The Cast and Characters of Peacock's Spy Show PONIES, Explained
Here's everything to know about the characters on the spy thriller series and the actors who bring them to life!
Peacock's latest espionage thriller, PONIES, features a riveting storyline and talented cast that's hard to turn away from.
With all eight episodes dropping on Peacock on Thursday, January 15, it's time to get to know the actors who bring to life the CIA and KGB operatives who are trying to outsmart and out-spy each other in each intense installment.
The Cold War-era show starts out with Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) — who are based in Russia with their CIA operative husbands — being told by the U.S. agency that their spouses were killed in a plane crash.
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Not content with just moving back to America and settling into their new lives as widows, they return to Russia in search of answers to what happened to their husbands and how it happened — since they weren't getting any.
But this time, they're the ones serving as CIA operatives and taking on spy work.
Bea and Twila encounter a ton of interesting and shady colleagues and characters along the way. Keep reading to learn more about them and the actors who play them.
The cast and characters of Peacock's PONIES
Emilia Clarke as Bea Grant
Emilia Clarke became a household name after breaking out in Game of Thrones as Daenerys Targaryen, known as the Mother of Dragons on the fantasy show, among several other titles. The London-born actress has also starred in the romance films Me Before You and Last Christmas, and had a role in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
On PONIES, Clarke stars as Bea Grant, who moved to Moscow with her CIA operative husband Chris (Louis Boyer). She's the highly educated daughter of Soviet immigrants and also speaks Russian. Bea's left in the dark after her husband's plane goes down and she's told that he's dead. So, she sets out to find out what happened.
Haley Lu Richardson as Twila Hasbeck
Haley Lu Richardson played the much-abused assistant of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) on The White Lotus Season 2. Born in Phoenix, Richardson got her start in TV movies and on the sitcom Shake It Up. She went on to star in films like the psychological thriller Split, and the comedy-drama Unpregnant.
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Richardson stars as Twila on PONIES, an American living in Moscow who's told that her CIA operative husband Tom (John Macmillan) was killed when a plane went down. Twila is known as being fearless, having come from a small town in America that she was happy to get away from. She uses humor and abrasiveness to get through life. When she returned to America after her husband's death, Twila was eager to get back to Russia to help figure out what happened, if only to leave behind her troubled family and past in the U.S.
Adrian Lester as Dane Walter
Tony-award nominee Adrian Lester has had a nearly four-decade-long career on stage and on-screen. He's been in both Broadway and West End stage productions. And his TV and film credits include a small role in the disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow, a starring role in the comedy-drama Primary Colors, and a part in the fantasy series The Sandman.
Lester's Dane on PONIES is the head of the CIA Moscow station. He's tough to read, which suits him well since his job deals with secrets — of which he has lots of his own. Dane is out to prove that his personal circumstances don't have any bearing on how he performs his job.
Artjom Gilz as Andrei Vasiliev
Born in the Soviet Union, Artjom Gilz got his start in the entertainment industry by appearing in TV movies and short films in 2014. His dozens of credits include roles in the psychological drama film Tár and the TV series Das Boot.
Gilz' Andrei on PONIES is a dangerous KGB officer in Moscow who is quickly rising through the ranks and has big aspirations and a 1970s rock star look. He pursues Bea as a love interest, which puts his image and position at risk.
Nicholas Podany as Ray Szymanski
Los Angeles-born Nicholas Podany graduated from Juilliard in New York with a drama degree, going on to land the role of Albus Potter on Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a part he held from 2019 to 2020. His on-screen credits include playing real-life comedian Billy Crystal in the docudrama film Saturday Night, and a starring role in the sci-fi comedy series Hello Tomorrow!
On PONIES, Podany's Ray is a mid-level CIA analyst who is earnest, awkward, and caring in nature. He's a skilled worker and a supportive colleague to Twila. But he's often underestimated and mistreated by his wife, Cheryl (Vic Michaelis).
Petro Ninovskyi as Sasha Shevchenko
A native of Ukraine, Petro Ninovskyi started building up his professional acting resume in 2017, landing roles in Ukrainian and Russian TV series. Two of his more recent projects include the drama film Shttl and the crime show The Silence.
Ninovskyi's Sasha in PONIES works on top-secret Soviet technology. After the death of his sister, the technician became an informant for the CIA. Sasha enjoys romance novels and American culture and becomes close with Bea, but his relationship with her puts his life in danger.
Vic Michaelis as Cheryl Szymanski
New Jersey-born comedian and actor Vic Michaelis moved to Canada as a teenager. Michaelis started out by performing in the improv comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, and by appearing on TV shows like Motive, Speechless, and Bless This Mess. More recently, Michaelis appeared in multiple episodes of the sci-fi series Upload, and currently hosts the improvisational comedy talk show Very Important People.
Michaelis plays Cheryl on PONIES, wife of CIA analyst Ray Szymanski. Cheryl works at the U.S. embassy as an office manager and is known as the Type A queen bee among the other wives who work there. She often points out the shortcomings of Bea and Twila, and talks down to her husband.
