Hey, I Know That Actor! Who’s Who in Quantum Break
Quantum Break is unlike any other video game you’ve played. Half game, half TV show, it alternates between the two mediums to tell a bigger story. So of course, all the characters in the games are perfectly modeled after their actors, who appear in the live-action episodes. There are a lot of familiar faces in Quantum Break, many of whom have connections with each other in their past work. If you’re wondering why an actor looks so familiar, allow us to shed some light on their histories.
Shawn Ashmore as Jack Joyce
Ashmore, who plays the game’s main protagonist, has been a staple of geek cinema for decades now – most notably spending the last 16 years playing Bobby “Iceman” Drake in the “X-Men” films. Fans of the thrilling, but short lived drama “The Following” may remember him as FBI agent Mike Weston.
Aidan Gillen as Paul Serene
Quantum Break’s antagonist will be very familiar to anyone who enjoys HBO dramas. Fans of “The Wire” will remember him as Baltimore’s mayor Tommy Carcetti. More recently, he’s brought both charm and sinister treachery to the world of “Game of Thrones” as Lord Petyr Baelish.
Dominic Monaghan as William Joyce
Monaghan is best known to some for his role as Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck, one of the four hobbits in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. To others, he stood out as the heroin-addicted rock star Charlie Pace in the mysterious trapped on an island drama “Lost.”
Lance Reddick as Martin Hatch
Another alum of HBO’s crime drama “The Wire” and the aforementioned “Lost,” Reddick has brought his commanding presence to the screen for 20 years. In the sci-fi mystery drama “Fringe” he played Philip Broyles, head of the Homeland Security’s aptly named Fringe Division.
Courtney Hope as Beth Wilder
Hope has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including “NCIS,” “Bones,” and the most recent entry in the “Divergent” series, “Allegiant.” And she’s starring in the upcoming sci-fi thriller “Displacement,” which – humorously enough – is also about quantum time anomalies.
Jacqueline Pinol as Dr. Sofia Amaral
Pinol has appeared in – and lent her voice to – dozens and dozens of TV shows, movies, and games over the years. She’s had numerous multi-episode arcs on popular series like “Days of Our Lives,” “Bosch,” “CSI: New York,” and more.
Marshal Allman as Charlie Wincott
“True Blood” fans will recognize Allman as Tommy Mickens, the younger brother to everyone’s favorite shapeshifter, Sam Merlotte. For the non supernaturally inclined, Allman may be familiar from his long stint on “Prison Break” as LJ Burrows.
Patrick Heusinger as Liam Burke
Heusinger has had minor roles in films like “Black Swan,” as well as recurring roles in shows like “Casual” and “Girlfriend’ Guide to Divorce.” He’ll be appearing in the upcoming action film “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” hunting down a fugitive Tom Cruise.
Brooke Nevin as Emily Burke
Nevin was all over TV a few years back, moving from “Breakout Kings” to “Chicago Fire” to “Cracked” to “Call Me Fitz.” More recently, she appeared on “Scorpion” and “CSI.” But more awesomely, she played Rachel in the Nickelodeon TV adaptation of “Animorphs,” which also starred the aforementioned Shawn Ashmore.
Mimi Michaels as Fiona Miller
Fans of crime procedurals have probably seen Michaels a few times, as she’s appeared on everything from “Law & Order” and “CSI” to more recent fare like “Bones” and “Castle”. This isn’t her first dance with video games either, as she did some voice work on 2013’s “BioShock Infinite.”
Quantum Break is out now for Xbox One. Depending on how you play (and what decisions you make), both the game and the live-action episodes will change. How’s that for innovative?