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- The Famous Zola Twitter Thread Is Becoming a Movie – Here’s the Full Cast
The Famous Zola Twitter Thread Is Becoming a Movie – Here’s the Full Cast
by
amanda prahl
Getty / Rodin Eckenroth
The first trailer for A24’s Zola movie has officially dropped, giving us our first look at the cast who will be bringing the famous Twitter thread to life on the big screen. The cast is a mix of acclaimed actors you’ll definitely recognise and performers who have been working for years in smaller roles getting a chance to shine (and, yep, that’s Cousin Greg you spotted in the trailer!). It’s sure to be a wild ride, to say the very least – and, honestly, we would expect nothing less!
Ahead of the movie’s release date later this summer, we’re introducing you to the major players in the cast. Here’s who’s playing who, and where you’ve seen them before.
Getty / Rodin Eckenroth
Taylour Paige as Aziah "Zola" King
Paige, best known for playing Ahsha Hayes on the TV series Hit the Floor, will star as Zola, a waitress who befriends a stripper and finds herself in way over her head on a trip to Florida. Most recently, you’ve seen Paige playing Dussie Mae, the girlfriend of Chadwick Boseman’s character, in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Getty / John Shearer
Riley Keough as Stefani
One of Hollywood’s rising stars, Keough will play Stefani, the sex worker who befriends Zola and whisks her off on an increasingly dangerous and dramatic trip. Keough (who also happens to be Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) has been carving out a name for herself in the horror and thriller genre, with roles in The House That Jack Built, The Devil All the Time, and The Lodge, among several others.
Getty / Fred Hayes
Nicholas Braun as Derrek
Emmy nominee Braun is set to play Derrek, Stefani’s boyfriend who grows more and more frustrated with her increasingly dangerous life. Braun, of course, is best known for playing Cousin Greg on Succession, although he’s been working steadily on TV and in movies for the past 20 years. Other notable roles include playing Cameron (the Joseph Gordon-Levitt role) in the TV adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You and a playful appearance as the Albino in last year’s The Princess Bride socially-distanced reenactment.
Getty / Steven Ferdman
Ari'el Stachel as Sean
Stachel is among the most acclaimed actors in the cast and is playing Sean, Zola’s boyfriend. His TV resume is a little lighter – he joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU in 2020 as Sgt. Hasim Khaldun – but his stage work has earned him big accolades. In 2018, he won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical for his role as trumpet player Haled in The Band’s Visit.
Getty / Amy Sussman
Jason Mitchell as Dion
Mitchell will be playing Dion, one of the story’s colorful supporting characters. Over the past several years, he has appeared in several acclaimed movies, including Mudbound and Straight Outta Compton.
Getty / Angela Weiss
Nelcie Souffrant as Gail
Souffrant, who plays Gail, is a relative newcomer. Zola will be her first big-name movie, following a string of smaller movies and short films.
Getty / Rich Polk
Colman Domingo as X
Domingo, who plays the violent pimp X, is definitely an actor you’ll recognize! The award-winning actor and writer has split his time between the stage and screen, although you probably recognize for his roles on Fear the Walking Dead and Euphoria. More recently, he played Cutler in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and will appear in the horror remake Candyman later this year.
