Peacock’s new series Ponies tells the story of two secretaries who become spies in 1977 Moscow. The show brings together a team of actors from around the world to build its 1970s espionage world. The series stars Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson as the lead characters, supported by a cast including Adrian Lester and Artjom Gilz. This guide details every main character and the actors who play them, explaining how they fit into the Cold War story.
The Core Duo: Beatrice Grant and Twila Hasbeck
The story of Ponies focuses on two women whose lives change completely after a tragedy. They go from being overlooked secretaries to central figures in a dangerous spy game.
Emilia Clarke plays Beatrice “Bea” Grant. Bea is highly educated, fluent in Russian, and the daughter of Soviet immigrants. After her husband dies, she uses her grief and her skills to push for a role with the CIA. Her goal is to find out the truth about her husband’s death. Clarke is best known for her iconic role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, and she also serves as an executive producer on Ponies.
Haley Lu Richardson plays Twila Hasbeck. Twila is described as street-smart, fearless, and more abrasive than Bea. Where Bea is book-smart, Twila is tough and adaptable, though she finds the social parts of spy work challenging. Richardson is known for her roles in Five Feet Apart and as Portia in the second season of The White Lotus.
The characters’ dynamic is central to the show. One reviewer noted, “The two female leads are also fantastic even though the dialogue seems a little modern” but praised their unique chemistry. Another viewer called the show a “surprise gem” that is “funny and the plot turns keep you on the edge of your seat”.
The CIA Handlers and Embassy Insiders
Guiding and sometimes complicating the mission are the characters within the American embassy’s CIA operations.
Adrian Lester takes the role of Dane Walter. He is the no-nonsense leader of the CIA’s spy division at the embassy. Dane is the one who makes the decision to recruit Bea and Twila, calculating that Soviet agents will not suspect two ordinary women. Lester is a celebrated British actor with a strong background in theater and television, including the series Hustle.
Nicholas Podany plays Ray Szymanski, who acts as Dane’s right-hand man. Vic Michaelis plays Cheryl Szymanski, Ray’s wife, who works as a secretary for another embassy employee. Andrew Richardson plays that employee, Shep, who is Cheryl and Twila’s boss.
The KGB and Soviet Contacts
On the other side of the Cold War divide, the show features several key figures who pose threats and offer unexpected help.
Artjom Gilz plays Andrei Vasiliev, a ruthless and ambitious KGB officer who is rapidly climbing the ranks. He becomes personally involved with Bea, believing her to be a Belorussian schoolteacher named Nadiya. Gilz is a German-born actor of Soviet descent known for roles in Tรกr and Das Boot.
Petro Ninovskyi plays Sasha Shevchenko, a low-level KGB member who has secretly switched sides. Using the code names CK Solar and Redford, he steals technology and provides intelligence to the CIA.
Other important local figures include Lili Walters as Ivanna, a Russian market vendor who gives information to Twila, and Tanya Ivanova as Vera, a Soviet “fixer” who arranges meetings and obtains items for the highest bidder.
Key Supporting and Recurring Characters
The story is filled out by characters who appear in the main characters’ personal and professional lives.
The husbands whose deaths start the entire mission are shown in flashbacks. Louis Boyer plays Chris Grant, Bea’s husband. John Macmillan plays Tom Hasbeck, Twila’s husband. Macmillan is also known for voicing Ser Laenor Velaryon in House of the Dragon.
A significant recurring role is played by Harriet Walter as Manya Caplan, a Jewish woman living in the Soviet Union. Walter is a highly respected British actor with roles in productions like Killing Eve and Silo.
Other recurring characters include Pรกl Mรกcsai as Emile, Paul Chahidi as embassy employee Alan Salek, and Clare Hughes as Eevi, the nanny for Ray and Cheryl’s son. Their young son, Trent, is played by Maxim Gall.
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Behind the Scenes: Creators and Production
Ponies was created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson, with Iserson acting as showrunner. Fogel also directed several episodes. The production chose to film in Budapest, Hungary, which stood in for 1970s Moscow. The entire first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Peacock on January 15, 2026.
The show has been well-received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 95% approval rating. The critical consensus states, “As much a buddy adventure as it is an espionage caper, Ponies’ likable trot of a story gradually achieves full gallop thanks to Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson’s tag-team charisma”.
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