In the vein of movies like The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street and recent TV dramas like Dopesick and Painkiller, comes the brand-new movie Pain Hustlers.
Based on The New York Times article and subsequent book Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup Originally by Evan Hughes, the movie shines a spotlight on American greed in the pharmaceutical industry. As the story unfolds, the ruthless ambition of a group of pharmaceutical reps and doctors helps push society into an opioid crisis. While they may have made millions of dollars, millions of people found themselves hustled and hooked on painkillers.
Emily Blunt and Chris Evans spearhead this dramatized story on screen and are joined by some other A-list actors. Get to know who else is in the Pain Hustlers cast and what characters they portray right below.
Emily Blunt as Liza Drake
Liza Drake is a single mom who takes a job working for Zanna Therapeutics in an effort to raise money to cover her daughter's medical bills. She soon finds out that her natural ability to connect to people makes her the perfect person to be in the world of pharmaceutical sales. She helps her company earn millions before it all comes crashing down as a racketeering scam comes to light.
Emily Blunt is a highly-esteemed actress with multiple Golden Globe, BAFTA and Critics Choice Award nominations. She's had very memorable roles in The Devil Wears Prada, A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place Part II, Jungle Cruise, Oppenheimer and The English, just to name a few of her projects.
Chris Evans as Pete Brenner
Pete Brenner is the slithery marketing executive who takes a chance on Liza and brings her into the Zanna Therapeutics world. He tends to be all about the bottom line and making money, often ignoring rules to get what he wants. Not to mention, he has an over-the-top and brash personality.
Chris Evans is most widely known for playing Captain America in the Marvel Avengers movies and the standalone Captain America projects. He's also starred in other movies like Knives Out, Gifted, Free Guy, The Gray Man and Ghosted.
Andy Garcia as Dr. Jack Neel
Dr. Jack Neel is the founder of Zanna Therapeutics and the developer of the company’s popular drug, Lonafen. Although he pretends his efforts in the pharmaceutical industry are rooted in a desire to help others, he really is more concerned with how much money he can make.
Nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Godfather Part III, Andy Garcia has a long history in Hollywood. He's been in other projects like the Ocean's Eleven movies, Expend4bles, Father of the Bride, Book Club and Book Club: The Next Chapter and Wrath of Man.
Catherine O'Hara as Jackie Drake
Jackie Drake is Liza's mom. She certainly isn't immune to greed, joining Zanna Therapeutics after seeing how much money can be made. Unfortunately for Liza, working with Jackie isn't a delight, especially given that her mom constantly flirts with the boss, Dr. Neel.
While Catherine O'Hara will now and forever be Moira Rose to many Schitt's Creek fans, a role she won an Emmy for, the actress has many credits to her name. She's also starred in things like For Your Consideration, the Home Alone franchise, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Home Fries and Beetlejuice (and the upcoming Beetlejuice 2).
Brian d'Arcy James as Dr. Nathan Lydell
Dr. Nathan Lydell is the first doctor that Liza convinced to purchase Lonafen. He then becomes a willing participant in Zanna Therapeutics' paid speaker program. Additionally, the morally corrupt doctor has no problem with overprescribing painkillers, which can have fatal consequences.
The Grammy-winning Brian d'Arcy James has been in a number of high-profile projects over the last few years, including Bombshell, The Comey Rule, West Side Story, She Came to Me and Love & Death.
Chloe Coleman as Phoebe Drake
Phoebe Drake is Liza's daughter, who has a seizure-inducing brain condition. When her mom finds a lucrative job with Zanna Therapeutics, she's thrilled as the treatment and care for her condition are expensive.
Chloe Coleman has been in a couple of blockbuster movies recently, Avatar: The Way of Water and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. She was also featured in Big Little Lies.
Jay Duplass as Brent Larkin
Brent Larkin is the vice president of marketing at Zanna Therapeutics and a thorn in Peter Brenner's side. Brent isn't a fan of Peter's cockiness. However, Brent is far from a hero in Pain Hustlers, as he helps the company in all its slimy deeds.
Jay Duplass previously won an Emmy for his contribution to the documentary Wild Wild Country. He's also been seen in projects like The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The Chair and The Mindy Project.
Pain Hustlers is now streaming on Netflix. By the way, don’t forget to check out what else is new on Netflix.
