← Home

Duster (2025): Full list of cast and characters explored

thumbnail

Duster is J.J. Abrams' 1970s crime show for Max, which will premiere on the streamer on Thursday, May 15, 2025. It's a reunion project for Abrams and series star Josh Holloway, who previously worked together in the long-running series Lost. And, like most of Abrams' projects outside of his sci-fi hits, the series will be a crime thriller, but it is set in the 1972 American Southwest.

Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson lead in Duster as getaway driver Jim and FBI agent Nina, respectively. The series will follow their unlikely team-up as Nina recruits Jim to help her take down the crime syndicate he's working for. Co-creator LaToya Morgan told Deadline in 2023 about what fans can expect from the series, saying:

"Duster is an amalgam of all my favorite things—high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart."

Joining Holloway and Hilson is an ensemble cast of both veteran actors and new faces in show business, which includes Camille Guaty, Sydney Elisabeth, Keith David, and more.

Main cast and characters in Duster

1) Josh Holloway as Jim Ellis

Josh Holloway plays Jim (Image via Max)
Josh Holloway plays Jim (Image via Max)

LaToya Morgan describes Josh Holloway's Jim Ellis in Duster, per Esquire, as some guy who "thrives on speed," a "trouble magnet," and a man who "loves being in tight spots." He's a getaway driver for a crime syndicate, making deliveries and pickups for the crime boss, Sax, and his car of choice is a Plymouth Duster.

Holloway starred in Lost, which ran for six seasons, and other TV shows like Intelligence, Colony, and in seasons 3 and 4 of Yellowstone. He was also in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol alongside Tom Cruise and played Agent Gamble in Paranoia.

2) Rachel Hilson as Nina Hayes

Rachel Hilson plays Nina (Image via Max)
Rachel Hilson plays Nina (Image via Max)

This Is Us star Rachel Hilson is another lead in Duster, where she plays Nina Hayes, a young but ambitious FBI agent fresh from Quantico. She's described in the series as the first Black woman FBI agent, which was loosely inspired by real-life FBI agent Sylvia Mathis, per Morgan.

Hilson has done numerous TV shows, including The Good Wife, In the Vault, Rise, and Love, Victor. She also played the teen version of Beth Clarke in This is Us and starred in a couple of movies like Cass, Kings, and Red, White & Royal Blue.

3) Keith David as Ezra "Sax" Saxton

Keith David plays Ezra (Image via Max)
Keith David plays Ezra (Image via Max)

Three-time Primetime Emmy winner Keith David stars in Duster as the boss of a growing crime syndicate named Ezra, aka Sax. He has a trucking business and also runs a crime syndicate, Jim's boss, and the man Hilson's character wants to take down.

David is best known for his voice acting work in Mufasa: The Lion King, Amphibia, Rick & Morty, Hazbin Hotel, and Krapopolis. However, he also worked in front of the camera in features like Portal to Hell, Shelby Oaks, and Heist 88.

4) Camille Guaty as Izzy

Camille Guaty plays Izzy (Image via Max)
Camille Guaty plays Izzy (Image via Max)

Another key role in Jim's story in Duster is Izzy, played by Camille Guaty. She's a female truck driver who has a daughter with Jim named Luna, but she only introduced him to their kid as "uncle Jim" because she doesn't think he is responsible enough to be a father.

Guaty was in Daytime Divas, The Exorcist TV series, and The Rookie. She also starred in the movies Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Spy, and Nappily Ever After.

5) Sydney Elisabeth as Genesis Saxton

Sydney Elisabeth plays Genesis (Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Sydney Elisabeth plays Genesis (Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Newbie actress Sydney Elizabeth joins the cast of Duster as Genesis Saxton, the crime boss' daughter. The same as how Nina tries to find her way and make her mark in the FBI, Sydney wants to make a name for herself in their family business, but Saxton is reluctant to let her rise through the ranks.

Before being cast in the series, Elizabeth had a cameo role on the TBS sitcom The Last O.G.

6) Greg Grunberg as Abbott

Greg Grunberg plays Abbott (Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Greg Grunberg plays Abbott (Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

TV actor Greg Grunberg is Nina's boss in the series, Abbott. He doesn't have a lot of faith that Nina, a newbie in the force, can be successful in her operation, especially since the previous agent assigned to the case failed.

Playing an official in the force is nothing new for Grunberg. He previously starred as CIA agent Eric Weiss in Alias and police officer Matt Parkman, who has telepathic powers, in Heroes. He went on to do other shows in recurring and guest-starring roles like The Client List, Criminal Minds, and The Rookie. He also made dozens of movies like Hollow Man.

Other supporting cast and characters in the series

Besides the main characters mentioned above, here are the rest of the supporting cast and the roles they are going to play in the series.

Several more actors will join the cast for single-episode roles.

Duster will premiere on Max on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 9:00 pm ET.

​