D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, known for his role in the FX series ‘Reservation Dogs,’ has been cast in Netflix’s upcoming Australian drama ‘Breakers.’ He will star opposite Antony Starr, with production currently underway in Western Australia. The series follows two best friends drawn into a surfer community during a backpacking trip.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who received an Emmy nomination for his lead role as Bear in the critically acclaimed FX series ‘Reservation Dogs,’ has joined the cast of Netflix’s ‘Breakers’ as a series regular. In the show, Woon-A-Tai will portray Elliott, a working-class and shy teenager from Rhode Island who travels to an Australian commune for a surf trip ahead of entering adult life. The series also stars Antony Starr, known for ‘The Boys’ and ‘Banshee,’ who will play the character Brando and serve as an executive producer.
Additional series regulars include Oliver Edis, from ‘Gnomes,’ as Flynn, and Annabel Wolfe, from ‘Surviving Summer,’ as Harper. The supporting cast features Asher Yasbincek as Maggie, David Howell as Iggy, Tyroe Muhafidin as Danno, Tom Dawson as Don, Sherry-Lee Watson as Astrid, Lu Miller as Amara, Eliza Learmonth as Clementine, and Brodie Townsend as Kurt.
‘Breakers’ is an Australian-based drama with a logline describing two best friends backpacking in Australia who become involved in a seemingly perfect community of surfers led by a charismatic but mysterious figure. Production is taking place in Western Australia, as stated by executive producer Wim De Greef: “Shooting ‘Breakers’ in Western Australia lets us tell this story in the way we imagined, partner with fantastic local crews in a truly unique location, and showcase this spectacular coastline on screen.”
The project is written and executive produced by Pete Jackson, with additional executive producers Gavin O’Grady, Petra Fried, and De Greef. Directors are Mary Nighy and Ng Choon Ping, and Nick Pitt serves as producer. Clerkenwell Films, part of BBC Studios, and BBC Studios Productions Australia are behind the production.
Woon-A-Tai, the first Indigenous actor nominated in a lead acting category at the Emmys, has also earned two Critics Choice Award nominations for ‘Reservation Dogs.’ His other credits include the films ‘Warfare’ directed by Alex Garland, ‘Caught Stealing’ by Darren Aronofsky, ‘Beans’ which won best motion picture at the Canadian Screen Awards, ‘Fitting In’ with Emily Hampshire and Maddie Ziegler, ‘Only the Good Survive,’ and ‘Hell of a Summer’ with Finn Wolfhard and Fred Hechinger, as well as the digital series ‘Normal Ain’t Normal.’
