“Bob is as well-known worldwide as Obama.”
Lizzy Caplan isn’t wrong about her Zero Day co-star. Screen titan Robert De Niro (who serves as an executive producer on the series) leads a star-studded cast in his first starring TV series role.
When it came to casting, Eric Newman (American Primeval, Griselda, The Watcher, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) — who created and executive produced the series along with Noah Oppenheim (The Today Show, Jackie, The Thing About Pam, The Maze Runner) and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael S. Schmidt — got very lucky. “No one said ‘no’ to us, which doesn’t happen very often,” Newman told Netflix. Jonathan Glickman and Lesli Linka Glatter also executive produce, with Glatter directing all six episodes of the series.
In the political thriller, De Niro plays respected former US President George Mullen, who, as head of the Zero Day Commission, is charged with finding the perpetrators of a devastating cyberattack that has caused chaos, and thousands of fatalities, across the country. As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambitions of power brokers in technology, Wall Street, and government collide, Mullen’s search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while risking all he holds dear.
Rounding out the cast alongside De Niro is what Caplan dubs an utter “murderer’s row” of talent. “Angela Bassett, Dan Stevens, Connie Britton, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Modine, Joan Allen, Jesse Plemons, Gaby Hoffmann, all great,” said De Niro.
Learn what roles they play in finding out the truth behind Zero Day below:
George Mullen is a hugely popular but complicated former US president. He is pulled out of retirement to head the Zero Day Commission, an unprecedented group of experts tasked with investigating a devastating global cyberattack. “When you see Robert De Niro in a suit and tie, with an American flag pin on his lapel, he immediately strikes you as the president we all wish we had,” said Oppenheim.
De Niro is legendary for the preparation he undertakes when developing a character, but George Mullen was one he found easy to inhabit. “It wasn’t something that I had to do research about, or about the physicality of the character and so on — I was basically myself,” he said.
Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II
George Mullen’s former aide, Roger is now a trusted fixer seeking a return to the national stage alongside his old boss. “Jesse and I had worked on Killers of the Flower Moon and The Irishman, so I was very happy that he was involved,” said De Niro.
After Plemons signed onto the series, he researched Bill Clinton’s former body man turned aide, Doug Band, who was one of many references for Roger. In talking with Glatter and the writers, Plemons came to admire that Roger is a “self-made man who probably came from fairly humble beginnings,” he said. After meeting Alexandra and George Mullen, he developed an interest in politics. “He started in a low position with Mullen, hustled, climbed his way up, and learned very quickly,” added Plemons.
Civil War, Game Night, Friday Night Lights
Alexandra Mullen is a young congresswoman from New York who has worked hard to distance herself from her father’s political legacy and establish herself in her own right. “If I were to think of who the child of Joan Allen and Robert De Niro could be, it would be Lizzy Caplan,” said Newman. “She is intelligent, talented, and tough.”
We meet Alex at a time where she feels the current political climate has stymied her ability to do her job. “Nothing is getting done, no legislation is getting passed, and she’s very frustrated by that,” said Caplan.
Mean Girls, Fleishman Is in Trouble, Party Down, Masters of Sex
A savvy political operative, Valerie Whitesell is Mullen’s former chief of staff, who returns to public life to oversee Mullen’s new role back in the spotlight. “She comes back because there is this great need — this commission George Mullen has been asked to lead is unprecedented and, frankly, nobody trusts anyone,” said Britton. “But there is great trust between President Mullen and Valerie.”
Zero Day offered Britton an opportunity to reunite with Jesse Plemons, her co-star on Friday Night Lights. “It was really fun to be back working with him again, and it felt like we just got right [back] into our old way of working,” Britton tells Tudum.
Plemons noted, “Connie and I didn’t have all that many scenes together, but we definitely made the most of it, to the point where Lesli [Linka Glatter] had to reel us in ’cause we were having too much fun.”
Friday Night Lights, The White Lotus, Dirty John
Sheila Mullen is the former first lady and a nominee to the federal bench. Elegant and poised, Sheila is a supportive wife and mother with strong professional ambitions of her own. “Her character is the conscience of our show, and that made Joan perfect casting,” said Newman.
Allen tells Tudum that she was drawn to the character of Sheila because “she's a strong, pragmatic person.”
The actor worked with Glatter to develop Sheila’s backstory: “She had her own career in law, raised two children, and has lived a very full life,” Allen told Netflix.
Lisey’s Story, The Family, The Notebook, Pleasantville
Newman described the confident, colorful Speaker of the House as “perhaps my favorite character of all.”
A fan of Modine’s since the ’80s, Newman admires the actor’s balance of folksy charm and cold, old-school rigidity.
Oppenheimer, Full Metal Jacket
The current President of the United States is a brilliant political tactician who enlists Mullen to take on an unprecedented role in American history. As for President Mitchell herself, said Bassett, “She's a woman who gets business done.”
“When your former president is Robert De Niro,” said Newman, “who are you going to get who you’ll watch and believably think, ‘Oh, here’s someone who can hold their own against Bob?’ ” Bassett came to mind immediately. Added Newman, “She probably could have been president for real if she had set her mind to it.”
Bassett, who made a name for herself with fiery roles like Bernadine in Waiting to Exhale, was intrigued by President Mitchell’s levelheadedness in Zero Day. “It was really an interesting role to play because you can’t be too emotional, and those are the types of roles that I’ve done a lot of,” she tells Tudum. As the US leader amid a crisis, President Mitchell walks the fine line of caring but “not flying too emotionally off the handle, because people have to believe in you and trust in you. You have to be clear-headed and focused, even when you don’t know [all the answers].”
9-1-1, the Black Panther films, Waiting to Exhale
The ultimate insider, Lasch can either be a dangerous enemy or a valuable friend to Mullen and everyone in his circle.
Molly’s Game, Presumed Innocent, The Leftovers
The calculating and divisive host of a wildly popular political TV show, Green becomes a thorn in Mullen’s side as his loudest critic and chief public antagonist.
“Evan Green represents a corner of the media that claims to stand up for the common citizen, but he comes from a place of extreme wealth and privilege,” Stevens said. “We’re really trying to showcase the hypocrisy of people like that.”
The role gave Stevens a chance to work with a teleprompter — something he’d previously done only at awards ceremonies. “I’ve never done entire scenes off of one, and that was fun,” he tells Tudum. “I got to live out my late-night-host fantasies.”
Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast, Abigail
Kidder is a controversial Silicon Valley billionaire whose brilliant vision has the power to help or hinder Mullen’s investigation.
Transparent, Winning Time, Girls
A corporate raider and billionaire provocateur, Lyndon has mastered the dark arts of political manipulation.
The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The New Adventures of Old Christine, Painkiller
Otieno is a tough, brilliant Department of Justice lawyer who serves as the Zero Day Commission’s lead investigator.
Mercy Street, The Art of Racing in the Rain
Natan is an intelligence operative and Mullen confidant from an era when intelligence and trust still mattered.
Mayor of Kingstown, Kajillionaire
Prepare yourselves for Zero Day to strike on Feb. 20, only on Netflix.
