‘Dear Edward’ Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in the Apple TV+ Drama
Dear Edward premiered on Apple TV+ on February 3 to much excitement from fans of the best-selling novel by Ann Napolitano. A story of grief, love, and human connection, Dear Edward features a cast of familiar faces like Taylor Schilling and Connie Britton alongside newcomer Colin O’Brien. Here’s everything you need to know about the cast, showrunner, and storyline as you watch this tearjerker of a series:
‘Friday Night Lights’ showrunner Jason Katims adapted ‘Dear Edward’ from the best-selling titular novel
Adapted from the best-selling novel by Ann Napolitano, Dear Edward follows 12-year-old Edward (O’Brien), the only survivor of a plane crash. Sent to live with his aunt (Schilling) after the disaster, Edward finds himself overwhelmed by loss. But he is not alone.
The series also follows the lives of the loved ones left to their grief and punctuates the concept of mourning with the letters of grieving strangers, all addressed to Edward.
Helming the project is Katims who adapted Napolitano’s Dear Edward book to screen. Katims is known for his work on Friday Night Lights and other heartfelt series, like Parenthood. Here’s a look at the Dear Edward cast and the characters they play:
Connie Britton stars in ‘Dear Edward’ as Dee Dee
Britton plays Dear Edward’s Dee Dee, a socialite who discovers her late husband was leading a double life. Katims added this character to create more depth and room for growth for the series — one of the only major changes he made from the novel.
Speaking to Buzz 360, Britton says she was drawn to the part because of how different it is from many of her previous roles, specifically Tami Taylor in Katims’ Friday Night Lights. Britton is also known for ABC drama series Nashville, HBO’s The White Lotus (Season 1), and Netflix’s movie Luckiest Girl Alive.
Taylor Schilling portrays Aunt Lacey
Leading the Dear Edward cast alongside Britton is Orange is the New Black’s Schilling. Playing Edward’s Aunt Lacey, Schilling’s character is struggling with a massive amount of grief herself. In addition to losing her sister, Edward’s mom, in the crash, Lacey is also mourning several miscarriages. Now, with Edward, Lacey must fill the role of caretaker for her grieving nephew.
After playing Piper Chapman for seven seasons of the hit show Orange is the New Black, Schilling then played a reoccurring role in the Hulu miniseries, Pam & Tommy.
Colin O’Brien stars as Edward
In the lead role, O’Brien plays Edward, a sensitive 12-year-old. After moving in with his aunt and Uncle, Edward feels cut off from the world and set apart by his grief. But, following the disaster, Edward begins receiving letters from strangers and discovers he is not as alone as he believes himself to be.
“I think people reach out because they connect to Edward in some way or another,” O’Brien tells Buzz 360. It is this community — this shared sense of pain and survival — that provides the throughline of the series.
O’Brien starred with Donald Sutherland in last year’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. He will appear in the 2023 sci-fi adventure film The Mothership with Halle Berry and Wonka with Timothée Chalamet.
Amy Forsyth portrays Linda
Another of the Dear Edward cast to work with Chalamet, Forsyth is known for her role in Chalamet’s 2018 film Beautiful Boy and her role as Gertie in the Oscar-winning movie CODA. In Dear Edward, Forsyth plays Linda who, after losing her boyfriend in the crash, discovers she is four months pregnant.
Eva Ariel Binder plays Shay
Playing one of the most beloved characters, Binder portrays Shay, Edward’s super quirky next-door neighbor. Obsessed with all things roller derby, Shay is awkward in a way that gets through to Edward. This creates one of the best relationships in the show.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, Binder’s storyline is among the best as “the entire show is all about the violent, unpadded collisions that characterize human interactions.” Binder is best known for her reoccurring role as Sofia Torres on Grey’s Anatomy.
The supporting cast of ‘Dear Edward’
Other members of the Dear Edward supporting cast include Robin Tunny, West Side Story’s Brian d’Arcy, Snowfall’s Carter Hudson, and Ballers star Brittany S. Hall. The series also stars City on a Hill’s Anna Uzele, MotherFatherSon actor Idris Debrand, Paper Trail’s Dario Ladani Sanchez, and Ivan Shaw.
