Nightbitch Cast & Character Guide: Who Else Stars In Amy Adams' Horror-Comedy

Nightbitch's cast extends boasts some impressive talent opposite Amy Adams' commanding performance. Nightbitch is a black comedy riff on a classic creature feature, combining the themes of films like An American Werewolf in London with an exploration of motherhood. The film centers around Amy Adams' nameless Mother, who finds herself increasingly frustrated by her domestic life as a mother and wife above all else. Mother finds new freedom in the evenings however, especially as she steadily seems to begin transforming into a dog.

Although the overall film received mixed reviews from critics, Amy Adams' Nightbitch has become a streaming success on Hulu. While the film is anchored by Amy Adams' impressive central performance, the movie also features a strong supporting cast who bring out different shades of the lead character. The stars of Nightbitch range from veterans of the silver screen to modern character actors, all in service of a quietly bizarre and extremely compelling exploration of motherhood.

Amy Adams As Mother

Born August 20, 1974

Active Since: 1999

Actor:Amy Adams is the star of Nightbitch, playing the unnamed Mother. Born in Aviano, Italy to American parents, Adams made her screen debut in 1999's Drop Dead Gorgeous, and subsequently appeared in several shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, That 70's Show, and The Office. After catching the attention of Steven Spielberg (and landing a supporting role in Catch Me If You Can), Adams found her breakthrough with her Academy Award-nominated performance in Junebug. Since then, Adams has juggled high-profile blockbusters like Man of Steel and Disney musicals like Enchanted with Oscar-nominated films like Doubt, The Master, and Arrival.

Notable Amy Adams Films	Role
Enchanted	Giselle
Man of Steel	Lois Lane
Arrival	Dr. Louise Banks

Character:Mother is the unnamed protagonist of Nightbitch. A frustrated artist who has given up on her personal ambitions to care for her two-year old Son, Mother increasingly finds herself connecting with a more animalistic sider of her personality. While this provides her with a sense of self, it also increasingly creates tension with the more uptight mothers around her and with her spouse, the unnamed Husband.

Scoot McNairy as Husband

Born November 11, 1977

Active Since: 2001

Actor: Scoot McNairy appears opposite Amy Adams in Nightbitch as the unnamed Husband. Born in Dallas, Texas, McNairy initially found success in commercials before making the transition to more feature film and television roles. After appearing in small roles in films like Wonderland, Art School Confidential, and Monsters, McNairy's big break came opposite Brad Pitt in Andrew Dominik's neo-noir modern classic, Killing Them Softly. Since then, McNairy has appeared in several dramatic roles, in shows like Fargo and True Detective as well as films like Speak No Evil and A Complete Unknown.

Notable Scoot McNairy Films	Role
Killing Them Softly	Frankie
Speak No Evil	Ben Dalton
A Complete Unknown	Woody Guthrie

Character: Husband is the spouse to Mother in Nightbitch and the father of their two-year old Son. Husband is portrayed as a well-meaning but somewhat absent figure in the film. While his partner has been forced to leave behind her career to become their Son's primary caretaker, Husband travels frequently for work and leaves his spouse with those parental responsibilities. This builds the tension between the pair, which becomes one of the main emotional throughlines of the film.

Zoë Chao As Jen

Born September 19, 1985

Active Since: 2006

Actor: Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Zoë Chao got her start appearing in theatrical productions of plays like Sidways, Amadeus, and Friend Art. Chao's breakout role came in the starring role of Isobel in the critically lauded Strangers. Chao subsequently starred in shows like Max's Love Life, Apple TV+'s The Afterparty, and the third season of Starz' Party Down. Chao also voices Nina Mazursky in the DC animated series, Creature Commandos, which could set the stage for further appearances in future DC projects.

Notable Zoë Chao TV Shows	Role
Strangers	Isobel
The Afterparty	Zoë Zhu
Creature Commandos	Nina Mazursky

Character: Jen appears as a direct contrast to the unnamed mother in Nightbitch. While Amy Adams' Mother is exhausted and increasingly shifting back into a more natural animal-like state, the chic Jen seems to have a better handle on the situation as she befriends Mother. However, the film quietly implies there may be more going on with Jen than what meets the eye.

Nightbitch's Supporting Cast & Characters

Nightbitch's Quietly Stacked Cast All Give Amy Adams Contrasts To Bounce Off Of

Nightbitch's focus remains heavily centered on Mother, but there are some notable young and veteran actors who also appear in the film alongside Amy Adams. The rambunctious Son are played by the twins Arleigh and Emmett Snowden. The other women among Mother's peers of fellow mothers or art professionals include Mary Holland (The Big Door Prize) as Miriam, Archana Rajan (Grey's Anatomy) as Liz, and Ella Thomas (NCIS: Los Angeles) as Naya. Jessica Harper (Suspiria) appears as Norma, a librarian who provides important books to Mother as she wrestles with the reality of her transformation.

Kerry O'Malley (The Killer) appears as Mother's Mother, playing a minor but important role in the film when revelations about Mother's childhood comes to light. The strong supporting cast is ultimately in service to Mother's story in Nightbitch, with the cast bouncing well off of Amy Adams' acclaimed performance in the lead role. These supporting roles give Mother interesting shades in Nightbitch, especially as ways to showcase the changes in Mother across the course of the film.