'One of Us Is Lying' Cast Introduces Their Characters: Exclusive

Everyone has a secret! At least that’s the truth in Peacock’s new series One of Us Is Lying, based on the bestselling Young Adult novel by Karen M. McManus.

Starring Annalisa Cochrane (playing Addy), Chibuikem Uche (playing Cooper), Marianly Tejada (playing Bronwyn), Cooper van Grootel (playing Nate), Barrett Carnahan (playing Jake), Melissa Collazo (playing Maeve), Jessica McLeod (playing Janae) and Mark McKenna (playing Simon), the show tells the story of five students stuck in detention before one of them appears to have died in an accident that occurs after taking a sip of water. Since the four remaining student had previous issues with their late classmate, they become the main suspects in his death.

“I believe people will be surprised by a lot of things [when watching the show] but, ultimately, we see the characters go through such a journey of finding themselves and who they are and that’s pure,” Cooper tells J-14 exclusively ahead of the show’s premiere. “Standing up for what’s right and knowing your true self.”

Annalisa teases that “not everything is as it seems.” She adds, even though some fans may have read the book, they should “strap in, because there’s lots more to uncover.”

“I hope [fans] enjoy everything, to be honest,” Marianly adds. “I can say that my favorite thing is the chemistry between the actors. Whenever I get a chance to be behind the monitors and see their work, I’m always astounded.”

Because the show is based on book, some of the stars used it as their guide when taking the show from the page to the screen. Annalisa, for example, said it was her “Bible” when it came to her character, Addy.

“Karen McManus wrote Addy with such a strong voice that everything was that much easier to access emotionally, mentally and even physically,” the actress shares. “From the first audition, I used Addy’s first-person passages constantly. They have been underlined and highlighted and scribbled on until it’s hard to see the pages. Although her final portrayal on screen strays slightly from the book, it was enormously helpful in the prep period and on set with difficult emotional scenes.”

Cooper, who plays bad boy Nate, took “some aspects” from the book, but got a change to “put my own spin on the character.”

“I made sure to read the book a few times before we started filming the show, so that I would be very familiar with the storyline and who Cooper is,” Chibuikem teases. Marianly adds, “I tried my best to keep the essence of Bronwyn that is so palpable in the book. The thoughts of a character are so helpful to me when diving into their world, so having that in the novel is a gift.”

Scroll through our gallery for an exclusive look at the One of Us Is Lying characters.

One of Us is Lying will premiere its first three episodes on Peacock on Thursday, October 7. Episodes 4 through 6 will start streaming on Thursday, October 14, and the final two episodes will be available to watch on Thursday, October 21.

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Cooper Van Grootel plays Nate

“I play Nate McCauley, and Nate’s your, kind of, typical bad boy who rides a motorcycle, wears a lot of denim and leather and wears boots,” Cooper teases. “But underneath all that, there’s just a genuine good-hearted guy that’s had a troubled past — experienced a lot of trauma. What’s beautiful is that, you know, the relationship between Bronwyn and Nate. Bronwyn really brings out the good qualities in him and it’s so beautiful. It’s a great, it’s a great story. Great dynamic to explore.”

Annalisa Cochrane plays Addy

“Addy Prentiss is your teen movie princess stereotype, who seems to have it all — hot boyfriend, popular group of friends — but the pressures of all of that mean she’s barely holding her life together,” the star says. “And when things start to unravel, oh boy, do things start to unravel for all of the characters.”

Marianly Tejada plays Bronwyn

“I play Bronwyn, who is your archetypical nerd or brainiac, but with a little bit of sass,” the actress shares. “She’s so focused on her future that she rarely stops to think about the present until this great intense event happens. And then, we see that she’s much more than meets the eye.”

Melissa Collazo plays Maeve

“Maeve Rojas is Bronwyn’s younger sister who is pretty fresh out of remission with a very long childhood fight with leukemia,” the star teases. “And she’s very, more than happy to make up for lost time, but all that time that she spent in the hospital. She’s also trying to keep her sister out of trouble and make sure that everyone knows that her sister did not kill Simon. She’s very tech savvy, and that helps a lot with trying to figure out what happened. She’s a lot of fun.”

Barrett Carnahan plays Jake

“Jake is the boyfriend of Addy, who is the princess of the crowd. He’s somebody that kind of had a — he blossomed and came into his own around, around junior high [and the] beginning of high school,” the Cruel Summer star explains. “He’s somebody that has really come into his own and really got his first experience of being popular and holding some kind of, you know, social status in high school. He’s big man on campus, and he’s become kind of addicted to that in a way, to the point where he can be a little controlling and a little … he can become stressed out if things like go off the path that they’re supposed to. So, he’s a little bit of a control freak. Obviously, when this event happens and it shakes up the school — just as with everybody — things really derail and it really hits them hard because the secret that Addy is keeping could equally affect him as it affects her.”

ExclusivePeacock’s ‘One of Us Is Lying’ Cast Tease That Their Characters Are ‘More Than Meets the Eye’

Cooper Van Grootel plays Nate

Chibuikem Uche plays Cooper

Annalisa Cochrane plays Addy

Marianly Tejada plays Bronwyn

Melissa Collazo plays Maeve

Jessica McLeod plays Janae

Barrett Carnahan plays Jake

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