From their previous roles to their personal lives, here’s what to know about the cast of the ABC drama
Meet the stars of The Rookie.
The ABC series, which premiered in October 2018, follows John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a recently divorced 45 year old who starts a new life in California and becomes the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department.
The show, based on the true story of LAPD officer William “Bill” Norcross, follows John as he learns the ins and outs of an unpredictable career, all while facing adversity due to his age. Off-screen, Norcross continues to serve in the LAPD and is an executive producer on the procedural crime drama, per his LinkedIn.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Fillion, who also serves as an executive producer, opened up about why The Rookie connected with audiences.
“[John Nolan] is literally starting his life over, from scratch,” he said. “He has an incredible history behind him, but he’s starting everything brand new. It’s a very attractive prospect that people can relate to.”
Now five years after its original debut, The Rookie season 6 is in the works, with Eric Winter teasing the new scripts on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the Writers Guild of America’s strike ended.
While the cameras get rolling again, here’s everything to know about the cast of The Rookie.
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
Nathan Fillion plays John Nolan, an L.A. transplant and the oldest rookie in the LAPD.
Fillion has dozens of TV and film credits from his acting career of nearly 30 years. He got his start in 1994 when he took over the role of Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live, earning him a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Five years later, he appeared in Saving Private Ryan and joined the cast of the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place.
Despite the actor only starring in the space Western Firefly for one season in 2002, it was dubbed a cult classic and inspired a follow-up 2005 movie, Serenity, in which Fillion reprised his starring role.
Through the rest of the 2000s, he appeared in multiple TV series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Robot Chicken and Desperate Housewives. In 2009, Fillion was cast in the ABC drama Castle, where he played the role of the titular mystery novelist Richard Castle, who assists the NYPD with solving crimes. The show ran for eight seasons until it was canceled in 2016.
“They are light dramas,” he told Parade in 2022 about Castle and The Rookie. “There are moments of intensity with largely happy lives, which I think that’s pretty much how my life is, so I hope that’s close to reality.”
The Canadian star has also appeared in web miniseries, narrated audiobooks, lent his voice and likeness to video games and more. His accolades include a Saturn Award, an SFX Award, three TV Guide Awards and four People’s Choice Awards.
Eric Winter as Tim Bradford
Eric Winter plays Sgt. Tim Bradford, Lucy Chen’s training officer.
To pay for college at UCLA, Winter worked as a model, including in a commercial for Britney Spears’ fragrance Curious.
Following a few minor TV parts, he portrayed Rex Brady on Days of Our Lives from 2002 until 2005. After leaving the daytime soap opera, he appeared on TV shows like Brothers & Sisters, CSI: Miami, Rizzoli & Isles, The Good Doctor and more. He has also starred in a number of Hallmark and Lifetime movies.
Winter was born in La Mirada, California. He married Puerto Rican singer and actress Roselyn Sánchez in November 2008, and the couple have two children: daughter Sebella “Sebi” Rose and son Dylan Gabriel.
In 2017, Winter and Sánchez co-authored a book, Sebi and the Land of Cha Cha Cha, inspired by their daughter. They also host a podcast, He Said, Ella Dijo, covering parenthood, celebrity news and more.
Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen
Melissa O’Neil plays Officer Lucy Chen, another rookie in the LAPD.
O’Neil was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and she first stepped into the spotlight when she auditioned for the third season of Canadian Idol in 2005 while still in high school. O’Neil was crowned the winner in September of that same year, becoming the first female winner and the youngest in the show’s history. She signed a record deal with Sony Music Canada and released her self-titled debut album two months after winning.
The actress began performing in theater productions, and in 2015, she was cast in Syfy’s Dark Matter, where she starred for three seasons. O’Neil has also had roles in Canadian and American TV shows, including a recurring part in iZombie and an appearance in A Simple Favor (2018).
Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen
Tru Valentino joined the cast of The Rookie in season 4 as rookie officer Aaron Thorsen. He was promoted to series regular in season 5.
He has primarily done voice-over work for animated series, including Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Netflix’s The Cuphead Show!, Fast & Furious Spy Racers and Madagascar: A Little Wild. Valentino is also in the main company of the Groundlings Theatre in L.A.
Valentino’s parents are U.S. Army veterans. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and raised in Waynesville, Missouri.
Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune
Jenna Dewan plays Bailey Nune, a firefighter and John Nolan’s love interest who joined the series in season 3.
Dewan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but moved frequently throughout her childhood. In 2000, she began working as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, first appearing in her “Doesn’t Really Matter” and “All for You” music videos and later joining her on tour in 2001. She has also danced for artists like Pink, Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera.
Dewan is best known for her starring role in Step Up (2006) and has appeared on TV series such as American Horror Story: Asylum, The Mindy Project, The Resident and Superman & Lois.
In 2006, Dewan began dating her Step Up costar Channing Tatum, whom she married three years later. Their daughter, Everly Elizabeth Maiselle, was born on May 31, 2013. The couple announced they were separating in 2018, and the divorce was finalized the following year.
In February 2020, she revealed her engagement to actor Steve Kazee, whom she began dating in 2018. Their son, Callum Michael Rebel, arrived in March 2020. Kazee joined Dewan on The Rookie in season 4, playing her character’s estranged husband.
Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
Mekia Cox joined the cast in season 2 as former undercover detective Nyla Harper, John Nolan’s training officer who later returns to a detective position.
Prior to joining The Rookie, Cox had roles on several TV shows, including 90210, Mob City, Chicago Med and Once Upon a Time.
Cox was born in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but her family moved to Orlando, Florida, when she was 7. She married basketball analyst Britt Leach in April 2018 and gave birth to their first daughter that December. She announced her second pregnancy on Instagram in January 2022, which was written into her storyline on The Rookie, and their second daughter was born in May of that same year.
Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey
Richard T. Jones plays Wade Grey, a sergeant and watch commander in the Mid-Wilshire Division.
Jones appeared in a number of TV shows and movies throughout the early 1990s before his first main role in the one-season show Brooklyn South in 1997. He then starred in Judging Amy from 1999 until 2005.
He was a guest in series like Numb3rs and Grey’s Anatomy and landed recurring roles on Hawaii Five-0, Nikita, American Horror Story: Hotel, Criminal Minds and more.
Jones was born in Kobe, Japan. His father, Clarence Jones, was a professional baseball player playing for the Nankai Hawks in Osaka, Japan, and the family moved to California after the 1978 season.
Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez
Lisseth Chavez joined the series in season 5 as rookie Celina Juarez.
Before The Rookie, Chavez had a recurring role on The Fosters and leading roles on Chicago P.D. and D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow, plus a number of other TV credits.
Annie Wersching as Rosalind Dyer
Annie Wersching played Rosalind Dyer, a serial killer and recurring antagonist in seasons 2, 3 and 5.
The actress was born in St. Louis and got her start appearing on shows like Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed and Supernatural before her first major role on 24. She starred in the main casts of Bosch and Runaways and had roles on The Vampire Diaries and Star Trek: Picard.
In 2013, Wersching played Tess in the PlayStation game The Last of Us, providing motion capture and voice-over work. The game has since spawned a hit HBO series of the same name.
In September 2009, Wersching married actor Stephen Full. They shared three sons: Freddie, Ozzie and Archie. In mid-2020, she was diagnosed with cancer; Wersching kept her diagnosis private and continued to work.
Wersching died in L.A. on Jan. 29, 2023, at the age of 45. On Feb. 14, 2023, the series dedicated an episode to the late actress.
Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
Alyssa Diaz plays Angela Lopez, a training officer turned detective at the Mid-Wilshire Division.
Diaz’s first major role came in 2005 when she was cast on the soap opera As the World Turns. She went on to star in TV shows like Army Wives, Zoo and Narcos: Mexico. She has also had recurring and guest roles on The Vampire Diaries, Ray Donovan, NCIS: Los Angeles and more.
Diaz grew up in Northridge, a neighborhood in L.A. In 2019, she became engaged to Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Gustavo Galindo. In December 2020, she confirmed that she and Galindo had welcomed a baby boy together. Her real-life pregnancy was written into her character’s storyline in season 3.
