Mark Duplass Joins Hulu's Erotic Thriller 'Victoria' as a Gene-Editing Professor

By Daniel Okafor

Mark Duplass has joined the cast of Hulu's limited series "Victoria," an erotic thriller set in San Francisco's venture capital scene. He arrives alongside previously announced leads Li Jun Li and Diane Lane. That's a promising trio for a story about money, lies and gene editing.

The series follows a con woman who enters "the elite world of venture capital" and finds herself in a "dark web of power, luxury and the crosshairs of a seductive killer who knows her secrets," per the official description. Not your standard pitch deck, then.

Who does Duplass play?

Duplass takes the role of William Holbrook, a UC Berkeley professor "whose work in gene editing has made him a sought-after figure in Silicon Valley, while his gift for mentoring young scientists has earned him the devotion of his students." A bioengineer with a fanbase. Silicon Valley will do that to a man.

Li plays Maxine Tao, described as a "sophisticated and cunning con woman who is thrust into the seductive, high-stakes world of venture capital after a chance encounter grants her the grift of a lifetime." Lane rounds out the leads as Lee Calloway, "a savvy venture capitalist accustomed to getting what she wants and has worked too hard to let anyone stand between her and the win."

Three characters, three varieties of ambition. The casting logic is easy to see.

Who is making 'Victoria'?

Onyx Collective and Counterpart Studios produce the series. Christy Hall, whose credits include "Daddio" and "It Ends With Us," serves as creator, showrunner, writer and executive producer — a full stack of hyphenates.

Behind the camera:

• Geeta Vasant Patel directs the pilot and executive produces that episode.
• Lilly Burns, Elise Henderson and Tony Hernandez of Counterpart Studios serve as non-writing executive producers.
• Li doubles as a co-producer on the series.

Why Duplass fits the part

Duplass was most recently seen in Kane Parsons' horror film "Backrooms." He continues to star in Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show," a role that has earned him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. The man works steadily, and the work keeps paying off.

His television credits include HBO's "Togetherness," which he co-created with his brother Jay Duplass, plus FX's "The League," Fox and Hulu's "The Mindy Project" and AMC+/Shudder's "The Creep Tapes." His film work spans "The Puffy Chair," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Safety Not Guaranteed," "Bombshell," "Biosphere" and the "Creep" franchise.

He and Jay also run Duplass Brothers Productions, behind "Somebody Somewhere," "Wild Wild Country" and the upcoming "See You When I See You" and "Their Town."

Duplass tends to play men whose decency frays under pressure. A devoted Berkeley mentor in an erotic thriller should give that persona a useful workout.

Hulu has not yet announced a premiere date for "Victoria." With the cast now filling out, expect production news next.