character is the victim of a season 2 tragedy. Kelvin Harrison Jr. starred in the movies Luce and Waves. He also headlined the 2021 Netflix movie Monster.
Tony Plana As Mr. Morales
Tony Plana plays Mr. Morales, Izzy’s father. Tony Plana portrayed Ignacio Suarez in Ugly BettyDevante Cano in Mayans MCand Rafael Hernandez in the Netflix show The Punisher.
Jocelin Donahue As Maddie Pierce
Continuing the StartUp cast list, actress Jocelin Donahue plays Maddie Pierce – a special agent from Washington DC who assists Phil in season 1. Jocelin Donahue starred as Samantha in The House of the Deviland portrayed Lucy Stone in Doctor Sleep.
Wayne Knight As Benny Blush
By far one of the most recognizable faces in the StartUp cast is Wayne Knight, who portrays Benny Blush. He is the owner of a pet store chain who invests in GenCoin during season 1. Wayne Knight portrayed Newman in Seinfeld and Nedry in Jurassic Park.
Reina Hardesty As Stella Namura
Finally, the last member of the StartUp cast is Reina Hardesty, who plays Stella Namura. She’s Izzy’s former Stanford classmate who works at Araknet. Reina Hardesty played Aspen Fairchild in Greenhouse Academyand Joss Mardon / Weather Witch in The Flash.
StartUp Was Canceled But May Start Back Up
People who watched the StartUp cast from their early beginnings were saddened to find out that the show was canceled, but there may be hope that the series could return. The TV show had a three-season run, with many anticipating that StartUp season 4 was in the works. After the third season aired in 2018, the show was unfortunately put on hiatus. While not officially canceled by the streaming service Crackle, it’s safe to assume that the show isn’t coming back on any time soon since nothing has been announced for a couple of years. However, there may be hope for the return of StartUp in the future. As of now, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is looking to buy the rights for the show from Netflix. The aforementioned company acquired Crackle, and now they have their eye on StartUp season 4. So while no one can expect to see a fourth season showing up on Netflix, StartUp may not have bitten the dust just yet.
About The Author