The Lost Bus cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Apple TV+ film?

The recently released film by Apple TV+, The Lost Bus, boasts a talented cast of actors, including Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, and Yul Vazquez.

Directed by Paul Greengrass, the film narrates a true story during the devastating 2018 Camp Fire in California. It follows the high-stakes plot of how a gallant bus driver, Kevin, and a resilient school teacher, Mary, strive to safeguard children in the face of a crisis.

Upon its release, the film garnered an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.0/10 on IMDb.

Since this story is based on real-life events, the characters are also inspired by real people who courageously fought to save lives.

Keep reading to find out more about the cast and characters of The Lost Bus.

Who is in the cast of The Lost Bus?

1) Yul Vazquez as Ray Martinez

A still from 'The Lost Bus' | Image via @Youtube/AppleTV

Yul Vazquez portrays the character of the chief of the fire department in California, Ray Martinez. According to ScreenRant, his character could be inspired by John Messina.

Apart from Vazquez's role in this film, the Cuban-American actor has previously starred in War of the Worlds (2005), The A-Team (2010), The Infiltrator (2016), Gringo (2018), The Outsider (2020), and Severance (2022-2025), among several other projects.

2) America Ferrera as Mary Ludwig

The dedicated teacher of Ponderosa Elementary School, Mary Ludwig, has been played by America Ferrera. She and Kevin work together to protect the children amidst the ghastly fire. She takes care of the students while Kevin drives the bus to help them escape.

The Golden Globe-winning actor America Ferrera is well known for her work in Real Women Have Curves (2002), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), Ugly Betty (2006-2010), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Barbie (2023), etc.

3) Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay

Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, the valiant bus driver who took on the responsibility to save 22 students amidst the catastrophic fire in 2018. In the aftermath of the fire, Kevin began working as an educator at Fair View High School in California.

McConaughey is well distinguished for his work in A Time to Kill (1996), Amistad (1997), The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Interstellar (2014), and The Dark Tower (2017), to name a few.