Every great story must start somewhere, and for Daisy Jones and the Six, it all happened in reality.
Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel of the same name, the Amazon Prime Video adaptation spotlights the band Daisy Jones and the Six. Actress Riley Keough stands at the forefront and stars as Daisy Jones, a Penny Lane-type trailblazing her way (barefoot, of course) into the music scene. Daisy's path later intertwines with Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin)'s band The Six, which cues whirlwind love affairs, heartache and ultimate rise and fall of the group.
Though a fictional series, it tugs hard on nostalgia by including references synonymous with the 1970s California setting (think: Whisky a Go Go and The Doors). It's enough for viewers to wonder who Daisy Jones and the Six is based on. Well, that's something we unraveled a long time ago.
Who is in the cast of Daisy Jones and the Six?
With a band that reached such heights on-screen, it required talent of the same caliber offscreen. That included bringing in Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley, as well as the following cast:
- Riley Keough as Daisy Jones
- Sam Claflin as Billy Dunne
- Camila Morrone as Camila Dunne
- Suki Waterhouse as Karen Sirko
- Will Harrison as Graham Dunne
- Josh Whitehouse as Eddie Roundtree
- Sebastian Chachon as Warren Rojas
As far as real-life bands go, they look quite similar to Fleetwood Mac: Stevie Nicks (female vocalist), Lindsey Buckingham (lead guitarist and male vocalist), Mick Fleetwood (drummer), Christine McVie (keyboardist and vocalist) and John McVie (bass guitarist).
Daisy Jones and the Six is made up of Daisy Jones (female vocalist), Billy Dunne (lead guitarist and male vocalist), Warren Rojas (drummer), Karen Sirko (keyboardist and vocalist) and Eddie Roundtree (bass guitarist), plus Graham Dunne (lead guitar).
Is Daisy Jones and the Six based on a real band, like Fleetwood Mac?
Not exactly a biopic, but Fleetwood Mac both inspired and struck the match for the fictional band's creation. Daisy Jones and the Six's essence feels like a time capsule of the band's most notorious era — the making of their album Rumours. The cast even created and sang an entirely original soundtrack to match.
Taylor confirmed it when talking about the novel's influences, writing in a blog post that she always felt a pull toward Fleetwood Mac. She specifically resonated with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's tender yet cryptic stage moments.
A chilling live performance of "Silver Springs" sealed the deal to put pen to paper. Taylor described Stevie's singing "like a woman scorned, holding that microphone like a weapon, drilling holes into Lindsey’s head with her eyes as she sang that her voice would haunt him."
The author added: "I wanted to write a story about that, about how the lines between real life and performance can get blurred, about how singing about old wounds might keep them fresh."
That said, Taylor has previously clarified that the events that unfolded in the book and show aren't based on a true story. “But here’s the thing: almost nothing in the book actually happened with Fleetwood Mac – it’s a Fleetwood Mac vibe but it’s not their story," she told The Guardian in 2019. "I haven’t actually ripped off their lives. I just wanted to spend more time listening to Rumours and needed a good reason to do it.”
With that in mind, bearing a close likeness to Stevie's appearance, Daisy touts long hair with shaggy bangs and drapes herself in a myriad of shawls and flowy jumpsuits. Complete with a tambourine, she mimics Stevie's onstage mannerisms by lifting and spreading her arms like wings, then twirling around.
It's certainly a sight to see!
Jacqueline (she/her) was a commerce editor for Good Housekeeping from 2021 to 2024. Prior to joining GH, she was a style and beauty reviews fellow at Insider, testing viral trends, reviewing sustainable brands and more. She's a graduate of the University of Florida's School of Journalism, with a specialty in magazines and mass communication.
