Warning! Spoilers for Spectros below.
2020 saw the Netflix release of Spectros, a supernatural horror series set in Brazil that explores what happens when a neighborhood becomes flooded with less-than-benevolent ghosts. Taking place over the course of an evening, the series leans into spookiness; the characters need to find a way to outpace the horror that completely surrounds them.
The entire first season takes place in the Liberdade district of São Paulo, exploring Brazil’s unique cultural background; the Latin-American country is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. The show combines elements of Japanese ghost lore with Brazilian witchcraft to paint a picture of Brazil’s history through the supernatural. The environment it establishes is wholly unique.
A show run by horror veteran Douglas Petrie, best known for his work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and American Horror Story: Coven, Spectros relies on a mostly Latin American cast and crew. The majority of its actors are Brazilian, with Spectros serving as a debut performance for much of the main cast. Here is the talented pool of actors that brought to life this story about the dead.
Netflix’s Spectros Season One: Main Cast
Cláudia Okuno as Mila. Mila is a high school student in her final year who finds herself having to care for an alcoholic father while being badly bullied by a former friend, balancing the need to be perfect at all times with an irrepressible rage. Brazil-born Okuno is new to the acting scene. She was scouted for the role by a casting director when participating in a beauty contest.
Danilo Mesquita as Pardal. Down to the leather jacket, Pardal is the prototypical bad boy with a heart of gold; his attempts to burgle a witch’s house land him at the heart of a supernatural tangle, but his love for his brother keeps him from bailing. Mesquita got his start in modelling but became an actor in 2012. He is most famous work on Brazilian telenovels including I Love Paraisópolis, and Rock Story, and will be starring in Netflix-produced rom com Riscos De Amor this year.
Mariana Sena as Carla. Carla is a high school student whose negative relationship with a religious and over-protective mother comes to a head when Carla discovers she can hear the voices of the dead and runs away from home, stealing a haunted doll artifact in the process. Spectros serves as Brazilian actress Sena’s onscreen acting debut.
Enzo Barone as Léo. Pardal’s kid brother, Léo is the first to discover the presence of ghosts in the Liberdade neighborhood, documenting their presence as he investigates what happened to his missing mother. Despite his young age, Barone is an acting veteran, appearing in Brazilian television series A Garota Da Moto and Terrores Urbanos as well as movies Nothing To Lose and A Voz do Silêncio.
Drop Dashi as Zeca. Called Zika by his peers for his tendency to annoy, Zeca is a high school graduate with little direction in life whose access to a van is the only reason behind many of his relationships. Like many of the young actors cast in Spectros, Dashi is a first-time onscreen actor.
Netflix’s Spectros Season One: Recurring/Guest Cast
Miwa Yanagizawa as Zenóbia. Zenobia is a powerful hundred-year-old witch whose purpose is to protect ancient ashes hidden in a spooky porcelain doll; although young when she first graces the screen, without the ashes in her possession, Zenóbia quickly ages into a frail old woman. Yanagizawa is a Brazilian actress of Japanese heritage with a background in theater and directing. Her 1991 debut in miniseries Filhos Do Sol marked the start of an onscreen acting career that included roles in Rising Sun, Dinossaurs & Robots, Seize The Day, and O Dia De Caça,
Carlos Takeshi as Celso. Mila’s father, Celso is part of a dynasty of people trained to help Zenóbia protect the ashes; the ghost whispers he can constantly hear drive him to alcoholism, his only redeeming quality being his love of his daughter. Takeshi is a Brazilian actor known for his work on A Viagem, The King Of The Cattle, Traces Two, and Maverick: Manhunt Brazil.
Kelzy Ecard as Suzana. Suzana is one of the two police officers who pick up Mila, Pardal, and Carla after linking the three to a murder; she uses a “bad cop” persona to try to get them to admit their crime and explain how the porcelain doll plays into it. Ecard is a Brazilian actress known for The Trace We Leave Behind, A Second Chance, and Maria Do Caritó.
Daniel Rocha as Ricardo. Suzana’s partner, Daniel is a police officer who generally plays the role of “good cop” in his investigations. However, when his body is possessed by a malevolent spirit, he quickly becomes the main antagonist for the protagonists to contend with. Rocha is Brazilian actor known for Avenida Brasil, Wounded Past, and Totalmente Diva. A prolific actor, he currently has two films in post-production: A Queda, and Quem Vai Ficar Com Mário?
Norival Rizzo as Mário Severo. Mário is a popcorn seller who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, something that doesn’t become suspicious until the audience realizes the ties between Mário and the “Necromancer”, the sorcerer who is causing Liberdade’s spectral issues. Rizzo is a Brazilian actor best known for his work on 3%, 2 Conejos, and 9mm: São Paulo.
Wallie Ruy as Loretta. Loretta is a trans woman who lives in the same area as Pardal and Léo, acting as a protective mother figure for them. Ruy is a Brazilian actress known for her roles in Marie and El Ángel Desobediente. Most recently, she starred in Tô Ryca 2, which is currently in post-production.
Jui Huang as Wong. Wong is a gangster in the Chinese mafia with whom Pardal works; his tendency towards violence doesn’t diminish as he joins the ranks of the undead with a throwing star embedded in his forehead. Huang is a Taiwanese actor best known for his roles in Destiny, Negócio Da China, and O Amuleto Do Dragão.
Jimmy Wong as Li. Li is Wong’s literal partner in crime, a Chinese mafia creep who harasses Mila and Carla and joins Wong in the quest for posthumous vengeance on Pardal. Wong is known for his work on Brazilian movie Mundo Deserto De Almas Negras, where he coincidentally also plays a character called Li, and Bebete E Daniboy.
Eduardo Silva as Chaguinhas. Chaguinhas is a real historical figure fictionalized in Spectros as the returned ghost of the patron saint of Liberdade who helps keep Mila, Pardal, and Carla safe; in history and in the show, Chaguinhas was accused of starting a rebellion for fair wages and sentenced to the gallows, where the rope meant to kill him miraculously snapped twice. Brazilian actor Silva appears in 3%, O Processo Do Rei, and Veneno Cura. Most recently, he appeared in 2020 Brazilian drama All The Dead Ones.
Jairo Mattos as Rossi. A harsh car shop owner, Rossi acts as a surrogate father figure to Pardal until he quits his job as a mechanic over a disagreement about Mila. Mattos, who was brought on for a cameo in Spectros, is a prolific Brazilian actor best known for his debut role in telenovela Barriga De Renda, as well as Celebrity, Pure Beauty, and Vientre De Alquiler.
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