Female | 50–65 | Chinese: Daniel's aunt and Lily's younger sister. Loud, funny, opinionated, and endlessly energetic. She brings warmth, humor, and chaos to every room while masking a deep love for her family. Language: Must be fluent in Mandarin. Skills: Strong comedic timing and improvisational energy.

Male | 20–30 | Asian (Open to East Asian backgrounds): Daniel's former love. We meet him over a series of warm, intimate flashbacks. Alex is the only person in the film who looks at Daniel and sees him, not Daniel Chen, the pianist. He represents a version of Daniel that was unselfconscious, freely in love, freely himself. Skills: Comfortably perform same-sex romantic and intimacy scenes (kissing, physical closeness, sharing a bed; tastefully shot, intimacy coordinator on set).

Female | 50-65 | Chinese: Daniel's widowed mother. Loving, proud, and emotionally resilient. Lily devoted much of her life to supporting her son's success and remains one of the most important people in his life. Language: Must be Fluent in Mandarin. Skills: Strong dramatic actor capable of conveying deep emotion with minimal dialogue.

Female | 28–35 | Chinese / Chinese American: Daniel's wife. A successful Chinese American lawyer. She loves Daniel completely and looks at him like a fan who can't believe she gets to be married to him. She is gracious, warm, capable, and slightly guarded. She loves Daniel deeply, and she is unaware of the deeper conflict Daniel carries within himself. Language: Fluent English.

Male | 15–18 | Chinese: Daniel's teenage cousin. Auntie Mei's son. Permanently glued to his phone, perpetually mortified by his mother, but in one moment, he looks up and asks Daniel to play the song he used to play as a kid — the line that triggers the entire emotional movement of the film. Authentic teenage energy is essential; we are not looking for a "performed" teenager. Language: Fluent English. Skills: Naturalistic teenage performance.

Male | 10–12 | Chinese: A gifted young Daniel whose passion for music is pure and joyful before ambition and expectations reshape his life. Skills: Must play piano at a basic level (or be very coachable). Piano proficiency strongly preferred.

Male | 30–50 | Chinese: Daniel's late father, seen in memories and photographs. Quiet, supportive, and deeply influential in Daniel's life. His presence continues to shape Daniel long after his passing.

Female | 50–65 | Caucasian: The gracious host who presents Daniel with a prestigious award during the opening sequence. Professional and elegant presence.

various witch gypsy monster, spider woman, zombie, alien more

Black man, 25-32 years old, to play Civil Rights activist (and later long-time member of the U.S. House of Representative)

A white male age 35-55. A tough labour organizer. Blue collar type - a longshoreman. Think On the Waterfront or Tony Soprano or Jimmy Hoffa

A white woman age 25-35. 1920s period look if possible

[RIVER] 11-15, Anishinaabe. The youngest child. He’s bright, kind, smart, and helpful. His mom has been incredible to him, but it’s time for him to start learning to be independent, as his mother’s comedy career kicks off; she can’t be hovering over him all the time. Endlessly adaptable, he’s a much more calm and patient kid than other kids his age, especially when compared to his half-brother. He can be quiet, and a little anxious. He is well behaved, knowing he absolutely does not want to wind up staying with his dad, Leonard, whose bravado he can see right through. River finds a friend in Carter, who we discover have a lot to teach each other. River’s journey throughout the season is to find his confidence and finally stand up to his problematic Dad. SERIES LEAD. ***THIS ROLE IS UNDER A 3 YEAR OPTION

[SAGE] 16-17, Anishinaabe. Activist in training. Wise beyond her years, Sage loves to wax Indigenous politics anytime and anywhere. She's serious and witty but dry and determined to uncover the truth about who her father is. When the kids at school call her a "Pretendian," it sends her on a deeply personal mission to prove them wrong—not just to others, but to herself. Sage is her mom's toughest critic and her greatest ally, even when they're butting heads. She wants more than survival—she wants clarity, legacy, and purpose. But to get that, she'll have to face the uncomfortable truth about her family—and maybe accept that bloodlines aren't the only thing that defines who she is. SERIES LEAD. ***THIS ROLE IS UNDER A 3-YEAR OPTION.

Violet has a lot of care for the world around her to the point of trying to find a way to give a dead sparrow a dignified burial while looking for a job.

Cleo wants to sell some clothes to clear out her closet but gets into a bike accident that alters her day. She's carefree to the point of carelessness with her own safety but she doesn’t want to be a bother to the people around her. She's best friends with Lucy but wonders if Lucy even likes her sometimes.

Malcolm is handing out flyers for his band's show later that night and doesn't have time to deal with Chuck's worries about his vintage clothing purchase. He's outgoing, openminded, but with a slight edge.

Ernest is stocky and pretending to be tough as a reluctant mugger. While it's not the right thing for him, he's open to trying new things as a struggling creative person who hasn’t found what they’re good at yet.

Lucy needs to sell her clothes for extra money but doesn't want to give them up for cheap. She doesn't like that Cleo has an easier time with selling her clothes by accepting low ball offers but eventually acquiesces. She's a loyal and caring friend to Cleo but can also be judgmental and harsh.

Ben is charismatic and confident but also obsessed with his past two-month relationship that ended five years ago. He brushes things off easily but is quick to bring things back up again as soon as he gets the chance. He's Vincent’s friend.