The Ed Gein Story’ cast (and the real-life people they play)

Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein

Charlie Hunnam acted on series like Queer as Folk (1999–2000) and Undeclared (2000–2001) before landing the role of Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014). After seven seasons leading the hit series, the English performer found success on the big screen with films like Pacific Rim (2013), The Lost City of Z (2016), and The Gentlemen (2019).

Hunnam returned to TV with roles on the Apple TV+ series Shantaram (2022) and Monster: The Ed Gein Story. On the latter, he plays the titular convicted serial killer and body snatcher whose crimes shocked 1950s America. 

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner Max Winkler said, „To me, [the show is] like a really, really interesting character study on somebody who is… so uniquely influential in American pop culture because of Psycho and Texas Chain Saw Massacre and [Silence of the Lambs‘ killer] Buffalo Bill and maybe even American Psycho in a way.“

Winkler went on to discuss how Hunnam „put his body and his mind through a lot on this.“

He added, „What freaks me out now is being with Charlie now and understanding just how much weight he had lost, because you get used to it with him every day in the freezing cold of Chicago, or in a studio here in Los Angeles. And we filmed it over five or six months. So at a certain point, you only know what you see in front of you, which is that he’s not eating and he’s losing more and more weight.“

Per a New York Times‘ obituary, Gein confessed to the murders of two women, 54-year-old Mary Hogan and 58-year-old Bernice Worden, saying he killed them because they resembled his late mother. He was diagnosed as a chronic schizophrenic and committed to a mental institution, where he died in 1984 due to respiratory failure.

Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein

Laurie Metcalf is a four-time Emmy winner for her work on Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018) and Hacks (2022). She’s also known for lending her voice to the Toy Story franchise (1995–present), stabbing up a storm in Scream 2 (1997), and scoring an Oscar nomination for her work in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird (2017).

Metcalf returns to the small screen in Monster season 3, portraying Augusta, Gein’s strict mother and the object of his obsession.

Forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman told A&E Crime + Investigation that Augusta isolated Gein and his older brother, Henry, from the outside world, teaching them that „booze and dating women would lead them down a path of immorality.“ According to Lieberman, this sheltered upbringing encouraged a deep sense of codependency in Gein.

Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins

After her vibrant debut in Sean Baker’s Red Rocket (2021), Suzanna Son landed major roles on HBO’s The Idol (2023) and in Netflix’s slasher Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025). Now, Son steps into the shoes of Adeline Watkins, Gein’s alleged longtime lover.

In a 1957 interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Watkins described Gein as „good and kind and sweet,“ and claimed to have dated him for 20 years. She also alleged that Gein had proposed to her two years earlier, but she turned him down, saying she was afraid she „wouldn’t be able to live up to what he expected“ of her.

Roughly two weeks later, Adeline spoke to the Stevens Point Journal and retracted her comments. She clarified that she had simply known Gein for 20 years and that regular contact between them didn’t start until after 1954.

Lesley Manville as Bernice Worden

Lesley Manville has a long list of accolades to her name, including an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread and an Emmy nod for her role as Princess Margaret on The Crown (2022–2023). Her body of work also includes Maleficent (2014), Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022), and Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie (2024).

Manville re-teams with Murphy for Monster season 3, portraying Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner and Gein’s final victim. Her murder ultimately led to Gein’s arrest.

Tyler Jacob Moore as Sheriff Schley

Tyler Jacob Moore has had his fair share of guest roles, and you’ve likely seen him on Shameless (2011–2016) and SEAL Team (2022–2024).

Moore now joins the cast of Monster season 3 as Sheriff Arthur Schley, who was photographed with a handcuffed Gein after the killer confessed to his crimes.

Charlie Hall as Deputy Worden

Charlie Hall, the son of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, is best known for his turns on Love, Victor (2020–2022), The Sex Lives of College Girls (2022), and Bel-Air (2022–2023). He also appeared in Monster season 2 as Craig Cignarelli, Erik Menendez’s best friend.

Hall returns to Monster for its third installment, playing Deputy Frank Worden, the son of Bernice Worden, Gein’s final victim. According to History.com, he’d grown suspicious of Gein and his behavior, prompting a search of Gein’s property, where Bernice’s remains were found.

Robin Weigert as Enid Watkins

Robin Weigert previously shared the screen with Hunnam on Sons of Anarchy (2010–2013) and is beloved for her Emmy-nominated turn as Calamity Jane on Deadwood (2004–2006). Other notable credits include Big Little Lies (2017–2019) and the horror hit Smile (2022).

On Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Weigert plays Enid Watkins. Based on her surname, Enid is likely related to Adeline Watkins.

Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley

Since finding fame on TikTok, Addison Rae has successfully launched acting and singing careers. Her onscreen credits include the Netflix rom-com He’s All That (2021) and the Eli Roth slasher Thanksgiving (2023). In June 2025, Rae released her debut album Addison, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Now, Rae is making her TV debut on Monster: The Ed Gein Story. She portrays Evelyn Hartley, a teenager who vanished in 1953 and was long suspected to be one of Gein’s victims. According to The Charley Project, Gein denied any connection, and investigators found no evidence linking him to Evelyn’s disappearance.

Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock

You may know Tom Hollander for playing Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice (2005), but his career spans a variety of acclaimed films and TV shows. Notable credits include the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2006–2007), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), The White Lotus (2022), and Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024).

Hollander reunites with Murphy for Monster season 3, transforming into legendary director Alfred Hitchcock. The real-life filmmaker’s 1960 adaptation of Robert Bloch’s Psycho introduced Hollywood to Norman Bates, a fictional killer loosely inspired by Gein.

Olivia Williams as Alma Reville

You might recognize Olivia Williams as Queen Camilla on The Crown (2022–2023), but she’s also been a standout in films like Rushmore (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), and The Ghost Writer (2010). Most recently, she starred on HBO’s sci-fi series Dune: Prophecy (2024–present).

Here, Williams plays Alma Reville, Hitchcock’s wife and longtime creative partner. During their 50+ year marriage, Alma was deeply involved in many of her husband’s most iconic films, including Psycho.

Abigail Marlowe as Joan Harrison

In addition to a voiceover career including Diablo IV (2023), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024), and Arcane (2021-24), Abigail Marlowe has appeared on Ugly Betty, Community, The Good Place, CSI: Vegas, and many more. She was most recently featured on And Just Like That… as a friend of Miranda’s girlfriend Joy (Dolly Wells) who recognizes Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) from her, erm, c—y vocal flub on live TV.

Marlowe plays Joan Harrison, who became Hitchcock’s secretary in 1933. She worked with Alma Reville on various elements of production of Hitchcock’s films, and in 1941 became the first female screenwriter to be nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar — at the same time also becoming the first screenwriter to receive two Academy Award nominations in the same year in separate categories, for co-writing the original screenplay for Foreign Correspondent (1940) and adapted screenplay for Rebecca (1940).

Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins

Joey Pollari cut his teeth in Disney Channel original movies before landing a lead role on MTV’s short-lived sitcom The Inbetweeners (2012). He’s since featured in teen romance flick Love, Simon (2018), anthology crime drama American Crime (2016), and CBS’s SEAL Team (2022).

On Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Pollari plays Anthony Perkins, famous for portraying Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s Psycho and its three sequels. Perkins’ final film, In the Deep Woods, was released in September 1992, a month after his death from complications related to AIDS.

Will Brill as Tobe Hooper

Will Brill won a Tony for his performance as Reg in Stereophonic (2024), a play loosely based on the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Off the stage, fans might’ve caught Brill on The OA (2016–2019) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), as well as Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, Caught Stealing (2025)

Brill plays Tobe Hooper, the famed director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). As we’ve previously noted, Gein heavily influenced the film and its iconic antagonist, Leatherface.

Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch

Vicky Krieps gained international recognition for her role as Alma Elson in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017). You may also know her from M. Night Shyamalan’s Old (2021) and Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage (2022), the latter of which earned her the Un Certain Regard Best Performance Prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

Krieps joins Monster: The Ed Gein Story as Ilse Koch, a real-life Nazi war criminal. The wife of the commander of the Buchenwald concentration camps, she was alleged to have collected human heads and items made from human skin, per the New York Times.

Mimi Kennedy as Dr. Mildred Newman

Mimi Kennedy is a familiar face in Chuck Lorre’s sitcom universe, with roles on Dharma & Greg (1997–2002) and Mom (2013–2021). Beyond TV, she’s appeared in films like In the Loop (2009), Due Date (2010), and Midnight in Paris (2011).

Here, she stars as Dr. Mildred Newman, a controversial psychologist and author who gained prominence in the 1970s. According to the New York Post, Perkins was one of her clients.