The Narrow Road to the Deep North cast and character guide: Who plays who in WWII drama show

Jacob Elordi is lauded for his versatility, and this time, the actor has stepped into a leading role in The Narrow Road to the Deep North, a powerful Australian TV miniseries. The drama offers a deep exploration of what Australian prisoners of war went through during World War II.

The show’s storytelling moves back and forth through three different stages of time: before the war, during the harshest years of it, and the years that follow after. At the heart of The Narrow Road to the Deep North is Dorrigo Evans — a character we see as both a young man and in his older years.

Like every young man, Dorrigo also wished to become successful in his life and was training to become a doctor. However, little did he know that his life would soon take a terrifying turn when he was taken as a prisoner by the Japanese army.

Not only this, but Dorrigo was then forced to help build the notorious Burma-Thailand railway, a deadly wartime project that claimed thousands of lives. However, the drama isn't just about battles but instead focuses on how war breaks people.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North features several key characters who add to the emotional depth and provide a deeper dive into the lives of the war prisoners. So, keep reading if you wish to explore who plays whom in the WWII miniseries.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North main cast and character guide

It's been a day since The Narrow Road to the Deep North came out, and it's not your typical war drama. As previously explained, the miniseries focuses more on the impact of the war left on people, as it didn't just hurt their bodies, but broke their spirits too.

The scenes in the prisoner camp are portrayed with painful honesty: starvation, violence, and humiliation are shown without sugar-coating. The series doesn’t paint characters as either pure heroes or villains. Even some of the Japanese officers are shown as emotionally torn individuals, not one-dimensional figures.

So here's a list of the main characters in The Narrow Road to the Deep North drama:

1) Jacob Elordi plays the young Dorrigo Evans

Jacob Elordi as young Dorrigo (Image Source: Instagram @primevideoaunz)

Priscilla star Jacob Elordi appears as the younger version of the main character, Dorrigo Evans. His journey began as a medical student, but fate had something else in mind as Dorrigo was captured during World War II and he ended up becoming a prisoner of war (POW).

But before his capture, Dorrigo had a passionate yet complicated romance with Amy, who happened to be his uncle's wife. Director Justin Kurzel described their tale as "the absolute spirit of the whole series", but Elordi was concerned "it would kind of overtake the elements of the novel," which is the war part.

So, along with the physical suffering, Elordi's Dorrigo also struggles emotionally. He’s torn between love, duty, and survival at a young age.

Also Read: Cassandra cast and character guide: Who plays whom in Netflix's latest sci-fi thriller?

2) Ciarán Hinds plays the older version of Dorrigo

The older Dorrigo Evans (Image Source: Instagram @primevideoaunz)

Ciarán Hinds portrays the central figure during the 1980s. This version of Dorrigo is a tired and emotionally distant man. Although he’s a successful surgeon, he carries heavy guilt for having survived when so many others didn’t.

As seen in The Narrow Road to the Deep North, his past trauma shapes his personality, making him reserved and often bitter. Hinds shed light on the narrative and his character during an interview and said:

"I kind of devoured [the novel] and was really deeply, profoundly, emotionally engaged... He’s [Dorrigo] got a double hammer hitting him over the head."

For those who didn't know, Ciarán Hinds is an Irish actor, and to ensure "he didn’t offend anyone", Hinds collaborated with an accent coach to master an Australian accent. He also mentioned that it was a tricky task because if you try too hard, it sounds exaggerated.

3) Odessa Young portrays Amy Mulvaney

Amy had an affair with Dorrigo (Image Source: Instagram @primevideoaunz)

As mentioned earlier, young Dorrigo had an affair with his uncle's wife Amy, played by actress Odessa Young in The Narrow Road to the Deep North. This is a kind of forbidden and secret love affair that haunts Dorring after his capture, and despite being short-lived, it stays with him forever.

Interestingly, the director mentioned directing a love story for the first time, which required all this attention. In the same interview with Elordi, Kuzel said he was:

"Extremely careful and cautious and fiercely curious about what that would be with Jacob and Odessa."

They filmed the romantic parts in The Narrow Road to the Deep North first, which allowed Jacob Elordi to better understand the emotional journey of Dorrigo Evans.

4) Olivia DeJonge plays Dorrigo's fiancée Ella

Ella married Dorrigo (Image Source: Instagram @primevideoaunz)

Ella is played by two actresses in different timelines. Olivia DeJonge plays the younger Ella, while Heather Mitchell takes over for the older version. Unlike Amy, Ella represents the stable, proper life Dorrigo is expected to live.

Their relationship shows how Dorrigo tries to fit into society's expectations, even though his heart is elsewhere. Her The Narrow Road to the Deep North co-star Ciarán Hinds, also mentioned how it was like a "dream" to star alongside Mitchell and that "she’s so much fun. Justin [Kurzel] put us together, and it fit very well."

5) Simon Baker plays Keith Mulvaney

Simon Baker as Keith (Image Source: Instagram @primevideoaunz)

Keith Mulvaney is Amy's life partner and Dorrigo's husband in The Narrow Road to the Deep North, who adds tension to his nephew's and wife's forbidden love affair. Simon Baker also appeared in another interview, where he shed light on how the miniseries also focuses on the dark side of human behaviour during WWII.

Not only this, he also said that:

"There’s this beautiful balance in the storytelling of the cruelties and the hardship, but also how we endure, make light of, and joke about these difficult things. Watching stories like this, you’re feeling something and having to live with that feeling."

Baker explained that people have learned to ignore things that make them uncomfortable. But according to him, it's necessary for growth and understanding things better in life.

Exploring the key supporting characters in The Narrow Road to the Deep North

The miniseries features several POWs and Japanese officers (Image Source: Instagram @isabellaelordi)

While the above-mentioned cast members play the core characters of the story, it would feel incomplete without the supporting characters, including:

Thomas Weatherall as Frank Gardiner: One of the POWs who was captured just like Dorrigo. Frank isn't just a supporting character but someone who adds depth in showing the suffering of the Australian soldiers in captivity.

Show Kasamatsu as Major Nakamura: Unlike most of the Japanese officers, Nakamura isn't purely evil. He's tasked with overseeing the PW camp, but The Narrow Road to the Deep North also highlights his occasional human connection.

Taki Abe as Colonel Kota: Kota is the exact opposite of Nakamura. The officer believes in brutality and violence.

Other cast members include Charles An, Akira Fujii, Essie Davis, and Dan Wyllie. These actors play a significant role in exploring Dorrigo Evans' life as a POW and later in depth.