Marvel’s ‘The Punisher’ Casts Oscar Nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo In Recurring Role
Marvel’s upcoming Netflix seriesThe Punisheris shaping up to be quite promising.
Jon Bernthalwas always a talented actor around which to center the drama, but now the dark vigilante series is getting a higher pedigree with Oscar-nominated actressShohreh Aghdashloogetting cast in a recurring role.
Aghdashloo, an Iranian actress who received an Oscar nomination for her stunning turn in 2003’sThe House of Sand and Fog, will be starring in a recurring role as Farah Madani, the mother of Amber Rose Revah’sDinah Madani, a Homeland Security agent hunting Bernthal’s Frank Castle, the titular “Punisher,” according toEntertainment Weekly.
“Farah is an Iranian by birth who has spent most of her life living in the U.S., where she’s established a successful practice as a psychiatrist,” EW describes.
I’m not sure how much of a prominent role Aghdashloo will have considering she’s playing a supporting character to yet another supporting character — similar toSonia Braga’s recurring appearance as Claire Temple’s mom inLuke Cage. But then again, to cast an actress with such a pedigree, I doubt the show would want to waste it on barely more than a cameo appearance. Perhaps she will emerge as a villain or ally in Castle’s mission of vengeance.
Aghdashloo is fresh off SyFy’s futuristic science-fiction seriesThe Expanse, and has appeared in other genre films before likeStar Trek BeyondandX-Men: The Last Stand. She’s also familiar with the actress playing her daughter, having starred as her mother (again) in HBO’sHouse of Saddam, for which she won an Emmy in 2009. Her work onHouse of Saddammay have been the connection to getting her ontoThe Punisher, asThe Punishershowrunner Steve Lightfoot was a producer on the HBO series.
