HBO’s Youth cast and characters: a guide to the Sharon Horgan drama
HBO’s upcoming series Youth boasts a stacked cast—find out who’s playing whom.
The face turning the most heads in HBO ’s new comedy isn’t a cameo — it ’s newcomer Aran Murphy, who plays Ruari. Yes, he’s Cillian Murphy’s son, and he’s already logged screen time in Lola (2022) and Taika Waititi ’s Klara and the Sun. He joins a tight ensemble led by Sharon Horgan in a story built around middle-age chaos with a very intentional title: Youth.
What it’s about
Horgan stars as Alex, a fifty-year-old trying to keep it together while caring for ailing parents, navigating a stalled love life, and parenting a grown son. She’s not just the lead — she also wrote the series, leaning into the irony of its title and the very real pressure-cooker that is midlife.
The cast
- Sharon Horgan — Alex. Creator-star of Catastrophe and Apple TV+ ’s Bad Sisters; seven BAFTA nominations with a 2016 win for Catastrophe, plus four Emmy nominations.
- Rupert Friend — Patrick. Known for Homeland (Peter Quinn) and 2005’s Pride & Prejudice (George Wickham).
- Sharlene Whyte — Sam. Recognizable from The Story of Tracy Beaker (Jenny Edwards) and the 2021 miniseries Stephen (as Doreen Lawrence).
- Aran Murphy — Ruari. Son of Oscar winner Cillian Murphy; appeared in Lola (2022) and Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun.
- Robbie Gee — Frank. A veteran of British TV and film, including Desmond’s (Lee Stanley), Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, and Pirates of the Caribbean (as Shrimper).
Youth premieres September 20 on HBO.