Who’s who in ‘Being Heuman,’ the upcoming Apple TV series?

The 1977 occupation of a federal building in San Francisco is the beating heart of Being Heumann, with CODA filmmaker Siân Heder zeroing in on the day-to-day reality of a sit‑in that stretched for weeks. The film follows organizers who refuse to budge until Washington signs off, and builds from the inside out — from food and community to news cameras and the pressure of time — as Judy Heumann rallies a coalition that won’t accept another delay.

Apple Original Films backs the drama, anchored by Ruth Madeley as Heumann, and a cast that threads the protest’s many moving parts — including Mark Ruffalo as the Cabinet official whose pen the movement needs. The story tracks how public pressure, TV coverage and unlikely alliances turned a single building into the center of a national fight.

Who plays whom

• Ruth Madeley — Judy Heumann, the organizer pushing the coalition past one more bureaucratic stall.
• Mark Ruffalo — Joseph Califano, the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare whose signature carries outsized stakes.
• Dylan O’Brien — Evan White, a television journalist whose reporting beams the occupation beyond the federal building’s walls.
• Madeline Delp — Kitty Cone, a key organizer focused on morale as the sit‑in grinds through increasingly tough weeks.
• Antwan Tolliver — Brad Lomax, a disability activist and Black Panther whose ties help keep the protest supplied and connected.
• Ray Fisher — Chuck Jackson, a participant swept up in a solidarity‑driven, everyday act of courage.
• Rob Delaney — Congressman George Miller, a political ally backing the protesters during the standoff.
• Roberta Colindrez — Joni Breves, another member of the on‑the‑ground coalition.

Ruffalo’s read on the fight

Ruffalo recently highlighted a Forbes feature that praised Heder’s choice not to sand down the protest’s edges. The movie leans into the messiness of a real occupation — the defiance, the community taking shape inside the building, and the visible support from the Black Panthers — rather than turning the sit‑in into a tidy montage.

He’s also said the screenplay feels refreshing, surprising and spontaneous, with humor woven through its heavier moments. And while he plays Califano, he pushed back on making the official a cartoon villain, arguing the film is more interested in the system that keeps throwing up barriers than in pinning everything on one person.

Heder’s aim extends to representation: she wanted disabled characters portrayed as full, complicated people — angry, funny, loving, and sometimes in conflict — not polished symbols built for applause. Ruffalo’s praise extends to Madeley, whose take on Heumann threads toughness, wit and vulnerability.

Being Heumann debuts November 13 on Apple TV.