Every Guest Star in Poker Face Season 2 & Where You've Seen Them Before
The hit mystery series from Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne returns to Peacock May 8 with a packed roster of guest stars.
When Poker Face returns to Peacock for its second season on May 8, the hit mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (Looper, Knives Out) will do so with a cavalcade of guest stars. In fact, the lineup of A-list celebrities confirmed to appear throughout the sophomore season is so impressive, it make the show's first 10 episodes (stream them here) look like a warmup.
Aside from Natasha Lyonne, who returns as human lie detector Charlie Cale, viewers can also expect to see guest roles from over 30 of the hottest actors working in Hollywood today — from Wicked sensation Cynthia Erivo to The Office alum B.J. Novak to character actress Margo Martindale.
Head below for a rundown of all the Poker Face Season 2 guest stars and where you've most likely seen them all before!
RELATED: Rian Johnson Reveals Poker Face Guest Stars, Season 2 Secrets at PaleyFest (DETAILS)
Cynthia Erivo
It seems almost unnecessary to explain Cynthia Erivo's career with the world still abuzz following her Oscar-nominated turn as Elphaba — aka the Wicked Witch of the West — in Wicked (now streaming on Peacock). With an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony under her belt, Erivo is just one award away from joining the exclusive EGOT club. So far, she's been nominated for three Academy Awards — twice for Harriet and once for Wicked. As revealed at PaleyFest LA last month, Erivo is playing multiple siblings in her episode of Poker Face. Beyond Wicked and Harriet, she has also appeared in Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale, Steve McQueen's Widows, and The Outsider.
Lauren Tom
Fans may not know Lauren Tom immediately by sight, but they most assuredly know her voice. That's because she's provided the voiceover dialogue for longtime Planet Express intern Amy Wong on Futurama since it first premiered in 1999. Younger viewers may know her as the voice of Kuki Sanban, aka Numbah 3, in Cartoon Network's Codename: Kids Next Door. In the live-action realm of things, Tom has appeared in everything from Friends and Quantum Leap to The Rookie and Interior Chinatown. While we don't know anything about her Poker Face role just yet, we do know she'll be appearing alongside Awkwafina and Alia Shawkat.
Lili Taylor
A screen veteran of the late 1980s, Taylor is perhaps best-known for playing Carolyn Perron in the first Conjuring film. Her other credits include Leatherface, The X-Files, Six Feet Under, Outer Range, and the recent reboot of Perry Mason.
Natasha Leggero
Known for her successful career as a stand-up comedian, Leggero was a regular guest on several Comedy Central roasts — specifically those for Pamela Anderson, James Franco, and Justin Bieber. On the acting side, she's appeared in He's Just Not That Into You, Let's Be Cops, Old Dads, Reno 911!, Ugly Americans, and Another Period.
David Alan Grier
Grier famously garnered a legendary comedic reputation in the early '90s as one of the main cast members on In Living Color (the classic sketch comedy series also featured early turns from Jamie Foxx, the Wayans Brothers, and Jim Carrey). Once that show ended in 1994, Grier went on to enjoy a prolific career across film, television, and live theater in such projects as Jumanji, Life with Bonnie, and Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Two of his most recent roles in Focus Features' The American Society of Magical Negroes and NBC's St. Denis Medical (stream it here) earned him a pair of NAACP Image Award nominations.
RELATED: Rian Johnson Reveals Poker Face Guest Stars, Season 2 Secrets at PaleyFest (DETAILS)
Richard Kind
Richard Kind was recently declared "one of Hollywood's most prolific guest stars," and it's not hard to see why. The 68-year-old actor's career spans nearly 300 projects since the late '80s, including A Bug's Life, Mad About You, Red Oaks, Spin City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, A Serious Man, and Only Murders in the Building. Statistically speaking, you've definitely seen him in one thing or another over the years. Even if you don't know him by sight, his distinctive nasally voice is hard to forget.
Alia Shawkat
"Marry me!" That's the catchphrase of Shawkat's most famous character to date, Maeby Fünke, on Arrested Development. Since then, she's appeared in a number of film and television projects like Search Party, The Old Man, and Blink Twice. Severance fans will recognize her as one of Mark S.'s new Macro Data Refinement team members in the Season 2 premiere. As the photo above indicates, Shawkat will appear alongside Awkwafina and Lauren Tom in Season 2 of Poker Face.
Awkwafina
Speaking of Awkwafina, the mononymous comedian and actress (born Nora Lum) has enjoyed a prominent and extremely prolific status in Hollywood these last few years, with appearances in Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Migration, and Kung Fu Panda 4. She is the recipient of a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe.
Rhea Perlman
One of the few returning faces from Season 1, Perlman will reprise her role as underworld figure and casino magnate Beatrix Hasp. Beyond the world of Poker Face, she recently played Barbie creator Ruth Handler in the wildly successful Barbie film directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig. She was also a main cast member on the bar-based sitcom Cheers throughout its lengthy 11-season run, during which time Perlman (who, incidentally, is married to Danny DeVito) garnered four Emmy wins for Outstanding Actress out of 10 nominations.
Geraldine Viswanathan
One of the youngest guest stars this season at 29-years-old, Viswanathan gained widespread recognition for Blockers, Bad Education, Miracle Workers, and the Focus Features release Drive-Away Dolls.
Simon Helberg
You may not know it from the handsome headshot above, but this man spent nearly a decade playing nebbishy nerd Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. Like Pealman, Helberg is one of a few returning actors to the mostly non-serialized Poker Face, whose sophomore season sees him reprising the role of Luca Clark, an agent of the FBI.
Taylor Schilling
Fans most likely known Schilling for her role as Piper Chapman on Orange Is the New Black, which earned her well-deserved Primtime Emmy and Golden Globe nods. Before that, she portrayed the lead character of nurse Veronica Agnes Flanagan Callahan on NBC's short-lived medical drama Mercy, which ran for a single season between fall 2009 and spring 2010.
Adrienne C. Moore
Another Orange Is the New Black alum, Moore played the role of Cindy Hayes on the hit Netflix series, which netted her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also appeared in Law & Order: SVU and 30 Rock — both of which are now streaming on Peacock.
RELATED: Poker Face's Natasha Lyonne is Back For "Next Level" Murder Mysteries in Season 2 (FIRST LOOK)
Ben Marshall
Marshall is a founding member of the comedy trio known as Please Don't Destroy, which also comprises John Higgins and Martin Herlihy. The group is known for their digital shorts that air on Saturday Night Live, making them the sketch series' spiritual successor to The Lonely Island. Please Don't Destroy's first feature film, The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, is now on Peacock.
B.J. Novak
If you're a fan of The Office (stream all seasons here), you know Novak as Dunder Mifflin employee Ryan Howard. If you're a fan of Quentin Tarantino, then you know him as the Nazi-hunting Utivich from Inglourious Basterds. In 2022, the actor made his directorial debut with Vengeance — now streaming on Peacock.
Carol Kane
A fixture of the screen since the early '70s, Kane has appeared in everything from Annie Hall to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She received critical acclaim last year for her turn as late bloomer bat mitzvah student Carla Kessler in director Nathan Silver's indie Jewish comedy Between the Temples. The role earned her Best Supporting Actress from the New York Film Critics Circle.
Cliff “Method Man” Smith
An acclaimed rapper and actor, Cliff "Method Man" Smith is famous for being one of the founding members of the legendary group known as Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to releasing seven solo albums, Method Man has also enjoyed over 100 acting roles across film, television, and video games. Some of his most notable projects include The Wire, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and the 2019 sequel to Shaft.
Corey Hawkins
Hawkins burst onto the scene with a recurring role as Heath on The Walking Dead. Following the character's mysterious disappearance within the zombie series, Hawkins went on to star in 24: Legacy, Kong: Skull Island, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, and the Oscar-winning N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton.
David Krumholtz
Krumholtz is known for such coming-of-age classics as 10 Things I Hate About You and NBC's Freaks and Geeks. As an adult, he appeared in Numb3rs, Superbad, The Deuce, The Plot Against America, and, most recently, Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. Looking ahead, Krumholtz will play Kara Zor-El's father in next summer's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Davionte “GaTa” Ganter
Born Davionte Ganter, GaTa is a rapper who made his acting debut playing a version of himself in Lil Dicky's semi-autobiographical series, Dave. In terms of the big screen, the artist has enjoyed roles in Anyone But You and House Party.
Ego Nwodim
A regular Saturday Night Live cast member since 2018, Nwodim most recently appeared in Peacock's Stephen Curry-based mockumentary series, Mr. Throwback (stream it here), alongside Adam Pally and Ayden Mayeri.
Gaby Hoffmann
Hoffman hit the screen in 1989's Field of Dreams, playing the wife of Kevin Costner's baseball-minded Ray Kinsella. Her other notable projects are Volcano, Transparent, and Girls. There are no details on her Poker Face character, but the image above does reveal that she's A) Some kind of police officer and B) Starring alongside Ben Marshall.
Giancarlo Esposito
Esposito had been acting for decades, appearing in — among other things — a number of Spike Lee-directed projects (like Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X), before his most successful role as meth kingpin Gustavo "Gus" Fring on Breaking Bad. The character, who would later return in the Better Call Saul prequel series, immediately cemented Esposito as both an acting powerhouse and cultural icon to boot. He's been a hot commodity ever since, with starring roles in the Maze Runner films, The Mandalorian, The Boys, and, most recently, Captain America: Brave New World.
Haley Joel Osment
Osment hit it big as a child actor with featured roles in such major films as Robert Zemeckis's Forrest Gump, M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, and Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence. After a hiatus from the entertainment industry during his teenage years, Osment returned with a vengeance in the 2010s.
Jason Ritter
Son of the late great John Ritter and husband to fellow Poker Face guest star Melanie Lynskey, Jason is known for his longtime tenure as the voice of Dipper Pines on Gravity Falls. Audiences may have also spotted him in Joan of Arcadia, The Event, and Raising Dion.
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John Cho
There's an entire generation that associates John Cho with one of the greatest stoner comedies of all time: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (as well as its two sequels). Of course, J.J. Abrams later tapped him to play Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot trilogy. More recently, he tackled the role of Spike Spiegel in the live-action Cowboy Bebop on Netflix.
John Mulaney
Mulaney was part of the SNL writing team between 2008 and 2013. While there, he co-created the fan favorite character of Stefon alongside Bill Hader. Since leaving the sketch comedy series, Mulaney has built a successful hybrid career of standup comedy and acting, with roles in everything from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to Peacock's Bupkis (stream it here).
Justin Theroux
Theroux has attached himself to several high-profile productions over the years, including Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder (which he co-wrote and executive-produced), The Leftovers (on which he played the lead character of Kevin Garvey), and Tim Burton's long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel (aptly-titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice).
Kathrine Narducci
Sopranos fans will immediately recognize Narducci as Charmaine Bucco, wife to John Ventimiglia's Artie. In fact, she's been a part of several mobster sagas like A Bronx Tale, Chicago Overcoat, and The Irishman.
Katie Holmes
Holmes began her career in the late '90s as Joey Potter on the classic coming-of-age series, Dawson's Creek. Superhero fans probably know her as Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins.
Kevin Corrigan
If you watched ABC Family (now Freeform) in the mid-2000s, then odds are good that you saw Corrigan as Eddie Finnerty on the sitcom Grounded for Life. A veteran character actor, he's also appeared in Goodfellas, True Romance, Superbad, The Departed, and The King of Staten Island.
Kumail Nanjiani
Following his breakout role as Dinesh Chugtai on Silicon Valley, Nanjiani went on to land major parts in The Big Sick, Men in Black: International, Eternals, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and Only Murders in the Building. So far, he's been nominated for two Emmys — one for his guest spot on Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone reboot, and another for his turn as Steve Banerjee in Welcome to Chippendales.
Margo Martindale
The running gag on BoJack Horseman wasn't lying: Martindale is one of the greatest and most prolific character actors to ever do it. Some of her most notable projects include The Rocketeer, Million Dollar Baby, Dexter, Suits, The Americans, The Good Wife, and Cocaine Bear.
Melanie Lynskey
While Lynskey's acting career first began in the '90s, nowadays, she's famous for playing the adult Shauna Shipman on the hit mystery-drama series Yellowjackets. The performance has landed her three Emmy nods for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She's also appeared in The Last of Us and Peacock's The Tattooist of Auschwitz (stream it here).
Patti Harrison
Harrison's Hollywood resumé includes Paul Feig's A Simple Favor, Shrill, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Sam Richardson
Audiences most likely know Richardson from his role as Richard Splett in Veep, or else Detroiters — the latter of which Richardson co-created with Tim Robinson. He's enjoyed quite the varied career, mainly in the realm of comedy, taking on such projects as The Afterparty, Werewolves Within, and The Tomorrow War.
Sherry Cola
Cola began her acting career on I Love Dick, starring alongside Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn. Since then, she's gone on to appear in Joy Ride, A Family Affair, and Nobody Wants This.
Simon Rex
Rex's career includes the Amanda Bynes/Jenny Garth sitcom What I Like About You, several installments of the Scary Movie series, and Sean Baker's pre-Anora film, Red Rocket. The latter film won Rex accolades from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Independent Spirit Awards.
Poker Face Season 2 premieres on Peacock Thursday, May 8, with episodes dropping on a weekly basis. Stream all of Season 1 right here.
