The Chair made its debut on Netflix last year, garnering mostly positive reviews. While the main cast’s performances, led by Sandra Oh, were praised, some critics found the storytelling lacking and its critique of wokeness in academia unnecessary. The Chair follows the story of an English professor who becomes the program chair of a fictional college’s English department. The protagonist then navigates college politics and the harsh realities of modern academia. USA Today noted that The Chair borrows some of its absurd storylines from real-life events, stating, “If some of these antics feel a bit too over the top to be realistic, you need only to look at recent higher-education headlines to find that it’s not all that outrageous.” If you haven’t seen The Chair yet, here’s an introduction to its talented cast members.
Leading Lady: Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh stars as Professor Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly appointed program chair of the English department at the fictional Pembroke University. The New Yorker described Oh’s performance as “masterful,” writing: “What makes “The Chair” worth watching is Oh. Much has been written about her slow path to stardom, as she navigated the limitations imposed on Asian performers in American film and television. She has made a career out of reacting to others and playing complementary roles. Without a lane of her own, she mastered the performance of empathy, working off the energies of those around her. Were this real life, these are precisely the qualities that would make her a good chair.” Already an established actress before joining The Chair, Oh is best known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang in Shonda Rhimes’ drama Grey’s Anatomy, appearing from 2005 to 2014. In addition to The Chair, she currently stars in Killing Eve as Eve Polastri. Oh is a multi-award-winning actress, with accolades from the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Romantic Interest: Jay Duplass
Jay Duplass, the younger brother of actor Mark Duplass, portrays Professor Bill Dobson in The Chair, Ji-Yoon’s love interest. Prior to The Chair, Duplass primarily worked behind the camera as a writer or executive producer for shows like Togetherness, Animals, and Room 104. In an interview with Variety, Duplass explained how he became involved with the show: “When that show ended a little early for us, Amanda and I knew we weren’t done working together, so we started to think about what we might do next. There were various iterations, but they evolved into this project. I guess I was baked into the show from the beginning. I knew I’d be excited about any role that she created. The other thing was at the time I was starting to act seriously on “Transparent,” which was her favorite show, so we were just disgusting, gross fans of each other’s work.” Duplass’ other acting credits include Pinkwall, Phil, and Horse Girl.
Veteran Presence: Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban plays Elliot Rentz in The Chair, an aging faculty member of the English department who was once a superstar scholar. A veteran of the entertainment industry, Balaban has worked both in front of and behind the camera on multiple occasions, most notably winning an Academy Award for Best Picture for the movie Gosford Park, which he produced. Balaban has appeared in films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Monuments Men, and The French Dispatch. He also plays lead roles in Condor and The Politician, another Netflix drama.
Rising Star: Nana Mensah
Nana Mensah portrays Yaz McKay in The Chair, an up-and-coming junior professor who works in the English department alongside Ji-Yoon. Mensah has appeared in films like Farewell Amor, The King of Staten Island, and After Yang, as well as TV shows like Madam Secretary, New Amsterdam, 13 Reasons Why, and Bonding. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nana Mensah explained how she landed her role in The Chair: “This is “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” but for the theater. I did a Tracy Letts play called Man From Nebraska, and Tracy used to date Sarah Paulson. Sarah Paulson is best friends with Amanda Peet. Amanda Peet came to see Man From Nebraska and really loved my performance. Fast-forward to this past fall and I sent in a tape and [Peet] was like, “That girl from Man From Nebraska, she absolutely has to be in the show.”
Seasoned Actor: David Morse
David Morse portrays Paul Larson in The Chair, the dean overseeing the English department at Pembroke University. Another Hollywood veteran, Morse has a long list of movie and TV projects under his belt. On the small screen, he is best known for his role in St. Elsewhere as Dr. Jack Morrison, appearing in over 100 episodes. He also made appearances in House and Outsiders. On film, he played roles in blockbuster hits like World War Z, Concussion, and Passengers.
Esteemed Colleague: Holland Taylor
Holland Taylor plays Joan Hambling in The Chair, another aging professor and senior faculty member of the English department who struggles to connect with her students. Taylor has had notable roles on TV prior to joining The Chair, most prominently as Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half Men, a role for which she was nominated for four Primetime Emmys. Her most recent movie credits include Bill & Ted Face The Music and The Stand In. Alongside her role in The Chair, she also stars in another Netflix drama, Hollywood, and the Apple TV drama The Morning Show in a recurring role. In an interview with Vulture, Taylor revealed that she is not at all familiar with the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, her character’s main expertise in The Chair: “Not at all. I did nothing with medieval studies when I was in school. Just trying to read passages from Chaucer was challenging. Of course, Joan says, “you just sort of feel your way into it and soon enough it feels natural to you.” Well, not to me! I have a friend Jack O’Brien, a wonderful Broadway director, who still can recite those first lines from the introduction.”
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