List of Sense8 characters

This is a list of characters of the Netflix television series Sense8.

The majority of characters of the main cast are called sensates^[1] and all are exactly the same age in the show, sharing the same birthday, August 8. The actors selected are somewhere between mid-20s and mid-30s.^[2]

August 8 cluster

The August 8 cluster are the main heroes in the series. This cluster was given birth by Angelica Turing, shortly before her suicide, while Jonas Maliki acts as their mentor.

Will Gorski

Portrayed by Brian J. Smith.^[1] Maxwell Jenkins portrayed a young Will.

A Chicago police officer haunted by an unsolved murder from his childhood. When the series begins, he tells his partner about his supernatural experiences due to his cluster being born, though he doesn't believe him. He begins investigating the unreported murder of Angelica, who he is having visions about. The majority of his interactions are with fellow cluster-member Riley Blue, with the two starting to fall in love with each other. Soon Jonas Maliki, a sensate from another cluster, confronts Will in person about his role as a sensate, Will ends up turning him into the police, being viewed as a hero in his precinct. He begins to learn more and more about the other sensates in his cluster, and learns to utilize his new abilities more and more. Eventually, he discovers that Riley has been captured by the series villain Whispers, who Jonas warned him about, saying that once you look into Whispers eyes, he will be able to see everything that you see. Whispers is holding Riley in a private facility in Iceland, where she is to be experimented on. Will goes to Iceland, where he and the other sensates use their abilities to save Riley. But during their escape, Will accidentally looks into Whispers's eyes. When he and Riley are far from the facility, Will injects himself with drugs to lose consciousness to ensure Whispers will not find them. Riley helps them escape, successfully getting herself and Will to safety.

Riley Blue

Portrayed by Tuppence Middleton.^[1] Katrin Sara Olafsdottir portrayed a young Riley.

An Icelandic DJ living in London who is trying to escape a troubled past. Riley begins the series by accidentally diving deep into the world of London's drug trade, and has many psychic encounters with Will, a sensate who is a part of her cluster. The two fall in love with each other, but finds that she cannot escape her tragic past, and goes home to Iceland to confront it and reunite with her father, who is a famous pianist in Iceland. It is here that Riley's backstory is revealed, that she was pregnant with the child of her husband. While on the way to the hospital after her water breaks, a snowstorm hits, and the two accidentally drive off the road. Her husband dies in the car crash, and she is stuck in the upside down car, having to give birth in the wilderness. She takes her baby and tries getting them to safety, but ultimately her daughter freezes to death, and is now haunted with survivor's guilt. While at a classical music concert that her father is playing at, she falls unconscious, and is taken to the hospital. It is here that her unique brain scans garner the attention of the villainous Whispers. Whispers leads an organization that hunt down sensates, and abducts Riley. Aware of what is happening to her, Will goes to Iceland, where he and the other sensates use their skills to break her out. Right before they escape however, Will looks into Whispers' eyes, as Whispers, being a sensate also, has the ability to see and hear through the perspective of any other sensate who looks into his eyes. Will and Riley use drugs to knock Will unconscious to avoid Whispers learning their location. With this strategy, the two successfully escape, using the boat of Riley's friend to get out to sea.

Capheus "Van Damme" Onyango

Portrayed by Aml Ameen in the first season and Toby Onwumere in the second.^{[1][3][4][5][6]} Gabriel Ouma portrayed a young Capheus.

A matatu driver in Nairobi, and a passionate fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme who is trying to earn money to buy AIDS medicine for his mother. Capheus owns his bus matatu business with his best friend, the business being a failing one in competition with another matatu. One day, they drive through a shady part of a nearby city, where they are ambushed by a local warlord's men, who take their money and medicine Capheus bought for his mother. Capheus goes after them, and is about to be killed when he channels Sun, a sensate in his cluster with intensive kickboxing training, and who Capheus at first believes is the spirit of Van Damme. With her skills, they defeat the men, and his fighting skills gain his matatu business popularity, and draws the attention of Silas Kabaka, one of Nairobi's most powerful crime lords. He hires Capheus to drive his daughter everyday to a CDC center for cancer treatment, as he cannot send his men to do it without drawing attention to her. When Silas is captured by his enemies, Capheus decides to save him, once again channelling Sun to defeat the men, saving Silas, reuniting him with his daughter. Capheus's driving skills often come in handy for the other sensates, and he is able to use this to help Nomi escape Whispers' men by taking over the drive through the streets of San Francisco.

Nomi Marks

Portrayed by Jamie Clayton.^[1] John Babbo portrayed a young Nomi (then called Michael).

A trans woman hacktivist and blogger living in San Francisco with her girlfriend, Amanita (nicknamed Neets). At a pride parade, Nomi falls unconscious. She ends up in the hospital, where her transphobic mother tells her that she won't let Neets see her. Nomi's "doctor" tells them that her brain has an illness that compromises Nomi's sense of reality, and she will need an operation that is essentially lobotomy. Believing Nomi is mentally unstable, they keep her in the hospital against her will. In reality, Nomi's doctor works for BPO, the organization which hunts down sensates, owned by the series' villain, Whispers. Neets stages a breakout for Nomi, and the two begin investigating everything that's happening. They investigate the company, the doctor, his previous patients, and Whispers. The two find out that all of the doctor's previous patients that had the same fake illness as her were other sensates from separate clusters, and they have been lobotomized to the point where they are waking brain death patients, but Whispers has the ability to make these zombie-like people do his bidding when he needs to eliminate threats. Nomi and Neets stay off the company's radar for a while, and fellow sensate Will gets in direct contact with Nomi. Nomi uses her hacking skills to help Will save Riley.

Sun Bak

Portrayed by Doona Bae.^[1] Lee Jae-in portrayed a young Sun.

The daughter of a powerful Seoul businessman and a burgeoning star in the underground kickboxing world, with a master's degree in economics. When Sun's brother is caught embezzling by their company's father, they ask Sun to take the blame before the police and court find out, as Sun is already looked down upon by their partners for being a woman. Remembering her deceased mother's words to always look out for her brother, Sun agrees, and goes to jail for a crime she didn't commit. She becomes unpopular when she looks out for a woman who is often bullied by the other inmates. Sun helps her get revenge on the women picking on her, leading them to ambush Sun in the courtyard. Sun easily fends them off, but is locked in solitary confinement for this. Soon afterwards, her father comes to visit her, telling her that she has been a better child than her brother ever was, and that he will come forward about who really committed the crimes, as he wishes to free Sun. The next day however, Sun's brother visits her, him telling her that their father killed himself last night, but Sun is quickly able to realize that he killed their father, realizing he would come forward, and he would end up in jail. Sun is arguably the most useful of the sensates, with her usually coming to rescue them with her kickboxing skills whenever they are cornered, especially when Will goes to free Riley from Whispers. She has the strongest bond with Capheus, who she saves the most.

Lito Rodriguez

Portrayed by Miguel Ángel Silvestre.^[1]

A closeted actor living in Mexico City with his boyfriend.^[1] Lito is pursued by his costar Daniela, who he is using to make the public believe he is completely straight. One night she visits his apartment while tipsy, wishing to sleep with him and calling the press to manipulate him into allowing her in. While alone, Lito and his boyfriend, Hernando, reveal to her that they are lovers. She agrees to help them keep this secret and she quickly becomes one of their closest friends, sometimes participating with them sexually. While filming his current movie, he meets the film's producer, who he recognizes as Daniela's abusive ex-boyfriend and stalker, Joaquin. Later, Joaquin shows up at Lito's apartment, drunk & crying, but manages to steal Daniela's phone, which has pictures of Lito and Hernando having sex and he threatens to reveal them to the public. Daniela wishes to protect Lito and Hernando and agrees to get back with him to prevent Joaquin from leaking the photos. Lito agrees to let Daniela do this. Hernando becomes resentful of Lito for allowing Daniela to go back to her abuser, and breaks up with him. While in grief, Lito realizes he should never have let Daniela go back, and he goes to rescue her. When he goes to Joaquin's house, he channels Wolfgang's aggression, beating Joaquin to a pulp, and Lito takes Daniela home. After this, the three are reunited, and he and Hernando get back together. Will is able to use Lito's acting skills to lie their way through Whispers' facility.

Kala Dandekar

Portrayed by Tina Desai.^[1][7] Yashvi Puneet Nagar portrayed a young Kala.

A university-educated pharmacist and devout Hindu in Mumbai engaged to marry a man she does not love. It is while stressing about the wedding that her sensate cluster is born, and with her new powers does she meet her fellow sensate Wolfgang. The two talk constantly, and Kala realizes she is beginning to fall in love with him. Kala often goes to a temple to Ganesha to pray for advice. One day while visiting, she discovers that her fiancé's father is trying to get the Indian government to enact a law that will restrict Hindu religious practice, and that many priests at the temple are praying for his death. When her wedding day arrives, Wolfgang accidentally appears to her naked, and she faints. When she awakens the next day, she and her fiancé discuss the wedding's rescheduling. She goes to the temple to pray, when her fiancé's father confronts her. He asks her to call off the wedding, but before she can tell him what she wants, a line of hooded figures appear, and begin to stab him one by one, revealing themselves as extremist Hindus. He winds up in a coma, and Kala tells her fiancé that his father told her to break up with him. One day, Wolfgang tells her that she should not love him before he confronts the men who tried to kill his best friend. She aids him in defeating them, until all who are left are him and the man who organized this. Even though the man is defenseless, he shoots him multiple times, and he tells her this is why she shouldn't love him, because he claims he is a monster. Kala's on-the-fly thinking and chemistry skills help free Riley from Whispers.

Wolfgang Bogdanow

Portrayed by Max Riemelt.^[1] Lenius Jung portrayed a young Wolfgang.

A Berlin locksmith and safe-cracker who has unresolved issues with his late father Anton and participates in organized crime. One night, he and his best friend Felix decide to rob one of their enemies of his most prized possession, a set of outstandingly expensive jewels. The two successfully rob him, and begin looking for buyers. While using some of their newfound fortune to go on a shopping spree, Felix is shot by the men of the man they robbed from, and is put into a coma. Throughout the series, the sensate who Wolfgang bonds the most with is Kala, and the two fall in love. When Wolfgang confronts Felix's attackers and their leader, his cousin Steiner, Wolfgang - with the help of Lito - kills them all, but Sergei, Wolfgang's uncle is now out for revenge. Wolfgang goes to kill him, and with the help of Will and Kala, defeats all his men. Although Wolfgang's target is defenseless, he shoots him multiple times in the head. Wolfgang then tells Kala this is why they cannot be together, because Wolfgang claims he is a monster. Wolfgang's ruthlessness aids Will when Riley is kidnapped by Whispers.

Other series regulars

Jonas Maliki

Portrayed by Naveen Andrews.^[8]

A sensate from a different cluster-of-eight who wants to help the newly born cluster of sensates.

Amanita "Neets"

Portrayed by Freema Agyeman.^[1]

Nomi's girlfriend, who later becomes an ally for the new sensates.

Sanyam Dandekar

Portrayed by Anupam Kher.^[9]

Kala's father, a chef and restaurant owner.

"Whispers"

Portrayed by Terrence Mann.^[8]

A sensate turned against his own kind for unknown reasons, who leads an organization determined to neutralize or kill sensates.

Angelica "Angel" Turing

Portrayed by Daryl Hannah.^[10]

A sensate from an older cluster (which included Jonas) who becomes the "mother" of the cluster of eight new sensates as she activates their psychic connection. She kills herself before being captured by Whispers in order to protect the cluster she has birthed.

Recurring characters

The recurring actors are listed by the region in which they first appear.

In London, England, United Kingdom

• Frank Dillane^[11] as Shugs, a close friend of Riley and boyfriend to Bambie.
• Nicôle Lecky as Bambie, Shugs's girlfriend.
• Joseph Mawle as Nyx, a drug dealer.

In Reykjavík, Iceland

• Kristján Kristjánsson as Gunnar, Riley's pianist father.^[12]
• Lilja Þórisdóttir^[12] as Yrsa, an Icelandic sensate from an older cluster.
• Eyþór Gunnarsson as Sven, a friend of Riley's in Iceland.^[12]
• Thor Birgisson as Magnus Þórsson, Riley's husband who died in a car accident.

In Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

• Ness Bautista^[13] as Diego Morales, Will's police partner.
• William Burke as Deshawn, a young gang member in Chicago.
• Larry Clarke as a Police Captain.
• Margot Thorne as Sara Patrell, a young sensate who disappeared after being found by Whispers.
• Joe Pantoliano as Michael Gorski, Will's father, a retired cop.^[13]

In Seoul, South Korea

• Lee Ki-chan^[14] as Joong-Ki Bak, Sun's younger brother.
• Lee Geung-young^[14] as Kang-Dae Bak, a businessman and father of Sun and Joong-Ki Bak.
• Hye-Hwa Kim as Mi-Cha,^[15] Sun's mother.
• Sara Sohn as Soo-Jin,^[15] a Korean prisoner.^[16]
• Myung Gye-Nam^[14] as Sun's kickboxing trainer.

In Nairobi, Kenya

• Paul Ogola as Jela,^[17] Capheus' best friend and partner in the 'Van Damn' bus service.
• Peter King Mwania as Silas Kabaka,^[18] a crime lord who approaches Capheus to work for him.
• Lwanda Jawar as Githu, the leader of the Nairobi 'Superpower' gang.^[17]
• Chichi Seii as Shiro, Capheus' mother who is seriously ill with AIDS.^[17]
• Rosa Katanu as Amondi Kabaka, Silas' daughter.
• Biko Nyongesa,^[19] plays a member of the "Superpower" gang.

In Berlin, Germany

• Maximilian Mauff as Felix Bernner, a locksmith who is Wolfgang's best friend and partner-in-crime.
  • Chiron Elias Krase as young Felix.
• Sylvester Groth as Sergei Bogdanow, Wolfgang's rich uncle and Steiner's father.
• Christian Oliver as Steiner Bogdanow, a villainous Russian mobster in Berlin who is at war with his cousin Wolfgang and Felix.^[20]
• Bernhard Schütz as Anton Bogdanow, Wolfgang's father.
• Georg Tryphon as Abraham, a Jewish business man.
• Wolfgang Lindner as one of Sergei's bodyguards.

In Mumbai, India

• Purab Kohli^[21] as Rajan Rasal, Kala's fiancé.
• Natasha Rastogi^[21] as Priya Dandekar, Kala and Daya's mother, Sanyam's wife.
• Darshan Jariwala^[21] as Manendra Rasal, father of Rajan and husband to Sahana.
• Mita Vashisht^[21] as Sahana Rasal, mother of Rajan and wife of Manendra.
• Huzane Mewawala as Daya Dandekar, Kala's sister and a fellow pharmacist.
• Avantika Akerkar as Aunty Ina, Kala and Daya's aunt.
• Shruti Bapna as Devi, Kala's friend.^[22]
• Rajesh Khera as a wedding planner.^[23]

In Mexico City, Mexico

• Alfonso Herrera as Hernando, Lito's secret lover.^[24]

• Eréndira Ibarra as Daniela Velazquez, Lito's fellow actor, his cover to hide his sexual orientation and Joaquin's ex-girlfriend.^[25]
• Raúl Méndez as Joaquin Flores, Daniela's jealous and violent stalker.^[25][26]
• Ari Brickman as the director in Lito's movies.
• Jeronimo Best as the assistant director in Lito's movies.

In San Francisco, California, United States of America

• Adam Shapiro as Dr. Metzger, Nomi's doctor and an employee of Whispers.^[13]
• Michael X. Sommers as Bug, old friend of Nomi's, who ran with her in their hactivist days.
• Sandra Fish as Janet Marks, Nomi's mother.
• Maximilienne Ewalt as Grace, Amanita's adoptive mother.^[27]

Minor characters

These are a few significant minor characters, such as celebrities making a cameo appearance.

• Ma Dong-seok^[14] as the bouncer outside the sex club in Seoul.^[28]
• Tony Hong as the referee of the underground martial arts ring.
• Sean Dorsey as Sean, the real life choreographer of the Fresh Meat Festival dance Nomi and Amanita attend.^[29]
• Tino Rodríguez as "Green Fairy" in the San Francisco Pride. Rodríguez's painting The Song that Traverses a Tenebrous World is featured in the show hanging on the walls of Lito's apartment.^{[30][31][32][33]}
• Virgo Paraiso as "Purple Fairy" in the San Francisco Pride.^[30]

Dorsey, Rodríguez and Paraiso had previously collaborated with the Wachowskis on the music video of Antony and the Johnsons' Epilepsy Is Dancing.^[34]

References