Below cast guide: who’s who in Netflix’s supernatural thriller

Set in the remote outport of Snook’s Arm on Newfoundland’s rugged coast, Below follows fisherman Calvin Penney as an unease from the water closes in on his family and neighbors. The supernatural thriller comes from creator Jesse McKeown and leans hard into the realities of a fishing town that suddenly finds itself staring down a threat no one can explain.

Josh Hartnett leads the series as Calvin, and he says the show’s authenticity isn’t an accident. Speaking to Sharp Magazine, Hartnett credited both the script and McKeown’s hyper-specific setting for pulling him in — and noted how much of the cast and crew came straight from Newfoundland’s own fishing communities.

“Jesse (McKeown) very specifically wanted to write something for the Newfoundland fishing community. That specificity is what makes the show so unique because most of the actors are from Newfoundland. Most of the people who worked on it, beyond the acting side of it, were from the local area as well,” he said.

Hartnett added that shooting on location let the cast sink into the culture of the place — the people, the rhythms of work, and the coastline itself — which all feed into the story as the town confronts a mysterious sea creature that won’t stay out of sight.

The cast

• Josh Hartnett — Calvin Penney
• Mackenzie Davis — Fonda Howander
• Charlie Heaton — Wade Penney (Calvin’s son)
• Natasha Henstridge — Jan
• Joshua Close — Officer Jaxon Noseworthy
• Rohan Campbell — Jay Penney

Also appearing: Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Mary Walsh, and Willow Kean.

For a quick resume check: Hartnett has had a busy stretch with Oppenheimer, M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, and Verity; Davis is familiar to genre fans from Halt and Catch Fire and Blade Runner 2049; Heaton is best known as Jonathan on Stranger Things; and Henstridge made her breakout in Species.

Release

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Below heads to Netflix on October 8, 2026 .