MEET THE CAST OF ANYA:
IN CHARACTER & ON LOCATION
View the complete cast and crew on IMDb.
The newlyweds & the geneticist
who tries to help them get pregnant
Ali Ahn as LIBBY
A Korean-American stringer journalist/workaholic who sees Marco as someone with whom she can build a family.
BIO (IMDb): Television: “Raising Dion,” “The Path,” “Orange is the New Black,” “The Breaks,” “Billions,” “Supernatural,” “Odd Mom Out,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Blue Bloods,” “Benders,” “Black Box,” “White Collar,” “Zero Hour,” “Louie,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Ugly Betty.” Film: Landline, Girl in the Book, Liberal Arts, and The Dark Side. Training: Yale, CalArts. Broadway: The Heidi Chronicles. Off-Broadway: The Great Leap (Atlantic Theater Company), Sugar House (Ma-Yi), Twelfth Night (The Pearl), The Importance of Being Earnest (The Pearl), and House of Bernarda Alba (NAATCO).
Filmed at: private apartment, Washington Heights, Manhattan
Motell Foster as DR. SEYMOUR LIVINGSTON
An evolutionary geneticist who chose research over Libby and is trying hard to make it up to her.
BIO (IMDb): Hailing from Alabama, Motell is a recent grad from NYU's Graduate Acting program. Recent credits include: The God Committee (post), Foxhole (post), Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019), The Code (2019), A Dogs Way Home (2019), Palimpsest (2019) Random Acts of Flyness (2018), Suicide By Sunlight (2018) and an upcoming untitled Noah Baumbach project (2019). Theater credits include: Julius Caesar and Othello in The Public Theater's Shakespeare In The Park. Roll Tide.
Filmed at: Carnegie Mellon Research Lab
Gil Perez-Abraham as MARCO
A Narval-American who's torn between his new life with Libby and the enclave community he abandoned.
BIO (IMDb): Gil Perez-Abraham is an actor and recording artist as $antos. May 2018 graduate of the William Esper Studio with Suzanne Esper. Most recently, Gil played a supporting role in Lulu Wang's Untitled Feature starring Awkwafina, as well as guest starring as Blanca's (MJ Rodriguez) brother Manuel on Ryan Murphy's POSE. Recent guest stars on Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black, Law and Order SVU, and The Young Pope. Gil is currently workshopping We Live In Cairo (World Premiere) with the New York Theatre Workshop/American Repertory Theatre (ART), with production slated for Spring 2019 at ART. Gil was a part of the New York Theatre Workshop 2018 Summer Residency.
Filmed at: private apartment, Washington Heights, Manhattan
The colleagues who are concerned & curious about Seymour's latest research
Olivia Oguma as RIKA ENDO
An up and coming geneticist in Seymour's lab. He's not used to working with people, but she is.
BIO (IMDb): BROADWAY: Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, Christmas Carol, Disney's High School Musical (1st National). OFF-BROADWAY: Hello, From the Children of Planet Earth (Playwright's Realm) Luce (LCT3) Emotional Creature (Signature), BFE (Playwrights Horizons), La Dispute (NAATCO). FILM: This is Where I Leave You, Strangers with Candy, The Flamingo Rising, Like Father. TV: Olivia plays the recurring role of Samantha Arimistu on Season 2 of “Instinct” on CBS. Others television credits include: "Odd Mom Out", "Younger" "Great News" "The Good Wife" "The Big C," "Law & Order," "The New Electric Company", "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver".
Filmed at: Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Andreas Pfenning’s research lab
Barbara Rosenblat as DR. ROSALIND PFENNING
A senior scholar and Seymour's collaborator on a human/Neanderthal DNA project.
BIO (IMDb): Barbara Rosenblat is New York based actor and voice artist. She has appeared both in London's West End and Broadway. Her recent television credits include 'Homeland', 'House of Cards', 'Gotham' and 'Orange Is the New Black' where she plays the critically acclaimed role of 'Miss Rosa'. Barbara recently completed work on a new animated series for Amazon. She is also one of the most highly regarded voices in the Audiobook industry and was recently inducted into the Audible Narrator's Hall of Fame. With over 500 titles in a distinguished body of work, one critic remarked, "Barbara is to Audiobooks what Meryl Streep is to film".
Filmed at: Carnegie Mellon
The women in Marco's life before Libby
Ana Maria Jomolca as SARA
Marco's mother. Bookstore owner. Defacto leader of the "outcast" Narval.
BIO (IMDb): Ana Maria Jomolca studied Film and Creative Writing at The New School and received her MFA in Fiction at Hunter College. Her short story, Twin Bed, in Sisters: An Anthology is out now in bookstores. Her short film, everygirl, debuted at Tribeca Film Center and screened at Women in the Director's Chair Film Festival (Chicago), The New Festival and BAM. TV appearances include: Broad City, ABC’s The Family, Orange is the New Black, 30 Rock, Flesh and Bone, DAREDEVIL, Without a Trace, The Jury (Barry Levinson /Tom Fontana), Law & Order: CI, SVU, Trial by Jury and Rescue Me. FILM: Janet Grillo’s, Jack of The Red Hearts, and ANYA.
Filmed at: Centro Cultural Barco de Papel, Jackson Heights, Queens
Ana Kayne as FAUSTA
The Narval woman who Marco was supposed to marry.
BIO (IMDb): FILM: Depraved, Cole, A Woman, A Part, Baby Teeth, Beatbox, The Creek When He Came Back, The Exit Room, Uncertainty, The Beginner, Another Earth. TV: Blue Bloods, Louie, Rescue Me, Now & Then, Four Stars, LFR, Law & Order, The Daily Show, Dinner. THEATER: Another World for Beauty (NYSTage & Film), The Forcings (JAW), Spacebar (Wild Project NYC), Light of Night (IATI NYC), Sounding (HEREArts NYC), Widows (59E59st NYC), The Club (Playwrights Horizon), Three Sisters (New Dramatists NYC).
Filmed at: Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens
The Narval Elder & the children he betrothed
Rafael Sosa as THE NAVAL ELDER
The traditional Narval leader who engaged Marco and Fausta as children on Coney Island Beach. (How we found Don Rafael)
Filmed at: private home of Julia & Ben Harrianan in Jackson Heights, Queens
Tess Romero as YOUNG FAUSTA
She’s spunky and wise. And she’s got a plan.
BIO (IMDb): Diary of a Female President, Alterino with Arturo Castro, Blindspot
Filmed at: Coney Island Beach
Dylan Booth as YOUNG MARCO
He’s young and impressionable. And just wants to ride the rides. (IMDb)
Filmed at: Coney Island Beach
The outcast Narval who gather in Sara's bookstore
Geisha Otero as NARVAL MOTHER
Sara's top lieutenant.
BIO (IMDb): Reservation Road, Hungry Hearts, All Rise, Blue Bloods, The Mysteries of Laura
Filmed at: Centro Cultural Barco de Papel
Jay Santiago as NARVAL WIDOWER
He dares to hope that Seymour can help the Narval.
BIO (IMDb): The Purge, Rainbow Ruthie, Ghostwriter, The Purge, S.W.A.T.
Filmed at: Centro Cultural Barco de Papel
The Bookstore Narval - Locally Cast Extras
Pictured from left: Rolando Gascon, Ruben Isola, Virginia Lameda, Jesus Alvarez Bulto, Gabino Rafael Ariza Escomilla, Geisha Otero (NARVAL MOTHER), Ana Maria Jomolca (SARA).
Not Pictured: María Edith Schapira, Leonardo Alvarado
Filmed at: Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens
The traditionalist Narval who follow the Elder
Anthony Aguilar as AQUILES
One of the Elder’s top lieutenants. (IMDb)
Filmed at: Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens
Diego A. Arellano as HECTOR
One of the Elder’s top lieutenants. (IMDb)
Filmed at: private home of Julia & Ben Harrianan in Jackson Heights, Queens
The "Bath House" Narval - Locally Cast Extras
Pictured from left: Ali Ahn (LIBBY), Julio Palomino, Fernando Hernandez, Eduardo Hernandez
Not Pictured: Fausto Javier Mera, Julio Palomino, Yancarlo Reyes, Augusto Ayala
Filmed at: private home of Julia & Ben Harrianan, Jackson Heights, Queens
Others we meet along the way
Yang Wang as ERHU PLAYER
With Gil Perez-Abraham (MARCO) (Instragram)
Filmed at: Times Square subway station
Andrew Casanova as YOUNG MAN
A Spanish speaking resident who helps LIBBY (Ali Ahn) (IMDb)
Filmed at: Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens
Anna He as CHINESE TAKE-OUT EXTRA
Filmed at: Empire Chinese Restaurant in Washington Heights
TKTS STEPS CAST & EXTRAS/CREW
Clockwise from Left: Roxana Petzold, Dakota Deady, Andrea Lessard, Evan Dwyer, Ali Ahn (LIBBY), Mary Theresa Archbold (TERRY), Dana Zurkowski, Gil Perez-Abraham (MARCO), Jen Kim, and not quite onscreen Gerard Pickett
Filmed at: TKTS Steps in Times Square.
BEAUTY SALON EXTRAS: Magal Paulino, Maria Madra, Rosa Bella, Sahara Prada, Ali Ahn (LIBBY), Yadiris Marte, Yary Nin
Filmed at: M&L Beauty Salon in Washington Heights.
The child none of them can know exists
