Anna Maxwell Martin takes on an intimidating new role that is miles away from her character in Motherland in this gripping Apple TV drama. The new Cold War thriller features some very recognisable names.
Apple TV’s highly anticipated For All Mankind spin-off Star City is finally here and has received rave reviews across the board. Taking viewers back to the 1970s in an alternate version of history where the Soviet Union won the space race, the series follows Russian politicians, engineers, cosmonauts, and KGB agents overseeing further missions to the Moon. While the USSR still basks in the glory of becoming the first nation to put a man on the Moon in 1969, tensions run high as the threat of the US looms large during the Cold War.
The series begins today (Friday, 29th May) with six more episodes arriving each Friday until a riveting finale on 10th July.
Star City’s Main Cast
Rhys Ifans as Chief Designer
Welsh film and TV icon Rhys Ifans leads the drama as the secretive head of the Star City program, known only as the Chief Designer. You will have seen him recently as Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon, HBO’s popular Game of Thrones spin-off, as well as portraying Xenophilius Lovegood in the Harry Potter franchise and Curt Connors/The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, a role he reprised in Spider-Man: No Way Home. His performance as comedy legend Peter Cook in Channel 4's Not Only But Always won him a BAFTA TV award, and he is also well-known for his role as Spike in Notting Hill opposite Hugh Grant.
Anna Maxwell Martin as Lyudmilla Raskova
Anna Maxwell Martin plays the head of Star City’s KGB surveillance department, Lyudmilla Raskova, in a performance the Guardian has described as “terrifying”. Martin has appeared in a huge range of popular British dramas, including Line of Duty, Ludwig, and ITV’s Until I Kill You, which won her an International Emmy Award. She has also won BAFTA TV Awards for her roles in Bleak House and Poppy Shakespeare and is well-known among comedy fans for playing Julia Johnstone in the hit BBC sitcom Motherland.
Agnes O'Casey as Irina Morozova
Irina Morozova, a recent KGB recruit at Star City, is portrayed by English and Irish actress Agnes O’Casey. O’Casey has landed supporting roles in major dramas in the 2020s, including Dangerous Liaisons, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, and Netflix’s Black Doves. On the big screen she has appeared in Small Things Like These with Cillian Murphy and in The Miracle Club, Dame Maggie Smith’s final film.
Alice Englert as Anastasia Belikova
Anastasia Belikova is an untested female cosmonaut in the Soviet space program, portrayed by Australian actress Alice Englert. Previously best known for her film roles, she has appeared in Ginger & Rosa with Elle Fanning, Beautiful Creatures with Alden Ehrenreich, and Netflix’s The Power of the Dog with Benedict Cumberbatch, which was directed by her mother Jane Campion. Englert also appeared with O’Casey in Dangerous Liaisons, as well as BBC’s The Serpent and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and made her directorial debut with the 2023 film Bad Behaviour starring Jennifer Connelly.
Solly McLeod as Sasha Polivanov
Sasha Polivanov is described as “a reckless cosmonaut who has yet to live up to his potential” and is portrayed by Solly McLeod. McLeod is a British actor known for playing the title role in ITV’s adaptation of Tom Jones, and has also played Ser Joffrey Lonmouth in two episodes of House of the Dragon alongside Star City co-star Ifans. He is also set to appear in the major upcoming films Practical Magic 2 and Anxious People, adapted from the bestselling novel by Fredrik Backman.
Adam Nagaitis as Valya Mironov
In contrast to Sasha, Valya is a respected cosmonaut in the Star City program brought to life by British actor Adam Nagaitis. Nagaitis previously portrayed a Russian firefighter in HBO’s acclaimed miniseries Chernobyl. He has also appeared in the film The Last Duel with Matt Damon and Adam Driver, as well as TV series The Responder, The Agency and A Thousand Blows.
Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Tanya Mironova
Ruby Ashbourne Serkis is the actress daughter of The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis and will be portraying Tanya, the wife of one of Star City’s cosmonauts. She has previously appeared in TV series Shardlake and I, Jack Wright, as well as two recent Cillian Murphy films: Netflix’s Steve and the Peaky Blinders movie, The Immortal Man.
Josef Davies as Sergei Nikulov
Josef Davies portrays Sergei Nikulov, a young engineering prodigy working at Soviet Ground Control. Davies is best known as Sören in Young Wallander and has also appeared in Andor, Grace, and Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, as well as the hit WWI film 1917.
Supporting Cast and Guest Stars
Star City also features an extensive cast of supporting stars. They include:
- David Dencik (The Assassin) as Maxim Tarasov
- Eliot Salt (Rivals) as Vika Yegorova
- Ellie Piercy as Galina
- Robin Berry as Rem Balabanov
- Chris Leaney as Viktor
- Eadie Johnson as Zoya Morozova
- Aurelijus Pocius as Zhenya
There are also some major names and rising stars making guest appearances throughout the first season. They include:
- Niamh Algar (The Iris Affair) as Yana Akhmatova
- Jenny Walser (Heartstopper) as Leonova
- Sam Strike (Outer Range) as Pavel Fetisov
- Ian Drysdale as Doctor Borovsky
- Sam Wilkinson as Alexei Leonov
- Neringa Bulotaité as Natalia Ivanovna
- Sean Gilder as Vladimir Belikov
- Jamie de Courcey as Stanislav Kalinsky
- Fadily Camara as Celine
- Michael James as Galytzin
- Šarūnas Datenis as Arkady
- Priya Kansara (Bridgerton) as Lakshmi, a gifted scientist
Star City continues Fridays on Apple TV.
