A Haunting in Venice’s characters are part of an intriguing mystery inspired by the work of Agatha Christie. As such, there are a lot of pieces on the board and it can be hard to keep track of everyone’s motivations. Here’s a handy list to help out.
A Haunting in Venice is Sir Kenneth Branagh’s third film in a series of adaptations based on the hugely popular mystery novels of Agatha Christie. While not sharing a name with any of her works, A Haunting in Venice is indeed inspired by her novel Hallowe’en Party.
Like its predecessors Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022), A Haunting in Venice follows the exploits of gentlemen detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot is the one through line in the films but he’s accompanied by a new cast of characters and suspects in this particular mystery.
We’ve compiled a list of the characters central to this new investigation of Poirot’s to help you try and solve it alongside him. Here are all the important characters in A Haunting in Venice both from the book, and newly added to the adaptation.
Contents
- Hercule Poirot: Sir Kenneth Branagh
- Ariadne Oliver: Tina Fey
- Joyce Reynolds: Michelle Yeoh
- Rowena Drake: Kelly Reilly
- Maxime Gerard: Kyle Allen
- Dr. Leslie Ferrier: Jamie Dornan
- Leopold Ferrier: Jude Hill
- Olga Seminoff: Camille Cottin
- Vitale Portfoglio: Riccardo Scamarcio
A Haunting in Venice main cast & characters
A Haunting in Venice, like many mysteries, boasts a large cast of characters, all of whom could be murder suspects.
Some characters are different from the books, and may feature actors you’re familiar with. So here’s the full list of all the major characters.
Hercule Poirot: Sir Kenneth Branagh
Hercule Poirot is the enigmatic detective that the film centers around. He is a deductive genius similar to Sherlock Holmes and applies cold logic, calculated methods, and trademark list-making to his investigation.
Living in post-World War 2 Venice, Poirot has seemingly retired from his mystery-solving antics. He spends his days deliberately avoiding rabid fans who wish to employ his famous talents. Poirot seems contented with his lot of innocuous derives and pastry eating. That is until an old friend comes knocking with an intriguing offer to disprove the existence of the supernatural.
Kenneth Branagh is known for both his directing as his roles in Harry Potter and Oppenheimer.
Ariadne Oliver: Tina Fey
The aforementioned old friend is Ariadne Oliver. A best-selling mystery novelist and Agatha Christie insert that has made her name by fictionalising the exploits of Hercule Poirot. Unfortunately, her latest novels have been less than successful following Poirot’s retirement.
Oliver is a sharp-witted woman who has a firm grasp on the mindset and character of Poirot which she uses to entice him into a new mystery. She’s baffled by a well-known medium who genuinely appears to have the ability to speak with the dead. She invites Poirot to a séance on Halloween night and goads him to succeed where she has failed or accept the possibility of an afterlife, but is that all she’s after?
Oliver is played by Tina Fey, known best for her comedic work in SNL, Mean Girls, Only Murders in the Building, Sisters, and Baby Mama.
Joyce Reynolds: Michelle Yeoh
The mysterious Mrs. Reynolds is a famed medium whose uncanny knowledge of events points to a genuine ability to speak with the dead. She’s been commissioned to attend a Halloween party to commune with a particular spirit that inhabits a famously haunted palazzo. She antagonizes both Ariadne Oliver and Hercule Poirot for their attempts to prove her powers false. Is it because they’re not?
This particular character is a massive departure from the work on which A Haunting in Venice was based. Joyce Reynolds was originally a 13-year-old attendee of the Halloween party who had witnessed a murder.
Joyce is played by recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, known best for Everything Everywhere all at Once and Crazy Rich Asians.
Rowena Drake: Kelly Reilly
A famed opera singer stricken with grief by the death of her daughter Alicia. Rowena Drake is the host of the party and the resident of the haunted palazzo. In the novel, she is simply a guest at the party but in the film, she hired Mrs. Reynolds in hopes of speaking with Alicia.
Drake is kind and charitable, opening her home to the city’s orphans so that they might celebrate Halloween. Following the party, she invites other attendees to the séance for her daughter in hopes that they might witness Mrs. Reynolds’ power. However, things go a little awry for poor Rowena when guests of the party wind up a little bit murdered.
Rowena is played by Kelly Reilly, also seen in Eden Lake, Yellowstone, and Pride and Prejudice.
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Maxime Gerard: Kyle Allen
Maxime is an entirely new addition to the film. He’s a talented chef and was formerly betrothed to Alicia Drake before leaving her in pursuit of money. He is a brash opportunist who is an unwelcome guest at the party, attending thanks to an anonymous invite.
Rowena blames Maxime’s abandonment for Alicia’s death and he blames her mother for the collapse of their relationship. Both have little love for one another and are happy to disparage the other at any given opportunity. Maxime’s suspicious behavior makes him a prime suspect in Alicia’s suspicious death and the murders of the guests.
Kyle Allan also appears in Rosaline, The Inbetween, and Masters of the Universe.
Dr. Leslie Ferrier: Jamie Dornan
Dr. Ferrier is another new addition to the story contrived for the film though he may be an amalgam of some other Christie characters. He was Alicia’s physician for her death but he remains in the company of Rowena for some time after.
He was a medic in the Second World War and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder from the horrors he experienced. Sadly, his PTSD causes violent outbursts and bouts of mania. The strange happenings in the haunted palazzo affect Ferrier deeply and he is heavily medicated throughout the film. Could he be driven to murder?
Dornan is best know for his role in 50 Shades of Grey, along with Heart of Stone and Belfast.
Leopold Ferrier: Jude Hill
Another new addition. Leopold, or Leo, is Dr. Ferrier’s son, though because of the doctor’s condition, he takes the role of caregiver.
He is a very serious boy, likely owing to the speed at which he has grown up. Bookish and distant, Poirot takes a particular shine to Leo as he reminds the detective of himself. That is if you don’t count the fact that little Leo claims he can also speak to ghosts and spends his downtime acting particularly sinister. Sinister enough to murder someone? Probably.
Jude Hill also stars in Belfast, Mandrake, and Magpie Murders.
Olga Seminoff: Camille Cottin
Seminoff is the maid of the palazzo and an employee of Rowena Drake. She was very close with the family and blames herself for the death of Alicia.
She is a former nun and religiously superstitious believing the palazzo to be haunted by ghosts and demons. She is incredibly weary of Mrs. Reynolds for this reason and consistently warns against antagonizing the spirits of the house. You’d think being a woman of god would get her off the hook but Poirot is a meticulous fellow and she’s on his list. I mean, why would she blame herself for Alicia’s death unless she was guilty right?
Camille Cottin can also be seen in Killing Eve, Still Water, and House of Gucci.
Vitale Portfoglio: Riccardo Scamarcio
Vitale serves as Poirot’s bodyguard and keeps the sanctity of his retirement by repelling people seeking to employ the detective. A Venetian native and a former police officer, he also helps Poirot’s investigation when the murders begin.
But even Poirot’s own bodyguard is not beyond the detective’s suspicions and much to Vitale’s chagrin, he too is considered a suspect. Why would he be mad if he didn’t have anything to hide?
Riccardo Scamarcio can be spotted in The Ruthless, John Wick Chapter 2, and Three Steps Over Heaven.
And there you have it. The key players in Detective Poirot’s latest caper. But characters aren’t the only divergence from Christie’s work in A Haunting in Venice. The film’s producer has also hinted at other major changes in the film.
You can watch A Haunting in Venice in cinemas on September 14.
You can check out our other coverage of the movie below:
- Is there a post-credits scene?
- A Haunting in Venice review: A mystery that does its job
- Ending explained: Who was the murderer?
- A Haunting in Venice producer teases major change from the book
- Is A Haunting in Venice based on an Agatha Christie novel?
- A Haunting in Venice: Cast, plot, book & more
- Will there be A Haunting in Venice 2?