7 Actresses Who Would Be Perfect

Warning: This list contains spoilers for Hazbin Hotel season 1.

Summary

• Lilith’s voice in
  Hazbin Hotel
  season 2 has not been cast yet, and little is known about the character’s personality.
• Potential actresses to play Lilith include Evan Rachel Wood, Mallory Jansen, and Mara Wilson.
• Some other potential choices with musical talent are Michelle Dockery, Sophie Carmen-Jones, Idina Menzel, and Eden Espinosa.

Lilith is expected to play a major role in the next season of Hazbin Hotel, and has yet to be cast. In Vivienne Medrano’s unique vision of the afterlife, Lilith is the Queen of Hell, the ex-wife of Lucifer Morningstar (Jeremy Jordan), and the mother of Princess Charlie (Erika Henningsen). While Hazbin Hotel season 1 primarily follows Charlie in her mission to redeem Hell’s Sinners at her Hazbin Hotel, the season finale reveals that Lilith herself has been residing in Heaven. Why she is there and what her grand plan is are also still shrouded in mystery.

Lilith does not speak during the brief scene where she is confronted by Lute (Jessica Vosk), meaning that Medrano and A24 still need to find the perfect person to provide her voice in Hazbin Hotel season 2. Charlie’s opening narration establishes Lilith as an independent queen; performers who are known for playing powerful female characters are among the best choices to voice Lilith. Additionally, whoever is cast as Lilith will need to have strong vocals, since Hazbin Hotel is a musical. It is easy to imagine Lilith having some kind of power ballad requiring a lot of belting.

Lilith’s exact character archetype is also still an enigma. Hazbin Hotel already subverts expectations with Lucifer’s character, making him a goofy father, while Alastor (Amir Talai) is the more Machiavellian type. However, Lucifer still demonstrates that he is viciously protective of his daughter and capable of putting up a fight. While no one can deny that a Maleficent-style version of Lilith would be spectacular, her character will hopefully have more nuance than being an evil mother figure, especially when Charlie expresses how much she looks up to her mom.

7 Evan Rachel Wood

Known for Across the Universe (2007) and Westworld (2016-2022).

Evan Rachel Wood has cemented her place in the cultural zeitgeist as Dolores, the artificial woman who leads an AI revolution in Westworld. Wood’s portrayal of Dolores’ transformation from the frontier damsel she was created to be into a vicious revolutionary is one of the better parts of the show, while its overall plot might confuse viewers. With her voice acting experience, Wood could be the serious and intelligent voice needed to bring Lilith to life.

While it may not be at the forefront of her career, Wood does have the necessary singing experience to join the cast of Hazbin Hotel. Earlier in her career, she starred alongside Jim Sturgess in Across the Universe, a jukebox musical utilizing the music of the Beatles to tell an original star-crossed love story. Wood also sings “Show Yourself” with Idina Menzel as part of her voice performance as Anna and Elsa’s mother in Frozen 2. Lilith is likely to sing something that will be counted among Hazbin Hotel’s best songs and Wood has the ability to handle this task.

6 Mallory Jansen

Known for Galavant (2015-2016) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020).

Mallory Jansen is an underrated star whose biggest claims to fame are her roles in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Galavant. In the former, Jansen takes on the role of the infamous Marvel Comics villain Madame Hydra. While fans are hoping for a more complex story than Lilith being a straightforward villainess, Jansen’s performance as a shrewd and elegant antagonist in Agents still has some bearing on her ability to voice the Queen of Hell.

While Jansen’s voice acting experience is minimal, her singing experience is no small thing. Jansen played the evil queen character Madalena during Galavant’s brief run, masterfully delivering a range of sassy musical numbers. Jansen has proven that she would excel at one of the most important parts of Hazbin Hotel: The musical numbers that reveal the characters’ flaws and schemes, but are nonetheless hilarious.

5 Mara Wilson

Known for Miracle on 34th Street (1994) and Matilda (1996).

Medrano has her own network of actors with previous voice acting experience who appear in one or both of her shows. Alex Brightman voices Adam and Sir Pentious in Hazbin Hotel, as well as Fizzarolli in Helluva Boss. Richard Steven Horvitz is the star of Invader Zim, one of Medrano’s formative shows growing up (via Screen Rant), and voices Moxxie in Helluva Boss. Therefore, it would come as no surprise if someone from Helluva Boss ended up playing Lilith. Mara Wilson voices Helluva Boss’ Mrs. Mayberry, who goes to Hell after killing her husband and attempting to kill his mistress.

Wilson would not be the most prominent actor in Hazbin Hotel season 2, but her brief conversations with the protagonist of Helluva Boss show her potential. She transitions from Mrs. Mayberry’s sunny schoolteacher persona to her malevolent demon one with ease, illustrating her versatility. Strangely, Wilson is known for her roles as a child actress: She played Matilda in the previous Matilda movie and Susan in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. However, she does have voice additional acting experience from her role as Jill Pill in BoJack Horseman.

4 Michelle Dockery

Known for Downton Abbey (2010-2015).

Michelle Dockery is elegant and sophisticated and well-suited to any character who embodies this. The most obvious example from her filmography is her long-running role as Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey and its movie continuations. Mary is superior and at times cruel, but is one of the smartest and most impactful members of the Downton Abbey cast. However, Dockery has shown interest in other genres and mediums, and Hazbin Hotel is not completely impossible for her.

Dockery took on the small role of Lady Olivia in Amphibia, created by former Gravity Falls storyboarder Matt Braly. Olivia is both in line with Dockery’s typical character archetype and completely outside it: She is a humanoid newt who serves as the stewardess of the newt king’s castle. Furthermore, Dockery is trained as a singer and released the album The Watching Silence with her Downton Abbey co-star Michael Fox in 2022. Dockery meets all the requirements to voice Lilith and would likely surprise everyone with a stunning performance.

3 Sophie Carmen-Jones

Known for Moulin Rouge! The Musical (West End cast) and The Little Mermaid (2023).

Hazbin Hotel features several amazing Broadway stars including Henningsen as Charlie, Vosk as Lute, and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Carmilla. Sophie Carmen-Jones is most widely known for originating the role of Nini in the West End production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, delivering a dazzling rendition of “Bad Romance” every night with her costar Elia Lo Tauro as Santiago. Carmen-Jones later moved to the Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge! to perform the same role.

Carmen-Jones’ experience in movies and TV is minimal. She is credited (via IMDB) as an ensemble performer in the Disney live-action remakes of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid, which are notably all strict musical remakes. She has appeared in some other movies and shows in addition to this. Carmen-Jones might not be the most obvious choice for Lilith, but her vocals and experience playing a kind yet complicated character like Nini could be perfect for it.

2 Idina Menzel

Known for Wicked (Broadway cast) and Frozen (2013).

Idina Menzel is also known for her Broadway roles, primarily originating the role of Elphaba in Wicked (whom Vosk also played in a later production). Lilith singing a “Defying Gravity”-inspired musical number in Hazbin Hotel would be nothing short of breathtaking, especially if Menzel is the one singing it. Menzel is also notably the voice behind “Let It Go,” the iconic smash hit from the days of Frozen’s debut. If the Hazbin Hotel composers wanted to give Lilith a showstopping ballad, they would definitely need someone with Menzel’s vocal power.

Due to her unparalleled musical talent, Menzel’s acting abilities often go overlooked. However, she has significant experience playing complex mother and queen characters that she could bring to the role of Lilith. This obviously includes Elsa, but also Rachel’s biological mother Shelby in Glee, and Nancy in Enchanted. The fact that Menzel is known for playing the force of nature of the Wicked Witch of the West should not be overlooked either. She would probably bring more gravitas to Lilith than any other actor.

1 Eden Espinosa

Known for Rent (Broadway cast) and Wicked (Broadway cast).

A final Elphaba actress who should be a contender to voice Lilith is Eden Espinosa. Espinosa could draw upon some of the same character traits and vocal experience as Menzel and Vosk if she were to become a part of Hazbin Hotel as Lilith. Espinosa first played Elphaba for the national tour of Wicked before joining the Broadway cast. She also played the role of Maureen in Rent on Broadway (ironically, also a role originated by Menzel).

The parallels between Espinosa and Menzel speak of their similar character archetypes and vocal ranges and why they would both be amazing choices to play Lilith. Likewise, Espinosa voices and sings the role of the anti-hero Cassandra in the Tangled continuations, elevating these IP-based TV shows with powerful songs that call back to Wicked. Hazbin Hotel has many talented performers to consider for the role of Lilith, but Espinosa is one of the best possibilities.

Source: IMDB