Gert: Okay, so those are poisonous, so no one eat them.

Chase: Yeah, duh.

Gert: Go throw up.

Chase: But I didn’t eat any.

I have MANY Thoughts on these, so I’m making my own post on the subject.  Sadly, I haven’t seen the actors perform as of yet, but from the look and descriptions I’m going to express what I can.

Because ego!

Rhenzy Feliz (“Teen Wolf,” “Casual”) as Alex Wilder is a loud-and-proud nerd. Admittedly a bit of a loner, Alex spends much of his free-time playing video games, but deep down, what he wants most is to reunite his childhood group of friends.

I can’t help but feel that the use of a conjugate form of “Pride” is intentional here.  He remains a gamer, intelligent, but that last line is very interesting.

In the original comic, he really only cared about Nico (and only when he found out how hot she got, let’s be honest, at the time we saw him early on he was mad she took a year to return his Prisoner DVDs).  This might hint at a less sinister twist for him or motivation for his actions in this iteration of the series. 

The actor has had recurring roles in TV series before, so I’m not too worried.

Lyrica Okano (“The Affair,” “Unforgettable”) Nico Minoru–tough, intelligent, and independent–embodies teenage angst. A budding “Wiccan,” Nico’s carefully crafted goth appearance isolates her from her peers and family, but maybe what she really needs is someone to talk to.

I am 100% behind this description. I’m quite opinionated on Nico, as my post catalog would indicate.  This hits all the big buttons.  Though describing her as Wiccan is a bit of a step forward from where she was, I bet she’s still raised as a good Christian “Former Alter Girl” because it’s too juicy not to play with. No mention of her depression beyond the Goth association with depression (which is actually a thing).  As long as she gets to say “I’m surprised I survived this long” I’ll be good.

This actress has a pretty long filmography and a few leading roles in featured under her belt (one of them, because she’s an east-Asian actress is, of course, her as a ninja.  It’s a lead role, but still!).  IMDB has some demo reel material for her, but it’s hard for me to get a bead on how she’ll play Nico.

Still, she does have 10 years of performing under her belt.

Virginia Gardner (“Goat,” “Little Bitches”) as Karolina Dean, model-perfect exterior with a lot going on behind her professionally whitened smile, is burdened by the lofty expectations and responsibilities put upon her by her parents. Underneath her veneer of privilege and perfection, Karolina is experiencing a newfound eagerness to explore her identity and pursue her own desires.

This is another solid one.  It gives a reason for a motivation behind her closeted nature for those arcs to play out.  It works well with her opening arc: going from her mother calling her an angel, to punching said mother in the face after finding out she was literally being repressed by her.

Virginia is the first actor/actress on the list to give a birth date (2005) and has been performing since 2011. Her biggest credit is probably with a recurring role in “The Goldbergs”, and two episodes of Glee. 

Ariela Barer (“New Girl,” “One Day at a Time”) as Gert Yorkes is a purple-haired, bespectacled, contemporary riot grrrl. Never passing up a moment to stand on a soapbox, Gert sometimes wields her persona as a brash social justice warrior to mask her true feelings.

“She’s not fat enough!” -- I can already hear fans screaming it.  I’m sure she can put on a few pounds for the role.  I’m not worried about that.  I can also hear certain viewers deriding her as an “SJW!” with this description.

To which I remind people she was introduced wanting to join the Socialists Club at school. 

While I always pictured Gert more with her heart on her sleeve, that may be a post-Chase thing since she also adopts a fatalism around the same time.

Ariela has been performing (credit wise) for a decade now, mostly in guest and supporting roles.

Gregg Sulkin (“Faking It,” “Don’t Hang Up,” “Anti Social”) as Chase Stein is a lacrosse-playing, high school heartthrob. While many write him off as a dumb jock, Chase exhibits flashes of untapped brilliance in engineering, not unlike his wildly successful father’s.

This is a bit more Jock-y than I pictured Chase.  I usually pictured him as more ‘svelt’.  Still, it passes the visual along.  I kind of like how this is phrased.  Chase has his moments of brilliance, but he’s not the brightest bulb in the box (the “Laser” incident comes immediately to mind). 

The oldest of the cast that I can tell (24, born in may of 1992), he’s had roles on “Pretty Little Liars” and “Wizards of Waverly Place”.  Since one of the producers was on the former, I think ti’s relevant to mention.  That and Disney.

Still, it’s going to be weird to see him and Ariela snog. The age difference is (physically) more apparent.

Also, he’s from England.  So me using snog is a double reference!

Allegra Acosta (“100 Things to do Before High School,” “Just Add Magic”) as Molly Hernandez, the youngest and most innocent member of her friend group, is known for her peppy positivity and a deep yearning to belong.

The only thing I wish was here as well was a nod to Molly’s intelligence.  Otherwise, not much to add to this one.

...

Okay, yeah, Molly’s race bent into Hispanic.  But I have no problem with that. 

The actress is as old as Gert was in the comics, but I think that helps with the overall scheduling. 

She hasn’t been in much yet, but this isn’t her first role, so I’m not too worried.