If you are a fan of The Serpent, Mindhunter, and Dirty John, you will not want to miss Welcome to Chippendales on Hulu.

The brand new true-crime drama airs every Tuesday on the streaming platform and tells the jaw-dropping true story of Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee, the founder of the male touring dance and stripping troupe.

Despite his hugely successful business, things for Steve begin to take a very dark, twisted, and unexpected turn, with him going to extreme lengths to protect his beloved dance club.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the cast and the real-life characters of Welcome to Chippendales below.

Meet The Cast and Characters of Welcome to Chippendales

Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee — Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani portrays Steve Banerjee in Welcome to Chippendales, the founder of Chippendales, the first all-male striptease dance troupe.

Nanjiani told Newsweek about taking on the role of Steve and his character’s ultimate downfall.

Steve (Kumail Nanjiani), shown in Welcome to Chippendales
Erin Simkin/Hulu

He shared: “I think he starts off as being very driven but I also think there’s something childlike about him. There’s a real innocence to him and his ambition is expressed in a way that is enthusiasm, and it’s sort of infectious.

“You want him to succeed, hopefully, and then as his dreams start coming true it’s never enough for him because ultimately, he’s looking for inner peace and success outside of himself and that’s never going to happen.

“So, as he gets successful, he doesn’t feel any differently about himself. He just thinks it’s going to be more successful and he needs more success. He just starts to control things and he starts off emotionally immature, but in a way that sort of perhaps charming, which is a strong word, but in a way that has some positive aspects to it, and he ends up still emotionally immature.”

Nanjiani continued: “I think a lot of actual evil figures are kind of childish in many ways. I don’t want to name people, but there are famous people we know that are sort of emotionally childish, and hence dangerous. So I thought it would be interesting to explore an emotionally childish person staying emotionally childish, but as they get more powers become more dangerous.”

Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian, and screenwriter, best known for his role as Dinesh in Silicon Valley and for co-writing and starring in the Oscar-nominated film, The Big Sick.

Audiences may also recognize Nanjiani from his role as Kingo in Eternals, Haja in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Vik in The Boys.

Irene — Annaleigh Ashford

Tony-award-winning actress Annaleigh Ashford portrays Irene, Steve’s wife in Welcome to Chippendales.

Speaking to Newsweek, Ashford teased what audiences can expect to see for Irene in Welcome to Chippendales.

She shared: “Irene is not a person that comes to the club to enjoy the men, she’s just really tagging along and wants to get through the night so she can go home and put on her slippers.

“And then when they [Irene and Steve] meet, everything sort of changes and she finds a shared interest, a shared goal, and this person who she eventually shares her life with and her love with. So really, it was important for me that she not only supported his arc, but that she had her own arc that we get to watch this woman have her own journey alongside a man.

Ashford continued: “In the end, we want to see that she steps out and makes the right choice and is able to be on her own away from this man, which is I also think is interesting. That’s kind of what happened in the progression of women’s rights, watching women be able to stand alone.”

Ashford is best known on screen for her role as Betty in Masters of Sex and Paula Jones in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Her other credits include Unbelievable, Bad Education, and B Positive.

Irene welcome to chippendales
Irene (Annaleigh Ashford), shown in Welcome to Chippendales
Erin Simkin/Hulu

Nick De Noia — Murray Bartlett

Murray Bartlett takes on the role of Nick De Noia, an Emmy-winning choreographer who helped Steve build Chippendales from the ground up.

Noia, who was also a director and screenwriter, served as the lead choreographer for the Chippendales dance troupe.

Over the years, his working relationship with Steve became increasingly strained as they fought over their creative differences, leading them both down a dark and dangerous path.

Bartlett recently won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role as Armond in The White Lotus Season 1. He is also well known for his role as Dom in Looking, Mouse in Tales of the City and will star in the upcoming HBO series, The Last of Us.

Juliette Lewis Murray Bartlett
Denise (Juliette Lewis) and Nick (Murray Bartlett), shown in Welcome to Chippendales
Erin Simkin/Hulu

Denise — Juliette Lewis

Juliette Lewis stars as Denise in Welcome to Chippendales, an energetic fan who comes on board at Chippendales as the costume designer and Nick’s partner-in-crime. Together, they take Chippendales to the next level.

Lewis is best known for her roles in Cape Fear, Husband and Wives, and Natural Born Killers.

Most recently, she appeared in The Act as Stephanie Godejohn and in Yellowjackets as Natalie.

Paul Snider — Dan Stevens

British actor Dan Stevens portrays Paul Snider in Welcome to Chippendales.

Snider was a Canadian nightclub promoter and pimp who crossed paths with Steve Banarjee in the late 1970s.

In September 1980, Stevens murdered his estranged wife, Playboy model, and actress Dorothy Stratten. He then took his own life.

Stevens played the role of Matthew Crawley in Downtown Abbey, The Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and David Haller in Legion.

His other credits include The Man Who Invented Christmas, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and Gaslit.

Dan Stevens Nicola Peltz
Paul (Dan Stevens) and Dorothy (Nicola Peltz), shown in Welcome to Chippendales
Erin Simkin/Hulu

Dorothy Stratten — Nicola Peltz

Nicola Peltz portrays Canadian playboy model and actress Dorothy Stratten in Welcome to Chippendales.

Peltz is best known for her role as Katara in The Last Airbender, Bradley Martin in Bates Motel, and Tessa in Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Other cast members in Welcome to Chippendales include Quentin Plair as Otis, Robin de Jesús as Ray Colon, and Spencer Boldman as Lance McCrae.

Welcome to Chippendales airs every Tuesday on Hulu

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