EXCLUSIVE: Aidan Wojtak-Hissong (Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret), Jeremy Walmsley (Cross) and Dylan Taylor (Covert Affairs) are set for recurring roles in The Westies, MGM+‘s upcoming crime series from Chris Brancato, co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner, and Michael Panes. They join previously announced leads J.K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney and Jessica Frances Duke.
The Westies is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organized crime gang. Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. However, internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
Wojtak-Hissong will play Danny Keenan, a restless, sharp-eyed Hell’s Kitchen teenager and Officer Keenan’s son, an errand boy for the Westies despite his father’s disapproval.
Walmsley will portray Pat, a wiry, volatile young Westie with a chip on his shoulder, quick to throw punches and eager to prove himself.
Taylor is Connor, a jokester and tough young Westie soldier who sticks close to Roarke to survive in Hell’s Kitchen.
Wojtak-Hissong is best known for his roles as Moose Freed in the 2023 feature Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and as Liam Novak in Netflix’s cult banger series, I Am Not Okay with This, opposite Sophia Lillis. He most recently guest-starred on Canadian series Hudson & Rex. Wojtak-Hissong is repped by Amanda Rosenthal Talent and Coast to Coast Talent.
Walmsley’s film and television credits include Paramount’s Cross, The Last Frontier and Wintertide for Apple TV, NBC’s Nurses and Hulu’s Washington Black among others. He’s repped by Bryan Misener at The Characters Talent Agency.
Taylor is known for his work on Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, Covert Affairs for USA, Bad Blood for CityTV, BBC America’s Copper and CBC’s Workin’ Moms, among others. His recent feature work includes Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City and Fahrenheit 451. He’ll next be seen in upcoming Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy for NBC/Peacock, SisterS for IFC, and the new CBS series Sheriff Country. Ges repped by Jennifer Goldhar at The Characters Talent Agency.
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