Based on the2022 Danish film of the same name,Speak No Evilis a cautionary tale for those who have found themselves taken advantage of because they were too polite to speak up. The movie’s premise follows an American couple, Ben and Louise Dalton, who are traveling abroad with their daughter, Agnes. While in Italy, they meet another couple, Paddy and Ciara, who have a similarly aged son, Ant. The two parties enjoy dinner together, ending with an invitation for Ben and Louise to visit Paddy and Ciara at their remote country home before their vacation ends.
From the moment the Americans arrive at the home, Louise begins to feel a sense of dread about the situation. Paddy is no longer as charming and polite as he was earlier, overstepping boundaries like dietary preferences and personal space. Despite these new passive-aggressive behaviors, Ben and Louise decide to stay for the rest of their visit so they don’t offend their hosts.Speak No Evilhits theaters on the lucky day ofFriday, September 13, so if you haven’t seen the original film yet, there’s still plenty of time to do so. You might find yourself surprised by how similar the films are but with a few major changes made to the remake. This cast and character guide will tell you who’s who and what you’re able to expect each actor to bring to their respective roles.
James McAvoy
Paddy, or Patrick, is one-half of the English couple who met American couple Ben and Louise while vacationing in Italy. He quickly wins them over with his charm and charisma when he takes their daughter on a Vespa ride. He tells them he’s a doctor, and he seems like an all-around good person. Somebody anyone would want to be friends with. When he invites Ben and Louise to come spend a weekend at his home in the countryside, they figure, why not? However, shortly after arriving, things begin to feel off. Paddy, who knows that Louise is a vegetarian, roasts meat for her and pressures her into eating a bite. She obliges but is put off by his bullying behavior. He also begins to make passive-aggressive comments about Ben and has an angry outburst directed at his son, Ant, over a non-issue. Seeing him switch back and forth between two very different demeanors alarms the American couple, which is perhaps whyJames McAvoywas cast in this role.
McAvoy is best known for his performances inM. Night Shyamalan’s thrillers,SplitandGlass. His ability to switch between his multiple personas in a split second not only made his character more unpredictable and menacing, but also hilarious at times. In addition to his portrayal of a villain, McAvoy also stole hearts with his more romantic roles in films likeAtonementandBecoming Jane. He was also a compelling and cheer-worthy protagonist as the adult version of Bill Denbrough inIT Chapter 2and as young Charles Xavier inX-Men: First Class,X-Men: Days of Future Past,X-Men: Apocalypse, andDark Phoenix. The Scottish actor also had an entireSNLskitdedicated to his portrayal of Mr. TumnusfromThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, where several female cast members explained why he was their “girlhood crush” due to his “non-threatening masculinity.” Between McAvoy’s mastery of accents and acting range, there’s no question why he was cast as Paddy inSpeak No Evil.
Aisling Franciosi
Ciara is Paddy’s wife, who doesn’t seem to be as outwardly talkative as her husband, but still has a quietly charming and warm atmosphere that entices the American couple. In almost every couple, there’s one partner who tends to be more extroverted and the other partner who leans more on the introverted side. She informs the Americans that their son, Ant, sometimes has trouble communicating, explaining his silence while the two families spend time together in Italy. Her demure nature seems to dissipate quickly after Ben and Louise join them at the country house though, as she ignores or dismisses his increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior.
Aisling Franciosiplays the role of Ciara inSpeak No Evil. The Irish-Italian actress made her first major acting break on the television seriesThe Fall, followed quickly by her brief (but major) role in HBO’sGame of Thronesseries as Lyanna Stark. Her first feature film,The Nightingale, showcased her ability to portray a sympathetic protagonist with her sights set on revenge. Since then, she has starred inThe Unforgivablealong withSandra Bullockand inThe Last Voyage of the Demeter, a haunting vampire movie. Apparently, she enjoys acting in horror movies because, in addition toSpeak No Evil, her most recent film was the terrifying and creepy psychological thriller,Stopmotion.
Mackenzie Davis
Louise Dalton
Louise’s character is complicated and perhaps serves as the best lesson for people to trust their gut instincts when they feel like something is wrong. On the night of her family’s arrival at Paddy and Ciara’s home, she is put off by Paddy pressuring her to take a bite of a roasted duck that he had prepared, despite her reminding him that she’s a vegetarian. She accepts, out of politeness, but to say the least… that puts a bad taste in her mouth. Still, she agrees to make the best out of the weekend visit, despite alarms going off in her head about the strange behavior of their hosts. By the time she puts her foot down and demands that they leave, it may already be too late.
Louise is played byMackenzie Davis, who stole hearts with her performance as Yorkie from one of the few “feel-good” episodes of the dystopian sci-fi series,Black Mirror, called “San Junipero.” She has also starred in the television miniseries,Station Eleven, andTerminator: Dark Fate. In addition, she played Mindy Park inThe Martian, Mariette inBlade Runner 2049, and the titular character inTullywithCharlize Theron.
Scoot McNairy
Ben Dalton
Ben Dalton is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters of this ensemble, as a father and husband who finds his family in a perilous situation. He seems the most optimistic about the weekend and their newfound friends, promising his wife and daughter that it’s going to be a “great weekend.” Despite Louise’s concerns, he continues to reassure her that everything is fine, and she’s being too sensitive and borderline rude to their hosts. In the trailer for the film, you can see he’s clearly becoming uncomfortable with some of Paddy’s actions, such as embracing Louise and kissing her multiple times on her neck, but his inaction in those instances seems to only encourage Paddy to continue to overstep boundaries. However, those who have seen this movie and compare it to the original praiseScoot McNairy’s performance as Ben, especially in the final act.
McNairy has been in a multitude of major motion pictures, such asArgo,Killing Them Softly,Gone Girl, and12 Years A Slave. More recently, he has appeared in the A24 drama,C’mon C’mon, starringJoaquin Phoenix. He’s done voice acting in the Amazon Prime Original animated series,Invincible, and will be portrayingWoodie Guthriein the upcomingBob Dylanbiopic,A Complete Unknown, starringTimothée Chalametas Dylan.
Who Else Is in ‘Speak No Evil’?
Additionally,Dan Houghwill play Ant, the son of Paddy and Ciara. Described as having “difficulty communicating,” Ant tries his best to warn the family of what might happen to them while visiting. Hough made his acting debut in the television seriesHollyoaks,Speak No Evilwill be his first feature-length film. Agnes, Ben and Louise’s daughter, will be played byAlix West Lefler, who made her acting debut in an episode ofThe Good Doctor. She then moved on to play Juniper inRiverdaleand young Eleanor Wright in the comedy seriesResident Alienand Genevieve inFire Country.Motaz Malhees(200 Meters) will play Mujid, a local babysitter hired by Paddy and Ciara to watch over the children while they take Ben and Louise out for dinner.
Speak No Evil
Speak No Evil follows an American family who accepts an invitation to spend the weekend at a British family’s country estate. What starts as a delightful holiday quickly turns into a psychological nightmare as tensions and sinister intentions come to light.
