‘Containment’: Meet the Cast of the Deadly Virus Drama (PHOTOS)
Atlanta is held hostage by a seemingly unstoppable Ebola-like virus in The CW’s new thriller Containment. Adapted from the hit Belgian series Cordon, the show centers around Atlanta Midtown Hospital, where Patient Zero, a supposed Syrian refugee, is being treated. After those in contact with him get deathly ill, police try to isolate the outbreak by cordoning off a large section of town, trapping thousands inside a fortified fence. As time passes and more citizens get sick, society begins to collapse.
“Many people will die. There is this threat permeating every breath people take,” says executive producer Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals), a self-described lover of deadly virus stories. “But the show is also about the beautiful notion of trying to get across the world—and through the border of the quarantine—to get your loved ones back. There’s hope attached to it.” Meet the characters inside and outside the quarantine zone.
Dr. Victor Cannerts (George Young)
Who he is: A researcher with the Centers for Disease Control, he makes the difficult call to enclose the area.
Where he is when the quarantine begins: Ground Zero—in the hospital, trying to determine the cause of, and develop a cure for, the devastating new virus.
His closest connection: Dr. Sabine Lommers, his colleague on the other side of the quarantine zone. “She is his main link to the outside world and the resources he needs,” Young explains.
His goal: To find a cure. Young says, “He has the pressure of saving not just the city but the country and, indeed, the world.”
Dr. Sabine Lommers (Claudia Black)
Who she is: A high-ranking government official who oversees issues relating to bioterrorism, health and safety and disease control. “She must make unpopular decisions for the greater good,” Black says.
Where she is when the quarantine begins: “Luckily, outside the zone. She gets to shower, change clothes, eat regular food and see loved ones,” the actress says.
Her closest connections: Major Lex Carnahan and Dr. Victor Cannerts.
Her goal: Containing the virus. If she can make that happen, she’d fancy being the first female president of the United States.
Jana Mayfield (Christina Moses)
Who she is: A data-recovery specialist who was raised in foster homes. “Jana has residual issues that make commitment and intimacy difficult,” Moses says.
Where she is when the quarantine begins: In her office near the hospital, which is in the enclosed area.
Her closest connections: Her boyfriend, Lex; her buddy (and former beau) Jake; and her friend and coworker Suzy, who is also caught in the cordon.
Her goal: “Originally to survive and get to Lex, but as the quarantine extends, she must become a leader and protect Suzy and others who come to need her,” Moses notes.
Major Lex Carnhan (David Gyasi)
Who he is: The top cop is charged with keeping desperate people both in and out of the new ghetto as chaos grows. “Lex is tortured with the task of straddling many camps,” Gyasi says. “He has an insatiable desire to do right in a world where right and wrong blur, while attempting to hold on to love, commitment, honor and justice.”
Where he is when the quarantine begins: Helping to set up the barrier.
His closest connections: His girlfriend, Jana, and cop pal Jake are both in quarantine.
His goal: Gyasi says, “His personal and professional goals are the same: to restore hope.”
Jake Riley (Chris Wood)
Who he is: A police officer “with an abundance of baggage but a good heart that hides behind massively reinforced walls,” Wood says.
Where he is when the quarantine begins: At the hospital, making sure Patient Zero (who tried to run away) stays put.
His closest connection: He spends most of his time with teacher Katie, also trapped inside the hospital.
His goal: “Jake’s first response is to survive. He tries to ditch his duties as a cop when he wonders why rules should apply in all the madness,” Wood says. “But a lot of responsibility falls on his shoulders, and how he bears that weight becomes his story.”
Katie Frank (Kristen Gutoskie)
Who she is: A primary school teacher with a challenging past and a broken heart. “She’s a protector who’ll do anything for the people she loves,” Gutoskie says. “Katie is an incredibly strong yet vulnerable woman.”
Where she is when the quarantine begins: With her class on a field trip to the hospital. “Just her luck,” jokes Gutoskie.
Her closest connections: Her son, Quentin, is with her on the school trip. She soon becomes close with Jake and Dr. Cannerts.
Her goal: “To keep her son and her other students alive,” Gutoskie says.
Teresa Keaton (Hanna Mangan Lawrence)
Who she is: A “strong, determined and hugely compassionate” pregnant teen, says Lawrence. “She and her boyfriend, Xander [Demetrius Bridges], love each other more than anything.”
Where she is when the quarantine begins: Getting ready to meet up with Xander so they can run away together.
Her closest connections: “Her mother and grandparents are stuck with her in the quarantined zone, but Xander is outside,” Lawrence explains. “They can only talk by phone.”
Her goal: “To keep her unborn child safe,” Lawrence explains, “and to get out of the cordon before she goes into labor.”
Leo Greene (Trevor St. John)
Who he is: A once-famous journalist who fell from grace due to a high-profile fact-checking error. “He receives intel from a mysterious source and dusts off his [reporter’s] instincts,” St. John says.
Where he is when the quarantine begins: Outside the zone, watching the police put up the fence, trying to figure out what’s going on.
His closest connections: “A couple of contacts inside the zone are collecting information for him,” St. John says. “He also connects with Major Carnahan.”
His goal: “He wants to uncover the machination he believes lies at the heart of the outbreak,” St. John says.
Containment, Series Premiere, Tuesday, April 19, 9/8c, The CW
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