Love Lies Bleeding: A Cast and Character Guide
Oscar-nominated performer Kristen Stewart leads a star-studded ensemble in Rose Glass's LGBT crime thriller, Love Lies Bleeding. Set in 1989, the movie deftly combines aspects of dark comedy, romance, and neo-noir crime thriller. The narrative centers on Kristen Stewart's reclusive gym manager Lou and Katy O' Brian's aspirational bodybuilder Jackie. Arriving in town on her way to a maybe career-defining competition in Las Vegas, Jackie
Complicated Love Stories with Strong Undercurrents
Though Lou introduces Jackie to steroids, which have a negative and unexpected impact on Jackie's mentality and drive her into violence, their connection blooms fast. The steroids become a major liability when Jackie gets pulled into Lou's criminal family drama, directed by the merciless Lou Sr., played by Ed Harris, which sets Love Lies Bleeding into a chaotic and erratic conclusion.
Meeting the Cast of Love Lies Bleeding
The ensemble of Love Lies Bleeding brings together a number of highly regarded performers who individually add to the convoluted story of this crime drama.
Louise "Lou" Langston's Kristen Stewart
Rising to prominence as a young actor in David Fincher's 2002 thriller, Panic Room, starring Oscar-winning actor Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart is a British Academy Film Award and César Award recipient. Her breakthrough performance came in The Twilight Saga films, as Bella Swan. Stewart has since starred in highly regarded films such Pablo Larraín's historical drama Spencer, Clea DuVall's Happiest Season, Olivier Assayas's Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper, and Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women.
Stewart plays Lou, the withdrawn manager of Crater Gym, in Love Lies Bleeding. FBI officials looking for information on her estranged father, local criminal Lou Sr., first put pressure on Lou. After meeting Jackie, Lou reveals a darker aspect to her character by opening about her horrific history. Stewart gives a riveting performance that transports the viewers to the core of the violent story of the crime thriller.
Katy O'Brian as Jaqueline "Jackie" Cleaver
Though she had attracted attention earlier for her performance as Imperial Officer Elia Kane in season 3 of The Mandalorian, Katy O' Brian—a martial artist turned actress—made her breakthrough in Love Lies Bleeding. Among the several genre shows and movies O' Brian has starred in are the zombie show Z Nation, superhero productions like Black Lightning, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the hit Twisters.
O'Brian plays rising bodybuilder Jackie in Love Lies Bleeding, who comes in town hoping to compete in Las Vegas. Jackie starts training at Crater Gym and works at Lou Sr.'s gun range. She quickly starts dating Lou and accepts to utilize steroids to improve her performance. But Jackie's acts get more aggressive as the steroids start to change her mental state, resulting in a riveting and unexpected conclusion for her character.
Bethany "Beth" Langston, Jena Malone
Experienced Hollywood actor Jena Malone scored her first big part in the 1996 made-for-TV picture Bastard Out of Carolina, winning Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Hope and her Saturn Award-winning part in the 1997 Jodie Foster-led film Contact brought her much more acclaim. From big-budget films like Sucker Punch and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to cult favorites like Donnie Darko and Saved!, Malone has kept showcasing her ability on a variety of projects.
In Love Lies Bleeding, Malone portrays Lou's sister Beth, the daughter of Lou Sr. Beth is in an abusive marriage to J.J., Lou's brother-in--law. Lou's close relationship with Beth drives her to guard her even if it results in risky situations. Malone's acting captures the complexity of the Langston family's dynamics as well as the depth of the sisterly relationship.
Daisy's Anna Baryshnikov
Made her big screen debut in the highly praised thriller Manchester by the Sea in 2016, Anna Baryshnikov, the daughter of ballet performers Mikhail Baryshnikov (Sex and the City) and Lisa Rinehart, She starred in her most praised and well-known production, Dickinson, Apple TV+'s historical comedy-drama, following her part in the fleeting TV show Superior Donuts.
Baryshnikov plays Daisy, a woman consumed with Lou, in Love Lies Bleeding. Daisy follows Lou nonstop even though Lou rejects her constantly. This unrelenting search highlights Daisy's extreme need for Lou's attention and brings her into the center of the dramatic events in the movie.
J.J. Franco is Dave Franco.
Renowned for his parts in hit films like Superbad and Scrubs, Dave Franco had breakthrough performance in the 2012 buddy comedy 21 Jump Street. His varied filmography consists in parts in films such Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street, the medieval black comedy The Little Hours, the Now You See Me trilogy, Neighbors, Fright Night, and Apple TV+ whodunit The Afterparty. Franco debuted as director in 2020 with The Rental and has hit films including Zola.
Franco's character in Love Lies Bleeding is J.J., Beth's violent and disloyal husband. Fueled by J.J.'s treatment of Beth, the conflict between J.J. and Lou results in violent repercussions that produce some of the most startling episodes in the movie.
Lou Langston Sr. Ed Harris
With praised roles in films including Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock, and The Hours, Ed Harris, an Academy Award-nominated actor, boasts a rich career. Harris's skill at genre-bending has also resulted in parts in movies such A Beautiful Mind, The Rock, A History of Violence, Creepshow, Snowpiercer, and Top Gun: Maverick. He received an Emmy nomination for his performance in HBO's Westworld and a Golden Globe for playing John McCain in the HBO film Game Change.
Harris plays Lou Sr., Lou's estranged father and the focus of an FBI probe, in Love Lies Bleeding. Running the local gun range, gangster Lou Sr. hires Jackie and J.J. Though he is not directly accountable for every death in the movie, his history of violence shapes the story especially Lou's character journey.
