Waves cast and characters

Full cast list

• Tyler Williams

  Kelvin Harrison Jr.

  A high school senior and wrestler in South Florida, driven hard by his father.

  Also in It Comes at Night (2017), Luce (2019), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Elvis (2022, as B.B. King)

• Emily Williams

  Taylor Russell

  Tyler’s quieter younger sister, whose story carries the second half.

  Also in Lost in Space (2018 to 2021), Escape Room (2019), Bones and All (2022)

• Ronald Williams

  Sterling K. Brown

  Tyler and Emily’s father, strict and devoted, who pushes Tyler to excel.

  Also in This Is Us (NBC)

• Catherine Williams

  Renée Elise Goldsberry

  Tyler’s stepmother and Emily’s mother.

  Also in Hamilton (Broadway, as Angelica Schuyler)

• Luke

  Lucas Hedges

  A shy wrestling teammate of Tyler’s who gets to know Emily.

  Also in Manchester by the Sea (2016), Lady Bird (2017), Boy Erased (2018)

• Alexis Lopez

  Alexa Demie

  Tyler’s girlfriend.

  Also in Mid90s (2018), Euphoria (HBO, as Maddy)

• Bobby Lopez

  Clifton Collins Jr.

  Alexis’s father.

• Elena Lopez

  Vivi Pineda

  Alexis’s mother.

• Bill

  Neal Huff

  Luke’s estranged father.

• Coach Wise

  Bill Wise

  Tyler’s wrestling coach.

• Ryan

  David Garelik

  One of Tyler’s friends.

• Wally

  Ruben E.A. Brown

  One of Tyler’s friends.

• Mr. Stanley

  Harmony Korine

  A teacher. Korine is the director of Gummo and Spring Breakers.

• English teacher

  Krisha Fairchild

  Shults’s aunt and the lead of his first feature, Krisha (2015).

Cast list and order: Wikipedia. Other credits: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Trey Edward Shults on Wikipedia.

The Williams family

The film centers on one Black upper middle class family in South Florida. Ronald (Brown) runs a tight ship and trains with Tyler; Catherine (Goldsberry) is Tyler’s stepmother and Emily’s mother. Shults has called Waves "probably the most autobiographical movie I’ve made" (ASC interview). More in is Waves a true story?

Awards for the cast

• Taylor Russell: Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor, and the Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
• Kelvin Harrison Jr.: Breakthrough Performance from New York Film Critics Online.
• Sterling K. Brown: NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

The rest of the honors are on reviews and awards.

Key crew

The cinematographer, Drew Daniels, has shot all three of Shults’s first features; Shults calls him "my most important collaborator" (ASC). More on the director: Trey Edward Shults.

Watch the cast elsewhere

• Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Luce (2019) and It Comes at Night (2017).
• Taylor Russell in Bones and All (2022).
• Lucas Hedges in Manchester by the Sea (2016) and Lady Bird (2017).
• Alexa Demie in Mid90s (2018).

Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Streaming catalogs and listings change; check the service before you pay.