Smoke Cast & Character Guide: Who Else Stars In Taron Egerton’s New Apple TV+ Crime Drama

Apple TV+’s new crime drama, Smoke, boasts a strong cast of established actors that bring the series’ arson investigation to life in convincing ways. The upcoming Apple TV+ original series follows Dave Gudsen, an arson investigator, who teams up with Detective Michelle Calderon to uncover the identity of two serial arsonists on the West Coast. However, as the story unfolds and more is uncovered about their unknown suspects, the seemingly straightforward events take some unexpected turns. This is to be expected from creator Dennis Lehane, best known for his 2023 true crime miniseries Black Bird.

The show is also inspired by true crime podcast Firebug, looking at the arsonist crimes of John Leonard Orr. This is seemingly going to be reflected in Dave’s struggles outside of work and how Michelle became involved in the search for the arsonists. Their investigation also involves a whole host of characters important to what they’re doing, including fellow law enforcement and potential suspects. With a twisted web of stories in the TV crime drama, a strong cast is required to perfect the series’ core events.

Taron Egerton as Dave Gudsen

Date Of Birth: November 10, 1989

Actor: Taron Egerton was born in Birkenhead, England. He gained international recognition for portraying Eggsy in Kingsman: The Secret Service and returning in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. He’s won multiple awards for his work as well, including a Golden Globe for his performance in 2020’s Rocketman and a BAFTA Cymru for the 2023 true crime miniseries Black Bird.

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Character: Egerton portrays Dave Gudsen, an arson investigator tasked with finding two serial arsonists operating at the same time in the Pacific Northwest. However, despite his focus on the investigation, it’s hinted that he has some dark secrets of his own that will be revealed as the show plays out.

Jurnee Smollett as Detective Michelle Calderon

Date Of Birth: October 1, 1986

Actor: Jurnee Smollett is an American actor born in New York City. She’s been performing onscreen since she was a child, having roles in ’90s sitcoms like Full House. She’s since expanded into more serious drama roles, such as playing Nicole Wright in True Blood and Black Canary in Bird of Prey. She was nominated for an Emmy for her role in 2020’s Lovecraft Country, and has most recently starred in the crime thriller movie The Order.

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Character: Smollett plays Detective Michelle Calderon, an investigator assigned to help Dave catch the show’s serial arsonists. Tough and no-nonsense, she’s willing to consider every possible angle to the pair’s ongoing search for their suspects.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy Fasano

Date Of Birth: 1967

Actor: Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is an American-Ugandan actor born in Hanover, New Hampshire who began his career with smaller TV parts before getting larger roles as time went on. This includes Usutu in Heroes and Ronnie Davis in The Chi, as well as Detective Raymond Griggs in The Lincoln Lawyer. He’s also starred in a number of movies, his latest being Tazmanian Devil, and is a playwright, photographer, and documentarian.

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Character: Mwine plays Freddy Fasano, a fast food worker who is tired of his circular lifestyle and is looking for something more. The way he finds it, though, leads him to become wrapped up in the larger narrative of the show.

Hannah Emily Anderson as Ashley Gudsen

Date Of Birth: September 1, 1989

Actor: Hannah Emily Anderson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and got her start in small TV roles, such as The L.A. Complex and Reign. She went on to star in horror movies like Jigsaw and Dark Nature, alongside the TV adaptation of The Purge. She’s also set to star as Maria in the upcoming Return to Silent Hill movie in 2026.

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Character: Anderson portrays Dave’s wife, Ashley Gudsen, who is supportive of his endeavors in his investigation. However, there is some unspoken tension between them as well, seemingly having to do with the case.

John Leguizamo as Esposito

Date Of Birth: July 22, 1960 or July 22, 1964

Actor: John Leguizamo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, gaining recognition in 1993 for his roles in Super Mario Bros. and Carlito’s Way. He won an Emmy for his performance in Freak, a TV special version of his Broadway show of the same name. He went on to win Emmys for miniseries Waco and When They See Us. He’s also well-known for voicing Sid in Ice Age, and will reprise the role in Ice Age 6.

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Character: Not much is known about Leguizamo’s character, Esposito, but he appears to be an ex-cop with ties to Egerton’s Dave. More about how he factors into the investigation will be revealed in the series itself.

Rafe Spall as Steven Burke

Date Of Birth: March 10, 1983

Actor: Rafe Spall was born in London, England, having roles in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy. He also starred as Yann Martel in Life of Pi, and has continued to tackle various movie and TV roles since. He currently stars as Jason Ross in Apple TV+’s ongoing British comedy series Trying.

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Character: Spall portrays Steven Burke, a detective having a secretive affair with Smollett’s Michelle. He doesn’t know what boundaries he should stay behind in their relationship, but seemingly can’t stay away from her for very long.

Greg Kinnear as Harvey Englehart

Date Of Birth: June 17, 1963

Actor: Greg Kinnear is an American actor born in Logansport, Indiana, best known for his supporting role as Simon Bishop in 1997’s As Good as It Gets. In terms of TV roles, his most recent major portrayals include Terry Phelps in the horror comedy show Shining Vale, and, much like Egerton, a starring role in Lehane’s Black Bird miniseries.

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Character: Kinnear plays Harvey Englehart, a hardened police chief in charge of checking in on Dave and Michelle’s case. His demand for answers is core to his character, as he slowly unravels the truth behind the arson attacks happening in the area.

Smoke Supporting Cast & Characters

Adina Porter as Brenda Cephus: Born in New York, Porter began acting in 1988, becoming best-known for her role as Lettie Mae Thornton in True Blood. She’s portrayed multiple roles in various seasons of American Horror Story, while some of her more recent roles include miniseries like The Changeling and The Power.

Dakota Daulby as Lee: Daulby was born in Vancouver, starting his career in 2010 and becoming known for his roles in Falling Skies and iZombie. His biggest parts in recent years have been as Agent Horatio Fisk in Longlegs and Salamon in Shōgun.

Michael Buie as Gerard: Buie was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. While he’s been acting since 1994, his most well-known roles are as Bret Baier in the 2019 movie Bombshell and Paul Dawson in Grey’s Anatomy.

Anna Chlumsky as TBA: Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chlumsky has earned six Emmy nominations for playing Amy Brookheimer in Veep. She had a main role in the 2025 action comedy movie Bride Hard and starred in the 2022 Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna.

New episodes of Smoke arrive Fridays on Apple TV+.