Monster · Season 4

Cast vs. the real people

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story puts actors inside a real 1892 household — and adds one face from a different century entirely. The table below maps every named role to the historical figure behind it.

Updated September 13, 2026

Ella Beatty

as Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden (1860–1927), the youngest daughter of the Fall River household — accused of the 1892 killings and acquitted at trial.

Leads the season. Its central question — did she do it? — is the same one the 1893 jury declined to answer with a conviction.

Vicky Krieps

as Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan

Bridget Sullivan (1866–1948), the Bordens' live-in maid at the time of the deaths.

The series leans on the maid's vantage point inside the household — a perspective the historical record barely preserved.

Charlie Hunnam

as Andrew Borden

Andrew Borden (1822–1892), Lizzie's father and a prosperous Fall River businessman.

Hunnam also played Ed Gein in Monster Season 3 — a rare two-season, two-role anthology double.

Rebecca Hall

as Abby Borden

Abby Borden (1828–1892), Lizzie's stepmother.

The distance between stepmother and stepdaughter is a recurring theme in accounts of the household; the series dramatizes it.

Billie Lourd

as Emma Borden

Emma Borden (1851–1927), Lizzie's older sister.

Emma stood by Lizzie through the arrest and trial; the show draws on the family's private divisions.

Jessica Barden

as Nance O'Neil

Nance O'Neil (1874–1965), a stage actress who became close friends with Lizzie in the years after the trial.

Their friendship fed decades of speculation; the season draws on that later chapter.

Sarah Paulson

as Aileen Wuornos

Aileen Wuornos (1956–2002), an American serial killer executed in Florida in 2002.

A cross-era role: Wuornos belongs to a later century, not the 1892 Fall River household.

Full cast table

The same seven roles in one compact view, with the longer historical notes.

Actor	Character	Historical figure	Notes
Ella Beatty	Lizzie Borden	Lizzie Borden (1860–1927), the youngest daughter of the Fall River household — accused of the 1892 killings and acquitted at trial.	Leads the season. Its central question — did she do it? — is the same one the 1893 jury declined to answer with a conviction.
Vicky Krieps	Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan	Bridget Sullivan (1866–1948), the Bordens' live-in maid at the time of the deaths.	The series leans on the maid's vantage point inside the household — a perspective the historical record barely preserved.
Charlie Hunnam	Andrew Borden	Andrew Borden (1822–1892), Lizzie's father and a prosperous Fall River businessman.	Hunnam also played Ed Gein in Monster Season 3 — a rare two-season, two-role anthology double.
Rebecca Hall	Abby Borden	Abby Borden (1828–1892), Lizzie's stepmother.	The distance between stepmother and stepdaughter is a recurring theme in accounts of the household; the series dramatizes it.
Billie Lourd	Emma Borden	Emma Borden (1851–1927), Lizzie's older sister.	Emma stood by Lizzie through the arrest and trial; the show draws on the family's private divisions.
Jessica Barden	Nance O'Neil	Nance O'Neil (1874–1965), a stage actress who became close friends with Lizzie in the years after the trial.	Their friendship fed decades of speculation; the season draws on that later chapter.
Sarah Paulson	Aileen Wuornos	Aileen Wuornos (1956–2002), an American serial killer executed in Florida in 2002.	A cross-era role: Wuornos belongs to a later century, not the 1892 Fall River household.

A note on the record: the historical summaries above come from the public account of the 1892 case, in which Lizzie Borden was accused and acquitted. The series dramatizes events and invents scenes, dialogue, and storylines — including the Aileen Wuornos thread. For the line between record and drama, see the true-story guide.