Jamaican-Born GoT Actor Marcos James Lands two lead TV roles

Game of Thrones actor Marcos James, best known for his portrayal of White Rat in HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series, has secured leading roles in two major upcoming television productions directed by prominent industry figures.

The Jamaican-born James is set to star as the fictional religious minister and book author ‘Pastor Mac’ Smith-Cage in the highly anticipated docuseries The Religion Business, directed by two-time Emmy winner Nathan Apffel (Fins). The seven-part series premieres July 10 on Amazon and Apple TV.

James has also completed filming Cabin Pressure, an action thriller made-for-TV film directed by Peter Sullivan (The Sandman, Netflix’s The Merry Gentlemen). The project reunites James with Hybrid Productions, the company behind Lifetime Movie Network’s Keeping Up With The Joneses, in which he appeared for two seasons alongside Vivica A. Fox and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts.

Cabin Pressure is expected to premiere later in 2025, with the network or platform to be announced.

For James, who also appeared in My Mate Is A Vampire, UK indie features Reunion and Number 203, and the acclaimed British stage production The Mahabharata, these two new projects represent a pivotal moment in his career.

“When I got signed to play Pastor Mac in The Religion Business I was aware it was a leading role,” he says. “But arriving on set on day one, I soon realized that the entire day’s shooting was going to be completely devoted to Pastor Mac's scenes. No other principal actors were present, and therefore everything would rest on my performance. The feeling was intense. I did take a moment to steal away from set to be by myself, to just get focused and absorb the pressure— and then I basically dived in and owned the experience after that. I’m very proud of the work that I did.”

Spanning seven episodes, The Religion Business takes a hybrid dramatized-documentary approach to exploring global religious movements—especially the commercialization of Christianity. It features both real-life footage and scripted segments based on factual events. James’ character, Pastor Mac, features in the dramatized sections.

“A colorful, extremely charismatic showman of many words, who is persuasive and charming, yet intense,” James says of the character. “Based on real-life preachers of today who are as much entertainers as they are ministers, his scenes bring into sharp focus the evolution of new age men in the ministry and their impact on today’s church.”

In Cabin Pressure, James takes on a very different kind of role—playing the film’s lead action antagonist, Kody, a combative figure who leads with fists rather than words.

“On a performer’s journey, you can generally mark your progress by a number of milestones— which usually have to do with who hires you — or better yet, who rehires you— and the people they surround you with,” he says. “And in that respect, Cabin Pressure ticks those boxes in really amazing ways for me. Firstly, because I was rehired by Hybrid Productions, who were very impressed with my work with them on Keeping Up With The Joneses. And secondly, now playing a role that demanded some of the most difficult and exhausting fight choreography I have ever done, I was paired with the incredible fight director Cole McKay, whose credits as a stuntman include Transformers: Dark of The Moon, Cloverfield, and Far and Away, in which he worked extensively with Tom Cruise.”

While plot details of Cabin Pressure remain under wraps as post-production continues, James is enthusiastic about what’s to come.

“I’ve always wanted to dive headfirst into the action thriller genre, so here’s my big chance.”

James is represented by Greg Bekkers of Apollo Management.