Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story Cast Guide

Lifetime’s Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story has an unusual challenge for its cast. Instead of simply recreating milestones from writer Roxane Gay’s life, the movie has to portray experiences that Gay herself explored with considerable honesty in Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body.

The story follows Roxane after an act of sexual violence at age 12 changes the course of her childhood. It then moves through later stages of her life as she struggles with trauma, food, body image and eventually finding a way to tell her own story.

Two actresses share the central role, with Hilda Martin playing young Roxane and Sunnii E. Bartee portraying the adult Roxane. Gay herself provides narration, giving the dramatized film a direct connection to the woman whose life it depicts.

Here is the principal cast of Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story.

Related: Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story Filming Locations

Sunnii E. Bartee as Roxane Gay

Sunnii E. Bartee plays Roxane Gay as an adult. Her portion of the movie deals with the lasting consequences of Roxane’s childhood trauma and the complicated relationship she develops with her body and food. The adult story also shows Roxane gradually finding the voice that would eventually make her a prominent writer and cultural commentator.

Bartee has previously appeared as Big Bad Betty in the comedy series Bookie and as Danielle in Tuff Crowd TV. Her earlier credits also include Orange is the New Musical, in which she played Piness.

She was additionally involved with the 2018 miniseries Spoken Memories of Em as a performer and contributed spoken-word material to the production. Bartee trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles, completing a BFA in Acting.

Surviving the Silence gives her a substantially more prominent dramatic role.

Hilda Martin as Young Roxane Gay

Hilda Martin portrays Roxane at age 12 and during the childhood period at the heart of the movie.

Young Roxane moves with her family into a seemingly comfortable suburban community before her life is changed by sexual violence. Martin’s performance therefore establishes the experiences whose effects continue into the adult portion of the film.

Martin was born and raised in Tanzania before building her screen career in Canada. Viewers may recognize her as Beau Besser from Superman & Lois.

She also played December in the independent drama Inedia, Grace in the Lifetime movie He’s Not Worth Dying For, Jessica in Imran and Alykhan and Mia in Our Christmas Journey.

Roxane Gay Narrates Her Own Story

Roxane Gay is more than the subject of Surviving the Silence. Gay narrates the movie herself, allowing her own voice to accompany the dramatized versions of her younger and adult life. She also wrote the screenplay and serves as one of the film’s executive producers alongside Suzanne Todd and Howard Braunstein. The movie is adapted from Gay’s memoir Hunger, first published in 2017.

Her direct participation is particularly important here because the material originates from Gay’s own account of trauma, survival, body image and self-acceptance rather than from an unauthorized interpretation of her life.

Julia Harnett as Nicole

Julia Harnett plays Nicole, Roxane’s mother. Nicole Gay and her husband Michael are Roxane Gay’s real parents, and both are represented in the Lifetime adaptation.

Harnett is a Canadian-American actress, dancer and choreographer originally from Vernon, British Columbia. Her television work includes Schmigadoon!, Billions, The Flight Attendant, Power, FBI, Supergirl and The Crew.

She has also worked extensively as a choreographer and appeared in Lifetime productions before Surviving the Silence.

Ron Robinson as Michael

Ron Robinson portrays Michael, Roxane’s father. Robinson is an American-Canadian actor based in Vancouver whose recent television work includes playing Gordon Newsome in Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys.

His other credits include The Night Agent, Nancy Drew, Blockbuster, A Million Little Things and Family Law. Earlier in his career, Robinson appeared in series including Star Trek: Voyager, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Malcolm in the Middle.

Jayden Oniah as Joel

Jayden Oniah plays Joel. Roxane Gay has a younger brother named Joel, making the character part of the Gay family portrayed during the movie’s childhood story.

Oniah previously appeared as Julian in Heaven Down Here. His more recent credits include Don’t Trust the Girls Upstairs, Christmas Baby and I Am Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

Josh Collins as Gareth

Josh Collins is credited as Gareth. Collins has accumulated a long list of television appearances, including The 100, Supernatural, Batwoman and Family Law. He also played Clarence in When Calls the Heart and appeared in the 2026 television movie I Killed Him in My Sleep.

Details about Gareth’s place in Roxane’s story have been kept relatively limited ahead of the movie’s Lifetime premiere.

The Supporting Cast

Ritisha Jhamb plays Lauren. Jhamb is an actress, director and producer whose credits include Shitcute, Mommy Issues and Female & Furious.

Joon Leewood appears as Mickey, while Curtis Lovell plays McCaffrey. Lovell has previously appeared in Tron: Ares, Calamity Jane, The Last Thing She Said and Virgin River.

Wayne Corbeil is also credited in smaller roles, including a passerby and restaurant patron.

Together, the cast surrounds the two versions of Roxane at different stages of her life, while Gay’s own narration keeps the film anchored to the person behind the story.