The Parenting Cast & Character Guide

The Parenting brings its hilariously haunted story to the screen, through, in no small part, its wildly talented cast. The 2025 Max film follows a young couple who decide the time has come to introduce their respective parents to one another. To make this happen, they book a lovely house for the weekend and drag everyone out for a getting-to-know-you vacation. If contrasting personalities weren’t enough, things grow all the more complicated as it becomes clear that there is much more to the house in The Parenting than meets the eye.

This 2025 horror-comedy film comes from director Craig Johnson and is written by Kent Sublette, known for his work on Saturday Night Live. The Parenting, which streams on Max beginning March 13, 2025, is all outrageous comedy with those delicious additions of horror and suspense. Pulling such a premise off is no small task, and The Parenting owes everything to its outstanding cast, which includes prominent names like Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Brian Cox, Edie Falco, and more.

Nik Dodani As Rohan

Date Of Birth: December 19, 1993

Actor Nik Dodani began acting on screen in 2008, but he had his break playing Harry in Lisa Kudrow’s The Comeback in 2014. From there, Dodani gained wider notoriety playing Zahid Raja in the Netflix comedy series Atypical from 2017 to 2021. During that time Dodani claimed roles in several movies, including Dark Was the Night (2018), Escape Room (2019), and Dear Evan Hansen (2021). Some of Dodani’s more recent projects include Strange World (2022) and Twisters (2024).

Dodani plays Rohan in The Parenting, who decides with boyfriend Josh to rent a beautiful old house so their parents can become better acquainted. This already awkward situation becomes even worse when Rohan, Josh, and their parents discover that the house is haunted.

Brandon Flynn As Josh

Date Of Birth: October 11, 1993

Miami-born actor Brandon Flynn broke into acting in 2016 playing Mike in BrainDead, but he rose to fame in 2017 playing Justin Foley in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why—a role he held until 2020. From there, Flynn broke into film with roles in Looks That Kill (2020), Hellraiser (2022), and The Senior (2023). Flynn’s TV roles during that time included True Detective (2019), Ratched (2020), and Manhunt (2024).

Flynn plays Josh in The Parenting, the boyfriend of Rohan who agrees to book a vacation with both their parents to help them get to know one another a bit better. Of course, the get-away weekend doesn’t turn out how anyone expected.

Lisa Kudrow As Liddy

Date Of Birth: July 30, 1963

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Lisa Kudrow developed her career appearing in sitcoms through the 1980s and early 1990s, until she claimed her first recurring role playing Ursula Buffay in the 1993 series Mad About You. This ultimately tied into Kudrow’s massively popular place among the primary cast of Friends (1994 to 2004). During this time and beyond, Kudrow appeared in a variety of prominent movie and TV projects, including Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), The Comeback (2005), P.S. I Love You (2007), The Girl on the Train (2016), Long Shot (2019), No Good Deed (2024), and more.

Kudrow plays Liddy in The Parenting, Cliff’s laid-back wife. Liddy goes on a weekend away to an old house to get to know her son’s boyfriend and his parents.

Dean Norris As Cliff

Date Of Birth: April 8, 1963

Indiana-native Dean Norris began his career with the TV show Tremors: The Series before claiming spots on a wide variety of movies and TV shows. Norris became widely known for playing DEA agent Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad, a role which he held from 2008 to 2013. From there, Norris claimed a primary role in the 2013 series Under the Dome, which ran until 2015, and the TNT comedy Claws (2017 – 2022). Some of Norris’ recent movie roles include The Hustle (2019), Unfrosted (2024), and The Six Triple Eight (2024).

Norris plays Cliff in The Parenting, husband to Kudrow’s Liddy. Though Cliff and Liddy are far more laidback than Frank and Sharon, a parent-weekend at a poltergeist-haunted house effectively challenges their resolve.

Brian Cox As Frank

Date OF Birth: June 1, 1946

Brian Cox’s impressive acting career stretches back to 1961, but his rise to on-screen fame began with the 1978 BBC2 drama The Devil’s Crown, in which he played King Henry II of England. This eventually led to a wide variety of movie and TV roles, with some of the most notable including, Manhunter (1986), Braveheart (1995), The Borne Identity (2002), Deadwood (2004 – 2006), Zodiac (2007), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Churchill (2017) The Etruscan Smile (2018), and Succession (2018 – 2023).

Cox’s character in The Parenting is Frank, who is married to Sharon and quickly clashes with Liddy and Cliff during their weekend away with their respective sons. Though thoroughly traditional, Frank’s entire personality changes when the property’s resident poltergeist possesses him.

Edie Falco As Sharon

Date Of Birth: July 5, 1963

New York City native Edie Falco began her career on the stage to great success, but she gained wider recognition for playing mob wife Carmela Soprano on the massively successful HBO TV series, The Sopranos. Today, Falco is also recognized for playing the lead in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie, which ran from 2009 to 2015. Some of Falco’s notable movie roles include Freedomland (2006), The Comedian (2016), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

Falco plays the uptight Sharon in The Parenting. Sharon is the wife of Cox’s Frank, whose possession at the old rental property puts the entire weekend into a creepy (but hilarious) freefall.

The Parenting Supporting Cast & Characters

Parker Posey as Brenda – Parker Posey, best known for Party Girl (1995), Dazed and Confused (1993), and The House of Yes (1997), plays Brenda in The Parenting, the property manager responsible for the film’s haunted setting.

Vivian Bang as Sarah – The part of Sarah in The Parenting is played by Vivian Bang, who is best known for Sullivan & Son (2012 – 2014), Swedish Dicks (2016 – 2018), and White Rabbit (2018).