Straw Cast & Character Guide

The ensemble cast of STRAW includes quite a few notable and talented performers. The 2025 Netflix movie was written, directed, and produced by Tyler Perry, who is perhaps best known for the Madea movies, in which he also stars. After collaborating with Netflix multiple times, he struck a first-look film deal with the streaming platform in 2023. Since then, his movies Mea Culpa, Divorce in the Black, The Six Triple Eight, Duplicity have debuted on the platform, in addition to STRAW, which follows a single mother of a sick daughter who is pushed into a desperate act by her circumstances.

The majority of Tyler Perry movies feature robust ensemble casts, and his prominence as a director allows him to draw from a deep well of talent when filling out even smaller supporting roles. Over the years, he has worked with a number of notable actors, including Idris Elba, Keke Palmer, Cicely Tyson, Shemar Moore, Gabrielle Union, Mary J. Blige, Viola Davis, Sofía Vergara, Kerry Washington, Dean Norris, Oprah Winfrey, Jurnee Smollett, Craig Robinson, Angela Bassett, and Brandy Norwood, in addition to iconic non-actors such as poet Maya Angelou and rapper Nicki Minaj. The ensemble cast of STRAW is similarly star-studded.

The Cast Of STRAW

Actor

Character

Taraji P. Henson

Janiyah Wiltkinson

Sherri Shepherd

Nicole

Teyana Taylor

Det. Kay Raymond

Gabby Jackson

Aria

Sinbad

Benny

Glynn Turman

Richard

Rockmund Dunbar

Chief Wilson

Ashley Versher

Tessa George

Mike Merrill

Det. Grimes

Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson

Date Of Birth: September 11, 1970

Actor: Taraji P. Henson was born in Washington, D.C., and had one of her first big roles when she played the sex worker Shug opposite Terrence Howard as pimp and wannabe rapper DJay in 2005’s Hustle & Flow, which won an Oscar for Best Original Song. She then earned her own Oscar nomination when she got a nod for Best Supporting Actress for playing the title character’s caretaker Queenie in 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Other major Taraji P. Henson movies and TV shows include the Oscar-nominated biographical drama Hidden Figures and Lee Daniels’ music industry melodrama Empire.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Title

Character

Hustle & Flow (2005)

Shug

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Queenie

I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)

April

The Karate Kid (2010)

Sherry Parker

Person of Interest (2011-2015)

Joss Carter

Think Like a Man (2012)

Lauren

Think Like a Man Too (2014)

Lauren

Empire (2015-2020)

Cookie Lyon

Hidden Figures (2016)

Katherine G. Johnson

Proud Mary (2018)

Mary

Acrimony (2018)

Melinda

What Men Want (2019)

Ali Davis

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Belle Bottom

The Color Purple (2023)

Shug Avery

Abbott Elementary (2023-2024)

Vanetta

Character: In STRAW, Taraji P. Henson plays lead character Janiyah Wiltkinson. Janiyah struggles to care for her sick daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson), and the people in her neighborhood while maintaining her job at a grocery store. However, Janiyah’s struggles to pay rent on time, give Aria money for lunch, and help Aria after a seizure put her in a dire situation that leads her to make a series of desperate decisions.

Sherri Shepherd as Nicole

Date Of Birth: April 22, 1967

Actor: Sherri Shepherd was born in Chicago, Illinois and had her first break on television, playing the recurring character Sheila Yarborough on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show. She has continued to act on television, including portraying Tracy Jordan’s (Tracy Morgan) wife Angie Jordan on multiple episodes of the seven-season sitcom 30 Rock, including two episodes of a faux reality show starring Angie. However, she is best known for appearing as herself, having been part of the panel talk show The View for more than half a decade. As of 2022, she hosts her own daytime talk show titled Sherri.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Title

Character

Suddenly Susan (1997-2000)

Miranda Charles

Everybody Loves Raymond (1998-2003)

Sheila Yarborough

The Jamie Foxx Show (1999-2001)

Sergeant Judy

Beauty Shop (2005)

Ida

Guess Who (2005)

Sydney

30 Rock (2007-2012)

Angie Jordan

The View (2007-2014)

Self

Precious (2009)

Cornrows

Madea Goes to Jail (2009)

Sherri Shepherd

One for the Money (2012)

Lula

Think Like a Man (2012)

Vicki

Sherri (2022-)

Self

Character: In 2025’s STRAW, Sherri Shepherd plays Nicole Parker. Nicole is a teller who meets Janiyah when she attempts to rob a bank out of desperation. Nicole eventually becomes an ally to Janiyah, recognizing her desperate situation.

Teyana Taylor as Det. Kay Raymond

Date Of Birth: December 10, 1990

Actor: Teyana Taylor was born in New York City and is best known as a singer, having earned her big break by choreographing the Beyoncé music video “Ring the Alarm,” which led to her getting a recording contract. As an actor, she has appeared in a number of movies since making her feature debut in 2010’s Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming, including Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family. She is also known as a director, having helmed more than two dozen music videos. She will make her feature directorial debut with the upcoming dance movie Get Lite, starring Storm Reid.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Title

Character

Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming (2010)

Rena

Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)

Sabrina

Coming 2 America (2021)

Bopoto Izzi

White Men Can’t Jump (2023)

Imani

The Book of Clarence (2023)

Mary Magdalene

Character: In STRAW, Teyana Taylor plays Detective Kay Raymond. Raymond is a detective who used to be an Army negotiator and who is hot on Janiyah’s trail due to both crimes that she has been accused of and crimes that she has actually committed.

STRAW Supporting Cast & Characters

The Ensemble Includes An Emmy Winner

Gabby Jackson as Aria: Gabby Jackson, who plays Janiyah’s sick daughter Aria, is a child actor who has played recurring supporting roles in the television series Will Trent and Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist and is set to play the younger version of the biblical character Ruth in the upcoming religious-inspired romance R&B, which is being produced by Tyler Perry.

Sinbad as Benny: Sinbad, who plays Janiyah’s appreciative neighbor Benny, is best known as a stand-up comedian, but he has acted in a wide variety of movies and television series, including the talking animal adventure movie Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, the Nickelodeon comedy movies Good Burger and Good Burger 2, and the sitcom A Different World.

Glynn Turman as Richard: Glynn Turman, who plays Janiyah’s strict boss Richard, won a Primetime Emmy in 2008 for a guest appearance on In Treatment and was nominated for an additional Primetime Emmy in 2019 for his guest role in How to Get Away with Murder. The decorated performer has starred in a wide variety of iconic and well-regarded movies, ranging from 1984’s Gremlins to 2020’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. More recently, he has taken on the role of the centaur Chiron in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

In an earlier Rick Riordan adaptation, the 2010 movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Chiron was portrayed by Pierce Brosnan.

Rockmond Dunbar as Chief Wilson: Rockmond Dunbar, who plays the uncaring and stern Chief Wilson, has a robust career under his belt. In addition to starring in movies such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys, he has played multiple long-running television characters, including C-Note Franklin in Prison Break, Michael Grant in 9-1-1, Dennis Abbott in The Mentalist, Kenny Chadway in Soul Food, and Lieutenant Eli Roosevelt in Sons of Anarchy.

Ashley Versher as Tessa George: Ashley Versher, who plays bank teller Tessa George, does not have a long acting resume yet, but has already worked with Tyler Perry, having played Lena in five episodes of his Netflix original series Beauty in Black. Versher also recently played a supporting role as The Idealist in the loosely autobiographical Jennifer Lopez musical This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which accompanies Lopez’s album This Is Me… Now.

Mike Merrill as Det. Grimes: Mike Merrill, who plays Raymond’s coworker Detective Grimes in STRAW, is best known as a television actor, having appeared in episodes of The Haves and the Have Nots, All American, Finding Happy, and The Black Hamptons.

STRAW

4/10

Release Date

June 6, 2025

Runtime

105 minutes

Director

Tyler Perry

Writers

Tyler Perry