Trivia: Started performing stand-up comedy when he was 16.Many of his relatives are Lutheran ministers, including his grandfather, father and brother.Was already writing scripts when he was in high school.Dropped out of college to pursue an acting career.Signing up as an extra for the movie Virginia (2010), which was film in his home state, led to a small role after he approached director Dustin Lance Black to congratulate him on winning the Oscar for Milk (2008).Worked in a butcher shop and a bowling alley.Didn't had to audition for the role of Richard Jewell in Clint Eastwood's film Richard Jewell (2019).

Trivia: Plucky Brooklyn-born actress Marisa Tomei was one year into her college education at Boston University when she was tapped for a co-starring role on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns. Her role on that show, as well as work on another soap, One Life to Live, paved the way for her entrance into film: In 1984, she made her film debut with a bit part in The Flamingo Kid.Three years later Tomei became known for her role as Maggie Lawton, Lisa Bonet's college roommate, on the sitcom A Different World. Her real breakthrough came in 1992, when she co-starred as Joe Pesci's hilariously foul-mouthed girlfriend in My Cousin Vinny, a performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Later that year, she turned up briefly as a snippy Mabel Normand in director Richard Attenborough's mammoth biopic Chaplin, and was soon given her first starring role in Untamed Heart (1993). A subsequent starring role -- and attempted makeover into Audrey Hepburn -- in the romantic comedy Only You (1994) proved only moderately successful. Tomei's other 1994 role as Michael Keaton's hugely pregnant wife in The Paper was well-received, although the film as a whole was not. Worse luck hit with her participation in the critically thrashed Four Rooms in 1995. Fortunately for Tomei, she was able to rebound somewhat the following year with a solid performance as a troubled single mother in Nick Cassavetes' Unhook the Stars. She turned in a similarly strong work in Welcome to Sarajevo in 1997, and in 1998 did some of her best work in years as the sexually liberated, unhinged cousin of Natasha Lyonne's Vivian Abramowitz in Tamara Jenkins' The Slums of Beverly Hills. Appearing in no less than five movies in 2000, Tomei continued her journey back to the top with a memorable performance in 2001's In the Bedroom. An emotionally wrenching tale of loss and grief, Tomei's performance as a recently separated wife who begins a tragic affair with a college student struck a common cord with critics and filmgoers alike, in addition to earning the talented actress her second Oscar nomination.Tomei's versatility assured her continuous work in a variety of different kinds of films. She played one of the women in the remake of Alfie, co-starred opposite Adam Sandler in Anger Management, and worked in the Charles Bukowski-inspired independent film Factotum. In 2007 she earned strong reviews for her work in Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and appeared in the box office smash Wild Hogs. In 2008, Tomei enjoyed her largest critical acclaim since In the Bedroom thanks to her supporting turn opposite Mickey Rourke in The Wrestelr. Her performance earned her a number of year-end critics awards, as well as nominations from both the Golden Globes and the Academy.In 2010 she appeared in the Duplass Borthers comedy Cyrus, as the overly clingy mother to a son played by Jonah Hill, and the next year she had memorable turns in Crazy Stupid Love as a teacher who picks an unfortunate partner for a one-night-stand, and The Ides of March as a political reporter who has a hand in shaking up a presidential campaign.

Trivia: Grew up the youngest of three brothers on a dairy farm in Victoria, Australia. Moved to Melbourne in his late teens to play Aussie Rules Football, but a broken leg before the season started put an end to his career. Signed on the spot in 2002 by L.A. Models after walking into their offices barefoot. Was the first male model to sign a six-figure contract to represent Calvin Klein exclusively; shot to instant fame with his successful underwear campaign. Named one of the World's Sexiest Bachelors by People Magazine in 2002. Landed his first acting role in 2003 as John Clayton in the short-lived WB series Tarzan.

Trivia: Had originally planned to be a physiotherapist, but decided to pursue a career in acting after a teacher encouraged her to get an agent following a performance in a high-school musical. Studied acting with Queer as Folk cast member Dean Armstrong. Was nominated for a 2007 Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Lead Role for the movie Doomstown. Missed her first audition for the part of Leena on the Syfy series Warehouse 13 because she was getting her tonsils removed.

Trivia: Grew up in the Scarborough section of Toronto. Sent in an audition tape for Selma, and a mere 20 minutes later he was contacted and asked to chat via Skype with director Ava DuVernay and producer Oprah Winfrey. Received a surprise visit from the real John Lewis, whom James portrayed in Selma, when Lewis showed up on the set one day. Replaced John Boyega as Jesse Owens in Race after Boyega had to drop out in order to film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Spent his downtime during Selma training with a college track and field coach to prepare for his role as Jesse Owens. Was part of the Toronto International Film Festival's Rising Stars program in 2015. Named one of Toronto Life magazine's Most Influential Up-and-Comers of 2015.