Lonely Planet Cast & Character Guide

Without a doubt, Lonely Planet‘s cast of characters adds a lot of charm to the hit Netflix film. Written and directed by Susannah Grant, who is best known for her work on Ever After, Erin Brockovich, and Lessons in Chemistry, Lonely Planet‘s age-gap romance centers on acclaimed novelist Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern). Despite her seemingly picture-perfect life, Katherine is weathering a difficult divorce and a looming deadline. In order to find some quiet, Katherine agrees to a writer’s retreat in Morocco. However, she plans to avoid the social aspects of the retreat just as much as she’s avoiding her personal life.

Katherine’s plans are derailed when she meets Owen (Liam Hemsworth), a New York finance guy who knows very little about the worlds of art or literature. Instead, Owen turns up at the retreat to support his long-term girlfriend, Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers), who’s fresh off the success of her debut novel. At first, Lily seems excited to have Owen with her in Morocco. However, as Lily becomes more enmeshed in the world of her fellow writers, the cracks in Lily and Owen’s relationship start to show. Thanks to Katherine, Owen begins to rethink his personal and professional desires.

Laura Dern As Katherine Loewe

Date Of Birth: February 10, 1967

Actor: Born in Los Angeles, California, Laura Dern is the daughter of acclaimed actors Bruce Dern (Coming Home) and Diane Ladd (Wild at Heart). In the mid-80s, Laura Dern rose to prominence thanks to roles in Peter Bogdanovich’s Mask and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Dern continued her trend of impressive collaborations into the ’90s, starring in Lynch’s Wild at Heart and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. An Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award-winning actor, Laura Dern’s other iconic movies and shows, including Big Little Lies, Twin Peaks: The Return, Enlightened, Little Women, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Character: In Lonely Planet, Dern plays Katherine Loewe, a celebrated novelist who seems to have the perfect life and career. However, Katherine is navigating a divorce, a looming deadline, and the prospect of finding a new place to call home. In order to finish her latest book, Katherine attends a writer’s retreat in Morocco — though she doesn’t quite find the silence and solitude she’s craving.

Liam Hemsworth As Owen Brophy

Date Of Birth: January 13, 1990

Actor: Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Liam Hemsworth took up acting, just like his older brothers, Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarök) and Luke Hemsworth (Westworld). While he appeared in the hugely popular Australian soap opera Neighbours, Liam Hemsworth’s breakout role came in 2012 when he landed the role of Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games. In addition to playing Gale in four Hunger Games movies, Hemsworth has appeared in action movies like The Expendables 2, Land of Bad, and Independence Day: Resurgence. The actor is also set to take over the role of Geralt in Netflix’s The Witcher season 4.

Character: Liam Hemsworth plays Owen Brophy in Lonely Planet. Unlike everyone else on the retreat, Owen isn’t a writer. Instead, he’s come on the trip to support his girlfriend, Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers), who recently became a bestselling author in the wake of her debut novel’s success. Although he works in finance, Owen’s morals don’t quite align with his current role. While in Morocco, he has a chance run-in with Katherine, who helps him reconsider his professional and personal trajectories.

Diana Silvers As Lily Kemp

Date Of Birth: November 3, 1997

Actor: Born in Los Angeles, California, Diana Silvers was inspired to pursue a career in acting after watching What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. After attending New York University (NYU) for a few years, Silvers dropped out and put her focus on modeling and acting. Although she made her screen debut in Hulu’s thriller series Into the Dark, Silvers’ big breakout came in Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart. The actor has appeared in other high-profile TV and film projects, including M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass, the Octavia Spencer-starring horror movie Ma, and the Netflix comedy Space Force.

Character: In Lonely Planet, Diana Silvers plays bestselling author Lily Kemp. Fresh off her successful debut novel, which Lily has dubbed a “beach read,” the young writer attends a writer’s retreat in Morocco. Unfortunately, being surrounded by other writers and artists pushes Lily to act differently, especially in her relationship with Owen. Much like Katherine and Owen, Lily discovers what she really wants while on the retreat.

Lonely Planet’s Supporting Cast Of Characters

The Romantic Drama Features A Small Ensemble

Younès Boucif as Rafih Abdo: Actor Younès Boucif (The Rapture, Standing Up) plays Rafih, the man who handles all the retreat’s logistics, in Lonely Planet.

Adriano Giannini as Ugo Jaconelli: Italian actor Adriano Giannini (Missing) plays Ugo, an author with substance-use disorder who embarks on Lonely Planet‘s retreat. It becomes clear that Ugo still loves Katherine, with whom he had a relationship decades earlier.

Rachida Brakni as Fatema Benzakour​​​​​​​: French actor Rachida Brakni, who won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her performance in Chaos, plays Fatema Benzakour — the wealthy patron behind the writer’s retreat in Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet (2024)

A reclusive novelist attends a Moroccan writer’s retreat to conquer her writer’s block. There, she meets a young man, and what begins as a simple connection soon blossoms into a powerful, life-changing romance.

Director

Susannah Grant

Release Date

October 11, 2024

Writers

Susannah Grant