The New Faces of Westworld Season 3

The third season of HBO’s Westworld promises to look noticeably different. For starters, much of the action will be taking place in the real world, outside of the Delos parks where the show spent most of its first two seasons. As a result, viewers will meet a number of new characters, most of them played by actors they'll recognize. 

Here are eight of the bigger names joining Westworld Season 3, along with who they’re playing, and where you've seen them before:

Aaron Paul as Caleb

Perhaps the most notable among Westworld’s third season additions is Aaron Paul. The actor is best known for his award-winning turn as Jesse Pinkman in AMC’s Breaking Bad, a role he recently reprised in the made-for-Netflix film, El Camino. In addition to his work on Breaking Bad, Paul’s other TV credits include Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told, Hulu’s The Path, and Netflix’s BoJack Horseman. On Westworld, he'll be playing Caleb, a human construction worker who, at the start of the season, is questioning his place in the world. Following a chance encounter with Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), Caleb quickly finds himself involved in the show’s human vs. hosts conflict in a way he never could have seen coming.

Vincent Cassel as Serac

Primarily a film actor, Cassel has been working consistently since the early 1990s. Some of his best-known film credits include Black Swan, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Jason Bourne, Eastern Promises, La Haine, and Elizabeth. Westworld is the first time Cassel has had a recurring role in a TV series. He'll be playing Serac, the powerful and mysterious villain who recruits Maeve (Thandie Newton) to track down and kill Dolores. 

Lena Waithe as Ash

Waithe broke out with her turn as Denise in Netflix’s Master of None, for which she also wrote the show’s critically acclaimed “Thanksgiving” episode. Since then, she's gone on to create Showtime’s The Chi, BET’s Twenties, and BET’s Boomerang. She also wrote the screenplay for the 2019 film, Queen & Slim, and appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, Netflix’s Dear White People, Pixar’s Onward, and the upcoming film Bad Hair. On Westworld, Waithe plays Ash, who is rumored to be a member of a group of rebels/anarchists Caleb teams up with.

Marshawn Lynch as Giggles

Pro football player Lynch has been a running back for the Buffalo Bills, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Oakland Raiders. Westworld is the first time he'll be playing a character other than himself in a TV series or film. The NFL star will reportedly be playing the role of Giggles in the series, a member of the same troublemaking group as Caleb and Ash. 

John Gallagher Jr. as Liam

A TV and film veteran, Gallagher Jr. is best known for his role as Jim Harper on HBO’s The Newsroom. His other TV work includes roles in Olive Kitteridge, Easy, and Modern Love. His film work includes roles in Short Term 12, 10 Cloverfield Lane, American Woman, The Best of Enemies, Peppermint, and The Belko Experiment. On Westworld, he'll be playing the role of Liam.

Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi as Francis

Known to most as rapper Kid Cudi, Mescudi has been steadily accruing acting credits, appearing in films like Need for Speed, Two Night Stand, Entourage, Meadowland, and James White. Westworld marks his first TV role since his turn as Domingo Brown in HBO’s short-lived original series, How to Make It in America.

Michael Ealy as Jake

One of the busiest actors on TV in recent years, Ealy has had recurring roles in shows like Being Mary Jane, Secrets and Lies, The Following, Almost Human, Common Law, Californication, The Good Wife, and Flashforward. He currently stars as Detective Miles Hoffman on ABC’s Stumptown, and has popped up in films like Barbershop, About Last Night, and Think Like a Man.

Tommy Flanagan as Connells

Tommy Flanagan is no stranger to critically-acclaimed TV shows. He had a recurring role as Filip “Chibs” Telford in FX’s Sons of Anarchy, and has since had small roles in  Revenge, Motive, and Wu Assassins. His film credits include Gladiator, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Ballad of Lefty Brown, and Smokin' Aces.

The third season of Westworld premieres on HBO this Sunday, March 15th at 9:00 PM ET.

People are talking about Westworld in our forums. Join the conversation.

Alex Welch has written about television and film for TV by the Numbers, IGN, The Berrics, Paste Magazine, Screen Rant and GeekNation. Follow him on Twitter @alexrwelch.