A House of Dynamite cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the latest political thriller on Netflix?

A House of Dynamite marks the return of Kathryn Bigelow to the director's chair after 2017's Detroit. The film is in the apocalyptic political thriller genre, written by Noah Oppenheim. It premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and subsequently had a limited theatrical release on October 10, 2025. It will start streaming on Netflix from October 24. The film's official synopsis, as mentioned on Letterboxd is,

When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

We will be looking at which actor portrayed which character in this film.

A House of Dynamite cast and character's explained

1) Idris Elba as the President of the United States

English actor Idris Elba is playing the role of the United States President, who is referred to as POTUS in the film. He is heading a government that is preparing for a nuclear missile launch from an unknown force. Elba had interestingly played the UK Prime Minister in Heads of State and has also acted in American Gangster, Thor: Ragnarok, and Pacific Rim.

2) Rebecca Ferguson as Captain Olivia Walker

Rebecca Ferguson portrays the character of Olivia Walker, who is a Captain inside the situation room of White House. She is overseeing the situation of a nuclear missile heading towards America. Ferguson is known for her acting work in Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation, Dune and Doctor Sleep.

3) Gabriel Basso as Jake Baerington

Gabriel Basso plays Jake Baerington, who is the Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House. The character is a part of the team that is monitoring the nuclear threat fast approaching the United States. Basso has also appeared in titles like Super 8, The Whole Truth and Barely Lethal.

Other cast members of A House of Dynamite

Jared Harris as Reid Baker
Tracy Letts as General Anthony Brody
Malachi Beasley as William Davis
Anthony Ramos as Major Daniel Gonzalez
Jason Clarke as Admiral Mark Miller
Moses Ingram as Cathy Rogers
Jonah Hauer-King as Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves
Greta Lee as Ana Park

More about A House of Dynamite

A House of Dynamite is produced by Noah Oppenheim, Kathryn Bigelow, and Greg Shapiro under their production banners of First Light, Prologue Entertainment, and Kingsgate Films. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion, which is the biggest prize of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

In an interview with IndieWire, Ferguson spoke about working with Bigelow. She said,

“The first thing was the phone call saying that Kathryn Bigelow wants to Zoom. That was sort of, I didn’t really know what to say, we say these things, ‘I’ve always wanted to work with…,’ but to be honest, Kathryn has been on my top bucket list,” the actress said. “And then being on a Zoom, listening to her, she didn’t really give away the story. I think she was feeling out the vibe, and we vibed very quickly. And then I got to read Noah’s script and then I realized what I was in for.”

A House of Dynamite will premiere on Netflix on October 24.