Maid cast: who stars in Netflix series with Margaret Qualley and Annie MacDowell - and will there be season 2?

If you are inspired by the stories of striving for better, pursuing your dreams and levelling up, then Netflix’s new series Maid should be next on your Netflix watchlist.

The story is inspired by New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Land’s memoir ‘Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive’.

In a world where money makes the world go round, single mother Alex (Margaret Qualley) is overworked and underpaid. Her journey of survival includes emotional abuse, deprivation and resilience - as she fights to provide for her daughter.

The screen adaptation stars a number of big names as well as new faces and was directed by American playwright Molly Smith Metzler.

So, who stars in the Maid cast? These are all the leading actors and where you might have seen them before.

Margaret Qualley as Alex

Qualley is the daughter of acting legend Andie MacDowell, who also plays her mum in the series.

Her previous acting credits include HBO drama The Leftovers, as well as a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood.

Alex is a single mother to two-year-old Maddy and just left an abusive relationship. As she navigates the welfare system, she starts cleaning houses for a living.

Executive Director Metzler told Collider of casting Qualley as Alex: “When we met Margaret, first of all, I just loved her as a human... She just seemed like a genuine human, which was really important for this role, and had an incredible lack of vanity and a great sense of humor.

She added: “When she read Alex, the thing that really struck me was just how raw it was. It felt unaffected, really true, not studied, not someone trying to win an award, just genuine commitment to the material. She is an extremely hardworking artist.”

Nick Robinson as Sean

26-year-old American actor Nick Robinson plays the role of Alex’s ex and father of Maddy.

Robinson won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star in 2018 for his role in ‘Love, Simon’.

His other acting credits include sitcom Melissa & Joey,  Jurassic World (2015), The Kings of Summer (2013), The 5th Wave (2016) and Love, Simon (2018).

In Maid, he plays a bartender who is fighting for custody of his daughter, while struggling to control his abusive behaviour and alcohol dependency.

Andie MacDowell as Paula

MacDowell plays a role close to home in Maid, as Paul is Alex’s mother. MacDowell is in fact the mother of Qualley.

The 63-year-old first got her break in Hollywood in the 1980s as a model for Vogue,  Yves Saint Laurent, Vassarette, Armani perfume and other global fashion brands.

Since then, she has etched her name in Hollywood with roles in  Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)  St. Elmo’s Fire; Groundhog Day (1993) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

In Maid, MacDowell’s character is an artist who lives with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Her flighty, forgetful personality means that Alex ends up taking care of her instead of the other way around.

In real life, MacDowell’s mother, also named Paula, was an alcoholic and she found herself caring for her ill mother from an early age.

Billy Burke as Hank

Twilight actor Bill Burke plays the part of Alex’s estranged father Hank, a born-again Christian and recovering alcoholic.

Burke, 54, is best known for his role as Bella’s dad, Charlie Swan, in the Twilight sequels, as well as Cesaire in Red Riding Hood (2011).

He has also been cast in supporting roles for American TV series 24, Revolution and most recently, in Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Anika Noni Rose as Regina

Anika Noni Rose is best known for being the voice of Disney Princess Tiana, Disney’s first African-American movie protagonist.

In addition to being named a Disney Legend in 2011, Nini Rose has starred alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson in the movie-musical Dreamgirls. Her credits also include American hit tv series Power; and The Quad.

As Regina, she plays Alex’s first house cleaning client, a high-powered lawyer who lives in a mansion on Fisher Island. While at first they don’t see eye to eye, they soon bond.

Raymond Ablack as Nate

Canadian actor Ablack was first thrust onto screen as teen heartthrob Sav Bhandari on Degrassi: The Next Generation, he has since starred in Orphan Black, Narcos, and Shadowhunters.

More recently, he starred in Netflix comedy series Ginny and Georgina as Georgina’s lover Joe.

As Nate, he plays Alex’s old school friend and long-serving crush, who helps her get back on her feet when she leaves Nick. He is also a single dad and relates to her hardship.

Tracy Vilar as Yolanda

Vilar is best known for her roles in 1990s comedy series The Steve Harvey Show, as well as appearances on 2 Broke Girls, Fresh Off the Boat, and How to Get Away With Murder.

For Maid, she plays the role of cleaning business Value Maids manager and employer of Alex, Yolanda.

BJ Harrison as Denise

American actress Harrison has starred in movies such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and 2012 (2009), as well as in TV series Lucifer.

Hollywood star Harrison’s recent credits also include Netflix shows A Series of Unfortunate Events and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

In Maid, she plays the role of Denise, manager of a domestic violence center Alex attends as she attempts to get on her feet.

Aimee Carrero as Danielle

Carrero, 33, is primarily known for being the voice of Adora/She-Ra in the Netflix animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

She is also the voice of Princess Elena from Disney’s animated series Elena of Avalor.

She has also appeared in the shows Lincoln Heights, The Americans, and Young & Hungry, as well as the animated series She-Ra and the Princess of Power, where she voiced the titular hero.

Her character in Maid is also a single mum who Alex befriends at the domestic violence center, where she is staying with her seven-year-old son.

Will there be a season two?

While Netflix has labelled Maid as a limited series, there have been other limited series which have been commissioned for more than one season.

At present, it is unclear whether there will be another season, though the hopeful ending on the first 10 episodes could pave the way for more drama, trials and tribulations for Alex.