Harriet Cast Comparison Guide and Real-Life Characters

The filmmakers behind Harriet were tasked with ensuring a Harriet cast talented enough to bring to life the real-life figures behind the story of Harriet Tubman alongside some fictional and composite characters. The 2019 film, directed by Kasi Lemmons, follows the events of Tubman’s life, focusing on her escape from slavery and subsequent rescue missions as part of the Underground Railroad, which cemented her legacy as an American icon. Harriet takes some creative liberties, including inventing and amalgamating characters for the sake of narrative efficiencybut the broad strokes remain true to the story.

Harriet has seen a long journey to the screen, with co-writer Gregory Allen Howard first presenting the biopic under the title Fire of Freedom in 1994. Howard recalls that a studio executive wanted Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman. Fortunately, the final film is more respectful when it comes to casting. Harrietreal life numbers. It was worth it, as the film’s talented ensemble is a highlight, and the actress in the lead role was even nominated for an Oscar for her lead performance.

Character	Actor
Harriet Tubman	Cynthia Erivo
William still	Leslie Odom Jr.
Gideon Brodess	Joe Alwyn
Marle Buchanan	Janelle Monae
Ben Ross	Clark Peters

Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman

Date of birth: January 8, 1987

Actor: Erivo is an English actress and singer. Her first film role came in 2015 with the role of Madalena in the popular British comedy series. Chewing gum. In the same year, Erivo gained widespread recognition for her starring role in the Broadway revival of The color purple. Erivo also starred as Darlene Sweet in Bad times at the El RoyaleBeautiful in Widowsthe Blue Fairy in the Disney 2022 film Pinocchioand Odette Raine in Luther: The Fallen Sun. For his work in HarrietErivo was nominated for two Oscars, one for Best Actress and the other for Best Original Song.

Character: Cynthia Erivo plays the titular abolitionist, Harriet Tubmanin the film Harriet. The biopic is very faithful to the real story of Harriet Tubman, who was born Araminta Ross. As portrayed in the film, Harriet Tubman actually escaped slavery, making a 100-mile journey from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Once there, she took on a key role in the Underground Railroad, making numerous trips back to Maryland and rescuing dozens of slaves. As HarrietThe ending of indicates that Tubman later went on to work as a spy and expedition leader for Union forces during the Civil War.

Leslie Odom Jr. as William Still

Date of birth: August 6, 1981

Actor: Leslie Odom Jr. is best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in Hamiltonpart he immortalized in the show’s Disney+ presentation in 2020. Post-Hamilton career has seen the actor star in several major films, including One night in Miami like singer Sam Cooke, Glass onion: a mystery with knives like Lionel Toussaint, and The Exorcist: Believer as Victor Fielding. In 2023, he joined the horror franchise The Exorcist in Believer.

Character: Leslie Odom Jr. plays William Still in Harriet. As portrayed in the film, he was an American abolitionist and president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society who worked with Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. During his time working on the Underground Railroad, he helped free at least 649 slaves. After the war, he became a prominent businessman and philanthropist.

Joe Alwyn as Gideon Brodess

Date of birth: February 21, 1991

Actor: Joe Alwyn is a British actor best known for his roles as Masham in The favoriteRobert Dudley in Mary Queen of Scotsand Nick on Hulu’s streaming series Conversations with friends. In more recent years, Alwyn starred in the thriller film Stars at noon and the anthology film Types of kindness by Yorogos Lanthimos. He also began a music career, which began when he was dating Taylor Swift from 2020 to 2022.

Character: Joe Alwyn appears in the cast of Harriet as Gideon Brodess, the film’s antagonist and Harriet Tubman’s ultimate “owner,” who pursues her to Philadelphia after her escape from her Maryland plantation. In real life, Tubman was actually enslaved on the Brodess family plantation, but there was no such person as Gideon Brodess. The character was created for the film to unify the forces of antagonism faced by the real Tubman.

Janelle Monáe as Marie Buchanan

Date of birth: December 1, 1985

Actor: Janelle Monáe is a 10-time Grammy-nominated artist and actress. She also leads the Glass onion: a mystery with knives cast and plays Teresa in Moonlight and real-life NASA engineer Mary Jackson in Hidden figures. She also began to have more success later on in both the horror film Pre-warwhere she took on the lead role, and in the spy drama series Return homewhere he appeared in the second season in 2020.

Character: In HarrietJanelle Monáe plays Marie Buchanan, the free owner of a Philadelphia boarding house who befriends the title character, teaching her how to dress and act like a free woman. Like Gideon Brodess, Marie Buchanan is not based on a real person. In the words of Monáe (via Refinery 29), the character is “an amalgamation of historical figures and women who helped women like Harriet [..] build a better life for yourself.”​​​​​

Clarke Peters as Ben Ross

Date of birth: April 7, 1952

Actor: Clarke Peters has had a successful career; the actor is best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon in The threadbut he also plays Abercrombie in Three billboards outside of Ebbing, MissouriOtis in Da 5 Bloodand Harry in John Wick. He won a BAFTA award for his performance in Da 5 Blood. In 2022, he took on the role of Whitney Houston’s father, John, in Whitney Houston: I want to dance with someoneand had the lead role in the Showtime series The man who fell to the earth.

Character: Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, is played by Clarke Peters in the film Harriet. The real Ben Ross gained freedom at age 55becoming a successful timber estimator. However, Ross’s role in the Underground Railroad caused him to become a target, so he and his wife were forced to flee to the North. ​​​​​​​

Harriet Cast and Supporting Characters

Zackary Momoh as John Tubman – Harriet Tubman’s real-life first husband, who remarries after her escape. Momoh appeared in the films Kill team as Sergeant Bruer and Doctor Sleep like David Stone. On TV, Momoh plays Horatio Cousens in The Nevers and Seth Butler in the miniseries Seven seconds.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Rit Ross Mother of Harriet Tubman. The actress, with over 150 credits to her name, has appeared in several major films, including Coming to America like Imani Izzi, What does love have to do with it? like Jackie, and Terrace overlooking the lake like Aunt Dorrie. On TV, she plays Edie in This is us and Carol Fisher on Shameless.

Omar J. Dorsey as Major Longo A fictional black slave hunter who Gideon hires to help him find Harriet Tubman. Dorsey plays Sheriff Barker in the Halloween reboot trilogy and “Big Tony” Hamilton in The blind sideand stars as Hollywood Desonier in the TV series created by Ava DuVernay Sugar Queen.

Vondie Curtis-Hall as Reverend Samuel Green – In Harrietreal-life reverend and underground railroad conductor Samuel Green is played by Vondie Curtis-Hall. The actor, who is married to Harriet director Kasi Lemmons, has appeared in many films including Romeo + Juliet as Captain Prince and Broken Arrow as Lt. Col. Sam Rhodes. On TV, the actor plays Sweetie in Justified: Prime City and Dr. Dennis Hancock in the medical drama Chicago Hope.

Tim Guinee as Thomas Garrett – A real-life abolitionist who helps Harriet Tubman in her escape. Guinee plays Scott Ryan in HomelandPaul in Inventing Annaand Bill Peterson in The ladder.

Tory Kittles as Frederick Douglass Tory Kittles makes a brief appearance in Harriet like the famous abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass. The actor has starred in several major TV series, including CBS’s The equalizer like Marco Dante, True Detective 1st season as Detective Thomas Pampina, and Cologne like Broussard.