Based on a terrifying true story that sent shock waves across an entire Indiana community, horror-thriller The Deliverance is currently the number one movie on Netflix since its premiere on August 30. Featuring a star-studded cast, the nail-biting movie centers on a family residing in Gary, Indiana, whose lives are rocked when they begin experiencing demonic occurrences in their home. Although they’re initially met with skepticism, it’s not long before even the most unbelieving minds bear witness to inexplicable, spine-chilling events. With police officers, pastors, doctors, and social workers going on record to vouch for the family, a struggling mother must face hell itself to save her children. A testament to its captivating storyline, The Deliverance has been in high demand with studios since its development in early 2022. Netflix ultimately won the coveted bid, and The Deliverance is already an award-winner among critics, earning a ReFrame Stamp award in 2022. So sit back and relax (or hide behind a cushion), fire up Netflix, and scare yourself silly with this terrifying true story. But before you do, delve into our helpful cast and character guide below.
Keep reading to meet the cast and characters of The Deliverance.
Andra Day
Ebony
Andra Day plays Ebony, a struggling single parent who’s not only raising three children but also battling an alcohol addiction. In an exclusive interview with Collider’s Brenda Alexander, it’s revealed Ebony is haunted by an abusive past and is attempting to work through that trauma in adulthood. Ebony’s relationship with her mother, Alberta, is complex due to their dark shared past, and Ebony struggles with her “torn” identity due to being raised by a white mother. Soon, however, Ebony’s trauma reaches a whole new level when demonic forces invade her home and take a chilling interest in her youngest son.
The Deliverance marks Andra Day’s second on-screen collaboration with filmmaker Lee Daniels. In 2021, Day played the iconic title character in Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday, a biographical drama that follows Holiday’s rising career as an undercover sting operation targets her. Her incredible performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Day also appeared in the 2017 true-crime movie Marshall alongside the late Chadwick Boseman, and the 2021 animated television series We the People. Her next project will see her star opposite Andre Holland in Titus Kaphar’sExhibiting Forgiveness, which follows an artist’s struggle as his estranged father re-enters his life.
Glenn Close
Alberta
Glenn Close plays Ebony’s mother, Alberta. A chain-smoking, born-again Christian, Alberta is battling cancer while helping Ebony raise her three children. Close revealed to Collider that Alberta comes from “an abused place” and is trying to break that generational cycle of abuse. Alberta’s mother-daughter dynamic with Ebony is described as the foundation of The Deliverance, and it’s far from idyllic – but will the two women manage to pull together when it matters the most?
With a legendary career spanning over five decades, Hollywood royalty Glenn Close is one of the most versatile actors of all time. Her breakthrough role came in the 1987 psychological thriller Fatal Attraction, in which she played the “bunny boiler” book editor Alex Forrest. Catapulted into global stardom, Close has gone on to star in over one hundred projects, including The Wife, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Dangerous Liaisons. Close’s recent projects include the Apple TV+ spy-thriller Tehran, Netflix spy-thriller Heart of Stone, and Apple TV+ period drama The New Look. Always booked and busy, Close will next star alongside Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, and Halle Berry in the legal drama All’s Fair, which centers on the staff of an all-female law firm.
Anthony B. Jenkins
Andre
Anthony B. Jenkins plays Ebony’s youngest son, Andre, who is the initial target of the demonic forces that invade the family’s home. In the real-life haunting on which The Deliverance is based, the nine-year-old boy was seen by authorities involved with the case walking backward up a wall. “Andre’s” incident was covered in the local press, while Child Services struggled to find an explanation. In the movie, Andre’s connection to the evil forces has a far-reaching impact on his family and the wider community, and a Reverend is called in to perform a terrifying exorcism.
At just 12 years old, young performer Anthony B. Jenkins already has an impressive resume in the industry. Jenkins made his television debut in 2019’s David Makes Man, before going on to star in multiple episodes of Chicago Med, sci-fi drama Roswell, New Mexico, and crime drama Florida Man. The Deliverance serves as Jenkins’ feature film debut, and it seems the youngster has well and truly caught the horror bug. His next project will see him star alongside Halle Berry in Never Let Go, which centers on a family haunted by an evil spirit.
Caleb McLaughlin
Nate
Caleb McLaughlin plays Nate, Ebony’s eldest son. Although the supernatural forces initially target Andre, they soon have an insidious effect on the older siblings. In the real-life case, the three siblings were seen levitating, becoming violent, and speaking in growls – and it seems this detail has made it to the screen. Forced to watch his younger brother suffer under the hold of the demonic entities, the violence eventually takes hold of Nate. After walking in on Nate trying to drown his brother in the bathtub, Ebony realizes none of her children are safe.
One of the most recognizable young faces on screen right now, Caleb McLaughlin made his breakthrough in the Netflix sensation Stranger Things starring as Lucas Sinclair. Since his rise to stardom in 2016, McLaughlin has gone on to star in television series and movies, including the biographical drama The New Edition Story, the sports drama High Flying Bird, and the western Concrete Cowboy, which saw him go toe-to-toe with Idris Elba as rebellious teen Cole. To the delight of Stranger Things fans, McLaughlin is set to reprise his role in the fifth and final season next year. 2025 looks to be a busy year for McLaughlin, and his next upcoming project, a biographical movie titled American Dream: The 21 Savage Story, will see him appear alongside Donald Glover, Natasha Lyonne, and Victoria Pedretti.
Demi Singleton
Shante
Demi Singleton plays Ebony’s daughter, Shante. Like her brother, Nate, Shante is forced to watch as Andre is possessed by the demonic entities, and her home quickly becomes known as a portal to hell throughout the community. Although Shante finds comfort in attending church and school, the forces soon find their way inside her head.
Seventeen-year-old Demi Singleton is an actor, singer, and dancer with an outstanding resume chronicling her five years on screen. The young performer made her feature film debut in 2019’s Goldie, before going on to star as tennis legend Serena Williams in 2021’s King Richard, a sports biography centering on the Williams sisters’ early lives and their rise to greatness with the help of their father Richard (Will Smith). King Richard marks Singleton’s first on-screen collaboration with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who also stars in The Deliverance. Singleton made her television debut in Godfather of Harlem and later appeared as Sally Reeves in Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Reverend Bernice James
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Reverend Apostle Bernice James. A gifted spiritual medium, Bernice is called to the family’s home to perform an exorcism on Andre known as the “deliverance”, an attempt to save people possessed by demons. In a Collider exclusive, Ellis-Taylor told Brenda Alexander she had a spiritual advisor on the set of The Deliverance and also drew on her own faith to elevate her performance. As Bernice attempts to rid Andre of the demon, it’s safe to say this possession is beyond anything she’s seen before.
With a versatile career spanning over four decades, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor made her acting debut in the police drama television series New York Undercover in 1995. Since then, Ellis-Taylor has starred in numerous movies and television shows and is best known for her roles in King Richard, Men of Honour, Ray, and Undercover Brother. Recently, she appeared in 2023’s musical drama The Color Purple, and her next upcoming project, Exhibiting Forgiveness, will see her share the screen with The Deliverance cast mate Andra Day.
Mo’Nique
Cynthia Henry
Mo’Nique plays Cynthia Henry, a social worker assigned to the family’s case. Initially skeptical about the events going on in the home, Cynthia begins to suspect there’s no rational explanation for the children’s bizarre behavior as she sees things that cannot be explained.
Actor, stand-up comedian, writer, and producer Mo’Nique began her on-screen career in the 90s. Her role in The Deliverance’s director Lee Daniel’s 2009 film Precious earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, her portrayal of Precious’s abusive mother Mary Lee Johnston gaining critical acclaim. Alongside Precious, Mo’Nique is best known for her roles in the television sitcom The Parkers, 2005’s Domino, and 2006’s Phat Girlz. Mo’Nique recently starred in the 2023 supernatural thriller The Reading, and the true-crime series Black Mafia Family.
