Survival Of The Thickest Cast & Character Guide

Netflix's Survival of the Thickest includes an all-star cast of comedians and actors. The series follows Mavis Beaumont, a stylist who discovers her long-time boyfriend has been cheating on her, and must begin her dating life again as a single black woman in New York City. Additionally, her career booms when she gets a client that goes viral. Over the course of the series, Mavis deals with both insecurity and confidence, and she eventually becomes more secure in her professional abilities and personal desires.

The story is based on a book of essays titled Survival of the Thickest by Michelle Buteau, who also serves as a co-creator, executive producer, writer, and main character on the show. In casting the show, Buteau pushed for the inclusivity that she never saw as a child. This meant casting queer, Black, and plus-sized actors. When talking to Decider, Buteau emphasized that the inclusive environment meant that even straight male crew members felt comfortable wearing wigs, dresses, and skirts on set. Overall, the cast members of Survival of the Thickest show the beauty of their diversity.

Michelle Buteau As Mavis Beaumont

Born July 24, 1977

Active Since: 2001

Actor: Michelle Buteau got her big break in 2014 with the role of Private Robinson in Enlisted. She also played roles in the series Tales Of The City and Bless The Harts. In film, Buteau played Veronica in Always Be My Maybe, Martina in Isn't It Romantic, and Cammy in Almost Love. In addition to movies and TV shows, Michelle also recorded the comedy special Welcome To Buteaupia and hosts Netflix's The Circle.

Notable Michelle Buteau Movie/TV Shows	Role
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia	Herself
First Wives Club	Bree Washington
The Circle	Host

Character: Michelle Buteau plays the main character, Mavis Beaumont. Mavis possesses big professional aspirations, working towards building her brand. Buteau has mostly played the quirky best friend in comedies but steps into the lead role in Survival of the Thickest, showcasing her immense talent as a performer. Mavis Beaumont experiences love and loss throughout the show, which ends with her possibly finding the one.

Tasha Smith As Marley

Born February 28, 1971

Active Since: 1993

Actor: Like other actors in Survival of the Thickest, Tasha Smith largely acts in comedy roles. Smith made her big break acting as Tasha King in the series Boston Common. She also played Angela in For Better or Worse, a role for which she gained an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Additionally, she famously portrayed Angela in the comedy movie Why Did I Get Married? In contrast with her other roles, Smith acted as Carol in the musical drama show Empire.

Notable Tasha Smith Movie/TV Shows	Role
Why Did I Get Married?	Angela Williams
For Better or Worse	Angela Williams
Empire	Carol Holloway

Character: Tasha Smith plays Marley, Mavis' queer best friend who works as a financial executive. The two have a strong bond that sees Marley acting as Mavis' support and guidance through the ups and downs of her professional and personal life. She is one of the most compelling characters on the show, largely thanks to Tasha Smith's brilliant performance.

Tone Bell As Khalil

Born August 10, 1983

Active Since: 2004

Actor: Tone Bell is an established comedian who got his big break as RJ in Whitney. He also played Teward Mulray in Bad Judge, Carter in Disjointed, Nick in Fam, and Russell in Truth Be Told. Bell has almost exclusively appeared in comedies, a choice that makes sense with his stand-up comedy background, but broke out of his shell when he appeared as John Levy in the drama The United States Vs. Billie Holiday.

Notable Tone Bell Movie/TV Shows	Role
Whitney	RJ
Bad Judge	Tedward Mulray
The United States vs. Billie Holiday	John Levy

Character: Throughout Survival of the Thickest, Tone Bell plays Khalil, Mavis's anti-capitalistic artist best friend who navigates a relationship with a single mom, despite not usually being one for long-term relationships. Khalil and Mavis are each other's chosen family, and their strong bond is continuously shown throughout the series, and is often quick to steer Mavis straight.

Marouane Zotti As Luca

Born May 4, 1987

Active Since: 2007

Actor: Marouane Zotti first performed as Novice in the movie In Memory Of Me. Additionally, Zotti portrayed Fabrizio in the comedy movie (Im)perfetti Criminali. Though he mostly plays in comedies, Zotti showed his versatility when acting as Lui in Vetro, an action-thriller. Outside of movies, Zotti appeared as Mirko in the Italian comedy show Ridatemi Mia Moglie. He also acted as Basant in The Red Door and Biagio in I May Destroy You.

Notable Marouane Zotti Movie/TV Shows	Role
In Memory of Me	Novice
The Red Door	Basant
I May Destroy You	Biagio

Character: Marouane Zotti plays Luca, the foreign love interest of Mavis in Survival of the Thickest, after Luca and Mavis meet at a CC Bloom show. Mavis was torn between her former boyfriend, Jacque, and Luca, who must make a decision about who she wants to pursue a relationship with. At the end of season 1, Mavis chooses Luca and decides to travel to Rome to be with him, setting up Survival of the Thickest season 2.

Taylor Selé As Jacque

Born July 28, 1983

Active Since: 2011

Actor: A former NFL player, Taylor Selé has acted as a number of one-off characters in TV shows, including NCIS: New Orleans, Luke Cage, Orange Is The New Black, and Blue Bloods. The variation in the series shows that Selé is a jack of all trades. He also portrayed Renton Lowry in The Deuce, Coach in P-Valley, and E-Roc in Queens. Though he's predominantly acted in TV series, Selé memorably performed as Tommy Bones in Above The Shadows.

Notable Taylor Selé Movie/TV Shows	Role
Queens	Eric "E-Roc" Jones
BMF	Dr. Maurice Montclair
P-Valley	Coach

Character: Taylor Selé plays the role of Jacque, Mavis' cheating ex-boyfriend, in Survival of the Thickest. Though his cheating sends Mavis on a brand-new journey to find love, Jacque is adamant that he wants her back, claiming that his infidelity was only a one-time thing, and will stop at nothing to try to win her back. His attempts proved to be in vain, though, as Mavis ended up choosing Luca over him.

Survival Of The Thickest Supporting Cast & Characters

Natasha strikes a pose while Jade looks worried with her head cocked to the side.

Miss Peppermint As Peppermint: Miss Peppermint plays a dramatized version of herself called Peppermint who performs at the club CC Bloom. Miss Peppermint competed in season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race. On TV, she acted as Nikki in Harlem, as well as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Show: Livestream Theatre. On Broadway, Miss Peppermint acted as Pythio in the production Head Over Heals, making history as the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway.

Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha Karina: Beauvais plays a 90s supermodel named Natasha Karina, determined to preserve her past image as a model, who Mavis wants as a client. Beauvais is a well-established actress who has been a performer since the 80s. She performed as Fancy in The Jamie Foxx Show and A.D.A. Valerie Haywood in NYPD Blue. Beauvais also acted in the movies Coming To America, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Flight.

Anissa Felix as India: Felix plays Khalil's girlfriend India, a single mother and art student, in Survival of the Thickest. Prior to this series, she only acted in one-off episodes of shows including Pose, The Deuce, FBI, and The Good Fight.

Anthony Michael Lopez as Bruce: Anthony Michael Lopez plays Bruce in the series. He is Natasha's assistant, charged with tirelessly protecting her interests, who is weary of Mavis when she interacts with his boss. Alongside the show, he has had roles in Broad City, Homeland and the feature film Mapplethorpe.

Liza Treyger as Jade: Throughout Survival of the Thickest, Treyger plays Mavis's quirky new roommate who appropriates black culture. Treyger is relatively new to acting, only beginning in 2016. Treyger got her big break as Melissa in Horace and Pete, a show branded as a tragicomedy. She also acted as "Waitress At Denino's" in The King of Staten Island.