If you’ve recently scrolled through your streaming queue and landed on a high-stakes, claustrophobic thriller set on a luxury yacht, you probably found yourself asking about the cast of Into the Deep. It’s one of those movies that feels intensely intimate because the circle of actors is so small. You aren't dealing with a cast of thousands here. It is a lean, mean, three-person powerhouse for the vast majority of the runtime. Honestly, that’s exactly what makes it work. When you're trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean, every look and every line of dialogue carries the weight of a sledgehammer.
The 2022 film, directed by Charlie Steeds, relies heavily on the chemistry—and the terrifying lack thereof—between its leads. It isn't just about who is on screen; it is about how they manipulate the space around them.
Meet the Lead: Ella-Rae Smith as Jess
At the heart of the cast of Into the Deep is Ella-Rae Smith, who plays Jess. You might recognize her from The Stranger or Into the Badlands. In this film, she carries the emotional burden of the entire story. Jess is a young woman struggling with the grief of losing her mother, and she’s looking for a way to break out of her shell. When she meets a mysterious stranger at a party, she makes a choice that changes everything.
Smith’s performance is subtle. She doesn't start as an action hero. She starts as someone vulnerable, almost desperate for a bit of excitement. Seeing her transformation as the "dream vacation" turns into a literal fight for survival is the engine that drives the movie. She has this way of acting with her eyes that makes you feel her internal panic long before she ever screams. It’s a grounded performance in a genre that sometimes goes over the top.
Matthew Daddario as the Mysterious Ben
Then we have Matthew Daddario. If you were a fan of Shadowhunters, you know him as Alec Lightwood. Here, he plays Ben, the charming American who convinces Jess to ditch her life and hop on his boat. Daddario has this specific kind of screen presence—he’s incredibly handsome, sure, but there is an edge to him.
For the first act of the film, you’re basically trying to figure out if he’s a "good guy" or a "bad guy." Daddario plays that ambiguity perfectly. He’s smooth. He’s attentive. But then, there are these flickers of something darker. It is a massive departure from his more heroic roles, and he seems to be having a lot of fun playing a character who might be a total psychopath. He’s the catalyst for the entire plot, and without his ability to flip from charming to menacing in a heartbeat, the tension would fall flat.
Jessica Alexander: The Chaos Factor
The dynamic shifts completely when Lexie, played by Jessica Alexander, enters the picture. Alexander is perhaps best known now for her role in the live-action The Little Mermaid, but in the cast of Into the Deep, she plays a very different kind of character.
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Lexie is the "third wheel" who isn't really a third wheel. She’s Ben’s former flame (or so it seems), and she brings a level of volatility that the movie desperately needs by the second act. Alexander plays her with a frantic, jagged energy. While Jess is the moral center and Ben is the controlled manipulator, Lexie is pure chaos. She’s the one who starts pulling back the curtain on who Ben really is. Her performance is loud, messy, and vital to the film's pacing.
Why the Small Cast Works
Movies like this—think Dead Calm or even Knife in the Water—depend on a "bottle" setting.
- Isolation: There is nowhere to run.
- Paranoia: With only three people, every alliance feels temporary.
- Intensity: You get to know these characters deeply because the camera has nowhere else to go.
The Supporting Players and Crew
While the "Big Three" take up 95% of the oxygen, the cast of Into the Deep technically includes a few other faces you see briefly at the start.
Andrew Steele appears as the Father, providing the backstory and the emotional stakes for Jess before she heads out. Nikkita Chadha and Jack Morris also appear in minor roles, mostly to flesh out the world Jess is leaving behind. These roles are small, but they serve as the "before" to the "after" of the boat trip. They represent the safety of land that Jess so desperately wants to get back to once things go south.
Behind the scenes, Charlie Steeds directed the film based on a script by Kate Cox. Steeds is a veteran of the indie horror scene, often working with very limited budgets to create high-concept thrills. You can see his fingerprints all over the cinematography; the way the sunlight hits the water looks beautiful, but it always feels slightly overexposed, like it's hiding something.
Fact-Checking the Production
There’s a lot of chatter online about where this was filmed. Despite the vast ocean vistas, much of the filming took place in and around Cornwall, UK. This is a testament to the production design—they managed to make the English coastline look like a Mediterranean paradise, which adds to the "too good to be true" vibe that Jess feels at the start of her journey.
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Some viewers confuse this movie with other titles. There is a documentary also titled Into the Deep about the Peter Madsen submarine case. That is a completely different project. The 2022 thriller we are talking about here is a fictional narrative. It’s important to make that distinction because the documentary is a true-crime tragedy, while this is a scripted survival thriller.
What Sets This Cast Apart?
Honestly, the cast of Into the Deep succeeds because they don't play it safe. In many B-movie thrillers, the acting can feel wooden or "by the numbers."
In this film, the actors seem to understand that the plot is relatively simple, so they have to bring the complexity themselves. Smith makes you care about a character who makes some objectively questionable choices (like getting on a boat with a guy she just met). Daddario avoids the "twirly-mustache" villain tropes for as long as possible. Alexander makes a character who could be annoying feel genuinely tragic.
It's a masterclass in how to use a limited budget. You don't need explosions if you have three people who can make a conversation over dinner feel like a hostage negotiation.
Technical Credits Table (Narrative Style)
To understand the makeup of the film, look at the distribution of roles. You have the Protagonist (Jess), the Antagonist/Enigma (Ben), and the Disruptor (Lexie).
The screen time is divided almost equally among them once the second act hits. This creates a triangle of tension. If Jess trusts Ben, Lexie is the enemy. If Jess trusts Lexie, Ben is the threat. The script constantly rotates this triangle, making the audience question their own judgment of the characters.
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Misconceptions About the Movie
A lot of people go into this expecting a shark movie. Maybe it’s the title or the ocean setting. But let’s be clear: there are no sharks here. The "monsters" are entirely human.
Another misconception is that it’s a direct-to-video "filler" movie. While it didn't get a massive theatrical release in every territory, the pedigree of the cast of Into the Deep suggests otherwise. These are rising stars. Smith and Alexander, in particular, have been tapped for major franchises and high-fashion campaigns. This was a project where they could flex their "scream queen" muscles while still delivering nuanced dramatic work.
Critical Reception and Where to Watch
The film generally received mixed reviews, but the acting was almost always highlighted as a strength. Critics noted that the "tight-knit cast" managed to keep the momentum going even when the script leaned into familiar tropes.
You can currently find the film on various VOD platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and sometimes on specialized horror streamers like Shudder or Tubi, depending on your region. It’s a perfect "Friday night" movie—short, punchy, and visually sleek.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Watch
If you’re planning to dive into this movie or just finished it and want more, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the Foreshadowing: Pay close attention to Ben’s early dialogue. The cast of Into the Deep does a great job of seeding hints about the ending in the first 20 minutes.
- Compare the Performances: If you liked Ella-Rae Smith, check out The Stranger on Netflix. If you want more Jessica Alexander, see her drastically different role in The Little Mermaid.
- Explore the Genre: If the "survival on a boat" trope hooked you, look into Adrift (2018) for a more realistic take or Harpoon (2019) for a much darker, comedic version of a similar setup.
- Verify the Title: Double-check your streaming app to ensure you're watching the 2022 thriller and not the 2020 documentary or the 2022 Netflix doc about the submarine—unless you’re in the mood for real-life horror.
The cast of Into the Deep managed to take a familiar premise and make it feel claustrophobic and personal. It’s a reminder that you don't need a huge budget to create tension; you just need the right people in the room (or on the boat). By focusing on the psychological interplay between three distinct personalities, the film creates a sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll. Whether you’re a fan of the lead actors or just a sucker for a good thriller, it’s a solid entry in the "vacation gone wrong" subgenre.