The Institute Cast & Character Guide (Including Who Joins Season 2)

Stephen King’s The Institute has been brought to the small screen by MGM+, and the cast features several recognizable stars. The series is based on King’s 2019 sci-fi horror novel. The Institute focuses on a young child who is abducted and taken to the titular institute, where individuals holding telekinetic and telepathic powers are housed.

As the novel was published in 2019, Spyglass Television acquired the adaptation rights for The Institute in hopes of producing the story as a limited series. Benjamin Cavell took on writing duties for the series, while Jack Bender served as the series’ director.

After a successful season 1 run, The Institute was also renewed for another season on MGM+. Interestingly, in season 2, the show extends its story far beyond the original Stephen King book, adding several new and original characters to the mix. This, in turn, expands the vision and scope of the source material.

Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson

Date of Birth: August 20, 1981

Chris Reardon/©MGM+/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actor: Ben Barnes began acting professionally in 2006. His breakout role came with 2008’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, where he played the titular monarch. Barnes has appeared both in feature film productions and as major characters across several hit series, including The Punisher and Shadow and Bone.

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Character: Barnes portrays Tim Jamieson, a former Florida police officer who decides to take up the role of patrolman of the small South Carolina town of DuPay. However, Tim eventually finds himself drawn into the mystery of the Institute. With this, Tim finds himself becoming the protector of a group of fugitive children.

Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby

Date of Birth: August 2, 1964

Chris Reardon/©MGM+/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actor: Mary-Louise Parker began her career on Broadway, making her breakout appearance with her portrayal of Rita in Prelude to a Kiss in 1990. She would make the leap on-screen the following year with 1991’s Grand Canyon. Parker also received recognition for her portrayals of Amy Gardner in The West Wing, Harper Pitt in Angels in America, and Nancy Botwin in Weeds

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Character: In The Institute, Parker takes on the role of Ms. Sigsby, the director of the Institute, who hopes to extract the powers from the children. Sigsby is not only dangerous within the Institute, but outside, thanks to her network of informants. As such, she is a terrifying foe whose reach knows few boundaries.

Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis

Date of Birth: November 30, 2006

Chris Reardon/MGM+

Actor: Joe Freeman is the son of Sherlock and MCU star Martin Freeman and Amanda Abington. Like co-star Barnes and many other English actors, Freeman’s first role was in the UK daytime soap opera Doctors. Freeman also appeared on stage in the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

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Character: Freeman takes on the role of Luke Ellis, one of the leading characters of The Institute. A seemingly ordinary teen, Luke’s parents are murdered, and he is taken to the Institute, where he is brutally experimented on. Possessing telekinetic powers, Luke attempts to escape and inform the outside world of the horrors he faced.

Simone Miller as Kalisha Benson

Date of Birth: September 22, 2025

Actor: Simone Miller is an up-and-coming Canadian actress. She previously appeared in Catherine Reitman’s sitcom Workin’ Moms as Lauren in 2 episodes in 2021, as well as portraying Raign Westbrook in the hit Canadian children’s web series Detention Adventure. Miller is also a singer and songwriter, having performed in Detention Adventure.

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Character: Miller portrays Kalisha Benson in The Institute, one of the longest-staying patients in the institution’s Front Half. She is one of the major subjects whom Luke Ellis meets upon his arrival. She is also close with many of the other children who are held captive in the sinister facility.

Viggo Hanvelt as Avery Dixon

Actor: Viggo Hanvelt has been acting on-screen since 2019, beginning with the TV movie Turkey Drop. The young actor has since appeared in several seasonal TV movies. Hanvelt also had recurring roles in the TV series Three Pines and Plan B in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Character: Hanvelt portrays Avery in The Institute, a telepathic, timid boy whose cries for help bring him into contact with Luke and Kalisha. Despite their horrific circumstances, the trio forms a friendship. Ultimately, Avery decides to help Luke escape, no matter the cost.

Fionn Laird as Nick Wilholm

Actor: Fionn Laird is another up-and-coming Canadian actor whose first major role will come with his appearance in The Institute. The actor previously appeared in the 2022 crime drama Under the Banner of Heaven as a missionary in a single episode. Despite his limited TV experience, Laird is an experienced stage actor, including the musical Hair.

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Character: Laird takes on the role of Nick Wilholm, one of the many children abducted and subjected to the Institute’s experiments. During his incarceration, Nick grows angry and aggressive towards his captors, but takes a shine to Luke and Kalisha. As the children try to take a stand, Nick puts up more of a fight against the staff.

Hannah Galway as Wendy Gullickson

Date of Birth: December 17, 1994

Actor: Hannah Galway has been an active performer since appearing in the short film Sun. She is most recognizable for her roles in the Netflix drama Sex/Life and the anthology horror miniseries Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Galway also appeared in Under the Banner of Heaven as Betty Wright.

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Character: Galway will take on the role of Wendy in The Institute. She is a resident of DuPray and an inexperienced deputy who Tim meets as they both work on the force. The pair’s bond brings them closer together as they fall in love.

Alfie Allen as Nolan Reeves

Date Of Birth: September 12, 1986

Image via MovieStillsDB

Actor: Alfie Allen made his first major TV appearance in a Channel 4 one-off, You Are Here. In the years that followed, he played quite a few small parts in shows and movies like Elizabeth, Atonement, and Casualty 1907. His big break came in 2011 when he starred in Game of Thrones as Theon Greyjoy. In recent years, he has also become more recognizable for his parts in movies like John Wick and Jo Jo Rabbit.

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Character: In MGM+’s The Institute season 2, the actor portrays a billionaire named Nolan Reeves. Reeves has God Complex in the Stephen King show and believes that he can ultimately program AI to replace human precogs. He is a completely original character in the series and is not a part of the original Stephen King book’s lore.

The Institute Season 2’s Supporting Cast Of Characters

Robert Joy as Dr. Dan Hendricks: Robert Joy plays Dr. Dan Hendricks, one of the leading figures of the Institute who devises the harrowing experiments that the children are placed through. Joy is known for his roles in CSI: NY, Land of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, From, and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.

Martin Roach as Sheriff John Ashworth: Martin Roach plays Sheriff John Ashworth of Dupray, who takes on Tim as the town’s newest night knocker. Roach’s notable live-action roles include T. Abner Hall in Disney XD’s Aaron Stone, Mike in Falling Skies, and Admiral Michael Souther in The Expanse.

Roach is also a prolific voice actor, having provided his talents for the Far Cry series and Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

Jason Diaz as Tony Fizzalle: Jason Diaz plays Tony Fizzalle, an employee at the Institute who takes great pleasure in torturing the children taken in for studying. He previously starred in The 100 as Levitt, Antonio in Charmed, and Dragomir in Vampire Academy. Diaz also served as a co-director and writer on the 2018 comedy series Booked It.

Jane Luk as Maureen Alvorson: Jane Luk plays Maureen Alvorson, a housekeeper in The Institute who also acts as an informant for Ms. Sigsby. Luk has appeared in The Handmaid’s Tale, Murdoch Mysteries, and Kim’s Convenience. She has also provided her voice for several animated series, including Sailor Moon, and X-Men.

Mary Walsh as Annie and Lynne: Walsh appeared as a side character named Annie in The Institute season 1. In season 2, she returns as Lynne, who is a top-tier precog. Mary Walsh is best known for her parts in shows like Below, Resident Alien, and Broad Appeal, among many others.

Jeff Fahey as The Director: Also referred to as “The Man on the Phone,” Jeff Fahey’s character is portrayed as the Director of the titular Institute. In season 1, he is portrayed as a mysterious figure who pulls all the strings from behind the scenes. In The Institute season 2, however, he is explicitly portrayed as a powerful figure in the overarching story.

Release Date

July 13, 2025

Network

MGM+

Directors

Jack Bender, Brad Turner, Jeff Renfroe