The Cast of 'Maid': Your Guide to Who's Who

maid l to r margaret qualley as alex, rylea nevaeh whittet as maddy, and nick robinson as sean in episode 108 of maid cr courtesy of netflix © 2021

(Image credit: COURTESY OF NETFLIX)

published 7 October 2021

In Netflix's new drama Maid, a single mother fights to create a life for herself and her two-year-old daughter. Based on the memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land, the show follows a single mother named Alex (Margaret Qualley), who gets a job cleaning houses as she leaves her abusive boyfriend. The show's empathetic depiction of poverty, domestic violence, and America's broken welfare system is made even stronger by its all-star cast.

Maid's story is told by a stacked cast, including Hollywood vets, familiar actors from other Netflix hits, and even a real-life mother-daughter duo. Here's everything we know about the cast of Maid.

Margaret Qualley as Alex

Alex is a single mother who just left an abusive relationship with her two-year-old, Maddy. As she navigates the welfare system, she starts cleaning houses for a living. Qualley, the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell and model Paul Qualley, trained as a ballerina before she switched to acting. Her previous TV credits include the HBO drama The Leftovers and the FX mini-series Fosse/Verdon, and she also had a supporting part in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood.

Nick Robinson as Sean

Alex's ex-boyfriend and Maddy's father Nick works as a bartender, and takes Alex to court over custody of Maddy. Though he's charming, he also struggles with alcohol and has violent outbursts. Robinson made his first major film appearances in Jurassic World; The Kings of Summer; and Everything, Everything. He recently played the titular teen in the film Love, Simon, and reprised his role in the Hulu series Love, Victor.

Andie MacDowell as Paula

Alex's mother Paula is an artist who lives with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Her flighty, forgetful personality means that Alex ends up taking care of her instead of the other way around. MacDowell, Qualley's real-life mother, got her start as a model in the 80s before winning roles in several films, including Sex, Lies, and Videotape; St. Elmo's Fire; Groundhog Day; and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Billy Burke as Hank

Alex's estranged father Hank is a born-again Christian and recovering alcoholic, who reconnects with his first daughter after she leaves Sean. Burke is best known for another family role, playing Bella Swan's dad in the Twilight Saga. Along with Maid, he currently stars in FOX's 9-1-1: Lone Star as fire station captain Billy Tyson.

Anika Noni Rose as Regina

Regina is Alex's first housecleaning client, a high-powered lawyer who lives in a mansion on Fisher Island. Though she's initially cold to Alex, even stiffing her for a clean, they end up bonding throughout the series. Rose is a Hollywood mainstay, Broadway veteran, and a Disney Princess, voicing Tiana in Princess and the Frog. She has appeared on the shows The Good Wife, Power, Bates Motel, and The Quad, and she also starred alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson in the movie-musical Dreamgirls.

Raymond Ablack as Nate

Nate is an old friend of Alex who lends a helping hand after she leaves Nick. The single dad and engineer also has a longstanding crush on the single mom. Canadian actor Ablack got his big break playing teen heartthrob Sav Bhandari on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and went on to appear in the shows Orphan Black, Narcos, and Shadowhunters. Fans of the Netflix hit Ginny and Georgia will recognize Ablack as restauranteur and Georgia's love interest Joe.

Tracy Villar as Yolanda

maid l to r tracy vilar as yolanda in episode 101 of maid cr ricardo hubbsnetflix © 2021

Yolanda is Alex's new boss, the no-nonsense owner of the cleaning business Value Maids. Villar has over two decades of experience in TV, with previous recurring roles on The Steve Harvey Show and House, as well as appearances on 2 Broke Girls, Fresh Off the Boat, and How to Get Away With Murder.

BJ Harrison as Denise

Denise runs the domestic violence center, and helps Alex get on her feet and started with various forms of government assistance. Hollywood vet Harrison recently starred on the Netflix shows A Series of Unfortunate Events and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Aimee Carrero as Danielle

Fellow single mom Danielle helps Alex out at the domestic violence center, where she is staying with her seven-year-old son. Carrero is the show's other Disney Princess; she has voiced the first Latina Disney Princess, Princess Elena, on the show Elena of Avalor since 2016. She has also appeared in the shows Lincoln Heights, The Americans, and Young & Hungry, as well as the animated series She-Ra and the Princess of Power, where she voiced the titular hero.

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Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.