Richard Gadd may have written, starred in and executive produced his searing sophomore series Half Man, but the writer’s towering performance is backed by an ensemble of impressive actors in this new HBO drama.

Half Man captures over 30 years in the lives of two lifelong friends who have been inseparable since they were teens. Ruben and Niall could not be more different, but they are fiercely loyal to each other, almost to a fault. And when Ruben shows up to Niall’s wedding acting strangely, an explosion of violence takes place, uncovering decades of buried feelings.

The limited series, which takes place over six dramatic episodes, explore “brotherhood, violence, and the intense fragility of male relationships,” the logline reads. “After all, when things fall apart… it is sometimes the closest relationships which break the hardest.”

The new series marks Gadd’s latest role since his 2024 hit Baby Reindeer. Part dark comedy, part psychological drama, the Netflix series follows Gadd’s Donny Dunn as he’s faced with a female stalker while trying to cope with a dark buried trauma. The series, which Gadd also wrote, produced and starred in, earned six Emmy Awards, including an acting award for both Gadd and Jessica Gunning.

It remains to be seen if Half Man, which premieres Thursday April 23, will live up to the hype of Baby Reindeer. But Gadd and his co-stars deliver praise-worthy performances in the dramatic new series that will surely attract some attention come awards season.

Here is everything we know about the Half Man cast.

• Richard Gadd as Ruben

  Gadd stars as Ruben Pallister, described as “fierce and loyal.” The show is keeping many details under wraps ahead of the premiere, but Gadd shared in an interview with BBC that Ruben’s differences with Niall are what bring them together. “Ruben is violent and volatile, whilst Niall is very sensible and self-conscious,” he said. “They’re polar opposites but in a strange way they form an alliance – for better or worse – which catapults them through the ages. They both have something that the other does not and they crave what each other has.”

  Gadd is a Scottish actor and writer who also wrote for Sex Education and has appeared in Wedding Season, Code 404, Clique and more. He is best known for writing and starring in the semi-autobiographical hit Netflix series, Baby Reindeer.

• Jamie Bell as Niall

  Jamie Bell stars as Niall, described as “meek and mild-mannered” and “incredibly complicated.” Bell told BBC that Niall is “not comfortable in his own skin and he’s certainly not comfortable with looking inwards in any meaningful way,” leading him to become “flattened into someone he thinks the world wants him to be.”

  Bell is best known for his roles in Billy Elliot, Fantastic Four, Snowpiercer and Rocketman. Bell won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his performance in Billy Elliot when he was just 14 years old, beating out Russell Crowe, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Geoffrey Rush.

• Mitchell Robertson as young Niall

  The show covers over 30 years of Niall and Ruben’s life, which means viewers will get to see much of Niall’s most formative years through Mitchell Robertson, who delivers a naive and wide-eyed performance as young Niall.

  Half Man viewers hoping to see more of Robertson can catch the young actor in the 2024 series Curfew. He also made appearances in the series A Very British Scandal, Marriage, Mayflies and Moonflower Murders.

• Stuart Campbell as young Ruben

  Stuart Campbell stars as young Ruben, who is 17 years old at the start of the series. Fresh out of the Young Offenders Institute, Ruben moves into Niall’s home when they’re teenagers during a time where he’s grappling with his own inner demons. But he believes he finds a brother he can trust in young Niall.

  Campbell can also be seen in the series Rogue Heroes, The Winter King, Chemistry of Death and more.

• Neve McIntosh

  Neve McIntosh stars in Half Man as Lori, Niall’s mother. Robertson described Lori as one of Niall’s only safe spaces, who offers plenty of “tough love” and – often misguided – support.

  McIntosh has also starred in Doctor Who, Chemistry of Death, Tin Star and Traces.