Where You've Seen The Cast Of Monarch Before

Set against the backdrop of the country music industry, the new Fox drama "Monarch" centers on the Romans, a fictional family of music legends whose warm, devout public persona hides secrets, lies, and criminal acts. Albie and Dottie Roman rule over their Monarch record label and their three adult children with an iron fist inside a velvet glove, but a series of health scares and long-buried revelations cause that grip to loosen. Soon, eldest daughter Nicky dreams of taking her mother's place at the top of the country music food chain, while her business-minded brother Luke and the black sheep of the family, baby sister Gigi, make moves of their own.

Fox and series creator Melissa London Hilfers have worked hard to make "Monarch" feel like real life, with country stars such as Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker, and Little Big Town all cameoing as themselves early in the series. They've also worked to make real-life feel a little bit like "Monarch," even releasing a mockumentary about the Romans and bottling whiskey under Albie's in-universe brand name. The cast is stacked with bona fide stars, familiar faces, and talented newcomers, echoing the series' ecosystem of icons, strivers, and wannabes. Let's take a look at where you might have seen the cast of "Monarch" before.

Alongside Justin Kucslain, actress Eva Amurri appears as the young Dottie, the other half of the Roman power couple. If Amurri bears a striking resemblance to Susan Sarandon, who plays modern-day Dottie, that is no coincidence — Amurri is Sarandon's daughter with Italian film director Franco Amurri. This isn't the first time Amurri has played a younger version of a character played by her mother. In fact, one of her first film roles was playing a nine-year-old Helen Prejean in "Dead Man Walking," the film for which Sarandon won an Oscar. She also played Sarandon's teenage daughter in the 2002 comedy "The Banger Sisters" and in 2008's "Middle of Nowhere."

However, Amurri has her own career beyond playing versions of her mother. She had recurring roles on the 3rd Season of the David Duchovny sex comedy "Californication" and the first season of the NBC sitcom "Undateable," while also appearing on episodes of "The Mindy Project" and "How I Met Your Mother," among many other series. Her film work has mostly been in small, independent projects, and she is arguably still best known for playing goth kid Cassandra in the 2004 evangelical satire "Saved!" starring Jena Malone and Mandy Moore. Beyond her film and TV work, Amurri is also a successful lifestyle blogger, starting the website Happily Eva After in 2015.

Newcomer Emma Milani stars as Ana Phoenix, Catt's 17-year-old daughter. After going viral on TikTok with a Spanish language cover of an early Albie Roman hit, Ana gets the chance of a lifetime to record at Monarch. She is undeniably talented and seemingly born to be a star, but can this wide-eyed teen survive in the cynical world of her mother and the Romans?

"Monarch" marks Milani's first major television role. Previously she appeared in the 2020 Lifetime movie "Dying to Be a Cheerleader" and featured in a storyline in the Snapchat puzzle show "Solve" that same year. In 2018 she appeared in the video for the Johnny Orlando and Mackenzie Ziegler single "What If," and in 2017 she released a single of her own titled "My Own Language," though it appears to no longer be available on streaming services. Previous to her music career, Milani also appeared in the UCLA short film "Caruso" and in a segment from the comedy short "Hollywood Halloween." 

British actor Adam Croasdell has a recurring role as Nicky's husband Clive Grayson. An out-of-work actor who has married into the world-famous Roman family, Clive struggles with his career and feels overshadowed not just by his wife but also by their adopted son Ace (Filipino singer Iñigo Pascual), who hopes to follow in his famous grandfather's footsteps.

Croasdell's most recognizable role is ironically one that he would not be recognized from, performing motion capture for James Bond in the 2010 video game "James Bond: Blood Stone." He also played 007 on-screen in the web comedy series "Bondjamesbond," about a struggling garage band that somehow conjures a real-life Bond out of thin air. Croasdell's voice work can be heard in games like "Fallout 76" and "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," as well as in animated series such as "Doc McStuffins" and the Netflix adaptation of "Castlevania." 

On-screen, Croasdell is perhaps best known for a stretch in 2009 and 2010 on the long-running BBC series "EastEnders" or for playing vampire cult leader Eccarius on Season 2 of AMC's "Preacher."

Gigi Roman has always been a bit of an outcast in the family. The youngest of Albie and Dottie's children, she has grown up in the shadow of not just her famous parents but her older sister Nicky, who has always been thought of as the heir apparent to the Roman legacy. Still, Gigi is just as talented as her sister, if not more so, and as the series begins she is tired of letting other people steal her spotlight.

Beth Ditto is a relative newcomer to acting. Her biggest role prior to "Monarch" was as Bets Gomes on the 2019 Showtime series "On Becoming a God in Central Florida." However, Ditto has been preparing to play Gigi for nearly her entire life as a singer and songwriter, most notably as the frontwoman of the indie rock band Gossip. Gossip formed in Washington state in 1999 and released their first studio album, "That's Not What I Heard" in 2001. 

Over the years, they have toured with acts like Sleater-Kinney and in 2007 joined Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour alongside other LGBTQ-focused acts like Rufus Wainwright and Margaret Cho. Gossip broke up in 2016 (via Pitchfork) but reunited in 2019 for a tour marking the ten-year anniversary of their album "Music for Men" (via NME). The band has been on hiatus since the end of the tour in 2020.

Country music star Trace Adkins flexes his acting muscles in "Monarch" as Albie "The Texas Truthteller" Roman. A proud, protective father, Albie plays at being the head of the family, though everyone knows that Dottie is the real power on the throne. His story is one of sacrifice and being a self-made man born into poverty with only his music to guide him. But the real story behind Albie's fame and fortune is more complicated than that — it's only natural that someone nicknamed "Truthteller" would have some secrets to keep. As those secrets threaten to be revealed, viewers will see how far Albie is willing to go in order to protect his family and his legacy.

Known for his deep voice and hits like 2005's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," Adkins has been a country music mainstay since his very first album, "Dreamin' Out Loud," was released in 1996. Most of his on-screen and voiceover work has played to his image as a homespun good ole boy on shows like "King of the Hill," the Civil War miniseries "To Appomattox," and in films like "Trailer Park of Terror" and "An American Carol." 

Beyond acting, Adkins has been a spokesman for the Flying J gas station chain (via Taste of Country), appeared on two episodes of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and was a contestant on the 2008 season of "The Apprentice." He lost that season but returned in 2013 to win "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice."

"Queen of Country Music" is not a title given lightly, nor given away without a fight. Dottie Cantrell Roman has been a star her entire life, earning the often begrudging respect of the entire country music industry. She has a life that anyone would want, and that plenty of people around her do want. When long-buried secrets come out, along with a devastating health scare, Dottie moves to protect her legacy from anyone who might threaten it, whether that's pretenders to the throne or members of her own family.

This highly musical role is something of a homecoming for Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, whose breakthrough film role was as 1950s good girl Janet Weiss in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Sarandon has remained a Hollywood A-lister for over five decades, turning in powerful work in everything from "The Hunger" to "Bull Durham" to the John Turturro-directed indie musical "Romance & Cigarettes." In 1996 she won the Academy Award for Best Actress as Sister Helen Prejean in Tim Robbins' death row drama "Dead Man Walking." 

However, Sarandon has proven just as adept with comedy over the years, whether it's playing a Russian ballet teacher on "The Simpsons" or Andy Samberg's lovelorn mother on "Saturday Night Live." Known almost as well for her outspoken political beliefs as for her acting, one wonders what spirited conversations she might have had on set with conservative TV husband Trace Adkins.