When pharmaceutical company Purdue unveiled their pain relief drug OxyContin in the 90s, they emphasised its USP: unlike other opioids, the business claimed, OxyContin had a very low risk of addiction.
Following hot on the heels of the hard-hitting Disney+ drama Dopesick, Netflix’s new drama Painkiller explores how Purdue Pharma sold OxyContin to the masses – and unpicks the impact of the opioid crisis on the ordinary Americans who ended up dependent on a drug they believed wasn’t addictive.
The show also chronicles the fight to bring a 2007 court case against Purdue, which would eventually see the pharma giant plead guilty to “misbranding” OxyContin, paying out around $600 million in fines.
While Purdue itself admitted guilt, the family behind it, the Sacklers, have never faced criminal charges and have always denied any wrongdoing on their part; in recent years, though, they have faced a growing backlash, with many of the charities and high-profile organisations that the Sacklers once donated to now seeking to distance themselves from their one-time benefactors.
To tell this harrowing but important story, Netflix has assembled an impressive cast to play a mix of real and fictionalised characters – here’s where you might have spotted them before…
Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler
Since his breakout role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Matthew Broderick has enjoyed an eclectic career, which spans voicing grown-up Simba in the original version of The Lion King, winning two Tony Awards and starring in the stage and screen productions of The Producers. Earlier this year, he also appeared in the comedy No Hard Feelings, playing a father who pays for Jennifer Lawrence’s Maddie to date his awkward teenage son.
Painkiller sees Matthew take on the role of Richard Sackler, the chairman and president of Purdue Pharma. He joined the family business in the 70s and as its head of research and development, he shifted the company’s focus onto developing the profitable new painkiller Oxycontin, which was eventually patented in the mid-90s.
Matthew plays the character over a time span of almost three decades, wearing prosthetics to portray him in his later years, which took “two hours, sometimes four hours, to put on”, the actor told Netflix.
Uzo Aduba plays Edie Flowers
Netflix fans will know Uzo Aduba from her role as Litchfield Penitentiary inmate Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren in all seven seasons of Orange Is The New Black, which earned her two Emmys.
More recently, she starred in the mini-series Mrs America, which explored the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 60s America. Uzo played Shirley Chisholm, the trailblazing politician who became the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress, and won another Emmy in the process. She’s also lent her voice to Toy Story spin-off Lightyear and took the lead role in HBO’s revival of In Treatment.
In Painkiller, Uzo plays lawyer Edie Flowers, a fictional character who is “a composite of a number of investigators”, she told Netflix. While working for the US Attorney’s office in Roanoke, she spots a pattern in prescriptions for the new drug OxyContin, and starts trying to put together a case against Purdue Pharma.
Taylor Kitsch plays Glen Kryger
Another of Painkiller’s fictional characters is Taylor Kitsch’s Glen Kryger, a car mechanic who injures his back while working, and is prescribed a seemingly miraculous new drug by his doctor as a way of managing the pain. That drug is, of course, OxyContin, and the series charts how Glen eventually becomes addicted, exploring the impact on his relationship with his wife and stepson.
Taylor’s first major role came in the 200s teen drama Friday Night Lights, which told the story of a high school football team in West Texas; he played Tim Riggins, the team’s fullback, for all five seasons. He’s also appeared in shows like True Detective, Waco and The Terminal List, as well as movies including John Carter, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and 21 Bridges.
West Duchovny plays Shannon Schaeffer
Daughter of The X Files actor David Duchovny and Bad Boys star Téa Leoni, 24-year-old Shannon made her acting debut alongside her dad in the final episode of his classic sci-fi show. Since then, she has had roles in TV series like fantasy drama The Magicians and psychological thriller Saint X.
Painkiller sees her take on the part of recent graduate Shannon, who is desperate to avoid returning to her family home after university; when she attends a recruitment fair for Purdue Pharma, she’s sold a vision of a future where she can earn stacks of money, fast, while also helping patients. As a sales representative, her role is to encourage doctors to prescribe higher doses of OxyContin to their patients, while obscuring the very real risk of addiction - and as time goes on, she’s forced to ask herself some searching questions about her role in the opioid crisis.
Dina Shihabi plays Britt Hufford
When Shannon attends Purdue’s recruitment drive, she’s immediately taken with veteran sales rep Britt Hufford’s promises of big bonuses and a seriously luxurious lifestyle. Played by Dina Shihabi, the glamorous Britt is the one who spells out Purdue’s sales tactics to her young recruit: persuade doctors to prescribe higher and higher dosages to patients, in spite of potential risks. She’s another fictionalised character, but the pushy sales practices she espouses to her colleagues are all too real.
You might recognise Dina from past roles in shows including Altered Carbon, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and Agent Stoker.
Tyler Ritter plays John Brownlee
John Brownlee was indeed the US Attorney for western Virginia between 2001 and 2008, when the events of the series took place, and led the investigation into Purdue’s sales tactics.
He’s played in Painkiller by Tyler Ritter, who has previously starred in shows like Homecoming, Arrow and sitcom The McCarthys.
Jack Mulhern plays Tyler Kryger
Jack plays Tyler Kryger, the teenage step-son of Taylor Kitsch’s Glen. After his step-dad is injured at work, Tyler struggles with feelings of guilt, as the pair were arguing when the accident took place.
If you were gripped by HBO and Sky Atlantic’s Mare Of Easttown (which was also set in a community ravaged by the opioid crisis), you might recognise Jack from his role as Dylan Hinchey, ex-boyfriend of murder victim Erin McMenamin.
He’s also appeared in shows like Netflix’s The Society, and has landed a role in George Clooney’s next directorial effort, The Boys In The Boat.
Carolina Bartczak plays Lily Kryger
X-Men fans might recognise Carolina Bartczak from her part as Magda, the wife of Magneto, who appears alongside Michael Fassbender in X-Men: Apocalypse. She’s also appeared in series like The Bold Type and The Secret Life Of Marilyn Monroe as well as films like 2022’s sci-fi disaster movie Moonfall.
Painkiller sees her take on the role of Lily, the mother of Jack and wife of Glen, who works alongside her husband at their small garage. When Glen starts to struggle with his OxyContin usage after sustaining an injury, the fallout affects the entire family.
Clark Gregg plays Arthur Sackler Sr.
Richard’s uncle Arthur Sackler was the founder of Purdue; Clark Gregg plays the family patriarch as an apparition in Painkiller, following Richard around to guide him in his handling of the Sackler legacy. Arthur died before OxyContin was invented, and his wife and children have stressed that they have not benefited from its sale.
Marvel aficionados will doubtless know Clark from his role as Agent Phil Coulson, the right-hand man of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury; after making his debut in Iron Man, he’s appeared in comic book projects like Thor, Avengers Assemble and Captain Marvel, as well as the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s also cropped up in series like The West Wing and How I Met Your Father, as well as films including 500 Days Of Summer and Being The Ricardos.
John Rothman plays Mortimer Sackler
Arthur Sackler’s brother Mortimer was a co-owner of Purdue Pharma; a qualified doctor and psychiatrist, he would go on to become a well-known philanthropist, donating to galleries like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate and the Louvre. Since the scandal of Purdue’s role in the opioid crisis broke, though, many organisations have removed the Sackler family name from their buildings.
Mortimer is played by John Rothman, whose recent credits include roles in Call Jane, The Blacklist and Bombshell.
Sam Anderson plays Raymond Sackler
The third Sackler brother Raymond also co-owned Purdue, and was the father of future company chairman Richard.
He’s played on screen by Sam Anderson, who you might have previously spotted in films including Where The Crawdads Sing, Water For Elephants and Forrest Gump, as well as TV shows like A Million Little Things, How To Get Away With Murder and Station 19.