When you first dive into the gritty, sun-drenched world of Oceanside, California, one figure towers over everything. Janine "Smurf" Cody. She's the matriarch. The monster. The mother who kisses her sons just a little too long on the lips to keep them off-balance. If you've ever found yourself wondering who plays Smurf in Animal Kingdom, the answer isn't a single name, but rather a duo of powerhouse performers who had to tackle the character at polar opposite stages of her life.
The show, which wrapped its six-season run on TNT, became a massive hit because of the tension Smurf created. She wasn't just a boss; she was the gravity that kept the Cody boys from spinning into total chaos, even while she was the one actively ruining their lives.
Ellen Barkin: The Legendary Original Smurf
For the majority of the series—specifically seasons one through four—the legendary Ellen Barkin inhabited the role. Barkin didn’t just play Smurf; she consumed the screen. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing that specific brand of icy, calculated manipulation to the table.
Barkin was already a Hollywood icon long before she stepped into the Cody backyard. You might remember her from The Big Easy or her haunting performance in Sea of Love. By the time she joined the cast of Animal Kingdom in 2016, she brought a decades-deep resume of playing "tough as nails" women who were smarter than every man in the room. In this show, she perfected the art of the "Smurf stare"—that look where she’s smiling at you while she’s secretly deciding exactly how to dispose of your body.
Barkin’s Smurf was the finished product. She was the woman who had already won. She owned the real estate, she laundered the money, and she held the leash on Pope, Craig, and Deran. But what made Barkin's performance so unsettling was the maternal mask. She’d be frying up bacon for the boys in a bikini top one minute and ordering a hit the next. It was a masterclass in psychological warfare.
Why Did Ellen Barkin Leave?
The drama wasn't just on screen. Fans were genuinely shocked when Smurf was killed off in season four. It felt premature. Usually, the "big bad" survives until the series finale. Barkin’s departure was... well, it was messy. She didn’t hold back on social media, making it pretty clear that the decision for Smurf to exit wasn't necessarily her idea.
She felt the show’s direction was shifting, and she wasn't shy about calling out what she perceived as "behind-the-scenes" ageism or boys-club dynamics. Whether you agree with her or not, the vacuum she left behind was massive. The show had to find a way to keep Smurf's presence alive without Barkin's physical presence on set.
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Leila George: Bringing the Young Janine to Life
This is where the second answer to who plays Smurf in Animal Kingdom comes in. As the show moved into its later seasons, the writers leaned heavily into the backstory. They needed to show how a homeless girl with nothing became the terrifying queenpin of a crime syndicate.
Enter Leila George.
Taking over a role made famous by an actress of Barkin's stature is a nightmare for most performers. It’s a lose-lose situation. If you mimic the original, you're a parody. If you do something totally different, the fans hate you. Somehow, Leila George threaded that needle.
George played "Young Smurf" in the 1970s and 80s flashbacks. She had the impossible task of showing us the vulnerability and the raw survival instinct that eventually hardened into the Ellen Barkin version. She didn't try to "be" Barkin. Instead, she captured the essence—the way Smurf used her sexuality as a weapon and the way she realized, very early on, that she couldn't trust anyone but herself.
Watching George in the later seasons (5 and 6) was fascinating. We saw her navigating a world of surfers and thieves, slowly building the foundation of the Cody empire. It explained so much about Pope’s trauma and Julia’s tragic downfall. If Barkin was the storm, George was the gathering clouds.
Comparing the Two Performances
It’s tempting to pick a favorite, but you really can’t have one without the other. Barkin gave us the payoff; George gave us the "why."
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Barkin’s version of the character was all about control. She was sedentary but powerful. She sat by the pool and pulled the strings. George’s version was kinetic. She was on the run, stealing cars, and living out of vans. It’s a brilliant bit of casting because, despite the age gap, both actresses share a certain "look" in the eyes—a predatory sharpness that makes you believe they are the same person.
Interestingly, Leila George actually spent time studying Barkin’s movements. She didn't want to do an impression, but she wanted to make sure that the physical language—the way she tilted her head or held a cigarette—felt consistent. It’s that attention to detail that kept the show’s internal logic from falling apart after the lead actress left.
The Legacy of the Character
Smurf Cody is one of the most complex female characters in modern television history. She isn't a "girl boss" in the empowering sense. She’s a villain. She’s a predator who happens to be a mother.
The brilliance of having two actresses play her is that it highlights the tragedy of the Cody family. By the time we get to the series finale, we see the full circle. We see how the choices Young Smurf (Leila George) made in the 70s directly led to the bloody, broken mess that Older Smurf (Ellen Barkin) left behind for her grandsons to clean up.
If you’re just starting the show, pay attention to the transition. The shift from the present-day drama to the flashbacks is seamless because both women understood the core of the character: Smurf is a survivor who decided she was tired of surviving and wanted to rule instead.
Where Can You See Them Now?
If you’ve finished the show and are craving more from these two, they’ve been busy.
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- Ellen Barkin: Since leaving the show, she’s appeared in projects like the star-studded Poker Face and the Netflix hit The Out-Laws. She continues to be a force of nature, usually playing characters who are just as sharp-tongued as Smurf but perhaps slightly less homicidal.
- Leila George: Her career is just heating up. Outside of Animal Kingdom, you might recognize her from the film Mortal Engines. She’s also been a fixture in the headlines due to her high-profile (now ended) marriage to Sean Penn, but her work on the TNT series proved she has the acting chops to stand entirely on her own.
What to Watch After Animal Kingdom
If you're obsessed with the Cody family dynamic, you've probably realized that there aren't many shows quite like it. However, if you want more of that "crime family" vibe, there are a few places to go.
First, you have to watch the original Australian film Animal Kingdom (2010). This is where it all started. In the movie, Smurf is played by Jacki Weaver. Weaver’s Smurf is arguably even more terrifying because she’s so seemingly "normal." She looks like a sweet grandma, which makes her brutality feel even more jarring. Barkin took that foundation and turned the "glamour" and "menace" up to eleven.
You might also dig Peaky Blinders for the family-run crime empire angle, or Sons of Anarchy for the "mother who manipulates her sons" trope (Gemma Teller Morrow and Smurf Cody would either be best friends or kill each other within five minutes).
Actionable Insights for Fans and Viewers
If you are looking to truly appreciate the depth of the Smurf character, here is how you should approach your next rewatch or first-time viewing:
- Watch the eyes, not the words. In both Barkin and George's performances, Smurf often says things that sound supportive while her eyes are scanning for weaknesses.
- Contrast the parenting. Look at how Young Smurf treats a toddler Pope versus how Older Smurf treats the adult version. You can see the exact moments where she stops being a mother and starts being a handler.
- Track the wardrobe. The show uses clothing to show Smurf’s rising status. Young Smurf is in dirty denim and tank tops; Older Smurf is in high-end silk and designer swimwear. It’s a visual timeline of her criminal success.
- Listen to the soundtrack. The music during the flashbacks is specifically curated to ground you in the era that formed Smurf’s worldview—a time of lawlessness and freedom that she eventually turned into a cage for her children.
The double-casting of Janine Cody was a gamble that paid off. It gave us a 3D view of a monster. Whether you prefer the seasoned ruthlessness of Ellen Barkin or the hungry ambition of Leila George, there’s no denying that they both built one of the most memorable characters to ever grace cable TV.