Here’s Where You’ve Heard the Voice of Damsel’s Dragon Before

Damsel is the latest Netflix original film that has been grabbing audiences’ attention. Directed by 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the movie stars Millie Bobbie Brown as Elodie, a young woman who accepts a marriage proposal. She soon realizes that she is being used to repay a royal family’s ancient debts and must escape her captivity, including surviving a powerful dragon that lurks in the cave. The film is a dark fantasy that features many hallmarks fans love from the genre.

One of the biggest standouts is easily the dragon itself. Not only is it a terrifying creature, but the movie also uses it to create a sense of dread. The voice also gives the character a real presence. The voice is one fans will certainly recognize, as the performer has appeared in a number of high-profile projects, from films like X-Men: The Last Stand and Star Trek: Beyond to hit television series 24 and The Expanse. The first thing many people note about her roles is her distinct voice. Here is who voices the Dragon in Damsel and where else you know them from.

Shohreh Aghdashloo Voices The Dragon in Damsel

The Dragon in Damsel is voiced by none other than Shohreh Aghdashloo, the legendary Iranian and American actress. Even if you don’t know Aghdasshloo’s name right away, you certainly recognize her voice as she has been heard in a number of high-profile projects across genres, gaining her a large, diverse fanbase. Aghdashloo made her film debut in 1976’s Chess of the Wind, which she then followed up with roles in critically acclaimed films like The Report and Sooteh Delan, both of which were released in 1977 and established her as one of Iran’s biggest actors despite both films being banned in Iran. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she moved to the U.K. and then to the United States, where she became an American Citizen.

In 2003, she starred in House of Sand and Fog, a movie that concerns a battle between a young woman and an immigrant Iranian family over the ownership of a house in Northern California. Aghdashloo plays Nadereh “Nadi” Behrani, the wife of Ben Kingsley’s character, Col. Massoud Behrani. Aghdashloo received rave reviews for her role and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 76th Academy Awards and won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. After that, Hollywood took notice of her and put her in many of the biggest franchises.

Shohreh Aghdashloo’s Iconic Film Roles

After the Academy Award nomination for House of Sand and Fog, Aghdashloo was cast in Scott Derrickson’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose, playing Dr. Sadira Adani. Due to her deep, commanding, husky voice, Aghdashloo would often be cast as a figure of authority. In 2006, she would play two more doctors, with the first being in X-Men: The Last Stand as Dr. Kavita Rao, the scientist who developed the cure for mutation. Three weeks later, audiences would see her in The Lake House as Dr. Anna Klyczynski, a mentor to Sandra Bullock’s character. That same year, she would star in The Navitiy Story as Elizabeth, the aunt of Mary and the future mother of John the Baptist. In 2008, she was in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as Professor Nasrin Mehani.

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In 2016, Aghdashloo appeared as Commodore Paris in Star Trek Beyond. This role was notable as it was not part of the original cut of the movie and was added in reshoots just months before the film’s release, and she adds a sense of authority but comforting wisdom to Starfleet. In recent years, she has been allowed to cut loose as the villain, and she has been allowed to lend her voice to the iconic character of Gozer the Gozerian in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, dubbing over star Olivia Munn and dancer Emma Porter. In 2023, she appeared as Bellafrancesca Lobo in the Universal Pictures horror/comedy Renfield, a reimaging of the Dracula story with Aghdashloo being the head of a crime family that makes an alliance with Dracula, played by Nicolas Cage. Anytime Aghdashloo appears in a film, it is always a delight.

Shohreh Aghdashloo’s Iconic Television Roles

Aghdashloo is a star on both the big and small screen. In 2005, she appeared on the hit television series 24 for its fourth season as Dina Araz, which earned her a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. In 2008, she appeared on House of Saddam, an HBO/BBC miniseries where she starred as Sajida Talfah, the wife of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Aghdashloo not only received some of the best reviews of her career but also won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie at the 61st Primetime Emmys. Since then, she has appeared on television series like The Punisher and Ms. Davis and will next be seen on the Max Original, The Penguin, which is a spin-off of The Batman.

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She has also lent her voice to projects in guest roles on series like The Simpsons, Archer, The Lion Guard, and Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. Yet her biggest television role to date was on The Expanse. Running from 2015 to 2022, the series follows an ensemble of characters facing existential crises brought on by newly discovered alien technology while also dealing with an unstable peace between planets and nations that are threatened by a conspiracy. Aghdashloo stars as Chrisjen Avasarala, a United Nations Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration. The series received positive reviews and is, for many, now, Aghdashloo’s most iconic role in a career that features many iconic roles.

Damsel is just one of many great performances from Shohreh Aghdashloo, who, due to her incredible voice, has become one of the biggest and most recognizable stage talents. Stream Damsel on Netflix.