She is married with a son, but had an affair with Michael Swift, who played Joe DiMaggio in the initial Bombshell workshop.
Katharine McPhee portrays Karen Cartwright,[1] an ingenue from Iowa, who has a successful audition and becomes a serious contender for the role of Monroe in Bombshell.
Christian Borle portrays Tom Levitt,[1] a theatrical composer and Julia's longtime songwriting partner.
Tom, who is gay, briefly dates a Republican lawyer but later becomes attracted to Sam Strickland, a dancer in the ensemble of Bombshell.
Megan Hilty portrays Ivy Lynn,[1] a seasoned performer who, at the beginning of the series, is working in the ensemble of Heaven On Earth, a Broadway musical that Tom and Julia wrote.
Ivy is favored by nearly everyone on board with the production to play Marilyn Monroe in Bombshell, but after the workshop flops, she is replaced by a big movie star.
Throughout the show, she's in an on-and-off relationship with the Bombshell director/choreographer Derek Wills and finds herself constantly competing with Karen in many different situations, eventually losing the role of Marilyn to her for the Boston previews.
Anjelica Huston portrays Eileen Rand,[1] Bombshell's tenacious producer, who is dealing with divorce proceedings from her husband, Jerry, which could threaten the musical and forces her to think outside the box in securing funds for the show.
Jaime Cepero portrays Ellis Boyd, Tom's and later Eileen's conniving personal assistant during the first season, who is attempting to receive credit for Bombshell and make his way as a show producer.
As the first season continues, Ellis, convinced that with an off-hand comment he is the inventor of Marilyn Monroe and somehow created the show, takes more inappropriate steps to be recognized as a producer, including giving Rebecca a drink mixed with peanuts, which she is allergic to, in order to remove her as the star.
[1][3][4] Raza Jaffrey portrays Dev Sundaram, Karen's live-in boyfriend, who works in the office of the New York City mayor's press secretary who ultimately forces her to choose between their relationship or her career.
[1][3] Leslie Odom, Jr. portrays Sam Strickland, an ensemble member, a good friend of Ivy who is gay and very much into sports.
After a fallout with Tom, he joins the cast of Hit List as JB Planko, manager for "The Diva" and Nina Hope.
[6] Andy Mientus portrays Kyle Bishop, a Jonathan Larson-like poor kid from Brooklyn with dreams of writing for Broadway.
[7] Krysta Rodriguez portrays Ana Vargas, Karen's new roommate and old friend who is looking for her big break and joins Hit List as "The Diva".
[8] Nick Jonas portrays Lyle West, a former child star who got his start in a show written by Tom and directed by Derek.
Uma Thurman (1x10–1x14) portrays Rebecca Duvall,[9] a Hollywood actress who wants to star in Bombshell despite having limited musical ability.
[10] Initially, the team behind Bombshell are intent on pandering to Rebecca's celebrity status, but grow increasingly exasperated by her unprofessional behavior.