Rising actor Hunter Cardinal stars as Michael in new Netflix teen drama BET. It is based on Japanese manga Kakegurui by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura.
The exciting premise depicts an elite boarding school where underground gambling shapes the social order. But what will happen when a new student challenges this established structure?
The show launched on May 15 – with all 10 episodes comprising season 1 released simultaneously on Netflix.
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How did you get started in acting/what was your inspiration?
Hunter Cardinal: I trace the roots back to restless evenings in my childhood. On sleepless nights, I’d tiptoe over to my grandmother’s room to ask if I could stay until I grew sleepy. I’d settle beside her, and we’d watch “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” together.
Hearing her laugh, feeling that instant connection between performer, audience, and her joy, made me feel profoundly alive. That little “warm fuzzy,” as I call it, still guides me every day on set.
How would you describe the premise of Bet, for anyone who may be unfamiliar?
Hunter Cardinal: Bet drops viewers into a prestigious preparatory school for the global elite, where the social hierarchy is built on wild, high-stakes gambling.
Every hand dealt or game lost decides who gets to eat and who is devoured. Underneath that spectacle, the series asks a quieter, more dangerous question: when the odds are stacked, what would you risk for revenge, power, or freedom?
You play the role of Michael in the show. Are there any major similarities/differences to you in real life?
Hunter Cardinal: Michael is the school’s outsider who refuses to gamble, someone who had to grow up too fast.
I like to think of him as the child in all of us who once drew a line in the sand to know right from wrong, but now he holds the rage and grief from what crosses that line every day.
Michael’s stubborn hope and quiet fury spark every move he makes, even when silence feels safer—or when truly helping those he loves risks their hatred.
If you, as Hunter, were in that environment, how might you navigate it?
Hunter Cardinal: For those familiar with the show, the first glimpse of St. Dominic’s is a bird’s-eye view of the preparatory school and its Gothic architecture, radiating wealth, power, and prestige.
If I were in that environment, you’d probably catch me in that same shot, running as fast as I can away from that place. It’s a world where only the brave (or maybe just the lucky) survive. I am neither.
Did you know of the Manga series before joining this show, or was the material completely new to you?
Hunter Cardinal: I knew the title, but the moment I booked the role, I stopped worrying about photocopying greatness. You don’t repaint a classic; you learn from it, honour it, and make your own with no apology.
My job was to honour Kakegurui’s spirit without playing a timid game of mimicry, letting the new story grow from the same soil and twist into its own wild shape.
So yes, I read it—and then bet on telling a story that could stare its inspiration in the eye.
Some of your fellow cast members include Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke and Eve Edwards. What was your experience like working with the ensemble as a whole?
Hunter Cardinal: We built a trust pact early on: each of us could take a big swing because someone else would catch the landing. Miku’s fearless intensity, Ayo’s heart, and Eve’s power and precision—each quality inspired the others and the rest of our cast to tell our story with tenacious authenticity.
Who stars in BET on Netflix?
– Miku Martineau as Yumeko Kawamoto
– Ayo Solanke as Ryan Adebayo
– Eve Edwards as Mary Davis
– Clara Alexandrova as Kira Timurov
– Hunter Cardinal as Michael
– Anwen O’Driscoll as Riri Timurov and Wendy
– Aviva Mongillo as Dori Ahlstrom
– Ryan Sutherland as Suki Hennessey
– Dorian Giordano as Chad White
– Emma Elle Patterson as Blake Samuels
– Laura Afelskie as Runa
Showrunner Simon Barry has an impressive track record – Warrior Nun, Continuum, Van Helsing. Were you a fan of any of Simon’s previous shows and how have you found working with him?
Hunter Cardinal: Absolutely—I’d binged Warrior Nun when it came out immediately, so when Simon Barry’s name first landed in my inbox, I was thrilled and a little nervous.
On set, he runs production like a precision-built carnival: every artist an expert, all of us kids let loose in the midway, buoyed by his generosity and trust.
One afternoon, I caught myself grinning like a kid in a lucid dream, looked up, and saw Simon wearing the exact same grin across the room—that’s when I knew we were led by someone who protects the craft yet never stops savouring it.
Aside from Bet, are there any other upcoming projects you can discuss?
Hunter Cardinal: Nothing I can publicly name just yet, but it’s all about chasing complex, deep-water characters—the ones who live between tidy labels—and finding crews who share that appetite for stories that carve new paths.
Follow writer Conor O’Brien on X.
A lifelong TV and Film buff, Conor founded Courageous Nerd in 2019. He has conducted hundreds of interviews for the site, as well as written comprehensive feature articles on a variety of topics. You can find him on X: @conorrcn.
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