It’s official: video game adaptations are officially good now. The latest bit of evidence is Prime Video’s new series Fallout, which airs on April 11 and has been racking up plenty of positive reviews.
Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Fallout is set in an apocalyptic alternate timeline in which America has been levelled by nuclear bombs. “Fans of the game series will love it,” wrote the Standard in a four-star review. “This is about as close to a completely faithful adaptation that you could expect, showcasing everything from the various radioactive creatures to the familiar locations like vaults and desert towns. And the show reaffirms what the games already showed – that fictional violence can be very funny.”
With all that to look forward to, here’s our guide to who’s playing who.
Lucy MacLean – played by Ella Purnell
Lucy is a young Vault Dweller and the primary protagonist. At the start of the series, she leaves the safety of her underground shelter and sets out on a journey into the wastelands, only to discover it’s more brutal than she ever imagined.
Ella Purnell is an English actress on the rise. Born in Whitechapel in 1996 and raised in nearby Bethnal Green, she attended the Young Actors Theatre Islington and studied acting, singing and dance before breaking through when she won a role in the West End production of Oliver!
Since then, she’s appeared in Kick-Ass 2 (as Dolce), in 2016 film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and in the Netflix League of Legends series Arcane. She’s also set to star in upcoming Sky drama Sweetpea, a thriller about a girl who becomes a serial killer.
Maximus – played by Aaron Moten
Maximus is a squire of the Brotherhood of Steel – that is, until he sees their brutality in action. “He is a very concerned person with how he is viewed in this world,” said Moten about the role. “He’s concerned about finding his place in it, and I don’t think he really knows what that is.”
Moten himself is a relative newcomer to the industry. Hailing from Austin, Texas, he trained at Juillard and has since gone onto appear in Father Stu (2022) and Emancipation (2022).
The Ghoul / Cooper Howard – played by Walton Goggins
The Ghoul is a bounty hunter who has been alive since before the Great War that decimated the planet’s surface. He’s been described as “a mutated outlaw who exists in the terrifying shell of a once honourable man [and] who cares only about his continued survival and kills any and all who get in the way of it.”
Goggins has been in the industry a long time – mostly playing baddies. Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1951, he worked as a car parking valet and waiter while trying to make it as an actor in Los Angeles.
Eventually, he did: he’s been nominated for an Emmy for his appearance in TV show Justified, has appeared in films like Predators (2010), Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (2015) and Anti-Man and the Wasp (2018).
He also starred in and co-produced the short film The Accountant in 2001, which won an Oscar for the best live-action short film – and has plenty of fans. New York Times critic Mike Hale wrote that "Walton Goggins makes a habit of being the best thing about the television shows he's in."
Hank MacLean – played by Kyle MacLachlan
Hank is Lucy's father and the Overseer of Vault 33. MacLachlan himself is another industry veteran – born Kyle McLachlan in 1959 (he later changed his surname to reflect his Scottish heritage), he grew up in Yakima, Washington.
Despite also training in classical singing, he chose to stick with acting and has since appeared in everything from Dune (where he played the original Paul Atreides in 1984) and to Blue Velvet, opposite Laura Dern, in 1986. However, he’s probably best known as Dale Cooper from the television series Twin Peaks, or as Charlotte York’s first husband Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City.
Norm MacLean – played by Moisés Arias
Norm is Lucy's inquisitive brother – seen as something of a black sheep by the community, he doesn’t fit in, and isn’t enthusiastic about his work. Nevertheless, he’s still deeply loyal to the Vault.
Arias started his career in Disney channel shows. Born in 1994 to Colombian parents, he’s appeared on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Everybody Hates Chris and Wizards of Waverly Place – and also had a recurring role as Rico on Hannah Montana.
Ma June – played by Dale Dickey
The formidable Ma June is the owner of Ma June’s Sundries, a store in the wasteland town of Filly that Lucy visits. Vanity Fair has called Dickey a “consummate character actor” – born in Knoxville, Tennessee, she made her screen debut in 1995 and has since appeared in more than sixty productions. These include Iron Man 3 (2013), Leave No Trace (2018) and TV show Breaking Bad (2009).
Most recently, she appeared in 2022 romantic film A Love Song, for which she was nominated for several awards and won the Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress.
Dane – played by Xelia Mendes-Jones
Dane is a Brotherhood of Steel member, who also happens to be Maximus's closest friend. Mendes-Jones is another star whose name is on the rise; they trained at the Identity School of Acting in Los Angeles.
They’ve previously appeared as Renna in Prime Video’s mega blockbuster The Wheel of Time, and featured in Netflix’s Havoc alongside Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker.
Mr. Spencer – played by Mike Doyle
Who is the mysterious Mr Spencer? We’re not yet sure. But Doyle himself has been around for a while – born in 1971, he trained at Juilliard and is mainly known for his role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Ryan O’Halloran, as Adam Guenzel in Oz and as Martin McIntyre in 2018-2023 show New Amsterdam.
Fallout is streaming on Prime Video
