The truth is all that matters in Gaslit, a limited series on Starz that aims to correct the many wrongs that were dealt to Martha Mitchell, a woman many consider to be the whistleblower in the Watergate scandal. On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s Headquarters at the Watergate Office Building in Washington D.C under the direction of the Richard Nixon administration. What followed was a messy, failed cover-up that led President Richard Nixon to resign from the presidency in 1974 after he was found to have participated in trying to cover up the scandal alongside his administration.
Gaslit premiered on Starz on Sunday, April 24, and it stars Julia Roberts as the one and only Martha Mitchell. Often skated over in the history books, Mitchell’s extraordinary story involves being kidnapped, drugged, and attacked at the behest of her husband John N. Mitchell in an attempt to keep her quiet while she tried to tell the truth about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. Set during one of the craziest times in Washington D.C. amidst arguably the biggest political scandal of the 20th century, there are countless politicians, crooks, and journalists running amok in Gaslit, so let’s set the record straight with a cast and character guide for the political thriller.
Julia Roberts as Martha Mitchell
Julia Roberts is taking on the lead role of Martha Mitchell, a spunky socialite and celebrity in Washington D.C. politics during Nixon’s Presidency. Wife to the United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and known for being a gossip, she was criticized and called hysterical for her bold comments regarding Nixon and the presidency in the wake of the Watergate burglary. Not one to stay silent, Martha often talked on the phone for hours discussing the latest gossip and at times controversial opinions on political matters to journalists despite her husband’s objections. Martha’s nightly phone calls proved dangerous when she became the first person to declare Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate burglary. Finding herself at odds with her husband and the entire Republican Party, Martha claimed she was attacked and kidnapped in June 1972 and held captive for a week in an attempt to prevent her from calling journalists to discuss the scandal. Nixon famously said in his television interview with David Frost in 1977 that had it not been for Martha Mitchell, the Watergate scandal may never have come out.
While primarily a film actress known for her roles in Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich, and Wonder, Roberts has recently been dipping her toes into the television waters. In 2018, she starred in and executive produced the first season of the Amazon Prime Video anthology series, Homecoming. In Gaslit, Roberts is dripping in 1970s fashion courtesy of a larger-than-life blonde wig and fantastically bright power suits as she speaks out against the most powerful men in Washington D.C. come rain or come shine. Roberts also serves as an executive producer on the series.
Sean Penn as John N. Mitchell
Sean Penn is starring opposite Roberts as both her adversary and husband, John N. Mitchell. A well-established lawyer, Mitchell was the United States Attorney General under President Richard Nixon and one of his closest confidants. Mitchell was also the chairman of Nixon’s 1968 and 1972 presidential elections and was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury in 1975 for his contributions to the various illegal acts committed during the Watergate scandal and served 19 months of jail time.
The series centers on the relationship between Martha and John and the war they waged against each other while the storm that was Watergate kept raging. Nixon later claimed that because Martha refused to cooperate, it distracted John from doing his job which contributed to the complete breakdown of his administration and eventual resignation. Penn has gone through a drastic transformation in Gaslit, and some audiences may have a hard time recognizing him underneath all the facial prosthetics, lies, and cigar smoke. Penn’s previous roles include starring in a number of movies including Milk, Mystic River, and Dead Man Walking.
Dan Stevens as John Dean
Dan Stevens is playing attorney John Dean, who served as White House Counsel under President Nixon from 1970 through 1973. A convicted criminal, Dean participated in the attempted cover-up of the Watergate burglary alongside various members of Nixon’s administration. Dean became an important asset to the ensuing Senate Watergate investigation and was a crucial witness to the prosecution as he traded information for a shortened jail sentence. Testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee beginning in June 1973, Dean’s testimony was broadcasted on TV and closely followed by the media as he revealed that he, John Mitchell, and President Nixon were all involved in the cover-up of Watergate.
Stevens most recently starred in the FX superhero series Legion. He’s also known for his starring role as Matthew Crawley in the British period piece series Downton Abbey and for playing the Beast in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Betty Gilpin as Maureen “Mo” Dean
Betty Gilpin stars as Maureen “Mo” Dean, a published writer and wife to John Dean. Dean received significant media coverage as she supported her husband during the Watergate trials and often accompanied him to court as he served as a witness. Additionally, she co-authored the 1975 book Mo: A Woman’s View of Watergate alongside Hays Gorey.
Gilpin is best known for her work in the Netflix original series GLOW as the wrestler and mother Debbie Eagen, for which she was twice nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy Award. She’s also appeared in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie and Masters of Sex in addition to starring in the 2020 thriller film, The Hunt.
Shea Whigham as G. Gordon Liddy
Shea Whigham is taking on the role of the infamous G. Gordon Liddy, the co-mastermind behind the Watergate burglary alongside E. Howard Hunt. Liddy was the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit under the Nixon administration, a group created in the wake of the Pentagon Papers being published in the Washington Post. Formed in 1971, the purpose of the group was to effectively respond to leaked classified information. A former lawyer and FBI Agent, Liddy was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping for his involvement in the Watergate scandal and served almost four years in jail. Whigham is known for his character roles with notable appearances in Joker, True Detective, and Silver Linings Playbook.
Darby Camp as Marty Mitchell
Darby Camp plays Marty Mitchell, daughter of John and Martha Mitchell. Marty Mitchell’s bodyguard and personal driver James W. McCord Jr. was one of the five men arrested in the burglary at the Watergate Office Building. McCord also worked as security for the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP) and his arrest led to Martha Mitchell’s growing suspicion that the CRP was involved in the break-in. Camp is known for her work in the HBO series Big Little Lies and the AMC horror series, NOS4A2 as well as 2021's Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Allison Tolman as Winnie McLendon
Allison Tolman plays Winnie McLendon, a Washington D.C. journalist who went on to become Martha Mitchell’s friend and biographer. Entitled Martha: The Life of Martha Mitchell, the book was published after Martha’s death in 1979. Tolman has previously starred in Season 1 of the FX anthology crime series Fargo in addition to starring in the short-lived ABC series Emergence and appearing in NBC’s Good Girls.
Additional cast members appearing in the series include Chris Bauer as James W. McCord Jr., the former CIA operative who served as head of security for the Mitchell Family and one of the burglars who broke into the DNC’s headquarters in the Watergate Office Building on June 17, 1972; Carlos Valdes as Paul Magallanes, an undercover FBI Special Agent who worked on the Watergate scandal investigation; and Chris Messina as FBI Agent Angelo Lano, head of the investigation into the Watergate scandal.
Hamish Linklater plays Jeb Magruder, a member of the Republican Party and the 1972 deputy director for Nixon’s re-election campaign, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President. Patton Oswalt appears as attorney Charles Colton, a corrupt political advisor who served as special counsel to President Nixon. Patrick R. Walker plays Frank Wills, the security guard at the Watergate Office Building who discovered the break-in on June 17, 1972. J.C. Mackenzie plays Howard Hunt, a member of the White House Plumbers unit. The rest of the cast list is rounded out by Nat Faxon as Bob Haldeman, Nixon’s White House Chief of Staff, Aleksandar Filimonović as Zolton, and Brian Geraghty as Peter.