When Netflix dropped They Cloned Tyrone, it felt like a fever dream. A gritty, 1970s-soaked sci-fi mystery set in a neighborhood called The Glen. You’ve got a drug dealer, a pimp, and a sex worker trying to stop a government conspiracy involving fried chicken and grape soda. It sounds wild because it is. But honestly, the reason it works isn’t just the crazy plot; it’s the Who Cloned Tyrone cast.
The chemistry between the leads is electric. It’s the kind of acting that makes you forget you’re watching a movie about underground labs and clones.
John Boyega as Fontaine (and Everyone Else)
John Boyega is the heart of this thing. Most people know him from Star Wars, but here? He’s playing Fontaine, a brooding, stoic drug dealer whose life is basically on a loop. He barely speaks, but his face tells you everything. You feel his exhaustion. Then, the movie throws a curveball. Boyega doesn't just play Fontaine; he plays multiple versions of himself.
He plays Old Fontaine, the scientist behind the whole mess. He also plays Chester, a sort of mindless muscle-clone. And let's not forget Tyrone, the Los Angeles-based clone we meet at the very end.
Watching Boyega argue with an older, CGI-enhanced version of himself is a masterclass. He manages to give each version a different soul. The "Old Fontaine" is cynical and broken, while the main Fontaine is just a guy trying to regain his humanity. It’s a lot of heavy lifting for one actor. He pulls it off without making it feel like a gimmick.
Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles
If Boyega is the anchor, Jamie Foxx is the engine. He plays Slick Charles, a pimp who looks like he walked straight off the set of a 1974 Blaxploitation flick. He’s got the hair, the suits, and the mouth. Honestly, Foxx is hilarious here. He provides the comic relief, but he never feels like a caricature.
There’s a scene where he’s trying to explain why he’s a "world-class" pimp that just kills. But when things get real, Foxx brings that Oscar-winning gravity. You see the fear in Slick Charles when he realizes his whole "legend" might be a lie manufactured by people in lab coats.
Foxx also served as a producer on the film. You can tell he really cared about the project. He isn't just "showing up" for a paycheck; he's chewing the scenery in the best way possible.
Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo
Teyonah Parris is arguably the MVP of the Who Cloned Tyrone cast. She plays Yo-Yo, a sex worker with a Nancy Drew obsession and a brain that works faster than anyone else's in The Glen. While Fontaine is brooding and Slick is talking, Yo-Yo is actually solving the mystery.
Parris brings this incredible energy to the trio. She’s the one who notices the "missionary-position" explanations don't add up. Her performance is high-octane. She balances the grit of the setting with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Watching her interact with Foxx is pure gold—they bicker like an old married couple, and it’s some of the funniest dialogue in recent memory.
The Supporting Players You Might Recognize
The world of The Glen is filled with weird, memorable faces. It’s not just the big three doing the work.
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- Kiefer Sutherland as Nixon: He plays the "head goon" or the face of the conspiracy. Sutherland is great at playing cold, bureaucratic evil. He’s the guy who tells Fontaine he’s a "patriot" for being a drug dealer because it keeps the neighborhood stagnant.
- David Alan Grier as The Preacher: Grier has a small but vital role. He represents the way the conspiracy uses the church to control the community. His "Laughing Preacher" routine is genuinely unsettling.
- J. Alphonse Nicholson as Isaac: You might know him from P-Valley. He plays Fontaine’s rival, and he’s key to the plan the trio cooks up to infiltrate the lab.
- Tamberla Perry as Biddy: Another standout in the neighborhood, adding to the lived-in feel of the setting.
Why This Cast Matters More Than Most
Usually, in sci-fi, the "concept" is the star. In They Cloned Tyrone, the characters come first. Director Juel Taylor focused on the archetypes of Blaxploitation—the dealer, the pimp, the lady of the night—and then humanized them.
The cast had to walk a very thin line. If they played it too serious, the movie would be depressing. If they played it too silly, the social commentary about government experimentation (think Tuskegee) would lose its bite.
Instead, they found this middle ground. They made us care about people the world usually ignores. When Fontaine finds out his mother is just a voice on a tape recorder, Boyega’s reaction is heartbreaking. It’s not just "cool sci-fi"; it’s a story about identity and agency.
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Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this world or the careers of this cast, here's what you should do next:
- Watch the credits carefully: The "Tyrone" reveal in the final scene isn't just a joke; it sets up the scale of the conspiracy. Boyega’s performance as Tyrone is subtly different from Fontaine—pay attention to the walk and the accent.
- Check out Juel Taylor’s other work: He wrote Creed II and Space Jam: A New Legacy. You can see his fingerprints on how he handles "legacy" and "identity."
- Listen to the soundtrack: It features a version of Erykah Badu’s "Tyrone" that was specifically tweaked for the film. It's a meta-commentary on the cloning theme.
- Explore Teyonah Parris in 'Chi-Raq': If you loved her as Yo-Yo, her performance in Spike Lee's Chi-Raq shows similar strength and charisma in a stylized world.
The Who Cloned Tyrone cast turned what could have been a niche Netflix movie into a cult classic. They took a wild script and made it feel grounded, funny, and deeply human. Whether you came for the mystery or the 70s vibes, you stayed for the performances.