Miniseries · HBO
Irma Vep
Life imitates art.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Alicia Vikander
Mira Harberg
8 eps
Vincent Macaigne
René Vidal
8 eps
Lars Eidinger
Gottfried
8 eps
Devon Ross
Regina
8 eps
Nora Hamzawi
Carla
8 eps
Jeanne Balibar
Zoe
8 eps
Adria Arjona
Laurie
8 eps
Byron Bowers
Herman
8 eps
Vincent Lacoste
Edmond Lagrange
8 eps
Alex Descas
Gregory Desormeaux
8 eps
Fala Chen
Cynthia Keng
8 eps
Hippolyte Girardot
Robert Danjou
8 eps
Antoine Reinartz
Jeremie
8 eps
Tom Sturridge
Eamonn
8 eps
Carrie Brownstein
Zelda
8 eps
Kristen Stewart
Lianna
8 eps
Panayotis Pascot
8 eps
Sigrid Bouaziz
Séverine
2 eps
Laurent Poitrenaux
Insurance Doctor
1 eps
Nathalie Richard
Ondine
1 eps
Jean-Luc Vincent
TV Host (1947)
1 eps
Élizabeth Mazev
Musidora (1947)
1 eps
Clément Bresson
Drug Dealer
2 eps
Clément Métayer
Gottfried's Fan
1 eps
Rayan Ben Yaiche
Gottfried's Fan
1 eps
Calypso Valois
Edmond's Girlfriend
2 eps
Denis Podalydès
Police Prefect
1 eps
Dominique Reymond
Therapist
3 eps
Pascal Greggory
Gautier de la Parcheminerie
3 eps
Maya Sansa
Gregory's Wife
1 eps
Jess Liaudin
Satanas
1 eps
Maya Persaud
Sandra
2 eps
Yaseen Aroussi
Regina's Boyfriend
1 eps
Angelin Preljocaj
Choreographer
4 eps
Alexandre Steiger
Jules / Mazamette
3 eps
Vivian Wu
Jade Lee
2 eps
Bertrand Suarez Pazos
Sacha Guitry
1 eps
Stefan Bohne
Bondage Consultant
1 eps
Valérie Bonneton
French PR
2 eps
Mathieu Milella
Stuntman
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Irma Vep actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Irma Vep reads strongest on Serialized, Character Depth and Bingeability.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
The story
What it's about
Mira is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as “Irma Vep” in a remake of the French silent film classic, “Les Vampires.” Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E06
The Thunder Master
After an epic blow-up on set, the fate of Rene's series is put in jeopardy. Rene gets a visit from a ghost as the production team considers taking The Vampires in a new direction that would reunite Mira with a figure from her past. All the while, Mira grows more entwined with her role as Irma Vep.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E08
The Terrible Wedding
In her final days shooting The Vampires, Mira grapples with her experience playing Irma Vep coming to a close. Regina looks toward her next chapter as a filmmaker, while Mira channels the spirit of Irma Vep to pursue a career-defining opportunity.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E07
The Spectre
Mira uses her newfound powers as Irma Vep to probe deeper into the lives of those around her. Regina shares news that threatens to upend her relationship with Mira. Mira experiences a spiritual breakthrough after a visit with Rene.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E02
The Ring That Kills
As René’s erratic behavior continues to threaten the production, Mira clashes with her agent, Zelda, about the future of her career – before assuming the role of Irma Vep for the first time. Meanwhile, costume designer Zoé deals with an unusual request from an actor as she attempts to connect with Mira.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E04
The Poisoner
Mira courts offers from both her agent and the production’s financier, who promises a lucrative – but morally compromising – advertising deal. When actress Cynthia Keng arrives on set, René experiences a crisis of faith – and turns to his star for advice. Later, Mira plays hard to get before receiving an unexpected visitor.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E05
Hypnotic Eyes
After shooting an iconic moment in which Moreno kidnaps Irma Vep, René faces backlash over the scene’s sexual implications. Unwilling to waver, René cites attempted censorship of 1916’s The Vampires – and original Irma Vep’s courageous fight to keep her film alive. Meanwhile, Mira deals with complex emotions as she sinks deeper into her character.
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E08
The Terrible Wedding
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E07
The Spectre
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E06
The Thunder Master
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E05
Hypnotic Eyes
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E04
The Poisoner
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
S01E03
Dead Man's Escape
- Directed by Olivier Assayas
- Written by Olivier Assayas
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Olivier Assayas
Showrunner
Daniel Delume
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Sylvie Barthet
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Stuart Manashil
Executive producer
Kevin Turen
Executive producer
Alicia Vikander
Executive producer
Sam Levinson
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Hallie Sekoff
Executive producer
Ravi Nandan
Executive producer
Ashley Levinson
Executive producer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Daniel DelumeExecutive Producer
- Sylvie BarthetExecutive Producer
- Stuart ManashilExecutive Producer
- Jes AndersonProducer
- Kevin TurenExecutive Producer
- Alicia VikanderExecutive Producer
Writing
- Olivier AssayasWriter
Direction
- Olivier AssayasDirector
Cinematography
- Denis LenoirDirector of Photography
- Yorick Le SauxDirector of Photography
Music
- Thurston MooreOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
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