Trivia: A native of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia, actor Joel Edgerton grew up in the town of Dural, where he attended primary and secondary school. After high school, the aspiring thespian attended the Nepean Drama School on the Kingswood Campus at the University of Western Sydney, graduating in 1994. Cinematically, he divided his subsequent efforts between producing (for his Blue Tongue Films production shingle, co-run with his brother) and acting, but placed the greatest emphasis on acting. Early features (produced mostly in Australia) included Praise (1998), Dogwatch (1999), and Erskineville Kings (1999), but Edgerton came into his own with his popular ongoing turn as Will McGill on the Aussie soaper The Secret Life of Us, then branched out into increased international exposure with onscreen contributions to two of George Lucas' Star Wars films, Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith (2005). Those assignments represented something of a watershed for Edgerton, who then worked predominantly on higher profiled features, including Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces (2007) and Tatia Rosenthal's $9.99 (2008). In 2010, he co-starred in the highly acclaimed Australian crime-drama Animal Kingdom and lent his voice to the animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. Edgerton soon began scoring starring roles, headlining the disappointing 2011 remake of The Thing, starring opposite Jennifer Garner in the family film The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) and playing a predominate role in the Academy Award-nominated Zero Dark Thirty (2012). In 2013, he played Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Trivia: Born in Ethiopia, she moved to Dublin with her Irish mother after the death of her father in a car crash. After auditioning for a role in Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto, Jordan was so impressed that he changed the part so she could play it. Played Ophelia in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London in 2010, opposite Rory Kinnear as the title character. Only had eight days to prepare for the title role of Shirley Bassey in the BBA drama biopic, Shirley. Filmed scenes for 12 Years a Slave, but her role was eventually cut from the film.

Trivia: An actor of remarkable intensity whether playing comedy, drama, or classical-stage roles, Marton Csokas first became familiar to stateside audiences as Borias on the hit television series Xena: Warrior Princess. And though American audiences may not have been privy to his early stage and screen work, his performance in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring made him a familiar face. Born in New Zealand in June 1966, Csokas' early schooling didn't exactly encourage creativity, and the future actor didn't discover his passion for the stage and screen until his late teens. While studying literature and art history for a year at Canterbury and Christchurch, Csokas became involved with a writer's club and theater company before graduating from the New Zealand Drama School and co-founding the The Stronghold Theater. Steadily gaining experience and harboring a growing passion for classical-stage drama, the actor landed a role in the television series Shortland Street before making his feature debut in Jack Brown Genius (1994). Numerous small film roles followed, and, after becoming a recognizable star in his native country, Csokas began to familiarize himself with American television audiences with Xena and such small-screen features as The Three Stooges (2000). His experience in the fantasy world of Xena prepared him well for his role as Celeborn in the first Lord of the Rings movie in 2001, and American audiences later saw the versatile actor as a villainous criminal mastermind bent on world domination in XXX (2002). He appeared in director Alex Proyas' decidedly upbeat Garage Days the same year and in Richard Donner's time travel fantasy Timeline in 2003.

Trivia: Comedian Nick Kroll came up through the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in both New York and LA, before infultrating the world of stand up and sketch comedy, and becommning a writer for Chapelle's Show and Human Giant. The Georgetown allumni would go on to appear on VH1 series like I Love the 80's, as well as in sit-coms like Worst Week, Reno 911, The League, and the Life and Times of Tim, in addition to movies like I Love You, Man.

Trivia: Distinguished character actor Michael Shannon essayed a diverse series of characterizations onscreen, beginning just after the start of the new millennium. A veteran member of Chicago's experimental Red Orchid theatrical troupe, Shannon specialized in small, multidimensional portrayals that added to the overall effectiveness of each project -- per his contributions to Vanilla Sky (2001), 8 Mile (2002), and Bad Boys II (2003). Whenever necessary, Shannon imperceptibly blended into the material at hand. He played a therapist in Nicole Kassell's psychodrama The Woodsman (2004), yet by virtue of his emotional intensity and eccentric look, Shannon evinced an ability to dominate with his onscreen presence, as well. Nowhere was this tendency more evident than in William Friedkin's psychological thriller Bug (2006). As adapted by Tracy Letts from his own stage play, the film concerns a shabby and skanky drifter (Shannon, reprising his role from the play) with a serious complex of delusional schizophrenia, who believes that bugs are crawling beneath his skin and enters a terrifying pas de deux with a young waitress (Ashley Judd). Shannon followed it up with a memorable contribution to Oliver Stone's World Trade Center -- as a military man desperate to help in any way possible during the 9/11 tragedy -- and Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), a crime thriller about two brothers who team up to rob a jewelry store. Shannon grabbed his first taste of stardom with his breakout role as a mentally disturbed man in Sam Mendes' adaptation of Revolutionary Road. His truthful, menacing character cut through the main characters' self-deception, and Shannon's off-kilter delivery won him glowing notices from critics, as well as a nomination for Best Supporting Actor from the Academy. He worked steadily after that success appearing in The Greatest, Jonah Hex, and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. In 2010 he had a pair of critical successes that included his work as a repressed federal agent on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and his portrayal of the eccentric rock entrepreneur Kim Fowler in The Runaways. In 2011 he again earned raves for his work a schizophrenic in Take Shelter. His intensity got him cast relatively often as bad guys, something he put to great effect in the 2012 action film Premium Rush and in the criminal biopic The Iceman.

Trivia: Grew up in a Jewish family.Attended Weiner Middle School in Houston.Directed his own play during his senior year in college.Moved to New York City after graduating college to pursue his professional acting career.Worked at a bakery in New York.Replaced Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham in the Broadway production of The Book of Mormon.

Trivia: Of Jamaican, Bahamian and Cuban descent.The youngest of eight children.Played football and basketball in school.Started public speaking at the age of 5, won the Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest six times, and also won three national titles in oratory.Recipient of the 1997 Presidential Scholar Award.Featured in The Hollywood Reporter's Supporting Class of 2016 for his perfomance as Cato in Underground.

Trivia: Grew up in a Jamaican family.Studied improv at a Jamaica Arts Center.Studied acting at Premier Actors' Network in Atlanta, Georgia.Was a member of the comedy troupe Strange Groove.Has a minor in Psychology.

Trivia: Made his TV debut in Robert Altman's 1988 political satire Tanner '88, co-starring Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon. First feature-film appearance was a small role in 1989 dramedy The Unbelievable Truth, which also featured The Sopranos' Edie Falco in a bit part. Has appeared on numerous police-themed shows, including Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NCIS, NYPD Blue, Third Watch and Without a Trace. Wife Cas is an assistant director; the two have worked on several films together.