Calling all scientists, politicians, civilians, children, and all of humanity to the worldwide crisis we are facing! Extrapolations (2023) is the newest Apple TV+ series that will explore climate change and its ever-evolving impact on our world and livelihood. With a topic of such a grand scale and timely relevance, the show's creator Scott Z. Burns crafted this limited series with resolute commentary about climate change threaded through its various stories and characters.
The anthology drama gathered an impressive cast with over 28 high-profile stars that will appear across eight different episodes. Some of the supporting characters will be played by notable actors like David Schwimmer (Friends), Diane Lane (Man of Steel), Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me), Cherry Jones (The Village), Keri Russell (Felicity), and Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans), not to mention Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian), Hari Nef (Assassination Nation), and Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark). Adding to the extensive cast are Adarsh Gourav (Hostel Daze), MaameYaa Boafo (The Mysterious Benedict Society), Grammy-winning singer Ben Harper, British wheelchair basketball player Gaz Choudhry, Mía Maestro (The Strain) and Neska Rose (Drama Club).
The series timeline will span 33 years into the near future and display the impending effects of climate change on several demographics of humanity and the planet we call home. With the Apple TV+ series premiering on March 17, check out the following guide to the talented cast and some of the major characters of Extrapolations.
Matthew Rhys as Junior
Junior is a real estate developer and is shown as an out-of-touch member of the elite society. Donned in suits or tracksuits, he has access to his own transportation, like a boat that is seen traveling through the sea with multiple melted ice caps. His character represents a nihilistic outlook regarding climate change due to admitting "it will all go to shit at the end of the century." Still, his ignorance is highlighted as he cheers, saying, "we'll be smiling in gold-plated coffins."
Matthew Rhys is an Emmy-winning Welsh actor known for his television roles in the family drama Brothers & Sisters and the spy drama The Americans. He's starred in films like Burnt, The Post, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Rhys has also been involved with voice acting in series like Archer, The Owl House, and Tuca & Bertie. His most notable current role is leading the HBO period drama, Perry Mason. His next project will be a new animated adaptation of Heart of Darkness.
Sienna Miller as Rebecca Shearer
Rebecca Shearer is a marine biologist who is also expecting her first child. In the trailer, she's committed to her job of surveying burning habitats and monitoring sea animals, such as whales, that are most likely endangered. While she's pregnant, she fears bringing her child into a world that is slowly falling apart as she asks her partner, "Are we bad people?". Her character arc portrays a dedicated scientist who wishes to better and preserve the world, especially for her child.
Sienna Miller is an American-English actress known for starring in movies like Layer Cake, American Sniper, and The Lost City of Z. She was recently in the television miniseries Anatomy of a Scandal and The Loudest Voices. Miller's recent films were Wander Darkly and 21 Bridges. Her following projects are the films My Mother's Wedding and Horizon.
Meryl Streep as Eve Shearer
Eve Shearer appears to be an older relative of Rebecca Shearer. She imparts some wise words to Rebecca: "Stop being angry about the past. The future is now". This presents her character as someone hopeful and supportive of resolving the climate crisis so that her family can live in this world after she's gone.
Meryl Streep is a three-time Oscar-winning American actress known for her roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice, and The Iron Lady. She is one of the most prolific actresses in Hollywood with an extensive list of iconic movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia!, Julie & Julia, and Into the Woods to her name. Her most recent films include Don't Look Up, The Prom, and Let Them All Talk. Streep has already been part of some television projects, including Big Little Lies, and will join the third season of the hit series, Only Murders in the Building.
Kit Harrington as Nicholas Bilton
Nicholas Bilton is a CEO of an industrial tech company that poses a tricky position in being helpful towards the climate. He's shown in the trailer as being a pioneer attempting to "develop technology that would allow us to survive." This mentioned technology would fall in line with tackling the problems of bushfires that Bilton becomes aware of through the news. Again, his character comes from the elite class and portrays someone who's engaged in effective climate action.
Kit Harrington is an English actor best known for playing Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. He's gone on to lead several films like Pompeii, Testament of Youth, Spooks: The Greater Good, and The Death & Life of John F. Donovan. He recently made his MCU debut as Dane Whitman in Eternals. Harrington has also starred in TV projects like 7 Days in Hell, Gunpowder, and Modern Love. His next project will be the action-thriller film Blood for Dust.
Daveed Diggs as Marshall Zucker
Marshall Zucker is a rabbi of a synagogue located in South Florida. The location choice ties in with the drastic effects of climate change, as Florida is often subjected to cyclones or flooding, as depicted in the trailer. Marshall also comments on how other scientific frontiers, such as outer space and medicine, have been resolved, but "for every question answered, another one appears." This question regards the climate crisis and represents in the story how religious institutions can share the mutual goal of fighting climate change and co-exist amid the societal notion of faith versus science.
Daveed Diggs is an American actor, rapper, and writer. He's most popularly known for his role as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the 2015 iconic musical Hamilton. He's featured in a few films, including Wonder, Velvet Buzzsaw, and Blindspotting, a film he co-wrote with Rafael Casal that led to a spin-off TV show. Diggs has appeared in shows like The Get Down and Black-ish and was a leading character in the television adaptation of Snowpiercer. He's partaken in voice acting roles in projects like Zootopia and Central Park, with his next upcoming role as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid (2023).
Edward Norton as Jonathan Chopin
Jonathan Chopin is a scientist and climate change specialist sent to the highest level of authority, the White House. In the trailer, he communicates with President Elizabeth Burdick (Cherry Jones) and likens the climate crisis to a bear that the world "has been wrestling with...for decades". His character represents the front line of scientists dedicated to combating climate change but facing the challenges of maintaining mutual goals with political powers.
Edward Norton is an Oscar-nominated actor for his roles in films like Primal Fear, American History X, and Birdman. His other well-known movies include Fight Club and The Incredible Hulk. Norton has frequently collaborated with filmmaker Wes Anderson on films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch. His most recent project was Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and his next film will be Anderson's upcoming Asteroid City.
Indira Varma as Gita Mishra
Gita Mishra is a millionaire and inventor who invests her money in building the latest technology to help with climate change's effects. One particular investment is a sea wall that is built to prevent rising sea levels from flooding the city. Her character represents the elite billionaires who are in a position of power for having access to resources that could easily contribute to resolving the climate crisis.
Indira Varma is an English actress whose most popular role is Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones. She appeared in earlier films like Bride and Prejudice and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Varma was recently in the Disney+ Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi as Agent Tala Durith and is a series regular on the show Carnival Row. She's done voice acting work for the animated series The Legend of Vox Machina and narrates for the documentary series Reported Missing. Varma's following big projects will be Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and the Dune spin-off series, Dune: The Sisterhood.
Gemma Chan as Natasha Alper
Natasha Alper is a single mother who works as a banker in micro-finance. Her character's perspective focuses on the worry for the future, especially as a parent with a child who will inherit a slowly diminishing world. Additionally, Alper's job as a banker can touch on the financial consequences of climate change with the cost of living, food production, overpopulation, and much more.
Gemma Chan is an English actress best known for playing Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians and Sersi in Eternals. She appeared in TV shows like Sherlock and Secret Diary of a Call Girl before she led the sci-fi series Humans. Chan's recent films have included star-studded casts in Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk and Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. Her upcoming projects include the film True Love, where she will star opposite John David Washington (Tenet), and the spin-off sequel to Crazy Rich Asians, focusing on her character's rekindled relationship with Charlie (Harry Shum Jr.).
First 'Extrapolations' Images Reveal a Star-Studded Drama With Meryl Streep and More
Yara Shahidi as Carmen Jalilo
Carmen Jalilo is a young activist who leads protests in relation to climate change. In the trailer, she proclaims a critical line that they "cannot give up and go home" because "we are already home." Her character shows context on the rising awareness and involvement of younger demographics, including school students. The passion of younger people in demanding climate action is justified by the fact that their livelihoods and futures are on the line as Carmen adds, "This is our only home," and there are no alternatives if climate change worsens.
Yara Shahidi is an American actress who has been acting since her childhood. She starred in films like Imagine That and Butter and was in the sitcom series The First Family. Shahidi is well known for playing Zoey Johnson in the comedy series Black-ish and the subsequent spin-off series Grown-ish. She's also been involved with voice acting in movies like Smallfoot and PAW Patrol: The Movie. She recently led the teen romance film The Sun is Also a Star and will play Tinkerbell in the upcoming Disney live-action film Peter Pan & Wendy.
Marion Cotillard as Sylvie Bolo
Sylvie Bolo is an art dealer and married to Augustin Bolo. Having a prestigious and intellectual occupation, Sylvie is shown in the trailer to state that human history is "one horrible catastrophe after another" and leans towards pessimism after asking, "what makes you think the world is going to get better?". This defeatist attitude could be challenged when in the episode setting of hosting a dinner party.
Marion Cotillard is an Oscar-winning French actress who won for portraying Edith Piaf in the 2008 film La vie en rose. She's popularly known for her role as Mal in Christopher Nolan's 2010 film Inception. Cotillard has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Rises and Contagion, followed by a versatile range of movies like Macbeth and Annette. Her next projects will be the drama film, The Brutalist, and the biographical war film, Lee.
Forest Whitaker as Augustin Bolo
Augustin Bolo is a small-time investor and the husband of Sylvie. He and his wife are both wealthy, but he shares her woeful outlook on the state of the world as he says, "this is not the life I envisioned it to be." His character has the capability, like many of the rich characters through the series, to implement some change with his money regarding the climate crisis.
Forest Whitaker is an Oscar-winning American actor for his leading role in The Last King of Scotland. He went on to star in other films like The Butler, The Forgiven, and Respect. Whitaker has been part of big franchises like Star Wars and the MCU after featuring in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Black Panther, respectively. His most recent role was leading the TV series Godfather of Harlem, and his next two films will be Havoc and Big George Foreman.
Tobey Maguire as Nicholas
Nicholas is one of the guests at the Bolo's house dinner. He's a kelp farmer, an occupation and agricultural industry aimed at creating sustainable sources for food production from seaweed. His character provides the perspective for active engagement with climate change solutions and is possibly seeking further finances from Augustin to expand more kelp farms.
Tobey Maguire is an American actor who is popularly known for leading Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. He's featured in other notable films like Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, Brothers, and The Great Gatsby. Maguire made his recent return to films after reprising his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home and starring in Damien Chazelle's Babylon.
Eiza González as Elodie
Elodie is another guest at the house dinner with the Bolos. She's an artist and social influencer who most likely knew Sylvie through their mutual industry. In the trailer, Elodie is depicted as an optimist who wishes to "wake up magically in a better world." Her character potentially portrays the use of art or social media as readily accessible platforms to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
Eiza González is a Mexican actress whose breakout role in the US was the TV show From Dusk till Dawn: The Series. She went on to appear in films like Baby Driver, Alita: Battle Angel, and I Care a Lot. González's next project will be the Guy Ritchie action film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51ksrnA0ZqnqKSRqbawutJmmpqrpGKur7CMnJ%2BaqpGYwaa%2BjKCsopyVZA%3D%3D