When we, as TV and movie lovers, buy into a fictional portrayal of the real world, it means a lot when we can identify in some way with the characters we’re seeing on screen. That means representing people of all ages, backgrounds, body types, races, disabilities, personalities, etc. As awareness has increased about Autism Spectrum Disorder, I love that we’ve also seen it more prevalently portrayed on our screens.

In addition to reality shows like Love on the Spectrum that challenge stereotypes that autistic people may face, there are several movies and series that include characters who have autism. Because the spectrum is so broad, no singular portrayal can be accurate of the entire community, and that’s why it’s so important that so many of these characters exist. Below I’ve listed 8 characters from TV shows and movies who are on the autism spectrum.

Christian Wolff (The Accountant)

Both The Accountant (2016) and The Accountant 2 (2025) star Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an accountant with savant-level math skills who is also a lethal assassin. The movies show how his autism helps him to quickly and easily “assist” criminals with their finances, but also how he struggles with social interactions. The sequel digs into his upbringing and relationship with his brother, and there are some fun scenes where Christian tries line dancing and even speed-dating.

Shane Hollander (Heated Rivalry)

Heated Rivalry was a spicy smash hit for HBO Max when it came out in 2025, with Hudson Williams portraying Shane Hollander, a hockey player who engages in a relationship with rival Ilya Rozanov. While autism is never mentioned in the first season of the book-to-screen adaptation, author Rachel Reid has confirmed Shane is on the spectrum.

Hudson Williams told THR his father has autism, and he drew inspiration from him on how to play Shane. I think it’s a great portrayal because it doesn’t lean on extreme stereotypes, it’s not made to be Shane’s defining character trait, and still, fans are able to recognize and identify with his neurodivergence. Be sure to check out this authentic performance, but be warned — Heated Rivalry is one of HBO Max’s most sexually explicit shows.

Temple Grandin (Temple Grandin)

This biographical drama, Temple Grandin from 2010, stars Claire Danes as the titular character, who fought speech and sensory issues and grew up to make revolutionary changes to the cattle ranching industry. The TV movie is based on Temple Grandin’s memoirs and seeks to give people a broader understanding of Grandin and autism. It won several Primetime Emmy Awards — including Outstanding Lead Actress for Danes, who also won the Golden Globe for the role.

Sam Gardner (Atypical)

Another example of autistic characters on TV is Atypical’s Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist). The Netflix series is centered around an 18-year-old trying to navigate life as a teenager, including social situations like dating, but it also looks at his family. Through four seasons, it shows — sometimes casually and sometimes in heightened situations — how Sam’s autism affects everyone in the family and how they make accommodations to try to make things easier for him. Atypical is one we think everyone should check out.

Max Braverman (Parenthood)

Max Burkholder portrays Max Braverman, whose autism becomes a main storyline in Parenthood right from the start of what would go on to be six emotional seasons. This series gives us a good look inside the minds of Max’s parents, particularly as they learn to establish routines, navigate behavioral issues, and find Max the help he needs at school. As Max grows up, we also see how his feelings about autism change over time.

Parenthood also features another possible autistic character in Ray Romano’s Hank Rizzoli. Hank discovers that he might be on the spectrum after reading a book about autism to try to better understand Max. He finds that he relates to a lot of what is being described in the book, and autism would explain a lot of what he’s been through in his life. His character seemingly represents the people who don’t realize they’re on the spectrum until adulthood; however, Hank was never formally diagnosed at neurodiverse.

Wendy Welcott (Please Stand By)

Dakota Fanning has been praised for her performance in 2018’s Please Stand By as Wendy Welcott, an autistic woman living in a group home, where she spends her days working on a Star Trek script. After missing the mail-in deadline to submit her script for a screenwriting contest, she flees home to deliver it in person — thus proving she’s more independent than her sister thinks. Her journey is sometimes harrowing, but Fanning portrays Wendy as confident, competent, creative and complex, and it’s beautiful to see her fight for something she cares deeply about.

Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor)

Despite displaying some stereotypical characteristics of autism — including savant syndrome — Freddie Highmore’s role as Dr. Shaun Murphy on The Good Doctor is generally considered a positive representation. While Shaun struggles with eye contact, can interpret things super literally, and exhibits sensory sensitivity, many fans of the medical drama enjoy seeing him respected in his profession as he navigates workplace dynamics and relationships.

Woo Young-woo (Extraordinary Attorney Woo)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a fascinating look at one way autism is portrayed in South Korean entertainment. The series (available to stream with a Netflix subscription) stars Park Eun-bin as autistic rookie attorney Woo Young-woo. It’s impossible not to be charmed by the attorney and her special interest in whales, as she navigates plenty of bias regarding her autism, as well as professional rivalries and budding romance.

These are only a handful of characters on the autism spectrum that can be found on TV and in movies. Many children’s shows have come to feature autistic characters, including Sesame Street and Carl the Collector. There are also many characters who seem to display characteristics of neurodiversity but whose diagnoses have not been confirmed, including The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, Community’s Abed Nadir, Criminal Minds’ Spencer Reid and more.

It’s great to see so many facets of autism represented in entertainment. Hopefully, it will only continue to broaden people’s understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity.

Since it's Women’s History Month, I’ve been thinking about what movies actually make me feel joyful and affirmed about being a woman. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is an easy one, but I didn’t grow up with it. One that came to mind from my past that I admittedly didn’t quite remember was 2003’s Uptown Girls. So, I decided to give it a rewatch for the first time as an adult.

Dakota Fanning’s Ray Reminded Me About What It's Like To Be A Kid

I was around Dakota Fanning’s age in the film when the movie came out. I remember thinking she was kind of an odd character, but I know the story left a mark on me when I watched it as a kid. I felt differently about Ray this time around as she deals with her father being in a coma and her mom leaving her alone most of the time.

As someone who was dealing with my own childhood stressors at her age – the separation of my parents – I now look at Ray with a new understanding and appreciation of her as a young character. I wasn’t like Ray, but watching her gave me a chance to reflect on how serious it sometimes felt to be a kid dealing with family issues. I tend to look back at my girlhood with rose-colored glasses, but then a character like Ray comes along and I’m reminded that I wasn’t insusceptible to big feelings then, I just kind of pushed through the best I could. There was a part of me that wanted to be an adult when I was younger, so I could better deal with and understand adult problems – Ray is just the extreme of that feeling.

And, I Could Really Relate To Brittany Murphy’s Molly

Then, there’s Molly. She goes through a riches to rags story when she finds out her rock star father’s accountant embezzled her money, and suddenly she finds herself babysitting (seemingly her first job ever). Throughout the film, she’s seen as an immature character who doesn’t know how to be an adult. While Ray wants to hurry up and grow up, Molly revels in the fun parts of life… to a fault. (And, I have to give a shoutout to Donald Faison, her Clueless castmate being in it with her!)

Again, I’m not really like Molly at face value. My life is nothing like hers. But, her journey as a character, in relation to Ray, really spoke to me. When we're kids, we want to be more grown up, and often it's vice versa when adulthood hits us. Molly is naive in a lot of ways, sure, but I also appreciated how she’s very true to her feelings and wears her heart on her sleeve throughout the film. Uptown Girls made me want to hug and nurture the girl I was, who didn’t know how to deal with the “adult” stuff about life, and be kinder to the playful “girly” side of myself that is still very much alive now that I'm a grownup. The movie really reminds you that we need to hold on to both these sides of being a girl/woman, and I’m so grateful I revisited it for that reason.

Now, I think Uptown Girls actually kind of a perfect movie, and such a good pick to watch this month. No wonder it went TikTok viral recently! I cannot wait to return to it over and over again when I need a pick-me-up from the 2000s era.

Elle Fanning has had quite the career, so it’s almost hard to believe that this season she received her very first Academy Award nomination. She was a surprise contender for her performance in Sentimental Value, which received a number of Oscar nominations. Of course, many big Hollywood names rushed to congratulate Fanning on the incredible achievement, including stars like Julianne Moore, Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson. But truthfully, one of the most meaningful comments came from her sister Dakota, whose sweet response made my heart swell.

In a recent Instagram post, Elle documented herself FaceTime-ing Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier, crying happy tears and reacting to the 2026 Oscar nominations. She was emotionally overwhelmed and the filmmaker was beaming with pride that the young starlet got her Best Supporting Actress nomination. She captioned her post, in part:

Elle wasn’t the only one in Sentimental Value who got a nomination. Renate Reinsve got a Best Actress nod for her lead performance, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas also got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Stellan Skarsgård, who has been hilarious this awards season, got a Best Supporting Actor nod after taking home the Golden Globe for his performance. There's a lot of love for the 2025 Norwegian drama to go around, but it seems like the most love is coming from Elle's sister, Dakota, who is no stranger to awards nominations herself. She commented:

This response is beyond sweet and shows that these two are really close.

Dakota Fanning, in a lot of ways, was a big role model for her sister. She paved the way in Hollywood, taking on child acting roles and sustaining a steady career into adulthood. She even received her first Emmy nomination last year for her performance in the limited series Ripley.

Her sister Elle followed suit and has been absolutely astonishing in projects like The Great, Neon Demon, and A Complete Unknown. Clearly, after all these years, they’ve remained incredibly close, acting as touchstones for each other as they both navigate Hollywood. You can see Dakota’s comment and others on Elle’s post below:

Elle Fanning’s first Oscar nomination feels like more than just a long-overdue industry milestone; it's a full-circle moment for the Fannings. These are two sisters have grown up together in an often unforgiving industry and emerged as each other’s biggest fans. Whether or not Elle takes home the Academy Award, she’s clearly got a lot of love on her side, which is in itself a huge win. It’s all so wholesome and yet another reason to root for Sentimental Value on Oscar night.

You can see Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value, which is in select theaters now. Critics are absolutely loving the Joachim Trier masterpiece, so make sure to see it on the big screen while you can. Also, fans of Dakota Fanning can see her in the hit miniseries All Her Fault, which is currently streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Jonathan Bailey was officially named 2025’s sexiest man alive amidst his Jurassic World and Wicked fame. However, recently, Elle Fanning made a great case for why Jack Black is her ultimate Hollywood crush, and it’s been getting a lot of attention. Now, a video of Fanning asking for a selfie from Black over a year ago is going around, and fans are living for it.

If you’re not caught up on the lore, Elle Fanning and her sister Dakota Fanning appeared on Vanity Fair’s lie detector test series back in September. There, Elle fangirled while hooked up to the machine about how much she loves Black. Now, check out her sweet moment with the Anaconda actor at the 2024 Golden Globes:

This video definitely has a whole new context to it, knowing what Elle Fanning thinks about the actor. Here’s what she’s said about the Hollywood star:

Obviously, since this video has been running around, the internet has been talking about how happy they are that Fanning had this moment with Black because they know how much of a fan she is. She’s certainly not the only one who thinks he's swoon-worthy, either, with fans often pointing out how charming he is in The Holiday with Kate Winslet. Check out some comments from Instagram:

• “Find someone who looks at you like Elle looks at Jack! 😍😍😍” - @simon.bacon.90
• “just know that her boyfriend was SWEATING😭” - @magghanns
• “This made my day 😍❤️🙌” - @jannettefriedrich
• “I’m so excited for her 🤩🤩” - @gioh.rodriguez
• “This lore will always be my favorite” - @taymichspoe

Funny enough, Jack Black has been promoting Anaconda with Paul Rudd this week, and they were shown the video of Elle Fanning’s reaction to the School of Rock star. Black was having trouble processing the compliment and said Fanning has “that goblin dysmorphia". Rudd, who was sitting next to him as they watched the video, said, “I get it… as does the world” in Fanning’s defense.

I love it when Hollywood actors have moments like this, where the internet brings them together in a very random way, and now I’m wondering if there will be another excuse for these two to be in the same room again. Elle Fanning has been receiving praise for two movies among the 2025 movie releases, thanks to Predator: Badlands and Sentimental Value, and will certainly be making appearances on the award show circuit. How great would it be if they were paired together to announce an award or something like that? Black had one of the biggest movies of the year, with Minecraft after all.

You can support Elle Fanning’s big crush in the new comedy Anaconda, which opens on Christmas Day.

With all the streaming services in play, there's always a ton of content to catch up on. One of the best Peacock shows to watch right now is the mystery thriller All Her Fault, which features a stellar cast including Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning. The latter actress spoke to CinemaBlend about the project, and joked about no longer being the youngest person on the set anymore.

Dakota Fanning is a child actor who still works today, and has grown up before our eyes. Those with a Peacock subscription are treated to her latest role, as a concerned mother in All Her Fault. As you can see in the video above, I spoke with Fanning about the new show, and asked how her experience as a young person influences the way she works with child actors as an adult. As she told me:

This makes a great deal of sense. Fanning showed an insane amount of talent and depth as a young performer, and her early films paired her with names like Denzel Washington, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, and the late actress Brittany Murphy. She says she wanted to be just like everyone else, rather than being treated with kid gloves. And that time in her life is influencing the way she works with child actors nowadays.

Dakota Fanning's character Jenny Kaminski is a mother in All Her Fault, so she had a number of scenes with the young actor playing her son Jacob. Later in our same conversation, she admitted that it's strange to no longer be the youngest person on the set post-30. In her words:

Honestly, can you blame her? Fanning was basically a prodigy, and grew up on film sets. But now that she's 31 and able to play parents on screen, the dynamic has changed. Funny enough, it's still taking some time for her to get used to it. Aging is weird, even more celebrities.

I assume that Fanning's comments echo some fans, who might find it hard to believe that the former child actress is now a full-blown adult. She remains synonymous with roles in projects like I Am Sam, Man on Fire, and the Twilight saga. While she grew upon film sets, now she's the adult woking with child actors.

The full season of All Her Fault is streaming now on Peacock as part of the 2025 TV schedule. There are tons of twists and turns involved, not including the fact that Dakota Fanning is now old enough to play someone's mother on screen.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed Vicious via Paramount+ subscription, so be warned, and don’t answer the door!

I’m always impressed when a horror film’s sound can provoke visceral audience reactions as successfully (or more so) than the visuals, and The Strangers helmer Bryan Bertino’s 2025 movie release, Vicious, is indeed one of those movies. Currently streaming after originally being set for theaters, Vicious puts Dakota Fanning’s Polly in the middle of a single-location nightmare, and one of Bertino’s smartest moves here (beyond the A+ casting) was limiting the music to match the narrative, so that Fanning and the sound design take center stage.

Which means, of course, that any time someone’s flesh is being sliced or blood is squelching, those noises are as up close and personal as can be, which can make for some very disturbing scenes. Case in point: Polly suddenly losing her breath, choking, gagging and retching up a key that she definitely never swallowed in the first place. I had the pleasure of talking to Bryan Bertino after Vicious debuted at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and I had to ask how much of that scene hinged on Dakota Fanning’s instincts, as opposed to his direction. As seen in the video above, here’s what he told me:

Let me tell you, hearing those quick, rattled gasps turning into gutteral heaves was just below reaching "Too Effective" when booming out of the theater's speakers. Moments like that turn the smells of popcorn and hot dog grease from friends into enemies. So I can see why seeing and hearing Fanning's performance would have caused such a reaction.

He continued, championing the actress for going above and beyond in her portrayal of Polly, and for her ability to go to those dark places at a moment's notice.

I kinda wish I'd asked exactly how committed, since that shot lingered on her as she gagged a few times before the key finally dropped out of her mouth. Did she really have the key in there the whole time? Was it dropped from the other side of her face? Was it a CGI key?

I also asked Bertino which scene was the most disturbing one for him to film, and while some fans might think he'd bring up a shockingly violent scene involving a face stabbing or a digit being chopped off, he pointed back to Fanning's gagging scene, given how authentic it was compared to faux violence and gore. In his words:

That said, Bertino did bring up another scene that provided more of an emotional disturbance rather than anything bloody or supernatural: Polly's phone call with her father.

As someone whose father died back in 2001, and as someone who's had both good dreams and nightmares about seeing the man again, I was taken aback by that scene in a way that was unlike anything else in the movie. I obviously knew it wasn't really Polly's dad, but I could 100% empathize with her for wanting and wishing for it to be real. Grief sucks, especially when it involves fucked-up boxes with hourglasses and weird demands, and keys that rise up from one's guts.

The bar has now been set for any and all upcoming horror movies when it comes to having main characters aggressively gagging on supernatural keys, as well as for evil mirror reflections and other genre movie tricks.

Vicious is currently streaming among other excellent horror movies on Paramount+, and here's hoping everyone is living nice and happy lives after everything that went on, even though that seems about as likely as Polly's dad calling me right now. Ooh, hold on, I hear my phone buzzing somewhere...

One of the easiest pop culture equations, at least in my head, goes like this: Halloween + horror movies = a damn fine time, and doubly so when enjoying those movies alongside like-minded genre buffs inside a movie theater. Thus, it is indeed unfortunate that Paramount shifted Dakota Fanning’s upcoming horror movie, the mystery-box nightmare Vicious, from its theatrical release in order to make exclusive for those with Paramount+ subscriptions. But at least it means fans everywhere will be able to watch with immediacy, and there’s an ideal way to experience it as well.

Vicious is the kind of movie that’s best viewed without really knowing anything about it, but one thing everyone should be aware of is that director Bryan Bertino and the film’s sound design team (headed up by Chuck Michael) put a ton of work into making this one of the most sound-intensive horror movies out there. Literally everything sounds as if it’s engulfed in microphones, from floorboards to hourglass sand to cigarette lighters to [SPOILERS]. (Not gonna get that one out of me!)

Having seen the film’s world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, I think that Vicious is one of the most audibly unnerving movies in recent memory, and the constant aural barrage is a big part of why the movie is as effective as it is. As such, I can’t quite imagine anyone watching on their phones will feel that same level of immersion. So when I talked to The Strangers’ helmer Bryan Bertino about his latest effort, I championed the sound editing and asked if he had advice for horror fans streaming the movie at home. Here’s what he told me:

Rarely do I ever go to bat for a director who asks audiences to watch a movie using headphones, but this is 100% one of those cases where I'm in the box holding both aluminum and wooden bats, and I'm swinging at everything. Even if you're watching on a 70-inch TV inside a tiny shed, if you don't have a surround sound system in place, I'd still 100% suggest using headphones over just the TV's speakers.

Does that mean you'll probably make a fool of yourself by jolting up and letting out giggling whimpers every 15 seconds or so? Sure, but at least this time there's a reason for it.

I obviously can't say where audiences as a whole will rank Vicious among the many other quality horror films that have hit the 2025 movie schedule thus far, but I don't think there can possibly be anyone who walks away from it saying, "Well that sounded like crap, and Dakota Fanning doesn't show any emotion." Both of those sentiments are patently false, and Fanning's performance here is a cut above her genre-embracing work in 2024’s The Watchers. Not to mention the unsettling performance by Kathryn Hunter, who legitimately seems like she was pulled off of the street for the role.

Given those factors, as well as its checklist of fun and imaginative horror gimmicks and stunts, I think Vicious will sit comfortably among some of the best horror movies currently streaming on Paramount+, even if it won't necessarily overtake any of them. Just heed Bertino's advice and grab those headphones!

Vicious will be available to stream on Paramount+ starting on Friday, October 10.

Dakota Fanning has long proven herself capable of excelling within all genres, and as a horror fanatic, I’m always enthused when she exerts her talents on spookier projects. It’s a genre blessing indeed that Vicious, her big-screen successor to 2024’s The Watchers, is another limited-location chiller that ramps up the scares, gore, and emotional dread. If only her character’s story were on the same level…

Vicious, which made its world premiere during Fantastic Fest’s 20th anniversary, is the latest from writer/director Bryan Bertino, best known for creepily invading our homes with 2009’s The Strangers. With that and later projects, Bertino cemented his talents behind the camera, and I’ve always found his directing talents to be a step or two above his storytelling. That personal critique remains consistent throughout Vicious. That said, he employs such a fun and expansive bag of horror magic tricks that it’s easy to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Cursed Box With Mysteriously Specific Rules? Check

Dakota Fanning's tattoo-covered Polly is going through both past and present-day struggles, and her niece seems to be the only source of light in that darkness. So the last thing Polly needs in her life is a weird and confused old woman showing up on her doorstep with a bandaged hand and a nondescript wooden box of doom.

The movie's dread-laced set up is laid out clearly: Polly will die if she doesn't appease the box's requirements for the owner to offer up something they love, something they hate, and something they need, all before an included ornate hourglass runs out. (And let me tell you, this box is a right fickle bitch about its own rules .) Before Polly realizes it, the curse has been bestowed upon her, and it's the kind of curse that preys on personal demons and skeleton-filled closets.

Reality-Bending Chaos With Nerve-Rattling Sound Design? Check

The film's soundscape is perhaps its most impressive element, especially once the box starts destroying Polly's sense of reality with one incident after another. It's as if every action in Vicious was captured by a 360-degree array of microphones, from doors unlocking, to Polly taking drags of a cigarette to the skin being pierced. Not so unnerving when each is heard in solitary, but when the cacophonous bombardment of ringing phones, nursery rhymes, screaming children and slamming doors sets in, it's hard not to start squirming in discomfort.

Having watched Vicious in a packed theater with booming speakers, I retroactively found it astounding that Paramount Pictures has nixed the film's theatrical release in place of a Paramount+ debut. Bertino, sound designer Chuck Michael and the rest of the team put a ton of dedicated effort into making the movie as much of an aural horror as a visual one, and it's a shame that the majority of home audience members won't get that same pulse-pounding experience.

Dakota Fanning Excellence And Tons Of Horror Tricks? Check

If anyone questioned this before, let's make it official now: Dakota Fanning is a Scream Queen. Her performance in Vicious is excellent, as she adds an emotional layer to the character that does a lot of work filling out Polly's intentionally vague backstory involving her various family members – who each end up making appearances in one way or another. With another actor in the role, I might just be watching to see what wacky shit happens next, but Fanning makes it easy to empathize with the protagonist during her plights.

What an array of plights and frights it is, too. Bryan Bertino throws a ton of beloved horror stunts and gags at the metaphorical wall in Vicious, and most of them stick. I'm a sucker for evil mirror reflections and when slow camera pans are used to reveal pure insanity, and those are just two of literally dozens of fun and freaky elements that I couldn't get enough of in Vicious.

Fully Fleshed-Out Story And Consistently Logical Character Behavior? Not So Much

For all the hints and breadcrumbs spread throughout the film, and for all that Dakota Fanning's performance helps, Polly's story leaves audiences with perhaps too many unanswered questions for her story to feel fully cohesive. I'm perfectly fine with not having a feature-length origin tale about the box itself, and I do like when things are open to interpretation, but I'm less fond of feeling like I missed out on important info.

As well, Polly's behavior throughout the film veers from naturally understandable to totally anti-intuitive, with too much time spent watching the hourglass' sand drip down while questioning why it's all happening. There's a scene beyond the midpoint where Polly gripes about not knowing what the box wants, despite having a pretty good idea. It's a movie moment for sure, but maybe not something a real person would do.

There's not all that much to chew on after it's all over with, and I do wish the story would have utilized the snowy setting a bit more. All in all, though, Vicious is a greatest hits of horror scares and jolts that will have viewers screaming, gasping and giggling with malicious glee.

It takes more than Dakota and Elle Fanning standing side by side in a stunning Vanity Fair cover to know the two are sisters. When Dakota Fanning first made her mark on the entertainment industry as a child star, you better believe her younger sister still did kid-sister things to her famous sibling. In fact, The Great actress revealed the “maniacal” thing she did to her older sister before they both experienced fame. I gotta say, it is kind of evil.

Dakota Fanning first established herself as a child actress with her cameo on ER. Then came big roles in Uptown Girls, Man on Fire, War of the Worlds and more. While Elle Fanning’s time for fame as an actress didn’t come until a little later, this is all the more reason to find ways to poke fun at her famous older sister. In a TikTok video with AP Entertainment to promote A Complete Unknown, the 26-year-old actress spoke about what it was like to have a famous sibling:

That’s an incredibly “maniacal” thing to do, especially when your older sister is trying to get some quality time with her little sis’ in Citywalk compared to being mobbed by fans! But, it’s definitely a typical kid-sister thing to do to mess with your older siblings. It’s all in good fun, after all.

The first movie Elle Fanning did actually was with older sister Dakota acting alongside each other in I Am Sam. She played the younger version of her sister’s character Lucy. She continued to play more side roles in films like Daddy Day Care and Because of Winn-Dixie until one J.J. Abrams film established her career away from her older sibling’s fame:

When Elle Fanning joined the cast of Super 8, it truly was the perfect role to make a name for herself away from her sister. She portrayed the complex emotions of Alice Dainard, who’s the object of affection in school, but struggles with a hard home life.

From then on, Elle Fanning made great accomplishments in her adult acting career like receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her lead role in one of the best Hulu original shows, The Great. The Beguiled actress also portrayed Michelle Carter in the cast of the miniseries The Girl From Plainville. With her 2024 movie release of A Complete Unknown receiving Golden Globe nominations this year, Elle Fanning clearly has an identity of her own and I can’t imagine anyone mistaking her for Dakota again.

Elle Fanning may have been a bit evil turning a mob of fans on her older sister during their Citywalk time. But now that the two former child stars are still acting today, Dakota Fanning can turn the crowd of fans on her younger sister! I can already imagine the tables turning now in the sibling rivalry games.

Dakota Fanning is only 30 years old but she's been a professional actress for 24 of those years. While it’s now much more common to see successful child actors grow into equally, if not more successful adults, there was a time when that wasn’t the case. Stories of child actors who spent as much time in the tabloids as on-screen were once a normal occurrence, and Fanning says growing up that many interviews would make a point to remind her of that.

Dakota Fanning starred in numerous films as a young child and teen that are still well remembered to this day, including Man on Fire with Denzel Washington, with whom she's still friends. She’s a bit younger than other big celebs, like Lindsay Lohan or Brittney Spears, or have become known as much, if not more, for their personal exploits than their professional work. The Cut recently asked Fanning about her ability to avoid being in the headlines, and she says the fact that she was following in the footsteps of controversy was something that she was constantly reminded of in interviews. She explained…

It seems more than a few interviewers may have simply assumed that by being a child actor, Dakota Fanning would end up in the same trouble that has befallen other child actors. I’m sure being a friend to a girl who is in movies and on TV is a bit unusual, but the idea that having friends would somehow be impossible shows a lot of preconceptions.

Child actors going "bad" is certainly an atention grabber, and there have been plenty of instances of child actors running afoul of the law or otherwise getting up to no good. Demi Lovato has produced a documentary about her own struggles,and recently released Child Star a documentary available with a Hulu subscription where she interviews many adults who were previously child stars.

Dakota Fanning did not become a “tabloid girl” but she says she has that she has no ill feelings towards those who did. She does understand the complexities of working in Hollywood and how one might find themselves going down the wrong path. For her part, Fanning credits her family as well as those she worked with for keeping her from potentially doing the same. She continued…

While some of the child stars that ended up in tabloids never really recovered, others were much more successful. Lindsay Lohan has been making movies again and recently finished filming Freakier Friday, the sequel to the popular remake. Brittney Spears wrote a book that has since been optioned for a movie. Being in the tabloids is not the end of the road, but Dakota Fanning is clearly thankful it’s a road she didn’t go down.

Spoilers below for The Perfect Couple, so be direly warned if you haven't yet watched!

One of Netflix's best shows at the moment is the twisty-turny killer thriller The Perfect Couple, which is winning over critics and viewers with its "which of these rich assholes is guilty?" mystery. The six-episode arc, which may or may not get a second season, will keep viewers guessing throughout, so long as they don't get spoiled on all the answers ahead of time.

Timing is everything, though, which many of this show's characters can attest to, and Netflix's social media team is probably that much more aware of it now. The streaming giant posted a video on Instagram featuring interviews with the two stars most relevant to the major character death talking about it over scene clips. Despite the "Spoiler Alert" noted at the front of the video and in the written caption, however, the replies are rife with people railing hard against Netflix for spoiling things.

But who's actually to blame here, assuming there is a legitimate reason to throw blame around?

Angry Fans Blame Netflix For Ruining The Perfect Couple's Reveal

Netflix's IG post (seen lower) does technically seem to give away a major spoiler for anyone who knows nothing about The Perfect Couple, simply by mentioning star Meghann Fahy's name in this caption:

But those words and Fahy's boxed-out appearance on the video don't automatically confirm or spoil anything specific, and only combine to heavily imply that Fahy plays the show's key victim. As such, it's not the most egregiously revealing way to word it, so it's technically okay.

Ideally, things would get worse from there, but the myriad negative comments applied to the post would suggest otherwise. Here's a smattering of reactions from those who were none too pleased to see this post popping up.

• This is so annoying! Haven’t watched the whole show yet and I probably don’t have to now. Why would you spoil the ending? There’s a lot of other content you could’ve posted without spoiling it! 😕 - @eeeefff
• it used to be on My List now i have to get rid of it because i am not as excited anymore. thanks netflix! - @alrienza
• Love that I wasn’t able to scroll away fast enough. Thanks for saving me the time! Now I don’t have to spend all those hrs watching the show. 😂😂😂 - @that1duude
• Why would you post it doe??? Like literally no warning - @ruvashokoofficial
• You shouldn't have😢😢😢😢 just got to episode 2 now I got to stop watching thanks and no thanks - @urchubby_highness
• This is completely unnecessary and unacceptable @netflix ! What were you thinking? - @noeliaxo
• Who’s doing your social media? The show JUST came out and you’re spoiling the whole thing. You all still have time to take this down. - @breachforthestars

That's the tip of the iceberg, really, with a large majority of the comments on the post skewing negative. To be fair, there definitely are posts directly commenting on what's said in the video, with some viewers sharing their thoughts on what the twist was going to be ahead of the reveal, and some just randomly giving the show praise. But by and large, the replies were filled with grievances.

Seriously, though, no one should stop watching even if the mystery is spoiled, since Michael Beach and Donna Lynne Champlin are aces as The Perfect Couple's police chief and visiting detective, respectively. Nothing can spoil their on-screen chemistry.

Sorry, Fans, But I Kinda Think This One's On You

While I'm certainly into the general concept of spoiling potential viewers on major breakthroughs in current TV shows and movies, and if this conversation were somehow being had 20 years ago (before streaming and IG, somehow), then I'd probably be more on the side of those complaining. But here in the 2024 portion of the Netflix Era, things have changed.

For one, The Perfect Couple was released on Friday, September 5, and so it didn't "JUST" come out, as one commenter stated, though I get what the person meant. Still, though, we're talking about a six-episode series geared for binge-watching, and one that has remained atop the Top 10 since its arrival.

So for its part, Netflix is firmly aware of exactly how many people are zooming through this show, both in regards to who's already finished and who's still in the middle of the wedding-stalling investigation. And I can only hope that if the company's data showed that 90% of audience members had not yet made it through the six episodes, that social post would not have been shared.

At this point, though, after two full weekends have passed since The Perfect Couple debuted, the onus is on viewers to avoid spoiling things for themselves. It's sill to think about a billion-dollar corporation sitting on interview footage for an extended period just because a few thousand people were late to a party that millions already attended.

In any case, this is all somewhat irrelevant anyway, since Netflix 100% had a
"Spoiler Alert" message on both the video and the caption. Turning off audio and autoplay isn't so hard, especially for those who know they're watching something of a spoilery nature.

Before ending things, I do want to give a shout out to the one comment I saw that spun a positive takeaway out of the idea of Netflix spoiling its star-studded thriller.

• You spoil the ending? 👏 Very clever, so everyone can now watch Dead Boy Detectives instead, thank you ❤️ #savedeadboydetectives - @sfhvn.all.the.as

Obviously this is the kind of entertainment debate that doesn't have any hard right or wrong answers, but the main thing is that people will hopefully learn from this experience and will be wary about delving into social media scrolling while whodunnits are afoot.

If you know me, you know I love animation. I’ve always been a fan, from the latest animated movies coming out as part of the 2024 movie schedule to classics that I could rewatch again and again. I also love animation on television, something that I grew up on and have come to appreciate even more. But there are just some characters voiced by actors that I genuinely could not imagine another actor voicing them – and today, we’ll be going over them. 

Robin Williams As Genie (Aladdin)

This is the obvious answer. Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin was honestly one of Robin Williams' best roles, and he wasn’t even on screen. He was able to give so much energy, wit, and fun to a character that was drawn, and it almost made you feel like Genie was a friend rather than some random side character.

Tim Allen As Buzz (Toy Story Franchise)

Toy Story is hands down one of the best Pixar films, and a big reason for this is the natural partnership between Buzz and Woody. Of course, I had to put Tim Allen as Buzz here. I’m pretty sure we can barely think of Buzz in any other way aside from Allen doing it, even if Chris Evans did give it his all in the Lightyear cast. 

Dante Basco As Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

“Hello, Zuko here,” is a line that has lived in my brain since I was literally a child and will forever be there. Dante Basco as Zuko is iconic. Not only is Basco basically the biggest Avatar: The Last Airbender fan out there, but he’s also voiced not one but two characters in the ATLA universe. However, he, like Zuko, can’t be beaten, and we will always love him voicing one of the best redemption arcs on television. 

Bryce Papenbrook As Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)

Let me preface this by saying that yes, I know the primary voice roles for anime are the Japanese voice actors but have you ever heard an English dub actor who is just so good that it makes it almost impossible to watch it in Japanese? That’s Bryce Papenbrook with Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan. As one of my favorite anime, I started this series listening to Papenbrook, and I ended it with him, too, when I watched the finale again with the dub. He does Eren so well, and it’s hard to picture anyone else but him. 

Eddie Murphy As Mushu (Mulan)

Eddie Murphy is one of those actors where it feels like he plays himself in his voice roles, and he, as Mushu, is certainly one of them. I cannot tell you how often I quote this character. “Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” I mean, only Murphy could have that kind of delivery. 

Tara Strong As Timmy Turner (The Fairly Oddparents)

There are some voice actors out there who ultimately defined my childhood, and Tara Strong is one of them. I could put so many of her characters on here from multiple different TV shows, but I think the best one has to be Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents. I couldn’t imagine Timmy having a distinct voice, and Strong brought so much character to his iconic kid. 

Seth MacFarlane As Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)

Family Guy has cemented itself as a show that just won’t stop, and the voice actors have pretty much stayed the same since the beginning. One that hasn’t changed is Stewie Griffin, who is voiced by the creator of the show, Seth MacFarlane, and obviously, he has to be here. I’m pretty sure Stewie is probably the most iconic character from the show, and it’s because of MacFarlane’s delivery and his hilarious lines. 

Tom Hanks As Woody (Toy Story Franchise)

Come on. You knew Tom Hanks would be here. Hanks is like the grandfather of our generation when it comes to voice roles, and his role as Woody will live on in our memories long after we’re all gone and Toy Story becomes a certified classic (if it isn’t already). Hanks is just that good, and I will listen to him voice Woody over and over again. 

Ellen DeGeneres As Dory (Finding Nemo)

Ellen DeGeneres isn’t exactly known for her movies, as she was mainly a daytime talk show host for many, many years, but her voice acting as Dory in Finding Nemo is top-notch. Dory wound up becoming just as big as the clown fishes that we followed in the movie and became a loveable character that children all around the world flocked to, and that’s because of DeGeneres and her voice skills. 

Jay Baruchel As Hiccup (How To Train Your Dragon)

Even though there’s a live-action How To Train Your Dragon set to release, you can’t beat the animated movies, and of course, Jay Baruchel is voicing Hiccup, the main character. Honestly, I think Hiccup would have been really tough to nail if the voice actor wasn’t right. Baruchel had to find the delicate balance between a surprisingly brave warrior and a kind of wimpy teenager and build on that for three movies straight – and he rocks it. 

Eddie Murphy As Donkey (Shrek)

Eddie Murphy as Donkey is everything. Look at me. Look at me and tell me you can picture someone else as Donkey because I surely can’t. This talking animal has cemented itself into pop culture with hilarious lines, memes, and so much more, and it’s because of Murphy’s delivery. Now I’m gonna go and make some waffles. 

Kaiji Tang As Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Kaiji Tang is an example of an English dub actor in anime who knocks it out of the park. I honestly love any version of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Season 2 was one of my favorite anime of 2023, but let me tell you, Tang, as Gojo, made it so much better. His line delivery is just phenomenal – it’s no wonder the character is, like, the anime community’s crush. With that smooth voice, it’d be hard not to crush on him.

Trey Parker As Eric Cartman (South Park)

There are so many outrageous episodes in South Park that make you squirm, and you want to know who’s behind most of them. Eric Cartman, because he’s a menace to society – so, of course, one of the creators is the voice behind him. Trey Parker is a naturally funny person, so he as Eric Cartman makes sense – only he could think of the most ridiculous and awful lines to say for a literal fourth-grader. 

Billy Crystal As Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc.)

When making this list, I thought about putting maybe John Goodman as Sully, but then I really thought about it and realized that Mike is actually low-key more iconic. Mike, in general, is a great character with a good backstory and a hilarious sense of humor, but you want to know why he’s so funny? It’s because of Billy Crystal—I can almost feel him through Mike. Mike is Billy, Billy is Mike. 

Shameik Moore As Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)

Miles Morales proved anyone can wear the mask in Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, a film that became a huge hit and spawned a sequel and another movie coming out soon enough. However, a big reason why Miles is such a great character is because of the voice behind him, Shameik Moore. Since the first film, Moore has brought humility to Miles, but also that kind of smooth swagger that we know only he could have. He’s excellent, and I can’t wait to hear more from him. 

Tom Kenny As Spongebob (SpongeBob SquarePants)

How could I not include Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants from the SpongeBob SquarePants series here? This man is my childhood. Sure, there are impressionists out there who believe they can impersonate SpongeBob, but no one can do it like Tom Kenny, and I stand by that. 

Kaley Cuoco As Harley Quinn (Harley Quinn)

There have been multiple people who have voiced Harley Quinn in Batman TV shows and animated movies, but I’m sorry. Kaley Cuoco takes the cake, and I want her to be the animated version of Harley Quinn from now on. Her take on Harley in the TV show Harley Quinn is hilarious, on-brand, and unforgettable, and if you haven’t had the chance to watch her voice the heck out of his classic DC villain/antihero, then you have to. 

Mike Myers As Shrek (Shrek)

Obviously, I had to put Mike Myers on this list. While I do think Donkey is a little more iconic, Mike Myers as Shrek is pretty much the same as butter and toast, or Oreos and milk, or popcorn and movies—you get my gist. Myers as Shrek is pretty much the standard for celebrities voicing animated characters, and he’s quite hard to beat. 

Dakota Fanning As Coraline (Coraline)

Coraline is one of the best stop-motion films out there, and surprisingly, no matter how creepy it might be to others, it’s a comfort film for me. And, of course, I can’t imagine anyone else voicing Coraline other than Dakota Fanning. She was so young at the time but still brought so much sass and wonder to the character, and it made me love Coraline for the explorer she was. 

Dan Castellaneta As Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Oh, you know he would be here. The Simpsons is hands down the most iconic TV series of all time and has been around since the 1980s. Dan Castellaneta has voiced the patriarch of the Simpsons family since the very beginning and has cemented himself in television just as much as the rest of the cast. But you can’t get more iconic than Homer freaking Simpson. 

Christy Carlson Romano As Kim Possible (Kim Possible)

Kim Possible was a show from my childhood on The Disney Channel that made me want to be a spy. It likely led to a few injuries when I jumped from trees to show how cool I was. Either way, it was mainly because of Kim and how kick-butt she was while also being a remarkable teenager, and thanks to Christy Carlson Romano’s voice acting, she was made all the better. 

Christian Bale As Howl (Howl’s Moving Castle)

Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies, and I have to admit that for this, I do like the English dub better because, come on, you can’t beat Christian Bale as Howl! That man has a voice as smooth as butter, and you will find yourself falling for Howl so quickly because of how he voices the character. Ugh, I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it. 

Antonio Banderas As Puss (Shrek 2)

Shrek has plenty of iconic voices, but you want to know who has one of the best ones? Antonio Banderas didn’t even show up in the Shrek franchise until the second movie. But Banderas’ voice was so popular that he spawned not one but two spin-off films – the second of which featured one of the best DreamWorks Animation villains of all time, so you know he’s iconic. 

Jeff Bennett As Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)

Okay, so, if we’re being honest, Johnny Bravo is actually a pretty lousy person and very misogynistic, but man, is it funny to get his butt handed to him in so many situations? It’s because of Jeff Bennett and the way he voices him. He’s just so funny in a messed-up way. I love it. 

Matthew Mercer As Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)

Attack on Titan is a case where I tend to lean more towards the English dub than the Japanese because of some of the voice-acting choices, and Matthew Mercer as Levi Ackerman is just *chef’s kiss.* Don’t get me wrong, the Japanese voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya does a great job, too, but when I think of Levi, I think of Matthew Mercer’s voice, and that just means I literally cannot imagine anything else.

Jack Black As Po (Kung Fu Panda)

Po the Panda is one of those characters that has become a pretty big name for DreamWorks Animation. In reality, it’s really just Jack Black behind a microphone in the sound booth voicing some of the most hilarious moments ever. Sometimes, it feels like I’m almost just watching Jack Black on screen because Po is as funny as him.

Helena Bonham Carter As Emily (The Corpse Bride)

The Corpse Bride is an excellent stop-motion animated film that certainly has a specific group of people who watch it every year (me included during Halloween). I could talk about Johnny Depp as Victor, but I have to point out Helene Bonham Carter as Emily. She voices the character so well and gives so much life to a literal corpse. It’s one of Carter’s best movies. 

Chris Rock As Marty (Madagascar)

Chris Rock as Marty makes sense. While there were only three Madagascar movies, Rock voiced the zebra in each of them and killed it every time. I could literally watch an entire spinoff film on just Marty. I want more, Marty. Please give me more hilarious lines like “Oh, sugar honey iced tea!”

Bill Fagerbakke As Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)

You can’t have SpongeBob without his best friend, and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star is a match made in heaven. Since the show’s beginning, Fagerbakke has voiced the sea star, and he’s perfect for the role. Honestly, I almost want to watch him and Kenny voiceover the Super Bowl again next year because he as Patrick and them together is just perfect. 

Matthew Lillard As Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

There have been many voice actors who have come and gone to voice Shaggy, but let’s be honest here – Matthew Lillard has become Shaggy. Ever since he did the live-action version of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo films, we’ve loved seeing him as Shaggy, and then he began doing the animated version. He’s been voicing the character (except for Velma, but we don’t talk about that), and he’s fantastic. 

Oscar Isaac As Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse)

Oh, Miguel. TikTok’s boyfriend of Summer 2023. The man, the myth, the legend that somehow captured my heart and reminded me that I have a thing for fictional brooding men. Either way, Oscar Isaac voices Miguel, and yes, this man is Miguel, and I will not accept any other person voicing him. 

Idina Menzel As Elsa (Frozen)

I had to put Elsa here somehow. Frozen is one of the biggest animated franchises of all time, and it’s mainly because of Elsa, her ice powers, and the incredible force of Idina Menzel’s voice. There isn’t another singer/actress on the planet that could belt like that.

While there are plenty of other animated characters we could discuss, these were just some of the first ones that came to mind—and now I feel like having an animated movie marathon. 

From the moment it debuted with a two-hour pilot episode in September of 1994 until it left the air in 2009, ER was a ratings monster. It regularly topped the ratings for the year during its 331-episode run and launched careers left and right. George Clooney for goodness sake! Not only did it have big stars in its regular cast like Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Maura Tierney, and Eriq LaSalle, but it also had a huge amount of guest stars and up-and-coming actors roll through the show. Here is our list of some of the biggest. 

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman is most well known for playing the great Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation where he regularly delivered some of the funniest lines on the show. He didn't have anything funny to say in his one role on ER where he played a bandmate of a bass player in distress in the emergency room.  

Taraji P. Henson

The accolades for Taraji P. Henson's acting have come fast and fierce in recent years, but she's been showcasing her talent on screen since the late '90s. One of her earliest roles was in a Season 4 episode of ER, and then in Season 5, she returned in a different role. She kept landing guest roles for years on shows like CSI and Boston Legal before landing her starring turn in Empire and the rest is history. 

Bradley Whitford

A few years before the role of Josh Lyman on The West Wing would make him a star, Bradley Whitford appeared in two episodes of ER in 1995. He'd been working regularly for almost a decade at that point and would find small roles here and there for another few years before The West Wing. He's been an in-demand actor ever since. 

Kristin Davis

Before she was a regular on Melrose Place, and before she was one of Jerry's many girlfriends on Seinfeld, Kristin Davis played a woman who was very into George Clooney's character very briefly in one episode of the first season of ER. While she only showed up once on the show, it clearly opened some big doors - and big martini glasses - in the future. 

Zac Efron

Before becoming a star in High School Musical, Zac Efron was almost type-cast as a troubled teen. On ER he played a teenager who turned up in the emergency room after being shot. He was also a troublemaker in an early role on NCIS. These days he's one of the biggest stars to grace the screen, but he used to just be in trouble on screen! 

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor is something different to different generations. For some, he'll always be Renton in Trainspotting. Of course, for many, he'll always be a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. For even others, he's known as the guy who drove his motorcycle around the world in Long Way Round. You can't help but wonder if that name was inspired by his guest spot on ER in a Season 3 episode called "The Long Way Around" in 1997. 

Julie Bowen

While Julie Bowen is best known these days for playing Claire Dunphy in Modern Family, her career stretches way further back. Her first TV role came in the early '90s and her breakout role came in the 1993 Adam Sandler smash hit Happy Gilmore. In the late '90s, she had a nine-episode run on ER as the reoccurring character named Roxanne Please, who was John Carter's (Noah Wyle) girlfriend. 

Ving Rhames

1994 was a big year for Ving Rhames. Not only did he star in Pulp Fiction, but he also landed a reoccurring role as Walt Robbins, father-in-law to Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle). In total, he appeared in eight episodes over three seasons, but by then he'd also starred in Mission: Impossible and the rest is history. 

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu is no stranger to hit television shows. She was a star of Ally McBeal in the '90s and '00s, and in Elementary in the teens. Early on, she also appeared in cameos and supporting roles on big shows like NYPD Blue and The X-Files. She also made it onto three episodes of ER, in 1995. 

Chris Pine

Believe it or not, there was a time when Chris Pine wasn't one of the "Chrises" and wasn't one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He was, in his early days, just like so many other actors, just looking to snag any role they could. Luckily for Pine, it was on a show like ER. In fact, the show he appeared in during Season 9 of the show was his first credited acting performance. 

Don Cheadle

When Don Cheadle appeared as a doctor in a 4-episode arc in 2002 on ER, he was already well-established as an actor. In fact, it came not long after he was established enough to take his name off the credits of Ocean's Eleven, despite delivering some of the best one-liners in the movie. 

J.K. Simmons

Any fan of Law & Order knows just how ingrained J.K. Simmons was in prime-time television around the turn of the century. He was a regular on that show, and he turned up in a bunch of others as well, including an episode of ER in 2004. you can always count on a great J.K. Simmons performance, no matter what he is in. 

Christina Hendricks

While she had been cast in a number of shows before Mad Men, Christina Hendricks had never really broken through as a star. That changed with the AMC show, but before that, she was just a regular hard-working actress in Hollywood. One of her earliest gigs was on ER in 2002. 

Adam Scott

Adam Scott is not the only Parks And Recreation star to appear in ER early in his career, but he did have a pretty intense role as an injured man clinging to life in the emergency room way back in 1995. It's hard to imagine it took 15 more years to get the big-time attention he deserves when he landed his role on Park & Rec. 

Glen Howerton

In 2005 Always Sunny In Philadelphia took the world by storm and went on to become one of the longest-running sitcoms of all time. Glen Howerton played a huge part in that, as one of the stars and co-creators. A couple of years earlier, he was playing a very different role as a doctor in six Episodes of ER during its 10th Season. 

Keiko Agena

Gilmore Girls regular and co-star of Prodigal Son, Keiko Agena is one of the few actors who played two different characters on ER. She first appeared on the show very early in her career, in 1998, then later appeared in the final season in 2009. 

Jessica Chastain

With three Oscar nominations and one win, Jessica Chastain has proven she's among the best Hollywood has to offer. She proved her acting years ago though, in shows like ER. In only her second credited role, she appeared on ER in 2004 in an episode called "Forgive and Forget."

Aaron Paul

For most people, Aaron Paul is best known for his legendary role in Breaking Bad but years before that show would become a hit, he played a pretty similar character on ER in an episode called "A Saint in the City," way back in 2003. 

Octavia Spencer

In 1998 when Octavia Spencer appeared on ER, it was the latest in a string of supporting roles she landed early in her career. That string would continue for a little while longer before she emerged as one of the most beloved stars of the teens and '20s after her star-making role in The Help.

Mena Suvari

As it was for a lot of cast members, American Pie was huge for Mena Suvari. She had been working for a few years in Hollywood before that, picking up roles here and there in shows like Boy Meets World and movies like The Slums of Beverly Hills. Another early role came in a 1998 episode of ER where she played a high school cheerleader who didn't want to listen to her doctors. 

Kirsten Dunst

As a child actor, Kirsten Dunst's career started when she was just six years old. It would be a few years before she landed a brief reoccurring role as a troubled teen in six episodes of ER in the show's third season. 

Dakota Fanning

Quite a few child actors who went on to greater fame came through the doors of the emergency room at Cook County General Hospital, including a young Dakota Fanning. Fanning played a young girl named Delia who came in after a car accident and viewers find out she's a cancer survivor. 

James Cromwell

One of the ultimate "that guys" in Hollywood, James Cromwell has been acting for decades. His career really started in earnest in the mid-'70s and he's been playing supporting and starring roles ever since. On ER, he played a drug-seeking priest in four episodes in Season 7. 

Josh Peck

Josh Peck was a breakout Nickelodeon star as half of Drake & Josh. That wasn't his first role though. After a few small roles and a reoccurring spot in The Amanda Show (which led to Drake & Josh), he landed a small role in an episode of ER in 2002 as a kid with heart problems. 

Eva Mendes

Before Eva Mendes semi-retired to raise her family with Ryan Gosling, she was one of the biggest stars on the planet. You can trace her career all the way back to her very first role which came in 1998 on an episode of ER. It's wild to look back and watch her doing her first on-screen performances with George Clooney and not think about what lay ahead for both of them. 

Shia LaBeouf

Without a doubt, Shia LaBeouf has had one of the wildest careers of the 21st Century. There have been times when he was on top of the world, and others when he... definitely wasn't. One high point early in his career was of a kid in the emergency room of Cook County General in 2000, during Season 6. 

Milana Vayntrub

Milana Vayntrub eventually became one of the most recognizable actors in commercials as the AT&T pitchwoman. Long before that though, she was like a lot of child actors who got their start on ER. She appeared in three episodes, her first three credited roles, as a Russian girl, way back in Season 1. 

John Mahoney

Before scoring the role of a lifetime as Martin Crane on Fraiser, John Mahoney had been a steadily working actor going back to the '70s. After Frasier, he could pretty much write his own ticket. One role he chose to take was that of a self-professed "drag queen" whose long-time boyfriend was in rough shape in the hospital on ER in 2006, making a strong statement about gay marriage before many were brave enough to join him. 

Janel Moloney

One of the many great actresses who found early work in their career on ER was Janel Moloney. Moloney scored only a handful of roles between that and The West Wing, but boy was the West Wing lucky to have her - as was ER in its first season when she appeared in one episode. 

Amy Ryan

One of the most underrated characters in The Wire has to be Beadie Russell, played by Amy Ryan. About a decade before she joined The Wire in Season 2, she starred in a single episode of ER in the show's first season. She's been in many TV shows and movies since, including a beloved recurring role on The Office and in the underrated Netflix original Worth.

Rosemary Clooney

George Clooney isn't the only famous person in his family. His aunt is, of course, the inimitably Rosemary Clooney, who was one of the most beloved singers of her generation. She only had about a dozen acting credits on her impressive resume, but one was ER during the show's first season. What a great experience for her and her nephew. Her son, actor Miguel Ferrer, also appeared in an uncredited role in the series premiere of the show. 

Dan Hedaya

If you grew up in the '90s, Dan Hedaya was seemingly everywhere, but he's probably best remember by that generation as Cher Horowitz's angry but loving father in Clueless. On ER, he plays a lawyer with... questionable ethics, but a heart of gold. He appeared in four episodes over the length of the whole show. remembered

SPOILERS are ahead for The Watchers!

Following in the footsteps of her father, M. Night Shyamalan, Ishana Shyamalan just delivered a big twist in her feature film debut, The Watchers. One of the latest 2024 movies has the writer/director adapting A.M. Shine’s creepy novel about a young woman who stumbles upon modern fairies after being trapped in a forest with three other strangers. As the movie’s twist reveals, these are not the fairies from Disney movies we remember growing up. 

When CinemaBlend sat down with Ishana Night Shyamalan to talk about the terrifying reveal of the titular “watchers” in the film, she told us what went into turning fairies into the scary antagonists of her movie. She explained,

The Watchers draws from Irish folklore stories, which, contrary to tales of Tinkerbell and so forth, are written as myths to be feared much more than loved and revered. In The Watchers, fairies were exterminated by humans when they were banished to the burrows under the forest. Due to this, the fairies became evil beings who seek vengeance on humans, such as Dakota Fanning’s protagonist, Mina. During our interview, Shyamalan also spoke about being influenced by one of her favorite filmmakers, Hayao Miyazaki, while making the scary movie:

In a prior interview with the new director, Ishana told us that the fantasy genre is what she loves “the most,” and she shared that the Spirited Away filmmaker has “moved” her the most across her life and his movies are “very sacred things” to her. Shyamalan said she’ll be “chasing” the feeling she gets when she watches one of his animated flicks as her career blossoms. 

The Watchers earned mixed to negatives reviews by critics and audiences alike and didn’t win the box office weekend against Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, but given it was made on a relatively small budget, it could end up being a decent start for the filmmaker. She can certainly look back at the career of her father, who has seen his rollercoaster share of big hits and flops over her lifetime. While speaking with CinemaBlend, Shyamalan also shared what she learned from her dad about suspense that she brought to the fantasy horror flick. 

The Watchers is now playing in theaters.

Major spoiler below for the horror thriller The Watchers, so tread through the forest carefully if you haven’t yet watched.

Before drilling down into the questions that have themselves been drilled down into my own brain, I want to make two things quite clear. First, I think The Watchers is a fun, spooky, and interesting movie from first-time feature director Ishana Shyamalan — read my review here — and agree with other critics’ overall assessment that she showcases some of her father M. Night Shyamalan’s talents. I want this movie to get big box office numbers. So I’m not attacking what’s there, but more needlessly obsessing over what isn’t there.

My second point: I do realize that Ishana Shyamalan’s based The Watchers on the novel of the same name written by A.M. Shine, and that the source material also doesn’t answer the majority of the questions I have about the adaptation. So there’s no blame being thrown around. I just want some clear answers before I start doing my own research in a cursed forest. Now let's get to drilling.

Why Didn't Mina Leave The Woods The Same Way She Came In?

Sheer logic dictates that if Mina was able to get from her broken vehicle to The Coop in a span of time that didn't leave her a victim to the forests' creatures, then she should have been able to backtrack her way to safety between dawn and dusk without issue. Even if it took a few tries for her to remember precisely where she came from, it was realistically possible, and should have been her first priority.

Did All The Runes Mean Anything?

When Mina's car goes kaput after breaching the no-more-power barrier, her car radio starts glitching out, with what appear to be five different rune symbols showing up. As far as I can tell, the specific order of symbols shown doesn't translate into anything meaningful, though I can't speak to my expertise in the slightest.

Then later in the movie, whenever the Watchers kill Danny, one of them scratches a different symbol into his forehead before things get bloody. Was that symbol important, and did it show up elsewhere?

Why Didn't The Coop's Window Always Reflect The Inside?

I was visibly shocked during the relatively few moments in The Watchers where characters were standing inside, and the woodsy outdoors were visible. Because at any other point, that window is unbelievably reflective for a surface that isn't claiming itself as a mirror. Mina should be able to cup her hands around her eyes and see something out there without the Coop's overhead light being an obstruction. But there's not a single weak spot in the reflection at any point after the door is closed.

Why Did EMP Issues Only Go So Far, Yet Didn't Affect The Coop?

It's baffling to the point of being irresponsible that The Watchers doesn't make it abundantly clear why The Coop's electricity is intact both above and below the ground, and yet everything else outside of that specific area is rendered useless. I would have probably been critical had the Professor's video detailed him inventing some kind of magical elixir that he spread around all the edges of The Coop to keep its electrical equipment safe from outside threats, but it would have been something.

How Was The Coop Built Without Heavy Machinery?

One of The Watchers' most successfully stomach-turning moments was the reveal that the Professor full-on sacrificed all of the people who helped him construct The Coop. Great moment, truly. But what that explanation was absolutely missing was how unofficial construction crew brought any excavation equipment or building supplies to that location without being able to drive.

Even if the idea was that the underground bunker was built into one of the Watchers' tunnel hubs, eliminating the need for any humans to dig all that up, it would have taken a huge amount of effort and a slew of back-and-forth trips to get all the materials needed to make The Coop a reality. There should have been all kinds of leftover tools and equipment either in the bunker or seen in the tunnels.

Where Do All Those Missing People Factor In?

I can easily grasp that the missing posters and notices shown were at some point likely dedicated to the people who went missing after helping the Professor with The Coop, but that board clearly indicates that wouldn't account for everyone. Whole families went missing, and at different dates over time. But did any of those other people spent time inside The Coop with Madeline? Or were they all victims of the Watchers that never came across the semi-safe haven? Whatever the case, why didn't Mina and others find way more random evidence of all those people, such as a cavern filled with old shoes and backpacks, outside of a pile of bones?

How Didn't Anyone Find The Professor's Underground Hatch Before Mina?

Maybe this is just because I enjoy escape rooms and puzzle games, but I assumed that as soon as any new person was invited into The Coop, they took at least a half-afternoon to look at every single inch of the room, including the floor they walk on. But it took Mina's bonkers idea to map the forest out on the floor for the group to reach the point where they moved the central rug for the very first time. I could definitely understand if Madeline was attempting to keep the others from finding it, but that didn't seem to be one of her larger concerns.

• RELATED: What Dakota Fanning Still Remembers From Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds That She Brought To The Watchers

Why Didn't Madeline Leave The Woods With Anyone Before Mina?

I'm totally clueless about Madeline's whole situation, honestly. I can imagine that she may have had a variety of victims prior to Danny's arrival in which she honed her human-mimicking skills. But I don't understand why she didn't seem to have attempted an escape from the forest before Mina arrived. Especially after seeing that she had wings the whole time!

I get that they only found out about the boat after going through the Professor's stuff, but Madeline didn't need a boat. And considering she lived amongst the others for however long, Madeline should have been able to go out after dark without the threat of being attacked, so she should have been able to find the boat herself, or the road that Mina and others drove in on, without the need for other humans to be with her.

How Did The Watchers Mimic People They Never Witnessed?

Ciara's doomed husband John was The Watchers showing audiences exactly how skilled its faeries are at mimicking human beings, and it made sense why they could do such a good job, given they attacked him and took his body underground. But none of them ever met the Professor's wife, who was revealed to have died before he went off on his research project. So how was Madeline able to mimic her with such precision? It's possible the halfling didn't actually sound like the Professor's wife, since we never actually hear her speak, but are we meant to believe that John Lynch's character was showing the creature a bunch of pictures of his wife so that it could take her form? If that's the case, can they also mimic impressionist art and non-living objects?

I also recall seeing Mina and her sister running through the woods at some point, but admittedly can't recall if that was 100% the Watchers, or if it was Mina just seeing things. If it was the former, then that would be an even more glaring example.

I can't lie. I have even more questions about what went on, such as how so many of those birds reacted the exact same way at the exact same time every single day, evolution be damned. Or why the Professor needed so many TV monitors if the point wasn't to watch footage from spread-out cameras. But hey, that's just movie magic, amirite?

The Watchers is in theaters now, with M. Night Shyamalan's Trap among many upcoming horror movies on the 2024 release schedule.

It’s been 15 years since Brittany Murphy passed away at 32, though the actress is far from forgotten. Her memory lives on through film and TV work and, more recently, one of her most beloved flicks, the 2003 comedy Uptown Girls, has seen a lot of buzz. The beloved comedy has gone viral on TikTok in recent months, and it seems like users can't get enough of it. The movie’s virality even caught the attention of Murphy’s co-star, Dakota Fanning, who sweetly credited the late star for its resurgence.

The 2003 feel-good comedy’s recent boom came courtesy of Millennials and Gen Z sharing two specific clips. One is the amusement park tea cup scene, where Ray has an emotional breakthrough over her father, and the other the kitchen scene, in which Ray gives Molly a rundown of who’s in charge. Dakota Fanning acknowledged Uptown Girls’ newfound popularity while speaking with Brit + Co. When asked about the love the flick has been receiving, the Watchers star said:

The actress, who was only eight years old when filming the movie, seems to get a kick out of seeing multiple generations connect with the poor-little-rich-girl comedy. The pairing of her and Brittany Murphy is truly what makes the film, and they're dynamic is humorously sweet. The two actresses, who obviously differed in their ages and acting experiences, had the sort of chemistry that some hope for. In the past, Dakota Fanning has discussed what it was like working with the late Murphy and, during this latest interview, she sweetly showed love to her while discussing the TikTok trend:

It's wonderful that the Ocean's 8 star still cherishes her memories with Britney Murphy on and off set, and I'd agree that it's wonderful to see the actress still getting love years after her passing. Of course, Dakota Fanning isn’t the only co-star who’s missed Murphy’s presence, as Clueless’ Breckin Meyer has shared heartfelt praise for her in the past as well.

Dakota Fanning and Brittany Murphy’s impeccable chemistry may have led to Uptown Girls’ online resurgence, but the movie has arguably been a cult classic for years. The comedy’s reception was initially mixed, as it only grossed over $44 million worldwide and was universally panned by critics. However, the public response became more positive in later years, and it's now regarded as a 2000s classic. Murphy, Fanning and their collaborators all deserve their share of praise for making this truly timeless piece of work.

If you want to see why Uptown Girls has become a viral hit, stream the beloved comedy with a Max subscription, and Hulu subscribers have access to it as well. Also, check out Dakota Fanning in The Watchers, which is currently in movie theaters and is part of the 2024 movie schedule.

There have already been quite a few horror movies in 2024 to keep audiences uncomfortable, and this summer we’ve got two from the Shyamalan family. Before M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap comes out in August, his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan is making her feature directorial debut with The Watchers on June 7. Early reactions from The Watchers screenings noted similarities between the filmmakers’ styles (M. Night is a producer on the film after all), so what are critics saying about the film overall? 

Dakota Fanning stars as Mina, a guilt-ridden woman who happens upon a trio of strangers after her car breaks down in the forest. They tell her that each night they are watched and stalked by a group of deadly creatures. The film was adapted from the 2022 novel by A.M. Shine, and in CinemaBlend’s review of The Watchers, Nick Venable argues that despite some plot issues that carry over from the source material, Ishana Night Shyamalan’s first effort is a pretty successful one. He rates the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, writing: 

A.A. Dowd of IGN agrees there are glimpses of storytelling expertise here, proving that the Shyamalan apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This story specifically, though, is more fun before your brain has to start trying to piece the twists together. Dowd gives The Watchers an “Okay” 6 out of 10 and says: 

Owen Gleiberman of Variety calls the movie glossy and clever, though derivative of several horror movies that have come before it. Its twist ending isn’t as fun as it could be, Gleiberman says and with The Watchers lacking in the frights department, the jury is still out on whether Ishana Shyamalan is an up-and-comer or a one-shot nepo baby. The critic says: 

Chase Hutchinson of Collider, meanwhile, makes his opinion clear on the nepo baby question, saying Ishana Night Shyamalan’s debut doesn’t hold a candle to her father’s work. The only thing scary about The Watchers is how it drains its source material of any life, Hutchinson says, rating the film a 4 out of 10: 

Meagan Navarro is also underwhelmed by how the movie plays out, saying the stakes are too low and the scares too few. The movie also continues far past what Navarro says is its logical ending. The critic gives it 2 skulls out of 5, writing:  

Regardless of how successful the critics think Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut is, most of them are still curious to see how her style develops as she steps out of the large shadow of her father. If you want to give The Watchers a go, it hits the big screen on Friday, June 7, and you can check out our 2024 movie release calendar to see what else is coming soon. 

The name Shyamalan carries a whole lot of heft in Hollywood these days, thanks to the blockbuster career of genre-friendly filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, whose 1999 breakthrough The Sixth Sense is still considered one of the best horror movies in existence. So it's no minor feat for daughter Ishana Shyamalan to step up to the directorial plate with her haunting and mood-driven debut feature The Watchers, which successfully delivers ample chills and twisty thrills, but starts to easily fall apart once plot points are put under any sort of scrutiny.

The horror genre is already filled to the brim with movies about characters facing off against unfamiliar or harrowing elements within seemingly never-ending forests, to the point where a movie like Cabin in the Woods not only exists, but is a subgenre pillar in and of itself. So with everything from Friday the 13th to Evil Dead to The Witch having come before it, The Watchers was already entering the fray with a slight disadvantage.

In the hands of a filmmaker whose lineage wasn’t so noteworthy in Hollywood, The Watchers possibly would have felt as generic and unrecognizable as many of the singular trees within its central forest. But Ishana Shyamalan has already put in quite a bit of on-site work with her Oscar-nominated pops, handling second-unit direction on Old and Knock at the Cabin, as well as writing, directing and producing for his Apple TV+ series Servant.

While it may not seem entirely fair to put so much of the onus on the first-time helmer here, the success of The Watchers is entirely beholden to her skillset, given the limited number of cast members combined with the limited range of situations for the actors to react to and get emotional about. As a director, I think Ishana Shyamalan bears ripe and juicy horror fruits, but as a storyteller (or at the very least, a novel adapter), there’s room for growth.

The Watchers’ high-concept hook is interesting enough to make early issues easy to ignore.

The Watchers is not a complicated movie to elevator-pitch to someone, and its mystery-cloaked story is very easy to get sucked into from the jump. Dakota Fanning portrays the mostly aimless artist and pet shop worker Mina, who resides in Ireland and is still not completely over the hump of a childhood tragedy that has strained Mina’s relationship with her sister. She’s the kind of character who has to be told more than once not to vape in front of the animals.

Mina gets tasked with delivering a sassy parrot to an unidentified recipient, and somehow winds up in the middle of a shockingly thick copse of trees, where her car and electronic devices suddenly shut off. And it also happens to be the place where audiences should turn off the “But what about this?” part of their brains, at least until the credits are deep into the visual effects team.

From here, Mina gets acquainted with the film’s other promotable characters after being invited into the big room with the one-way mirrored wall at the heart of the marketing visuals. The setting, which is dubbed The Coop, is the current home of the rule-obsessed den mother Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), the permanently in-shock Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and the rebellious youngin Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). Their entire existence is gathering necessities during the day, and spending the evenings as entertainment for mysterious spectating creatures.

Ishana Shyamalan’s screenplay is too faithful an adaptation of A.M. Shine’s novel and doesn’t fix its problems.

For all the popularity and acclaim that A.M. Shine's same-titled 2022 novel earned upon its release, the book didn't fare quite as well with readers who questioned the myriad mysteries and details built into the forest setting and its inhabitants. And while certain details were obviously altered in the process of adapting the book to the screen, Shyamalan's screenplay is arguably far too faithful to the source material to 100% work as a live-action story.

Similar to the stakes for a locked-room video game, the fun of The Watchers is learning what the others know and gaining as much information as possible about what's happening, and why things are the way they are. "Why are they trapped? Where did the Coop come from? How will they get out?" And in many ways, getting these kinds of details and reveals on the page is fairly easy for the imagination to accept.

But when those ideas arrive in three-dimensional form, it becomes far easier to pick apart anything that isn't flush with the story elements already laid out. And in that respect, I only wish Ishana Shyamalan found ways to radically advance and supercede A.M. Shine's novel, rather than keeping to it as faithfully as she did.

The Watchers does what a Shyamalan movie is expected to do, and does it well, but with too many unanswered questions.

As it goes with any kind of mystery-driven horror, the fewer details known ahead of time, the better. And that idea goes double for anything crafted by the Shyamalan family. And for those who are in theater lines on opening night for everything M. Night puts out, The Watchers will feel very familiar in the best way, like trying on a new favorite pair of jeans (that just might happen to kill you if you button them wrong). The atmosphere and pacing are key to a plot like this, and things move along briskly enough to keep those plot questions at bay for long stretches.

Also similar to many entries in her father's filmography, Ishana Shyamalan's The Watchers heads into some unexpected territory in its back half, particularly in the final act. And similar to the bulk of what came before the final act, things played out in successfully unsettling and largely unexpected ways. Some people will see it all coming, and some won't even know what's happening after all is said and done.

But for a movie with such a simple lay-up of a plotline, The Watchers' story expands in ways where logic and understanding are stretched extremely thin, and not enough information is ever offered up regarding some very key elements to the story. To the point where nearly every single element, from Mina's backstory to Ciara's mental state to Madeline's guidance, just stops making sense if the right question is asked. Not the worst cinema sin, but when that question so often starts with, "How on Earth...?" it's not so easily forgivable.

Thankfully, Ishana Shyamalan imbues The Watchers with high levels of creepiness throughout, and has more than enough skills behind the camera to keep audiences invested in the woodsy weirdness. I truly cannot wait to see where her career goes next, and I'll be adding some cushioning to the edge of my seat in the meantime.

At 30 years old, Dakota Fanning is way ahead of most actors her age considering her experience playing big screen roles dates back to being seven alongside the likes of Sean Penn and Michelle Pfieffer in her movie debut, I Am Sam. As the actress stars in her latest movie, Ishana Night Shayamalan’s The Watchers, it made me wonder how her first horror movie, Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds, may have come into play.

During our CinemaBlend interview, I told Dakota Fanning that War Of The Worlds was one of the first scary movies I got to see. I was about her age when my parents let me watch the 2005 movie because it was made by Steven Spielberg and a little girl like me starred in it. Here’s what the actor recalled about being on the set 20 years ago:

The 2005 movie was an ambitious adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel that had the production buying a retired Boeing 747, dismantling it and building houses around it for one key sequence. The wreckage from War Of The Worlds remains a fixture of Universal Studios’ Hollywood’s Studio Tour today. As Fanning continued in our interview:

She’s certainly right when it comes to the attention to suspense between War of the Worlds and her new movie The Watchers. Clearly the early film still has stuck with her all these years, as she continues to talk highly of her director and co-star Tom Cruise. Recently, she also revealed that Cruise has continued to send her birthday presents every year since they made War of the Worlds together.

While it’s been a long time since she was on the set of the Spielberg movie, Fanning thought back to the iconic basement scene (which you can revisit on YouTube) where Fanning’s character and Cruise must hide from extraterrestrial war machines trying to exterminate them. All these years later, Fanning is still attracted to suspense, this time with The Watchers.

The upcoming release has the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, Ishana Night Shyamalan, distinguishing herself from her father with a fantastical horror movie with roots in Irish folklore based on the A.M. Shine novel. In a prior interview, Shyamalan told me she’s particularly inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s work when it comes to crafting ideas.

You can see Dakota Fanning in The Watchers, which hits theaters on June 7. You can check out what its first audiences are saying about Ishana Night Shyamalan’s debut and take a look at what other upcoming horror movies are on the way this summer.

Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise starred together in the alien invasion movie War of the Worlds back in 2005. Even though the former child star was only 10 when she last worked with her film dad, it’s almost like time hasn’t gone by between the two. Fanning reveals that Cruise continues to be “so thoughtful” to her and has still remained connected to this day.

It turns out the Mission: Impossible star has continued to keep in touch with Dakota Fanning after all of these years. In fact, she revealed to ET at the New York City premiere of her new thriller The Watchers that she still receives birthday presents from the blockbuster star, saying:

In a Harper’s Bazaar TikTok interview, Dakota Fanning revealed Tom Cruise gave her a Motorola Razr cell phone for her 11th birthday and has continued to give her presents every year since. He even got her a gift for her 30th birthday, which she celebrated in February. Cruise is clearly a generous friend to commemorate his former co-star’s birthday every year like an actual father would.

As one of the best movies of the 2000s, War of the Worlds presented the strong theme of family. Tom Cruise’s character, Ray, was initially shown to be an estranged father from his children, only to put his parenting skills to the test when an alien invasion makes its way into the world.

Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning had many father/daughter moments throughout War of the Worlds that can easily strengthen a bond outside of filming. Whether Ray is carrying his young daughter across town, preventing her from getting swallowed up by an alien or singing her to sleep, the parenting scenes truly allowed 2005’s box office hit to be a real standout film of Steven Spielberg’s filmography.

Dakota Fanning clearly does a great job keeping in touch with her co-stars no matter how many years have passed. She’s already doing that with her decades-long friend Denzel Washington after starring together in 2004’s Man on Fire. Then, they reunited for The Equalizer 3 which was a reunion we didn’t know we needed. Just when you thought the Uptown Girls actress’s friendship with Tom Cruise faded away after War of the Worlds released, the Top Gun star continued to be “so thoughtful” by telling her how often he’d like the two to keep in touch:

That’s so father-like of Tom Cruise to continue keeping in touch with his movie daughter every year. I’m still holding onto a film reunion with these two so we can see their father/daughter chemistry on screen once again.

According to Dakota Fanning, Tom Cruise continues being "so thoughtful" to The Watchers actress in the form of birthday presents to her. After one movie together, the powerful friendship between the two keeps on growing after over a decade.

You can see the on-screen father/daughter dynamic in War of the Worlds by streaming it with your Paramount+ subscription. Make sure to also catch Dakota Fanning’s 2024 movie release of The Watchers in theaters on June 7th.

At this point we’re all familiar with the work of M. Night Shyamalan, and — love him or hate him — his movies have been the topic of great conversation ever since Haley Joel Osment told us he sees dead people. Now there’s a new Shyamalan in the game, as Ishana Night Shyamalan prepares to make her feature directorial debut with The Watchers. The supernatural horror is being adapted from the novel of the same name by A.M. Shine, and ahead of its June 14 release, some have been able to attend early screenings. So what are their reactions?

Moviegoers will no doubt be keeping an eye out for similarities between the father and daughter’s directing styles — are we in for a big plot twist? — but Ishana Night Shyamalan intends to distinguish herself from her father’s work. For one thing, she is inspired by fantasy and the work of Japanese filmmaker and animator Hayao Miyazak. Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue is certainly happy with the final product, as she wrote on X (Twitter): 

The movie stars Dakota Fanning as Mina, who becomes trapped in a forest and happens upon three strangers who say they are being watched and stalked at night. Shannon McGrew of Nightmarish says the movie overall leaves something to be desired, but The Watchers shows promise. McGrew also enjoys the Irish folklore aspect of it. In the critic’s words: 

Jamie Jirak of ComicBook.com praises the lead actress as well as the director’s debut effort. While this critic also says there are things to nitpick, Ishana Night Shyamalan clearly can tell a good story, and it will be exciting to see what her future holds. Jirak writes: 

So what about that twist ending? Yes, The Watchers apparently does have one, though just like with her father’s movies, Ishana Night Shyamalan might get some mixed reactions about how well it lands, according to one moviegoer. @The_LifeOfDylan tweets that the movie gives off an eerie vibe, but the twist is bound to be divisive. They write: 

X user @Direct_JM, meanwhile, is satisfied with the ending but finds the movie drags a little in the middle. The movie enthusiast writes: 

The writer Beanz is also curious to see what people think of the twist, but overall he feels M. Night Shyamalan’s influence in his daughter’s creepy storytelling. Like others who have already seen the movie, Beanz says the Irish folklore is a big plus, writing: 

While Ishana Night Shyamalan is clearly trying to make her own name in the horror realm, it does appear she’s picked up her father’s knack for storytelling and plot twists, so I’m excited to see what the conversation will be after more people watch The Watchers. The upcoming horror movie is set to hit the big screen on Friday, June 14, and be sure to check out our 2024 movie release schedule to see what else is headed our way this summer. 

Some of our best horror movies have been centered around characters who just so happen to be legendary creatures of the night: vampires. And, because of the enduring popularity of these mythological bloodsuckers, not only do we also have a number of TV vamps, but many famous actors who’ve portrayed some version of the famed, usually-human-looking beasts. Here for you now are 32 actors who’ve played a vampire.

Eddie Murphy (Vampire In Brooklyn)

So many vamps have been seen on screen that even a comedy and action movie legend like Eddie Murphy has played one. The 1995 horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn, saw the star play the last member of a group of Caribbean vampires, who hits New York to find a mate so that he can continue his family line.

Tom Cruise (Interview With The Vampire)

Who could forget the 1994 film that gave us Tom Cruise as the captivating and cruel (And blond!) bloodthirsty fiend, Lestat de Lioncourt, from author Anne Rice’s legendary novel series, The Vampire Chronicles? Of course, it also gave us Brad Pitt’s tortured vamp, Louis, and made a star out of young Kirsten Dunst.

Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

While there are some obvious stars to add to this list, let us not forget that the cast of famous (and soon-to-be-famous) vampires in The Twilight Saga films was quite stacked. That roster included noted child star Dakota Fanning, who portrayed the villainous Volturi guard member, Jane, who was able to mentally create sensations of pain in those who she deemed worthy of punishment.

Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood)

Several vampire-focused TV shows have hit the airwaves over the past 20 or so years, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the HBO hit, True Blood. Many of its stars portrayed members of vamp-kind for most or all of the series’ seven seasons, but Evan Rachel Wood made an equally impressive (bloody) splash as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, during her recurring guest appearances in Seasons 2-4.

Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

Back to Twilight! It’s not worth mentioning this franchise without bringing up lead romantic vamp Edward Cullen, as well as the man who brought him to life in five movies, eventuall live action Batman actor Robert Pattinson. Despite the fact that his love interest’s portrayer, Kristen Stewart, would have dumped Edward “immediately”!

Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In)

It’s possible that we don’t get creepier than kid vampires in movies and television shows, and that’s what we got with Chloë Grace Moretz’s Abby in the 2010 film, Let Me In. She befriends a young loner after moving into his apartment complex, but is (you guessed it) hiding nefarious purposes he could have never guessed, which end up taking his life in a most unexpected direction.

Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn)

This might be the shortest movie vampire appearance on the list, as 1996’s From Dusk Til Dawn saw Salma Hayek play the fanged exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, only for about five memorable minutes that simply cannot be forgotten once witnessed.

Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows)

Undead life isn’t always filled with glamorous globe-hopping adventure, gorgeous mates who can’t resist you and other perks, at least according to 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, which concerns the rather mundane day-to-day lives of vampire roommates, of whom Taika Waititi’s uptight and nearly 400-year-old vamp, Viago, is among.

Theo James (Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Blood Wars)

Another big screen franchise that depended on heaps of stars to populate its supernatural world is that of Underworld. Two sequels saw Theo James play the heroic vampire, David, heir to one of the main vamp covens, and lead Selene’s one steadfast ally during an important time in her journey.

Willem Dafoe (Shadow Of The Vampire)

Not many cinematic vampires are said to be based on a real person, but the one played by Willem Dafoe in 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire is. He portrayed a fictionalized version of the real Nosferatu lead actor, Max Schreck, whom the crew begins to suspect is an actual vampire because of his behavior and the strange goings-on surrounding filming.

Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000)

Speaking of vampires who are based on real people…Author Bram Stoker based his Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and Gerard Butler played yet another version of the ever-popular character in a film from, yes, 2000. This tale sees the ancient vamp accidentally awoken by a group of thieves who find and steal his highly protected coffin, which had been watched over by generations of the Van Helsing family.

Wesley Snipes (Blade)

A Marvel character that will soon have another portrayer when the upcoming Blade reboot finally begins filming, the original action/horror trilogy famously saw Wesley Snipes take on the vampire/human hybrid titular lead, who’s a nearly unstoppable vamp hunter bent on taking down all members of the species who bit his mother and infected him with their supernatural blood while he was still in utero.

Colin Farrell (Fright Night)

If a scary and suave undead night stalker is your type, look no further than Colin Farrell’s Jerry Dandrige in 2011’s remake of the 1985 cult classic, Fright Night. He may have to eventually do battle with a couple of teenagers, but he sure looks darn good doing it.

Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers)

A movie that takes a more science-fiction approach to a world overrun by vampires is the 2009 film Daybreakers, which sees Ethan Hawke play a vamp hematologist who refuses to drink human blood and is looking for a synthetic option to their usual meal of choice that will stop humanity from being wiped out by his more brutal peers.

Luke Evans (Dracula Untold)

Again with Dracula? Why, yes! This time, Luke Evans plays a Vlad the Impaler who only becomes a vampire to have the strength, speed and ferocity to turn back an invading army in an attempt to save the people of his kingdom. Does it work out for him? Well, yes…and no.

Kate Beckinsale (Underworld)

There’s no mentioning the Underworld franchise without giving respect to the main heroine, Kate Beckinsale’s Selene. In the first film she’s a vampire looking to destroy the werewolves that killed her family, but she ends up uncovering a major secret about the two sets of creatures and falling in love with a human, instead.

Alicia Silverstone (Vamps)

This 2012 horror comedy sees Alicia Silverstone play Goody, an old vampire who tries to stay young and hip while helping her much younger bloodsucking buddy, Stacy (Krysten Ritter), get used to her powers as they try to abstain from the red stuff during their immortal and unholy (sorta) lives.

Pedro Pascal (Bloodsucking Bastards)

Ever wondered what working in an office that was slowly being overrun by vampires who care as much about the bottom line as they do about drinking blood would be like? Just watch Bloodsucking Bastards, where beloved The Last of Us cast member Pedro Pascal begins turning his employees into the titular immortals.

Jim Carrey (Once Bitten)

Jim Carrey’s first leading role came in this 1985 comedy, where he played a teen virgin turned into a vampire by an alluring, 400-year-old creature of the night, who seduced him so she could use his blood to keep her youthful appearance.

Paul Reubens (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

In the 1992 horror comedy that eventually led to the long-running series of the same name, the late Paul Reubens starred as Amilyn, a vamp doing the bidding of a much more powerful bloodsucker who’s ruling his kind in Los Angeles.

Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood)

While HBO’s True Blood was positively filled with the undead, few of them made as much of an impact on audiences (and the lead, Sookie) as Alexander Skarsgård’s cunning and alluring (but sorta evil) 1,000-year-old Eric Northman. This also happens to be the role that really made Skarsgård famous.

David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel)

When it comes to popular TV vampires, no one can discount the reign of David Boreanaz as evil vamp turned heroic vamp (and then sometimes evil vamp again) Angel, whom he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer beginning with the first episode in 1997, through wrapping his run on the fifth season series finale of his own show, Angel, in 2004.

Sterling K. Brown (Supernatural)

Sterling K. Brown may best be known now for delivering heartfelt emotions as Randall Pearson on This Is Us, but for four episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 of the CW mega-hit, Supernatural, he played Hunter and dedicated vamp-hater-turned-vampire, Gordon Walker, to astounding, understandably cold-blooded effect.

Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys)

Even though Kiefer Sutherland was certainly a star on the rise by the time he starred in The Lost Boys in 1987, his part as apparent vampire motorcycle gang leader David cemented his leading man qualities and turned him into a household name.

Rami Malek (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II)

Sure, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best Rami Malek movies to watch, but let’s not discount his turn as the powerful (and ancient) Egyptian vampire, Benjamin, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, one of the few creatures of the night in the franchise who can directly manipulate things, with his specialty being controlling fire, water, air and earth.

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Yet another actor you may have forgotten was fanged in the expansive Twilight franchise is Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard. She took over the role of evil, vengeful vamp Victoria (who’s looking to kill Bella in retaliation for Edward killing her love, James) from Rachelle Lefevre, for the third movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)

As one half of the very old vampire couple at the center of the 2013 dramedy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Tilda Swinton is a wife forced to visit the husband (played by Tom Hiddleston) she’s long been separated from once she realizes his lengthy undead existence has begun to bring him down, as she tries to force him to reevaluate the value of living forever.

Bill Nighy (Underworld, Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans)

Every good vampire needs a parental figure to show them the ropes, and for Underworld’s Selene, that role was filled by Viktor, who was portrayed by Love, Actually star Bill Nighy. His Vampire Elder turned out to be more of a threat than the heroine ever expected, though, leading to some tense moments between Selene and her mentor.

Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker's Dracula) 

Back to Drac! One of the most popular films about the character is still 1992’s Bram Stoker's Dracula, which saw eventual Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban star Gary Oldman play Vlad Dracula.

Christopher Meloni (True Blood)

Where there is one vampire there are generally enough to have a whole hierarchy among their brethren, and as with the series True Blood, sometimes we get to see what that could look like. In Season 5, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni portrayed the Guardian, Roman Zimojic, who led the Vampire Authority and (ostensibly) set the rules for all vamps. Many, however, didn’t agree with his desire to have his kind fit in with human society, which caused a lot of problems for the calm, determined and deadly when challenged leader.

Nicolas Cage (Renfield)

If you guessed that this is yet another Dracula story, well, you’re sort of correct. 2023’s horror comedy, Renfield, stars Nicholas Hoult as the count’s titular long-time familiar, who’s tired of helping him kill innocent people and all the abuse he’s taken from the being who gifted him with immortality, as well as super strength and speed (when he eats bugs) 90 years prior. So, he gets help from a support group for people in codependent relationships in order to be able to live his own life again. Nicolas Cage is our Dracula here, and he’s a perfectly winking one, who still manages to be creepy and deadly.

Johnny Depp (Dark Shadows)

Johnny Depp has become known for his outrageous characters, and his Barnabas Collins is no different. The 2012 Dark Shadows film (which was based on the 1966-1971 gothic daytime drama of the same name) follows Barnabas after he’s cursed with vampirism in 1760, buried alive in a coffin, and then accidentally freed in the early 1970s. He rejoins the Collins family at the estate they still hold, while trying to keep his true nature a secret, but hijinks ensue as his past comes back to haunt them. 

This, of course, is just a small sampling of the famous actors who've portrayed vampires over the years, but if you decide to do a vamp movie/TV show marathon, you can start right here and have hours of entertainment.

The phrase “former child star” is most often associated with someone who was famous when they were much younger, but is not quite as well-known — or, perhaps, does not even act anymore — as a grown-up. Yet, for every starlet who has risen and fallen, there are just as many who have beaten the odds and have gone onto bigger and better things as adults, like these beloved celebrities.

Macaulay Culkin

The first person you might think of when you think of “former child stars” could be Macaulay Culkin, who was on top of the world when he led the original Home Alone cast as Kevin McCallister. While his notoriety would slow in subsequent years, it is always a treat to see him show up in ensembles like the American Horror Story Season 10 cast or Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic cast.

Lukas Haas

Lukas Haas was one of the most acclaimed young actors of his time with leading roles in 1985’s Witness, opposite Harrison Ford, and the underrated ghost story, Lady in White, from 1988. He has since made a living taking smaller roles in otherwise big movies like Inception and Babylon, plus he's shown up on TV shows like The Righteous Gemstones and War of the Worlds.

Jurnee Smollett

With an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Lovecraft Country, a scene-stealing role in DC’s Birds of Prey, and a stellar turn in Amazon Prime’s The Burial, Jurnee Smollett has established herself as one of the strongest talents of her time. However, that was already clear with her recurring role in Full House and her astonishing performance in 1997’s acclaimed Black horror movie, Eve’s Bayou, when she was still a child.

Jason Bateman

From his debut role on Little House on the Prairie to his years on the sitcom Valerie (which would become The Hogan Family), Jason Bateman showed great versatility as a performer in his younger years. He has upheld that reputation ever since, as seen by his Emmy-nominated work leading the Arrested Development cast and, later, the Ozark cast. His ability to shift from starring in funny movies like Horrible Bosses to dramas like Air is remarkable.

Dakota Fanning

Racking up more than 20 credits before she turned 10, Dakota Fanning was everywhere in the early 2000s — catching the attention of filmmakers like Steven Spielberg for War of the Worlds and holding her own against actors like Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek. Save her age, nothing much has changed for the actor, who appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast and reunited with her Man on Fire co-star, Denzel Washington, in 2023’s The Equalizer 3.

Ryan Gosling

A 13-year-old Ryan Gosling entered show business as a Mouseketeer, paving the way for him to star in back-to-back scary anthology TV shows for kids (Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps), lead Young Hercules, and more. Leading 2004’s The Notebook cast paved the way for him to be an action hero in Drive and Blade Runner 2049. On top of all that, he also earned Oscar nominations for Half Nelson and La La Land, and made us laugh as part of the The Nice Guys ensemble and the Barbie cast as Ken.

Brie Larson

After some faux ads on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show marked her debut at 9, Brie Larson went on to star in a family sitcom with the late Bob Saget (Raising Dad), was in a YA novel adaptation (Hoot), and she even had a singing career in her teens. Now, she is a comic book movie star (for appearing in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and playing the MCU’s Captain Marvel), and she has an Oscar for Room from 2015.

Kenan Thompson

On All That — Nickelodeon’s answer to Saturday Night Live — one of the young cast’s most prominent breakouts was Kenan Thompson, who went on to co-lead his own kid-friendly sitcom with Kel Mitchell, aptly named Kenan & Kel. The Emmy winner went on to break the record for longest-running SNL actor and lead his own adult sitcom, Kenan.

David Krumholtz

After making his debut playing a child actor in 1993’s Life with Mikey, David Krumholtz became a prominent child actor with roles in Addams Family Values as Wednesday’s love interest and Tim Allen’s head elf, Bernard, in The Santa Clause. The crime procedural, Numb3rs, earned him greater recognition, leading to a career that includes lending his voice to Sausage Party, appearing in the Oppenheimer cast, and reprising Bernard on Disney+’s series, The Santa Clauses.

Neil Patrick Harris

Playing a kid genius on Doogie Howser M.D. made Neil Patrick Harris a household name, which he acknowledged when he later played himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Of course, the five-time Emmy winner is better known today as Barney Stinson from the How I Met Your Mother cast, Count Olaf on Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and so much more.

Josh Brolin

At 17, first-time actor Josh Brolin immediately made his mark on pop culture as part of the Goonies cast in the role of Brand Walsh. However, he really got heads turning at 39 when he starred in one of the best movies of the 2000s, No Country for Old Men. The son of Hollywood veteran James Brolin has an Oscar nomination for Milk and multiple comic book movie roles under his belt (Jonah Hex, MCU’s Thanos, and Cable in Deadpool 2), among other great achievements. 

Haley Joel Osment

After debuting in Forrest Gump and starring on The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Haley Joel Osment’s Oscar-nominated performance in, arguably, the best M. Night Shyamalan movie, 1999’s The Sixth Sense, made him a sensation. He went on to earn leading parts in Pay It Forward and Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. More recently, Osment has been known to pop up in the most unexpected places — Kevin Smith’s Tusk, a guest role on The Boys, Netflix's animated fantasy series Dogs in Space, to name a few — but always with grand results.

Ethan Hawke

After debuting in Joe Dante’s Explorers at 15, Ethan Hawke only grew in prominence in his later teens and throughout his 20s by starring in Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, etc. He went on to earn Academy Award nominations for Training Day and Boyhood. He completed Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy with 2013’s Before Midnight, became a Scream King with great horror movies like Sinister, and he's done a fair amount of work behind the scenes, too.

Abigail Breslin

Just four years after M. Night Shyamalan gave 6-year-old Abigail Breslin her big break with Signs, her role in the Little Miss Sunshine cast made her one of the youngest Oscar nominees of all time. As she matured, so would her roles — such as a teenage murder suspect in Stillwater or a vigilante in the Accused cast for Fox.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik stole the show from the Big Bang Theory cast as Amy Farrah Fowler and later led Fox’s Call Me Kat in the title role. However, the Jeopardy! host’s status as sitcom royalty dates back to the ‘90s as the star of Blossom.

Brenda Song

Perhaps Brenda Song’s most iconic character is London Tipton from the Suite Life franchise — which is just one of the roles that made her a prominent Disney Channel star. Beyond the children’s cable giant, she was in one of the best David Fincher movies, The Social Network, led Netflix’s Secret Obsession, and had a main role in Hulu’s Dollface.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Despite being removed for disruptive behavior when making his show business debut on Romper Room at 3 years old (as he revealed to David Letterman), Leonardo DiCaprio went on to lead a winning child actor’s career that included a season on Growing Pains and an Academy Award nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Things would only get better as he grew up, earning even more Oscar nominations — and one win for The Revenant — and becoming as important to Martin Scorsese’s filmography as his This Boy’s Life co-star, Robert DeNiro, whom he reunited with in 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams started out appearing on Sesame Street before landing the title role of Chris Rock’s autobiographical sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. Following an acclaimed indie comedy (Dear White People) and a recurring role on the Walking Dead cast, the actor became sitcom royalty again when he joined the Abbott Elementary cast, which earned him multiple Emmy nods.

Kurt Russell

Former Disney star Kurt Russell made his feature debut in 1963’s It Happened at the World’s Fair alongside Elvis Presley, and he went on to play him in a made-for-TV biopic and Forrest Gump. Several great movie roles later, Russell is one of the top action heroes of all time, and now he's working with his family by joining the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cast alongside his son, Wyatt, who is playing his younger self.

Jodie Foster

After getting her start on TV at a very young age (the first gig being The Doris Day Show), Jodie Foster got a head start on the more mature roles she would become known for when she appeared in Taxi Driver at 14. The two-time Academy Award winner (for The Accused and Best Picture Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs) would continue to work from both in front of and behind the camera.

Johnny Galecki

In 1989, 14-year-old Johnny Galecki appeared as Rusty in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation cast, and he also starred in another holiday classic, Prancer. I would not be surprised if many did not realize that Leonard from The Big Bang Theory was the same actor, but they were likely more hip to that fact by the time he reprised his role from Roseanne, David Healy, on The Conners.

Miranda Cosgrove

Even with Jack Black in the lead, Miranda Cosgrove stole the show in 2003’s School of Rock, and she went on to do the same thing as the evil Megan in the Nickelodeon sitcom, Drake & Josh. One of her most notable credits as an adult was a Paramount+ exclusive revival of iCarly — another Nickelodeon show she led as a teen.

Keke Palmer

Her bombastic debut role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business made it clear that then-9-year-old Keke Palmer was a powerhouse talent. The Emmy winner would continue to demonstrate her skill as the lead of Akeelah and the Bee and much later in life as part of Jordan Peele’s Nope cast.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

While Zach Morris from the Saved by the Bell cast is still the role he is best known for — he even reprised it in a Peacock exclusive revival — Mark-Paul Gosselaar managed to prove his versatility in later years. He had a successful stint as a detective on NYPD Blue, played a rebellious lawyer on Franklin & Bash, and an abusive captor in NBC’s Found.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Before starring on the great ‘90s TV show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Joseph Gordon-Levitt made multiple TV appearances and starred in classic movies like Angels in the Outfield and A River Runs Through It. These days, he is best known for his many collaborations with Rian Johnson, his Golden Globe-nominated turns in (500) Days of Summer and 50/50, and running the creative collaboration platform HitRecord.

Sean Astin

Before playing the title role of Rudy and starring in the Lord of the Rings movies as Sam, Sean Astin was best known as Mikey in The Goonies. In addition to his accomplished voice acting career, one of his most celebrated roles as of late is Bob Newby from the Season 2 cast of Stranger Things — a show very much inspired by The Goonies.

Kirsten Dunst

After making her film debut in star-studded The Bonfire of the Vanities, Kirsten Dunst really made an impression at 12 playing a 70-year-old bloodsucker in Interview with the Vampire. Starring in the Spider-Man movies as Mary Jane Watson swung her right into the A-list and, in 2022, she received an Academy Award nomination for The Power of the Dog.

Kieran Culkin

With his roles in the Home Alone movies and in Steve Martin movies (both parts of Father of the Bride), it seemed like Kieran Culkin was on his way to the same level of stardom as his brother, Macaulay. However, it was not until later in life when he was thrice Emmy-nominated for starring in HBO’s Succession cast that he became the star he was destined to be.

Selena Gomez

Before leading Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place made Selena Gomez a star, she got her start on Barney in the early 2000s. She now has two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her performance on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building cast and a Daytime Emmy nod for her Max original cooking show, Selena + Chef.

Elle Fanning

Before breaking out in the Super 8 cast, Elle Fanning’s claim to fame for a while was starring as a younger version of sister, Dakota, in I Am Sam and Taken. Now, she has an Emmy nomination for leading Hulu’s The Great, which is just one of the many Victorian-era roles she has played in more recent years.

Christina Ricci

For years, Christina Ricci’s performance in Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family movies was the definitive iteration of young Wednesday Addams. The Yellowjackets cast member got to revisit those days with her supporting role on Netflix’s Wednesday cast, opposite Jenna Ortega in the lead this time.

Danica McKellar

Some of the most memorably endearing moments from the original Wonder Years involved Danica McKellar’s Winnie Cooper and her puppy love relationship with Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold. Romance is a big part of the actor’s career these days, primarily appearing in popular Hallmark movies like Christmas She Wrote and Swing into Romance.

Knowing the kind of career they would one day lead, I am sure these celebrities wear their “former child star” identities as a badge of honor.

Equalizer fans got a nice treat as Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning reunited for The Equalizer 3, two decades after first co-starring in Man on Fire. The reunion paid off as the threequel posted strong opening weekend numbers over Labor Day weekend. Now, amid the pair's big on-screen reunion, the threequel’s director recalls the super funny way Washington would acknowledge his reunion with Fanning while on set.

Equalizer 3 director Antoine Fuqua spilled to People that he orchestrated the decades-long reunion early in the film’s development. Fanning reached out early leading Washington to push for her after finding out she was available. Fuqua mentioned that it was “fun for me to just watch” recalling the duo’s onscreen chemistry. The director then spoke about seeing Fanning’s growth from Man on Fire to The Equalizer 3, recalling a funny story about how Washington reacted to working with her on set all these years later:

Denzel Washington spoke like a true dad finally seeing his daughter as a full-grown adult, and I can't help but chuckle about it. Before co-starring in the threequel, the two-time Oscar winner played the bodyguard trying to rescue a young Dakota Fanning in 2004’s Man on Fire. At the time, Fanning and Washington were two of Hollywood’s go-to stars with successes like Uptown Girls and Out of Time. However, the then-rising star held her own against the Hollywood A-lister. Fast forward decades later, the co-stars are on much more equal footing as the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has grown as an actor since the 2004 action thriller.

Overall, the actor's shocked response from the set makes sense, because the first time they worked together was nearly 20 years ago. However, there's also no denying how funny it is that he yelled about her being "a grown woman now!" on set, because, of course, she is. Fanning is 29 years old, and she's been an adult for a long time, it's not surprising. However, I totally get Washington's surprise to seeing her work as a grown-up.

However, the time between projects hasn’t lessened Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington’s bond. Fanning has spoken openly about her decades-long friendship with her onscreen partner. The actress has kept Washington and his family close as she is friends with one of his daughters. So, he’s seen Fanning grow up to be the star she is today.

It was nice to know the Oscar winner continued to play a major role in her life following the 2004 movie. Their close mentor-mentee dynamic can be seen in Robert McCall and Emma’s relationship throughout The Equalizer 3.

Getting a Fanning/Washington reunion was a great sign-off as The Equalizer series ends with the threequel. The Equalizer 3 is currently in movie theaters. Of course, Antoine Fuqua is open to revisiting the franchise in the future if the opportunity arises. Until then, Denzel Washington will be seen next in Gladiator 2, which arrives in cinemas on November 22, 2024. Dakota Fanning will return to the big screen in The Watchers, which will hit theaters on June 7, 2024. In the meantime, find out what new movies are coming to theaters by checking out our 2023 movie schedule.

Purposefully or not, Antoine Fuqua has done a nice job in recent years reteaming Denzel Washington with some of his best co-stars of the past. In 2016, the director reunited Washington and Ethan Hawke in The Magnificent Seven, the two actors having previously done phenomenal work together in Fuqua’s 2001 film Training Day, and now The Equalizer 3 is arriving in theaters with the two-time Oscar winner working opposite Man On Fire’s Dakota Fanning for the second time.

So who should be next? Fuqua has a couple ideas.

I interviewed the filmmaker earlier this month during the virtual press day for The Equalizer 3, and it was after discussing his take on the future of the franchise that I asked about more Denzel Washington collaborations he would like to orchestrate. After some thought, the director not only pitched one of Washington’s co-stars from The Magnificent Seven, but also another performer who he’d like to see work opposite the Tragedy Of Macbeth star for the first time. Said Fuqua,

With their trademark on-screen energies, Denzel Washington and Benicio del Toro could be incredible together in the right project – and it actually seems somewhat crazy that they’ve never collaborated together just because of their overlapping decades of work in the industry. As for Vincent D’Onofrio, he and Washington had the chance to share some scenes as part of the titular team in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven, and it seems the filmmaker would like to see even more of the two actors in front of a camera together.

Putting my own two cents out there, my suggestion to Antoine Fuqua was reuniting Denzel Washington with Don Cheadle – the two actors having previously done some of the best work of their respective careers together in director Carl Franklin’s fantastic neo-noir mystery Devil In A Blue Dress. It was an idea met with enthusiasm by Fuqua, who responded,

While we wait to see who Denzel Washington may reteam with next – be it Vincent D’Onofrio, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts, or Morgan Freeman – fans everywhere will be able to see the star back in action with Dakota Fanning tomorrow, as The Equalizer 3 arrives in theaters everywhere on Friday. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with Antoine Fuqua, and get a look ahead at all the films arriving in theaters in what remains of the year with our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.

Robert McCall is back for one more action-packed adventure to close out a summer of blockbusters. The Equalizer 3 will see the ex-DIA officer once again exacting his violent brand of vigilante justice — this time upon the Sicilian mafia — before potentially bringing the series to an end. Antoine Fuqua is back at the helm to complete the trilogy, which is set to hit theaters on September 1. Critics have already seen Denzel Washington’s latest project, and they’re here to share what they know about The Equalizer 3.

In addition to Denzel Washington in the leading role, The Equalizer 3 cast includes Gaia Scodellaro, David Denman, Sonia Amma, and more, while reuniting Washington with decades-long friend Dakota Fanning. Let’s see what the critics have to say, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of The Equalizer 3. Our own Eric Eisenberg rates the threequel 3 stars out of 5, saying that if you enjoyed the first two movies, you’ll probably like this one too, because it’s more of the same. He continues: 

Emily Garbutt of GamesRadar also rates the movie 3 out of 5 stars, calling it an “uneven sendoff” for Robert McCall. The reunion between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning isn’t as satisfying as it could have been, according to the critic, who writes:  

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence says in terms of violence, The Equalizer 3 definitely earns its R-rating, but isn’t quite as intense as the John Wick series. Don’t worry if you’re new to the Denzel Washington franchise either, Miller says. She grades the movie a B, writing: 

Fran Hoepfner of The Wrap says while the first two Equalizer films were drab, dire affairs, the third offering allows Denzel Washington to let loose a little. The movie still falls victim to some of the series’ worst instincts, including lackluster villains. However, Hoepfner continues: 

For all the middling opinions, however, Chris Bumbray of JoBlo is all in for the straight-forward action thriller and considers it the perfect way to close the book on Robert McCall’s story, should this actually be the final movie. Bumbray gives The Equalizer 3 a “Great” 8 out of 10, noting that Antoine Fuqua really ups the ante in terms of gore in this one: 

While it doesn’t seem like The Equalizer 3 is breaking any new ground in the vigilante action genre, any fans of Denzel Washington’s movies playing Robert McCall should be satisfied with this supposed ending to the trilogy. In fact, even those who haven’t partaken in the 2014 and 2018 blockbusters will be apparently just fine purchasing a ticket to this one when it hits theaters Friday, September 1. Be sure to also check out our 2023 movie release schedule to see what else is coming soon. 

The Equalizer 3 is set to be the end of the Denzel Washington action franchise. But at first glance it would be easy to think that the movie was supposed to be a different sort of sequel. Dakota Fanning co-stars in the film alongside Washington, just as she did in Man on Fire almost 20 years ago. Director Antoine Fuqua says that in some ways he sees the new film as a sort of sequel to both franchises.

Back in 2004, Denzel Washington starred in Man on Fire, a film about a former CIA agent with a difficult past who goes on a rampage after the young girl he was assigned to bodyguard is kidnapped. In The Equalizer 3 Washington again plays a former government agent, who is having difficulty coming to terms with the events of his past. Dakota Fanning, now much older, is part of the Equalizer 3 cast and will again appear as somebody Washington’s character will try to protect. The similarities between the two stories were not lost on director Antoine Fuqua who tells comicbook.com that while Man on Fire was never actively discussed on set, he was very aware of it the whole time. He explained…

The characters that Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning play in Equalizer 3 clearly aren’t quite close enough to their Man on Fire characters that it would work to imply they were somehow the same people. At the same time, based on the Equalizer 3 details we know, it does sound like they are close enough that fans of Man on Fire are going to get serious vibes from the new movie reminding them of that one.

Man on Fire is something of a cult classic. It wasn’t a massive box office hit or critical darling. What it was, was an absolutely brutal action movie fueled by rage. It came out four years prior to Taken creating an entire subgenre of angry dads murdering every bad guy in sight but absolutely belongs in that category. Washington and Fanning have remained close since making the film together, so reuniting certainly makes this a sequel for them.

There were the occasional rumblings of a Man on Fire 2 from time to time, despite the fact that the film’s ending made such things largely impossible. But for fans who would have loved to have seen that movie, it looks like Equalizer 3 will be the next best thing when it hits theaters on September 1.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary for the release of director Tony Scott’s action masterpiece Man on Fire. The film that teamed a young Dakota Fanning alongside the ever amazing Denzel Washington, it was a pairing for the ages. Both Fanning and Washington might agree with that statement themselves, as they’ve kept up a decades-long friendship after making that film thanks to some family ties. 

As the world readies itself for this reunion through The Equalizer 3, Fanning spoke with ET about how she’s kept in touch her former scene partner for so long. The connection has been maintained because of Dakota Fanning being a friend of the family, which she described through the following terms: 

It certainly surprised the world when Ms. Fanning was announced as part of the Equalizer 3 cast. Playing the still-mysterious role of Emma in director Antoine Fuqua’s trilogy-capper, the news of this Man on Fire reunion had everyone thinking back to the time when Denzel Washington cut down a path of destruction when trying to save Dakota Fanning from a grisly end. Decades later, Dakota still gushes about the experience, further hyping this new rematch between the two co-stars. 

Of course, we’re still not sure how these two people are supposed to interact with one another. The most we’ve seen of this anticipated second round is in the Equalizer 3 trailer, where Emma (Dakota Fanning) politely inquires about some murders that may or may not have been committed by Robert McCall (Denzel Washington). Naturally, our titular hero plays the situation with a laugh and a smile, which isn’t too far from how Man on Fire’s Creasy might have handled the same question from young Pita.

The energy of mentor and mentee is still strong with the Fanning/Washington pairing, which gives The Equalizer 3 the potential to see both parties kicking ass together. That is, unless some sort of hidden betrayal is lurking that we haven’t seen quite yet. Though uncertainty may reign on screen, the real-life friendship of Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning sounds as strong as ever, and that's something sweet to hold onto in any case.

Audiences can witness the long awaited reunion of these two acting titans in The Equalizer 3, which opens as part of the 2023 movie release schedule on September 1st. For those of you looking to revisit Man On Fire, a Max subscription is the current streaming option that will allow you to do so. 

This September, The Equalizer 3 will see yet another adventure of cool-headed bone breaking at the hands of Denzel Washington. Such an occasion calls for an impressive cast to join up for the latest action thriller, which takes the action to Italy. It’s an occasion to broaden the horizons of Antoine Fuqua’s cinematic spin on the ‘80s TV classic. It’s also apparently the right time for a Man on Fire reunion, if recent reports are any indication. 

Keeping with that spirit, we’re about to run down all of the faces, both new and familiar, that we know are on board. But before we get into the gory details, why not take a look at The Equalizer 3 trailer for yourself? 

With that thrilling burst of action out of the way, we’re now ready to go through the cast list for this next Equalizer outing. Which naturally has to start with Mr. Washington himself, as he is, by default, the face of this collection of brutal showdowns. 

Denzel Washington

What we know about The Equalizer 3 confirms that this third ride with Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall is “the final chapter.” As this role is a rarity for the Academy Award winner, marking his first recurring franchise gig alongside Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, it’s going to be sad to see Washington’s action hero no longer in action after this latest run. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take the same sort of turn as the ending to Man on Fire.

Dakota Fanning

Speaking of that 2003 Tony Scott-directed action-drama, Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning have reunited thanks to this project! Two decades ago, Washington and Fanning were a lovely team as a bodyguard for a wealthy family and the young girl he was sworn to protect. While we’re not exactly sure how The Equalizer 3 will set up the relationship between her character Emma and Robert McCall, we do know that this is a re-teaming for the ages. Also, we're still holding out hope for Ms. Fanning to share an action sequence with her former protector, for old time's sake.

Gaia Scodellaro

While we don’t have a name for the character played by Gaia Scodellaro, it looks like her character in The Equalizer 3 gets pretty close to Denzel Washington. Seen having several warm conversations with Robert McCall, Scodellaro’s role helps inform the audience of Robert’s seemingly idyllic life in Italy. Which, naturally, gives way to mayhem when the mafia wrecks havoc on a family that our former military operative has befriended. 

David Denman

Another mysterious party with a familiar face is actor David Denman. The Office and Brightburn star’s role is undisclosed at the moment, but Denman has been a pretty busy guy as of late. Recently, audiences have seen him in movies like the raunchy comedy Joy Ride and Will Smith’s Emancipation. The latter film may have been how David Denman has landed this unknown role, as it was also a project directed by Antoine Fuqua. 

Sonia Ammar

As a veteran of the cast of 2022's Scream, Sonia Ammar is no stranger to chaos and carnage on set. Although Ghostface and Robert McCall aren’t exactly the same when it comes to how or why they’ve made killing into a business. Much like most of the cast members announced by Deadline, Ammar’s role in The Equalizer 3 is under wraps for the time being. 

Remo Girone

Known for his career in over five decades worth of Italian cinema, actor Remo Girone has made some pretty noteworthy projects when crossing over into the Hollywood system. Seen in both Live by Night and Ford v. Ferrari, Girone seems to be playing another ally to Robert McCall, based on what we’ve seen in The Equalizer 3 trailer. Then again, what else would you call someone who’s about to do some surgical work on what looks like unspecified, but serious injuries? 

Eugenio Mastrandrea

Not everyone in Italy is trying to take out Denzel Washington, and actor Eugenio Mastrandrea could be one of those people that our Equalizer hero is trying to protect. Which is probably a delight to those with a Netflix subscription, as Mastrandrea was most recently seen in the romantic drama series From Scratch, alongside Zoe Saldaña.  

Andrea Scarduzio

Judging by what we’ve seen in The Equalizer 3’s first footage, it looks like the big bad this time out is the menacing figure played by Andrea Scarduzio. Being billed as the match to Robert McCall’s titular hero, it certainly looks like he’s up to the task of taking on this twice victorious soldier. Which makes for an interesting contrast with Scarduzio’s most recent role, as the Italian man mistaken for Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.

Daniele Perrone

Another party that seems to be on the side of Team Denzel is Daniele Perrone. Then again, who could blame him, as the featured trailer at the top of this list shows what looks like Washington’s character gifting Perrone’s shop owner a snazzy hat. With the two men looking like the best of friends, it looks safe to consider Daniele on the side of good, at least until further evidence is presented that says otherwise.

Andrea Dodero

Remember that poor thug that got his wrist bent out of shape in The Equalizer 3's restaurant scene? That's actor Andrea Dodero, whom, as we can see, is playing the role of Marco, one of the men that decides to test Robert McCall's resolve. From where I'm standing, that test failed; but maybe Dodero's character did stop before he experienced that "level 4" embarrassment.

So far, that’s the cast that audiences should look forward to seeing in The Equalizer 3 this fall. With a September 1st release date currently on the books, folks can set their calendars to countdown until this final showdown pops off. And of course, if there are any questions about what else is coming on the 2023 new movie schedule, you can count on that trusty guide to help you find your next cinematic adventure in nine seconds or less.

When we last saw Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning together on screen, the explosive action movie rampage that was Man on Fire was born. Even though she was a young actor at the time, Fanning’s chemistry with Washington was undeniable, and a reunion has been long overdue. Lo and behold, director Antoine Fuqua made it happen after almost two decades, as our first trailer for The Equalizer 3 has Denzel torturing bad guys and reuniting with his on-screen friend. 

Raising the stakes even higher is the fact that this big Sony three-quel serves as the final chapter in the film series adapted from the CBS hit drama. Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall has settled into a life much calmer than we’re used to. Since he's taking in the sun and sea of Italy, you’d think the upcoming flick might be a totally different beast than we’re used to, especially when Equalizer 3's Amalfi Coast shoot looked so warm and inviting in social media posts. 

That notion would be true, if the trailer didn’t start off with Washington’s trademark high-pressure deadlines. This final ride for Mr. McCall sees him up against the criminal underworld yet again. As usual, the vicious hero knows where and when to apply pressure to get the right result; and it looks like a bloody good time.

It’s even cooler to see Dakota Fanning back with Denzel Washington, as we've been anticipating a first look since Fanning's casting was announced last year. Even if she’s being set up to play one of the handlers that probably feeds our hero intel on his quest for vengeance. Whether Ms. Fanning will get to engage in some fast and furious action herself remains to be seen, but it’s a welcomed proposition for sure. Though there’s no shortage of what we are being shown from this series' latest round of destruction and bodily harm.

To skimp out on the thrills for this trailer would be as much of a mistake as thinking you can beat Robert McCall in a game of patient revenge. That in mind, the powers that be obviously aren't going to show us everything this first time out. Though there does look to be a contender for the set piece of the movie, as Mr. Washington goes to town on some mobsters in what looks like a wine cellar; going as far as shoving a gun in someone's face. Literally in their face! 

Even if it was the one scene Denzel Washington hated filming for the franchise first film, the tool warehouse scene kind of set the bar for fight sequences in this saga. That much was true when The Equalizer 2's equally taxing set piece moved the action to the middle of a Nor'Easter, upping the stakes higher. With that sort of pattern in mind, this final thrill could be something Herculean, which means the story behind how it happened might be just as compelling as past tales.

The Equalizer 3 closes out Robert McCall’s story of vigilante justice on September 1st. To see what else is waiting in the wings, you don't need to set an imposing countdown. Rather, you should just check out our 2023 new movie releases guide, so that way nobody gets hurt, and we can all go home happy.

For most of his career, Denzel Washington wasn’t an actor who did sequels, but he eventually made an exception for the Equalizer movies. Following his first outing as Robert McCall in 2014, Washington reprised the role four years later, and back in January, the actor revealed that The Equalizer 3 is moving forward. Now Washington’s first co-star in the upcoming movie has been revealed, and it’s someone he worked with almost two decades ago.

One of Denzel Washington’s earlier action outings, 2004’s Man on Fire, followed his character, a former CIA operative named John W. Creasy, serving as a bodyguard for a young girl named Lupita, who was played by Dakota Fanning. Well, Deadline reports that Washington and Fanning are reuniting in The Equalizer 3. No details about Fanning’s character were revealed, but it’s a good bet it that Washington’s Robert McCall will follow in Creasy’s footsteps and strike up a friendly relationship with her.

Prior to Man on Fire, Dakota Fanning had appeared in movies like I Am Sam, Sweet Home Alabama, Uptown Girls and The Cat in the Hat, and her action flick with Denzel Washington further cemented her as a Hollywood talent to keep an eye on. As far as Fanning’s more recent work goes, she can currently be seen playing Susan Ford in the Showtime series The First Lady, and she also co-led the TNT series The Alienist with Daniel Brühl and Luke Evans. The actress’ notable film credits from the last several years include Ocean’s 8, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Viena and the Fantomes.

Loosely adapted from The Equalizer TV series that ran from 1985 to 1989, the same-named movies depict Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall as a former Marine-turned-DIA officer who’s retired from a life of killing for his government. However, both movies see him breaking out his old set of lethal skills to either protect someone he’s met in his personal life or as part of a revenge quest. Along with Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo also starring in the first two Equalizer movies, Washington’s co-stars in The Equalizer included Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas and David Harbour, and he was joined by Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders and Orson Bean in The Equalizer 2. There’s also an Equalizer TV series currently running on CBS that stars Queen Latifah, but it’s not connected to the film series.

While The Equalizer 3 was brought up as a possibility back in August 2018, just a few weeks after The Equalizer 2 opened, it wasn’t until Denzel Washington provided that update at the start of 2022 that we knew for a fact it was on the way. Antoine Fuqua will also reprise his directorial duties for the threequel, and this is the next movie Washington aims to tackle following his appearance in The Tragedy of MacBeth and directing Michael B. Jordan in A Journal for Jordan. With the news of Dakota Fanning’s involvement in The Equalizer 3, hopefully in the near future we’ll learn about some of the other actors joining her and Washington.

Sony Pictures has slated The Equalizer 3 for September 1, 2023. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on its progress and our coverage on other movies.

There are only a handful of stories about what goes on in the White House and in the country from the point of view of the U.S. President’s spouse. The premiere season of creator Aaron Cooley’s new series offers three that are ripped straight from the history books and performed by some of the most renowned actresses of their generation. Take a look at who is playing whom in Showtime’s The First Lady cast, starting with one of the most powerful and beloved women in Hollywood as one of the most powerful and beloved women in the world.

Viola Davis (Michelle Obama)

The 44th First Lady, Michelle Obama, is the most recent real-life person Viola Davis has portrayed after playing James Brown’s mother, Susie, in Get On Up and the title role of Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - both music biopics also starring late Marvel star Chadwick Boseman. Speaking of superhero movies, the actress has also appeared in three DCEU installments so far (both Suicide Squad movies and Peacemaker) as Amanda Waller - a character who bears a few similarities to Annalise Keating, her Emmy-winning role from How to Get Away with Murder. Davis also has an Oscar for giving, arguably, her all-time best performance in 2016’s Fences after previously being nominated for Doubt in 2009, The Help in 2012, and later receiving a nod for the aforementioned Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Michelle Pfeiffer (Betty Ford)

Before playing Betty Ford, who served as First Lady from 1974 to 1977, the last real person Michelle Pfieffer played was Bernie Madoff’s wife, Ruth, in the HBO movie, The Wizard of Lies - which earned her her sole Emmy nomination. The actress (also known for the 1999 thriller What Lies Beneath, the 1996 rom-com One Fine Day, 2007’s Hairspray, and more) also starred in 1993's politically inspired drama, Love Field, which earned her her third Oscar nomination after 1989’s Dangerous Liaisons and The Fabulous Baker Boys from 1990. Like Viola Davis, Pfeiffer is a DC movies veteran, haven given one of the greatest Catwoman portrayals ever in 1992’s Batman Returns, and would also join the MCU as Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018.

Gillian Anderson (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Before playing Eleanor Roosevelt - the United States’ longest serving First Lady (1933-1945) - Gillian Anderson played royalty (Catherine the Great’s mother, Joanna, with Hulu’s The Great cast for Season 2) and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Season 4 of Netflix’s The Crown - for which she received her second Emmy. The Chicago native won her first Emmy for her most iconic role, FBI agent Dana Scully, on one of greatest sci-fi shows ever, The X-Files. Anderson has also starred on NBC’s Hannibal as the title character’s psychiatrist, the personification of all media on Starz’s American Gods, and a sex therapist and mother in the Sex Education cast for Netflix.

O-T Fagbenle (Barack Obama)

As Michelle Obama’s husband and the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama, we have O-T Fagbenle, who - like his on-screen wife on The First Lady - is also known for superhero movies, having appeared in the Black Widow cast in 2021. The British-born actor of Nigerian descent is even better known as Luke Bankole from Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale cast, for his recurring role on HBO’s short-lived queer dramedy, Looking, and appearing alongside the WeCrashed cast for Apple TV+ more recently. Fagbenle also works behind the scenes, most notably on his satirical comedy series Maxxx, which he created, produces, composes, occasionally directs, and stars on in the title role.

Aaron Eckhart (Gerald Ford)

As Betty Ford’s husband and the 38th U.S. President, Gerald Ford, we have Aaron Eckhart, who last played a (fictional) U.S. president in Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen (but not the third installment, Angel Has Fallen). The Thank You For Smoking star - like his on-screen wife on The First Lady - also has a history of comic book movies, having played Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight and a modern interpretation of Mary Shelley’s “The Creature” in I, Frankenstein. More of Eckhart’s more notable credits include 1999’s Oscar-winning Erin Brockovich, the 2003 sci-fi adventure The Core, the dreary family drama Rabbit Hole from 2010, and the 2016 biopic, Sully, opposite Tom Hanks.

Kiefer Sutherland (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

As Eleanor Roosevelt’s husband and the 32nd (and longest-sitting) U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, we have Kiefer Sutherland, who last played a (fictional) U.S. president on Designated Survivor after years of defending the country by more aggressive means as Jack Bauer on 24. After debuting alongside his father, Donald Sutherland, in 1983’s Max Dugan Returns, he went on to become one of the biggest stars of the decade (and the next) with roles in Stand By Me, the star-studded Western Young Guns and its sequel, and his multiple collaborations with Joel Schumacher (such as The Lost Boys, Flatliners, and A Time to Kill). His additional, notable 21st Century credits include Alexandre Aja’s Mirrors, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, and a few video game series - namely Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid.

Jayme Lawson (Young Michelle Obama)

Playing Michelle Obama’s younger self (when her last name was Robinson) is Jayme Lawson, who was last seen holding a political position in The Batman cast as Gotham City mayoral candidate Bella Reál in 2022. She made her feature film debut two years earlier in Farewell Amor and will next share the screen with her The First Lady co-star, Viola Davis, in the historical epic, The Woman King, in 2022. Also, later this year, she will play another historical figure - civil rights activist Myrlie Evers, widow of Medgar Evers - in an upcoming biopic about Emmett Till.

Regina Taylor (Marian Shields Robinson)

Playing Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Shields Robinson, is Regina Taylor, who made her feature film debut opposite Morgan Freeman in 1989’s Lean on Me and went on to be cast on the Emmy-winning series I’ll Fly Away from 1991 to 1993. This led to a career in more classic films - such as director Spike Lee’s Clockers from 1995, 1996’s Courage Under Fire (opposite Denzel Washington), and 1998’s The Negotiator (opposite Samuel L. Jackson). These days, Taylor is best known for making notable guest appearances on TV shows like NBC’s The Blacklist, The Good Fight on Paramount+, and two episodes of Lovecraft Country on HBO.

Dakota Fanning (Susan Elizabeth Ford)

Playing Gerald and Betty Ford’s daughter, Susan, is Dakota Fanning, who debuted in an ER episode before becoming one of her generation’s most renowned child stars with movies like 2004’s Man on Fire, War of the Worlds the following year, or Coraline as the title role. Playing Cherie Curie in The Runaways (opposite fellow Twilight movies cast member Kristen Stewart) led to more adult roles like Squeaky Fromme in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast or Sara Howard on TNT’s period crime drama, The Alienist. Fanning’s upcoming film, The Nightingale, will be her third collaboration with her sister, Elle, after I Am Sam and the Syfy miniseries, Taken, and their first time not playing the same character at different ages.

Judy Greer (Nancy Howe)

Playing Betty Ford’s friend and secretary Nancy Howe is Judy Greer, who recently portrayed a highly exaggerated version of the very first First Lady, Martha Washington, in Netflix’s America: The Motion Picture voice cast and actually has another fact-based political drama in the works called The White House Plumbers. The actress has well over 100 other acting credits, but is best known as Cheryl Tunt in the Archer cast and for multiple blockbuster franchises - namely the MCU as Ant-Man’s ex-wife, Jurassic World as Bryce Dallas Howard’s sister, or the new Halloween movies as Laurie Strode’s daughter. You may likely recognize her from countless other films, like 13 Going on 30, and TV shows, like Arrested Development, just to name a few.

Ellen Burstyn (Sara Delano Roosevelt)

Playing Eleanor Roosevelt’s mother-in-law, Sara Delano Roosevelt, is Ellen Burstyn, who previously played a U.S. president’s mother twice (Barbara Bush in W. and Elizabeth Hale in Netflix’s House of Cards cast), as well as mother of a former First Lady on USA’s 2012 miniseries, Political Animals, for which she won her second Emmy. The screen legend is even better known for her Oscar-nominated roles in movies like The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist (one of the best horror movies), and Requiem for a Dream, and her Oscar-winning performance as the title character of Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Burstyn also played an older Jessica Chastain in Interstellar, Blake Lively’s daughter in The Age of Adaline, and recently reprised her Emmy-winning role as Bernadette Stabler on Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Lily Rabe (Lorena “Hick” Hickok)

Playing Lorena Hicock - a journalist and close friend (or, allegedly, more than a friend) of Eleanor Roosevelt is Lily Rabe, whose last major role in a fact-based political drama was Liz Cheney in Vice from 2018. Ten years after making her screen debut in the 2001 rom-com, Never Again, opposite her mother, Jill Clayburgh, the actress made her first appearance on the show she is best known for: American Horror Story. Some of Rabe’s other notable acting credits include HBO’s six-part drama The Undoing, a couple of episodes of The Underground Railroad on Amazon Prime, and the streaming platform’s acclaimed period drama, The Tender Bar, from director George Clooney.

Jackie Earle Haley (Louis McHenry Howe)

Playing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s advisor Louis McHenry Howe (with no relation to Nancy Howe) is Jackie Earle Haley, who last played a real-life political official (Confederacy VP Alexander Stephens) in 2012’s Lincoln. Like some other The First Lady cast members, he was once a popular child star (best known for the classic sports movie The Bad News Bears), has an Oscar nomination (for 2006’s Little Children), and has starred in a number of comic book adaptations (2009’s Watchmen, the short-lived Human Target series, AMC’s Preacher, Amazon Prime’s The Tick, and Alita: Battle Angel). 

Kate Mulgrew (Susan Sher)

Playing Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff, Susan Sher, is Kate Mulgrew, who is a bit of a legend on the small screen. She is best known as the first woman to play a Star Trek captain (Kathryn Janeway, whom she debuted as on Star Trek: Voyager and most recently reprised on Star Trek: Prodigy) and for her Emmy nominated role in the Orange is the New Black cast as iron-mitted prison cook Galina “Red” Reznikov. She is also no stranger to comic book adaptations (she voiced Red Claw on Batman: The Animated Series) and still dabbles in sci-fi, such as Showtime’s upcoming series remake of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

See how well Showtime’s The First Lady cast portrays these historical and modern political figures when the series premieres on Sunday, April 17, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET.

Every once in a while, celebrity siblings - such as Ben and Casey Affleck or Dakota and Elle Fanning - end up sharing the screen together. Well, apparently it happens a little more often than just every once in a while, given the amount of examples we compiled below.

Jake And Maggie Gyllenhaal (A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, Donnie Darko)

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and his twice-nominated older sister, Maggie, are in three movies together: 1993’s A Dangerous Woman, 1998’s Homegrown (both were directed by their father, Stephen), and the eventual sci-fi cult classic, Donnie Darko, in 2001.

Jeff And Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and his older brother, Beau, also played siblings in The Fabulous Baker Boys - a 1989 comedy in which the titular musicians become rivals after teaming up with a beautiful aspiring singer (Michelle Pfieffer).

Kate And Rooney Mara (Urban Legends: Bloody Mary)

Kate Mara of the House of Cards cast led the 2005 straight-to-video slasher, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, in which her younger sister, Nightmare Alley’s Rooney Mara, made her acting debut.

Sean And Chris Penn (At Close Range)

Future two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn and his late younger brother, Chris (best known from the Reservoir Dogs cast) played siblings in the 1986 crime thriller, At Close Range, starring Christopher Walken as their criminal father.

Andrew, Owen, And Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums) 

Owen Wilson and his younger sibling, Luke have also acted alongside their eldest brother, Andrew, in 1996’s Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums from 2001 - both of which Owen also co-wrote with director Wes Anderson.

Chris And Luke Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Chris Hemsworth has yet to star in anything with his little bro, Liam, but the Australian Marvel movie star’s older bother, Westworld star Luke, did show up in Thor: Ragnarok as a dramatized version of the God of Thunder, whom he is set to reprise (along with Matt Damon as “Actor Loki”) in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Dylan And Cole Sprouse (Various)

Twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse (the latter of which went on to join the Riverdale cast) have shared the same role in several TV shows (most notably Grace Under Fire) and movies (such as Big Daddy with Adam Sandler) and have played siblings just as often, most famously as the title characters of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, and 2011’s The Suite Life Movie.

Tia, Tamera, And Tahj Mowry  (Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, Seventeen Again)

Twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry have shared the screen with their little brother, Tahj, several times - most notably as guest stars on each other’s respective sitcoms, Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, and in the 2000 Showtime original movie, Seventeen Again.

James And Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist)

After years finding success in the business in separate projects, James Franco and his younger brother, Dave, played Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero of the infamous cult favorite, The Room, in the 2017 biopic, The Disaster Artist.

Hilary And Haylie Duff (Various)

Haylie Duff would appear on three episodes of her younger sister, Hilary’s, Disney Channel show, Lizzie McGuire, and provided the singing voice of Isabella Parigi in the theatrical spin-off before they both played a singing group on an episode of American Dreams, sisters in the 2006 rags-to-riches story Material Girls, and both leant their voices to the infamous animated movie Foodfight!, which was released in 2012.

Aly And AJ Michalka (Various)

Singer-songwriter duo Aly and AJ Michalka first shared the screen in the 2006 Disney Channel original movie Cow Belles as sisters, again in the MTV original Super Sweet 16: The Movie the next year as rivals, followed by three episodes of Aly’s CW series Hellcats in 2011 as half-sisters. Most recently, they appeared in the 2015 drama, Weepah Way For Now, as what appear to be fictionalized versions of themselves.

Dakota And Elle Fanning (I Am Sam, Taken)

Elle Fanning has portrayed a younger version of her older sister, Dakota, on two separate occasions: first in the 2001 drama I Am Sam and secondly in the Steven Spielberg-produced, Syfy original miniseries, Taken, in 2002.

Spencer And Abigail Breslin (Various)

Academy Award nominee Abigail and her older brother, Spencer, played siblings in both Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement in 2004, played elves in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, and later played cousins in the 2014 crime drama, Perfect Sisters.

Jason And Justine Bateman (Arrested Development)

Justine Bateman played her real-life brother, Jason's, sibling in the 1986 TV movie Can You Feel Me Dancing? and a sex worker whom Jason’s Michael Bluth mistakes for his long-lost sibling on Arrested Development.

John, Joan, Ann, And Bill Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank)

While beloved star John Cusack and his Academy-nominated sister, Joan, have appeared in more films together than most celebrity siblings can claim (including Say Anything… and High Fidelity), the only screen credit that they also share with both their sister, Ann, and brother, Bill, is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank, which John also co-wrote and produced.

Bill And Brian Doyle Murray (Various) 

Bill Murray and his older brother, Brian, are both Saturday Night Live veterans (although at different times) and have several classic movies in common - including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day, and The Razor's Edge.

Ben And Casey Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy)

Years before casting him in his amazing directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck shared the screen with his younger brother and fellow Oscar winner, Casey, in Good Will Hunting (which Ben co-wrote with Matt Damon) and Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy in 1997.

Macaulay And Kieran Culkin (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

Kieran Culkin (now more famous than ever since starring on HBO’s Succession) made his acting debut alongside his older brother (child megastar Macaulay Culkin) in 1990’s Home Alone cast as his cousin, Fuller - a role he would also reprise in the 1992 sequel.

Rory And Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down)

In addition to playing Macaulay’s younger self in Richie Rich, the youngest Culkin brother, Rory, also played a younger version of Kieran as the title role in 2002's Igby Goes Down.

The Wayans Siblings (Various) 

Where do we start with the Wayans Siblings? Well, for instance, several of them (such as Damon and Kim Wayans) were a part of the In Living Color cast with star and creator Keenen Ivory Wayans, who later directed his younger brothers, Marlon and Shawn, in movies like White Chicks, the first two Scary Movie installments, and Little Man.

Zooey And Emily Deschanel (Bones)

In Season 5 of Bones, star Emily Deschanel’s sister (Zooey of the Elf cast fame and later the lead of the New Girl cast) guest starred as Temperance Brennan’s second cousin, Margaret Whitesell.

Fred And Ben Savage (Little Monsters, The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World)

After playing siblings in the family-friendly horror film, Little Monsters, in 1989, Ben Savage made a guest appearance on his older brother, Fred’s, hit dramedy, The Wonder Years, in 1990 and later returned the favor by inviting him to the Boy Meets World cast for an episode in 1998.

Charlie Sheen And Emilio Estevez (Various)

After making several movies together - including Young Guns, Men At Work, and Rated X (the latter two of which Emilio Estevez directed), Charlie Sheen (née Carlos Estevez) reunited with his brother on an episode of his hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, in 2008.

Vanessa and Laura Marano (Saving Zoë)

Both of these talented ladies had guest appearances on Dexter at different times in the series’ run, but Vanessa Marano and her younger sister, Laura, did appear together in the 2019 mystery, Saving Zoë, as siblings torn apart by one’s unsolved murder.

Nat And Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band, Mr. Troop Mom, Stella’s Last Weekend)

Hereditary’s Alex Wolff and his older brother, Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole cast member Nat Wolff, both debuted as fictionalized versions of themselves in Nickelodeon’s faux rockumentary, The Naked Brothers Band, its series continuation, and the 2009 TV movie Mr. Troop Mom before reuniting in 2018’s Stella’s Last Weekend, which was written and directed by their mother, Polly Draper.

Vera And Taissa Farmiga (Higher Ground, At Middleton, The Nun)

Scream Queens Vera and Taissa Farmiga, who are often mistaken for mother and daughter, played mother and daughter in 2013’s At Middleton after Taissa previously played her older sister’s younger self in Vera’s 2011 directorial debut, Higher Ground. However, interestingly, their characters in the 2018 Conjuring spin-off, The Nun, have no apparent familial ties.

Maude And Iris Apatow (Knocked Up, This Is 40, Funny People)

Euphoria’s Maude Apatow and her younger sister, Iris, have played siblings in 2007’s Knocked Up, its “sort-of sequel” This is 40 from 2012, and 2009’s Funny People - all three of which also starred their real mother, Leslie Mann, as their mother, and were written and directed by their father, Judd Apatow.

Dan And Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

While Annie Murphy plays co-creator Dan Levy’s on-screen sister in the Schitt’s Creek cast, Café Tropical owner, Twyla Sands, is played by his real-life sister, Sarah.

Mary-Kate, Ashley, And Elizabeth Olsen (How The West Was Fun)

After Full House made the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, household names and  before the Marvel movies made their younger sister, Elizabeth, an A-lister, all three of them appeared together in the ABC original TV movie How the West Was Fun in 1994.

Bill And Alexander Skarsgård (White Water Fury)

Years before his terrifying performance as Pennywise in It, Bill Skarsgård made his acting debut alongside his older brother, True Blood cast member Alexander, in the 2000 Swedish thriller, White Water Fury.

Blake And Robyn Lively (Simon Says)

Robyn Lively, star of 1989’s Teen Witch, shared the screen with her then up-and-coming half-sister, former Gossip Girl cast member Blake Lively, in a 2006 slasher flick called Simon Says, which also stars fellow ‘80s icon Crispin Glover.

Brian And Domhnall Gleeson (Mother!, Frank Of Ireland)

Despite plenty of years of experience between the them, it was not until 2017 when Star Wars star Domnhall Gleeson and his younger brother, Brian, shared the screen in Mother! before reuniting as co-creators and co-stars of the Amazon Prime original comedy Frank of Ireland - also starring their father, Brendan Gleeson.

Eddie And Charlie Murphy (Harlem Nights, Norbit)

Comedy icon Eddie Murphy worked behind the scenes a lot with his older brother, Charlie, who passed away in 2017, but the two would also share a few acting credits, - namely Eddie’s 1989 directorial debut Harlem Nights (also Charlie’s first movie), and in 2006’s Norbit, in which Charlie voiced a dog named Floyd.

Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen (The Cosby Show, Grey’s Anatomy, The Old Settler)

Phylicia Rashad and her younger sister, Emmy-winning dance legend Debbie Allen, have made guest appearances on each other’s shows - The Cosby Show, on which Rashad played Claire Huxtable, and Grey’s Anatomy, on which Allen plays Dr. Catherine Fox (née Avery) - and both starred in a 2001 TV movie called The Old Settler, which Allen also directed.

Ron And Clint Howard (Various) 

You can find Clint Howard in just about every movie directed by his brother, Ron Howard - including his feature-length directorial debut from 1977, Grand Theft Auto, which was also the brothers’ third time acting alongside each other after the 1963 film The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and a handful of episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

Angelina Jolie And James Haven (Gia, Hell’s Kitchen, Original Sin)

Audiences probably remember Angelina Jolie’s brother, James Haven, better for other reasons than all the times he shared the screen with his younger sister - namely Gia and Hell’s Kitchen from 1998, and 2001’s Original Sin.

Jared And Shannon Leto (Various)

In addition to being bandmates with his young brother, Oscar winner Jared Leto, in 30 Seconds to Mars, Shannon Leto also shared the screen with him on a couple of episodes of My So-Called Life (on which Jared played the iconic Jordan Catalano) and through brief appearances in the movies Prefontaine from 1997, 1998’s Highway, and Sol Goode in 2003.

Chris And Scott Evans (Before We Go, Playing It Cool)

Former Captain America actor Chris Evans has a brother named Scott who has also appeared in two romantic-comedies from 2014 with his older sibling, called Before We Go (which Chris also directed) and Playing It Cool.

Sarah And Laura Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Bob’s Burgers, Masters Of Sex)

Comedian and actress Sarah Silverman and her sister, Laura, played heavily fictionalized versions of themselves as series regulars on The Sarah Silverman Program, made guest appearances on Showtime’s Masters of Sex together, and have recurred on Bob’s Burgers as Jimmy Pesto’s twin sons, Andy and Ollie.

Kevin, Nick, And Joe Jonas (Camp Rock Movies, Jonas)

Back when they were the biggest thing to come out of Disney Channel, Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas played three brothers in a band not named the Jonas Brothers in the Camp Rock movies, and later played themselves to more comedic effect in their own sitcom, aptly titled Jonas.

Looks like talent really does run in the family.

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Dakota Fanning represents a rare breed of actor who began as a child star and successfully transitioned into an equally promising adult talent. The Alienist is just one of Dakota Fanning’s recent projects that have gained the actress new fans and admirers. She played Sara Howard, alongside Luke Evans and Daniel Bruhl, for two seasons of The Alienist. There has been no official word on whether The Alienist will get a third season. However, fans of the show and the young actress have plenty of Dakota Fanning projects to look forward to, such as Ripley.

There are some very exciting Dakota Fanning movies and TV shows being released in the next few years. She will be appearing in several television and film adaptations of beloved books, like a TV show based on the Tom Ripley novels and a film of the best-selling novel, The Nightingale. Fanning will also be expanding her brand to include a media company, where she’ll be producing a variety of projects. Let’s look at some of the highly anticipated upcoming Dakota Fanning movies and TV shows.

Gen: LOCK - Fall 2021 (Post-Production)

gen: LOCK is a Rooster Teeth animated series that began in 2019. It features an all-star cast of voice actors, led by Michael B. Jordan. The gen: LOCK voice-cast also includes Dakota Fanning, Maisie Williams, and David Tennant. Set 50 years in the future, the series sets up a dystopian universe where a group called Polity fights with another group called the Union. The entire first season of gen: LOCK is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

In July 2021, for its Comic-Con presentation, HBO released a trailer for season 2. The trailer revealed that the series will return in fall 2021. Though it mainly focused on Michael B. Jordan’s character, Julian Chase, Fanning spoke a little about her character, Miranda Worth, at the Comic-Con virtual panel. In season two, Miranda will explore her inner struggles, specifically when it comes to her morals versus her career and relationships.

gen:LOCK Season 2 will showcase Miranda being pulled in different directions and how she navigates these different choices.

The First Lady - TBD (Filming)

The First Lady is an upcoming Showtime anthology series. It explores presidents and history through the lens of the first ladies who helped them rule. The series features an all-star cast and focuses on such presidents as Barack Obama, Gerald Ford, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first season will specifically focus on Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

These first ladies will be played by Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson. The First Lady will be an hour-long drama that may air on Showtime as early as fall 2021. It began filming in February 2021. Dakota Fanning will play Susan Ford, the daughter of Gerald and Betty Ford. She will be a series regular appearing in six episodes.

The First Lady all-star cast also includes Aaron Eckhart, Judy Greer, and 24 vet, Kiefer Sutherland.

The Nightingale - December 23, 2022 (Pre-Production)

Dakota Fanning will appear for the first time on-screen with her sister Elle Fanning, as the real-life sisters will play fictional siblings, Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol, in The Nightingale. The film will be the screen adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s best-selling novel of the same name. In 2019, THR reported that the Fanning sisters would be the leads, and that Melanie Laurent would direct. Dana Stevens will pen the script.

The Nightingale novel was released in 2015, and TriStar Pictures bought the rights for a screen adaptation soon after its publication. The film was pushed back a few times, eventually becoming a 2021 release. However, in February 2021, TriStar, a company owned by Sony, pushed it to December 23, 2022. Now it’s one of the most anticipated upcoming 2022 movies.

Ripley - TBD (Pre-Production)

Since 2019, a Showtime series based on Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels has been in the works. However, since 2015, a television series based on the novels has been discussed. Showtime cast Andrew Scott to play the title character with Oscar-winning screenwriter, director, and film editor Steven Zaillian set to write and direct the entire first season. In 2020, Johnny Flynn joined the cast and in 2021, Deadline noted that Dakota Fanning joined.

Flynn will be playing Dickie Greenleaf, and Fanning will play Marge Sherwood. Ripley, Dickie, and Marge are the three main characters in The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first book in Highsmith’s series. These characters were played by Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1999 film adaptation.

The Showtime series Ripley will take inspiration from all five of Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels. The basic premise of Ripley is that Tom Ripley is a 1960s con artist who is hired by a wealthy man to go to Italy and convince the man’s son, Dickie, to return home. Eventually, this leads to Ripley’s life of fraud and murder. The first season will have eight episodes. No word yet on a premiere date, but I would assume that it’s likely to premiere sometime in 2022.

I’ve Got Your Number - TBD (Pre-Production)

In September 2020, Deadline reported the plans to adapt Sophie Kinsella’s novel I’ve Got Your Number. Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Jessica O’Toole will write the script. Dakota Fanning and Freddie Highmore will star and act as producers on the film.

I’ve Got Your Number is a romantic comedy about two strangers who meet while one of them is engaged. It starts with a lost engagement ring and a stolen cell phone, and things just escalate from there. Sophie Kinsella is best known for her Confessions of a Shopaholic series, which was adapted in 2009, and starred Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. The film will be released on Amazon Prime.

In March 2021, Dakota and Elle Fanning launched a production company with Civic Center Media/MRC Television called Lewellen Pictures. The production company announced that the Fanning sisters will be developing and producing an array of movies, televisions shows, and even podcasts. They will also be bringing some of their existing projects to the company. One of those projects is I’ve Got Your Number.

The Last House Guest - TBD (Announced)

With the announcement of the Fanning sisters’ production company came news that one of their first major projects will be acting as producers on the adaptation of Megan Miranda’s novel The Last House Guest. It’s being developed as a crime thriller series that focuses on two girls whose friendship spirals into betrayal and tragedy.

Since the announcement of the project in March 2021, there haven’t been any new major developments. We also don’t know yet if either Fanning sister will star, or if they’ll just act as producers for the show.

The Bell Jar - TBD (Announced)

In July 2016, it was announced that Kirsten Dunst would make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of The Bell Jar with Dakota Fanning as the lead character, Esther Greenwood. By October 2016, IndieWire reported that Jesse Plemons had joined the cast in the role of Lenny Shepherd. The project was shaping up quite nicely, but in 2019, Dunst was out as director.

Dunst told Entertainment Weekly “I never owned (the rights), so it went away for me. It went to others' hands.” In its current form, The Bell Jar is supposed to be a limited Showtime series with Fanning still set to star. As of August 2021, there haven’t been any new developments on The Bell Jar adaptation.

Dakota Fanning doesn’t have any upcoming 2021 movies but she has plenty of upcoming TV series and 2022 movies to get you excited. You can catch up on The Alienist through a TNT cable subscription or purchase episodes of the series on Amazon.

Buy The Alienist on Amazon.

Considering how long medical dramas like ER tend to last, how often cast members rotate, and how frequently it require new actors to play the patient(s) of the week, the cast list is unsurprisingly, but still impressively, large. The aforementioned NBC series lasted 15 seasons (from 1994-2009) and made A-listers out of George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and Julianna Margulies to name just a few, but did you know Chadwick Boseman was a guest star before he became a household name?

The late, Marvel movie alum is far from the only beloved celebrity to make an early appearance on ER. In fact, we found an overwhelming amount of notable names to choose from, but settled on a still sizable 20 to include below, starting with one of the busiest and most respected actresses of her generation.

Jessica Chastain (Dahlia Taslitz)

In her acting debut, two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain played a 19-year-old who appears to have done a faulty job taking care of her brain damaged father on ER’s tenth season. Coincidentally, the It: Chapter Two star will soon appear in The Good Nurse - the true crime story of an MD (Eddie Redmayne) whose “faulty” performance causes hundreds of patient deaths.

Chadwick Boseman (Derek Taylor)

In the final season of ER, a then-31-year-old Chadwick Boseman appeared as a boxer alongside screen legend (and future The Mandalorian star) Carl Weathers as his father. After playing the lead of Black Panther just a decade later, the actor would become a screen legend himself and will be remembered as such long after his untimely death in August 2020, following a private cancer battle, at the age of 43.

J.K. Simmons (Gus Loomer)

Speaking of legendary Marvel movie performances, Palms Springs star J.K. Simmons reprised J. Jonah Jameson for the MCU in Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019. Back in 2004, on ER, the future Oscar winner played a man more concerned with the state of his Hummer than his own health after suffering a crash that he survived, but two others did not.

Danny Pudi (Mahir Kardatay)

Community’s Abed Nadir actor Danny Pudi had a more low-key Marvel movie appearance as a S.H.I.E.L.D. communications technician in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His second acting gig was a prominent guest role on Season 12 of ER as a man who gets in a violent brawl with his sister’s boyfriend while she is treated at County General for stab wounds in the neck.

Chris Pine (Levine)

Danny Pudi would later appear in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond opposite Chris Pine, playing Capt. James T. Kirk a third time before starring in two Wonder Woman movies as Steve Trevor. This impressive career all started with an appearance on Season 9 of ER lasting mere seconds as a patient still drunk from a Valentine’s Day party… from five days earlier.

Anton Yelchin (Robbie Edelstein)

Chris Pine’s Star Trek co-star Anton Yelchin also made his debut on ER as a 10-year-old survivor of a car crash that killed his parents. Sadly, the talented actor passed away in 2016, at the age of 27, when his own Jeep rolled backward, struck him, and pinned him against the his home’s security fence.

Dakota Fanning (Delia Chadsey)

Another one of Anton Yelchin’s earlier roles was in the Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi miniseries Taken opposite an 8-year-old Dakota Fanning. The now 26-year-old Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood actress also made her debut on ER as a 6-year-old recovering leukemia patient whose need for further chemo treatment is discovered after suffering a car accident.

Kathy Griffin (Dolores Minky)

Speaking of Quentin Tarantino movies, he actually directed a Season 1 episode of ER starring Kathy Griffin, who had previously worked with the director on Pulp Fiction. The comedian and former Bravo reality show star plays the troop leader for eight young Ranger Scouts who are all sent to County General with diarrhea.

Shia LaBeouf (Darnel Smith)

After ER, Kathy Griffin would a land a starring role on the sitcom Suddenly Susan, on which a young Shia LaBeouf once guest starred on. The former Disney Channel and Transformers star, who later made a name for himself with bizarre performance art (among other things), also appeared on the medical drama's sixth season as a patient with muscular dystrophy.

Josh Gad (Sgt. Bruce Larabee)

Also famous for his work with Disney, following his Tony-nominated performance in The Book of Mormon, is Josh Gad - the voice of Olaf in the Frozen movies. His first gig as part of the Screen Actors Guild was a 2005 episode ER as a combat medic stationed in Iraq with Michael Gallant (Sharif Atkins).

Katee Sackhoff (Jason’s Girlfriend)

Josh Gad also lent his his voice to the animated Star Wars: Rebels series, which also stars Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze - whom she recently brought to live action on The Mandalorian. Before Battlestar Galactica sparked her career as sci-fi royalty, she starred on a Halloween episode of ER from 2002 which, coincidentally, is the year she appeared in the infamous Halloween: Resurrection. Bonus fact: this was the first of four episodes starring MCU's future War Machine actor Don Cheadle.

Ewan McGregor (Duncan Stewart)

Speaking of Star Wars actors, playing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy skyrocketed Ewan McGregor to the A-list. The Golden Globe-winning Scotsman actor had already received acclaim for his lead role in Trainspotting a year before playing a desperate man holding Dr. Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) and others hostage at a convenience store on ER's third season.

Nick Offerman (Rog)

Ewan McGregor won his Golden Globe for FX's Fargo, which, in its previous season, had starred Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson and Megan Mullally's husband) in a recurring role. The actor made his TV debut as aspiring rock star whose bass player band mate is rushed into County General on ER's mockumentary style Season 4 premiere that was filmed and broadcasted live.

Adam Scott (David Kerstetter)

Nick Offerman's Parks and Recreation co-star Adam Scott (who has made more dramatic turns recently in Black Mass or the HBO series Big Little Lies) can also boast ER as one of his earliest acting gigs. In the medical drama's first season, the then 22-year-old played a man bleeding out of his chest after being hit by a car.

Lin Shaye (Margaret)

Adam Scott also a few horror movies under his belt, as recently as Krampus or as early as Hellraiser: Bloodline, but Lin Shaye of Insidious and A Nightmare on Elm Street fame, a living legend of the genre. The 77-year-old actress, and sister of New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye, also had the honor appearing on the final episode of ER.

Octavia Spencer (Maria Jones)

Another star I regard as an underrated Scream Queen (for Drag Me to Hell, the title role of Ma, and the grandmother in Robert Zemeckis' The Witches remake) is Octavia Spencer. Yet, years before she became the Academy Award-winning star of The Help, the actress appeared on Season 5 of ER as a pregnant woman thinking of having her third abortion.

Keegan-Michael Key (Witkowski)

While his best friend and writing parter Jordan Peele has since graduated into scarier and dramatic projects more frequently, Keegan-Michael Key is still trucking with plenty of comedic parts on his resume as of late. However, ironically, the now 49-year-old former MADtv star made his TV debut on ER in the eighth season of the popular and often humorless medical drama

Kal Penn (Narajan)

After hitting it big as one-half of the titular duo from the smash hit stoner comedy Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Kal Penn would soon graduate into more serious projects, such as a position in the Obama Administration and playing a doctor on House from 2007-2012. His first time playing a medical professional, however, was in a brief appearance on ER in a 2001 episode from the series' eighth season.

Jared Padalecki (Paul Harris)

Early 2021 sees Jared Padalecki graduate to a new genre, specifically the western, as the title character of The CW's Walker after chasing ghosts and goblins on Supernatural as Sam Winchester for 15 seasons. Yet, while the 38-year-old Scream King was still a series regular on Gilmore Girls, he played a high school student who gets in a car crash with his father, played by Jim Belushi, after arguing over his future as a hockey player on a Season 7 episode of ER.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Firefighter Larkin)

Starring as Jared Padalecki's father on Supernatural was Jeffrey Dean Morgan, whose best known role in the realm of medical TV dramas is on Grey's Anatomy as Denny Duquette, Izzie Stevens' (Katherine Heigl) patient and love interest. However, it was only a few years earlier when the prolific comic book adaptation actor appeared on the seventh season of ER as a firefighter undergoing a leg amputation.

What do you think? Does seeing these celebrities before their prime make you want to rewatch ER from the beginning to point out even more of the stars your may have missed? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the long-running medical drama, as well as even more inside looks into famous guest stars that may have slipped your mind, here on CinemaBlend.

It's been a year-and-a-half since Quentin Tarantino rocked his way back into theaters with his ninth film, Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, among several others, this star-studded period piece was exactly the sort of entertaining revisionist history that only Tarantino could make, and it became another critical and commercial darling for the famous filmmaker. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it won two, for Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actor for Pitt.

Following the movie's celebrated success, what is the cast of Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood doing next? Let's take a look and see.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick Dalton)

In the role of Rick Dalton, a dwindling movie-turned-TV star caught spiraling at the dawn of the American New Wave, Leonardo DiCaprio played the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. An Oscar-winning actor best known for Titanic, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Romeo + Juliet, The Aviator, Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Revenant, DiCaprio is one of Hollywood's biggest stars. He previously collaborated with Tarantino on Django Unchained.

Most recently, Leonardo DiCaprio made an uncredited appearance in the mini-series, Grant, where he served as an executive producer. Currently, the actor is filming a role in Adam McKay's star-studded Don't Look Up. The actor-producer is soon set to reunite with Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon. Outside of acting, DiCaprio is producing the biopic, Atari.

Brad Pitt (Cliff Booth)

Playing the part of Cliff Booth, a disgraced stuntman and loyal sidekick to Rick Dalton, Brad Pitt gave an Oscar-winning performance in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. As one of the biggest movie stars on the planet in the '90s and '00s, Pitt is known for a number of A-list roles, including the Ocean's movies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Twelve Monkeys, Thelma & Louise, Legends of the Fall, Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, 12 Years a Slave, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Following this acclaimed performance, Brad Pitt starred in Ad Astra. He's currently filming Bullet Train and he's expected to star in Babylon, the newest film from director Damien Chazelle. As a producer, meanwhile, Pitt is involved with Blonde, Amazon Prime's The Underground Railroad, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Black Hole, to name only a few forthcoming titles under his Plan B banner.

Margot Robbie (Sharon Tate)

As Sharon Tate, a high-profile American actress who lives next door to Rick Dalton, Margot Robbie provided a touching take on the tragic real-life figure. The Australian actress found fame through Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street and garnered an Oscar nomination for I, Tonya. She's also well-known for her performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.

Following her work in Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Robbie gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Bombshell. Earlier this year, the A-list talent starred in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn and Dreamland, both of which she also produced. Also, Robbie is a producer on this month's Promising Young Woman. Next, she'll be seen in The Suicide Squad, reprising her role as Harley Quinn, and heard in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Additionally, the actress is expected to star in Babylon, opposite Brad Pitt, and the newest film from writer-director David O. Russell. Robbie will also produce Netflix's Maid.

Margaret Qualley (Pussycat)

Playing the part of Pussycat, Margaret Qualley gave a standout supporting performance in Quentin Tarantino's newest film. The daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, Qualley is an Emmy-nominated star for her work in FX's Fosse/Verdon. She's also known for her performances in The Leftovers, Novitiate, Palo Alto, Netflix's IO, The Nice Guys, Death Note, and Spike Jonze's dance-heavy short film, Kenzo World.

Following her role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Margaret Qualley starred in Strange But True, Adam, and Seberg. She also appeared in Olivia Wilde's short film, Wake Up, and Rainey Qualley's "Love Me Like You Hate Me" music video. Additionally, the actress can be heard in the video game, Death Stranding. Next, Qualley stars in My Salinger Year and Netflix's upcoming dramedy series, Maid. She also booked roles in North of Normal, A Head Full of Ghosts, and Claire Denis's The Stars at Noon.

Julia Butters (Trudi Fraser)

In the role of Trudi Fraser, a talented child star who gives Rick Dalton some much-needed encouragement during a moment of doubt, Julia Butters plays a sizable role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood's mid-section. Outside of this performance, Butters plays a main character in ABC's sitcom, American Housewife. She can also be seen in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Term Life, and episodes of Transparent.

Most recently, Butters starred in the latest season of American Housewife and she was heard in the animated short film, Fetch.

Mike Moh (Bruce Lee)

As a fictionalized version of Bruce Lee, Mike Moh played a kick-ass role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, Moh starred in the web series, Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist and Resurrection. He also played a role in ABC's short-lived Inhumans and he made appearances in Empire. Outside of acting, Moh is the founder of Moh's Martial Arts in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Shortly after Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood's release, Moh starred in Killerman. Next, the actor will be seen in Eddie Haung's feature directorial debut, Boogie.

Emile Hirsch (Jay Sebring)

Playing the part of Jay Sebring, a close friend of Sharon Tate, Emile Hirsch had a prominent supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's newest film. The actor is best known for his acclaimed lead performance in Into the Wild. He's also known for The Girl Next Door, Lords of Dogtown, Speed Racer, Milk, Alpha Dog, Lone Survivor, Killer Joe, Taking Woodstock, and Prince Avalanche.

Following his work in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Emile Hirsch starred in Never Grow Old and this year's Force of Nature. He also did voice work in Wizards, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Robot Chicken, and the video game, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia. Next, Hirsch stars in The Comeback Trail, Son, American Night, and Midnight in the Switchgrass. Currently, the actor is filming a role in State of Consciousness.

Kurt Russell (Randy Miller/Narrator)

As Randy Miller, an experienced stunt coordinator, as well as our narrator, Kurt Russell reunited with writer-director Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. A former child actor-turned-movie star, Russell is known for a variety of roles, including (but not limited to) The Thing, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Overboard, Tango & Cash, Tombstone, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Sky High, Miracle, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Silkwood, Bone Tomahawk, and Backdraft. Also, the actor worked with Tarantino on Death Proof and The Hateful Eight.

Most recently, Kurt Russell starred in Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, where he reprised his role as Santa Claus. He was also seen in last year's Crypto.

Al Pacino (Marvin Schwarz)

In the role of Marvin Schwarz, Rick Dalton's agent, Al Pacino played a fun, flashy supporting character in Quentin Tarantino's most recent movie. As one of the most famous and revered working actors of the past 50 years, Pacino is an Oscar/Tony/Emmy-winning superstar with acclaimed performances in The Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Scarface, Heat, Donnie Brasco, Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Angels in America, Dick Tracy, and The Panic in Needle Park, among several other productions of the stage and screen.

Shortly following his starry role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Al Pacino played Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Earlier this year, he led Amazon Prime's Hunters. Next, Pacino stars in Axis Sally. He's also signed on to star in Ridley Scott's Gucci.

Timothy Olyphant (James Stacy)

Playing James Stacy, Timothy Olyphant was a prominent supporting character in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Best known for his Emmy-nominated lead role in FX's Justified, the film/TV actor also starred in Scream 2, Deadwood, Hitman, Live Free or Die Hard, Go, The Crazies (2010), A Perfect Getaway, and Santa Clarita Diet.

Last year, Timothy Olyphant reprised his role as Seth Bullock in HBO's Deadwood: The Movie. He was nominated for an Emmy, along with the rest of the cast, for his part in this TV movie. Earlier this year, Olyphant made a slew of television appearances. He was seen in episodes of The Good Place, where he played "Timothy Olyphant," Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Mandolorian. Most recently, Olyphant played a recurring role in FX's Fargo Season 4. Next, the actor stars in the upcoming dramatic film, The Starling.

Austin Butler (Tex)

As Tex, Charles Manson's deputy, Austin Butler played a vicious role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, the actor is better known for his television work in Switched at Birth, Ruby & the Rockits, The Carrie Diaries, and The Shannara Chronicles. He was also seen in Aliens in the Attic, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, Yoga Hosers, Dude, and The Dead Don't Die, as well as episodes of Arrow.

Next, Austin Butler will play The King of Rock 'n' Roll in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis.

Maya Hawke (Flowerchild)

Playing the part of Flowerchild, Maya Hawke had one of her first blockbuster roles in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Most notably, Hawke (the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) is known for playing Robin in Stranger Things Season 3. She also played Jo March in the BBC's 2017 adaptation of Little Women. Earlier this year, Hawke starred in Human Capital. Additionally, she was recently seen in the mini-series The Good Lord Bird, Samia's "Is There Something In the Movies?" music video, and a pair of short films, As They Slept and Memory Xperiment: Kathy Acker, respectively.

Next, Maya Hawke will star in Mainstream and the latest season of Stranger Things. She's also set to star in the upcoming comedy, Strangers.

Mikey Madison (Sadie)

In the role of Sadie, Mikey Madison has an explosive part in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. The actress is most well-known for playing a main character in FX's acclaimed Better Things.

Following this supporting turn, Mikey Madison was heard in 2019's The Addams Family. Additionally, the actress was seen in the latest season of Better Things earlier this year. Next, Madison stars in 2022's Scream.

Madisen Beaty (Katie)

Playing the part of Katie, Madisen Beaty gets a smashing role in Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, Beaty has been seen in The Master, Other People, The Fosters, The Cloverhitch Killer, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Most recently, Madisen Beaty starred in To The Stars and a couple of episodes of The Magicians. Next, the actress will be seen in the horror-mystery, Seance.

Dakota Fanning (Squeaky)

Playing the part of Squeaky, a devoted Manson follower, Dakota Fanning plays a starry cameo in Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. The former child star is best known for War of the Worlds, The Cat in the Hat, I Am Sam, Man on Fire, Charlotte's Web, The Secret Life of Bees, The Runaways, Coraline, Dreamer, and the Twilight sequels.

Earlier this year, Dakota Fanning starred in Sweetness in the Belly, Viena and the Fantomes, and The Alienist: Angel of Darkness. Next, she'll star in The Nightingale opposite Elle Fanning.

Bruce Dern (George Spahn)

In the role of George Spahn, a blind, bed-ridden rancher visited by Cliff Booth, Bruce Dern filled in for the late Burt Reynolds in Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. A revered character actor with nearly 200 credits to his name, Dern is a two-time Oscar-nominated actor known for his performances in Coming Home, Nebraska, Silent Running, The King of Marvin Gardens, Posse (1975), The Cowboys, The 'Burbs, and Black Sunday. He also starred in Quentin Tarantino's previous film, The Hateful Eight.

Following this performance, Bruce Dern starred in Remember Me (2019), Inherit the Viper, Emperor, The Artist's Wife, Ravage, Badland, and a season of Mr. Mercedes. Next, he'll be seen in Death in Texas, Overrun, Buck Alamo or (A Phantasmagorical Ballad), Hands that Bind, Hellblazers, Girl Named Guy, Last Call, The Gateway, and the final season of Goliath. If that weren't enough to keep him busy, Dern is currently filming a role in Christmas vs. the Walters.

Damon Herriman (Charles Manson)

As cult leader Charles Manson, known here as "Charlie," Damon Herriman played a menacing role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. He also played Manson in Netflix's Mindhunter. And he's well-known for his work in Justified and The Nightingale (2019).

Following his brief-but-important part in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Damon Herriman appeared in TV shows like The Commons, Perpetual Grace, LTD, Lambs of God, and Mr. Inbetween. He also appeared in Julia Stone's "Unreal" music video, while playing one of the titular roles in Judy & Punch. Next, Herriman will star in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, as well as two upcoming mini-series, The Serpent and The Underground Railroad.

Did you love Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood? Let us know in the comments!

Running for 235 episodes over the course of a full decade, Friends was a hugely popular and beloved sitcom in its day, and while there were many perks that came along with that status (including a total lack of fret during renewal season), the most rewarding for the fans was that the show managed to attract some major guest appearances. While binge watching the series on HBO Max, you can’t go more than a few episodes without seeing a major star show up – some of them just being part of a quick bit, and others getting their own minor arc to play out.

Naturally, some of the guest appearances/roles are better than others – and that’s what we’re here to sort out today. After having gone back through all nine seasons of Friends and weighed all candidates against one another, we’ve come up with this Top 10 ranking for your enjoyment. Read on for our selections and reasoning, and then hit the comments section with your own picks.

10. Danny DeVito

Thanks to Danny DeVito’s role on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, fans have the opportunity to regularly laugh at the actor’s antics as a repellant mess – but the truth is that he’s been playing that bit for decades, and a prime example can be found in the Friends Season 10 episode “The One Where the Stripper Cries.” DeVito plays said stripper, and he gets big laughs as he goes from confident dancer to blubbering mess during Phoebe’s bachelorette party. This kind of part has definitely become a trope in modern sitcoms, but this remains a particularly fantastic example of the joke.

9. Dakota Fanning

In the early aughts, no child star had the sparkle that Dakota Fanning did, which goes a long way in explaining why she was landing prominent roles opposite stars like Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington. One of her best early performances, however, is in Season 10 of Friends when she essentially serves as a therapist for Joey in the episode "The One with Princess Consuela." The dumbest member of the main cast is upset by the fact that everything in his life is changing, and Dakota Fanning’s Mackenzie proves to be quite the excellent sounding board and helps him get past his issues.

8. Dan Castellaneta

Pop culture history will forever remember Dan Castellaneta as the voice of Homer Simpson, but not to be totally overshadowed are his super funny live-action performances – including his part as The Zoo Keeper in the Friends episode “The One After the Super Bowl: Part 1.” It’s only a bit part, with the character surreptitiously meeting with Ross to discover the whereabouts of Marcel The Monkey, but it’s fantastic material built on Castellaneta’s work. As proven by his many, many years playing Homer, the guy knows how to play dumb perfectly, and his negotiations with Ross is a prime example.

7. Bruce Willis

Meeting a significant other’s father is always a nerve-racking situation, but it’s definitely made more nerve-racking when said significant other is your former college student, and said father is a guy that looks like Bruce Willis. None of us would want to be in that situation, which makes Ross’ late Season 6 arc quite relatable – and it helps that there are some great laughs injected into the three episodes where the Die Hard star appears. Not only is it great to see Ross butt heads with Willis’ Paul Stevens (ultimately earning the upper hand when he witnesses what we’ll call Paul’s mirror exorcises), but it’s also funny to see Willis turn into an emotional mess when his character’s relationship with Rachel opens him up a bit and creates a flood of tears and pain.

6. Hugh Laurie

Of the guest stars mentioned on this list, Hugh Laurie’s is probably the briefest, but it’s so brilliant that it not only demands inclusion on this list, but gets placement in the middle of the pack. His character doesn’t even have a name (he’s credited simply as “The Gentleman on the Plane”), but he stands out because he’s one of the few characters on Friends to call out a member of the main cast on their awfulness. 

In “The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2,” Rachel finds herself sitting near him on a plane to England ready to stop the wedding of the man she loves – but after hearing her recount her story to other passengers, The Gentleman explains why she is in actuality a bad person who should feel bad about what she’s doing. His last line is also a perfect kicker: “And by the way, it seems to be perfectly clear that you were on a break.”

5. Jason Alexander

Phoebe’s unyielding optimism is one of her most important and best traits, but what happens when she is confronted with a person who has a claim at the title for Most Depressed Man On Earth? That’s the basic set-up in Season 7’s “The One Where Rosita Dies,” which finds the ray of sunshine taking a sales job hocking toner and winding up on the phone with Jason Alexander’s Earl.

It never feels good to laugh at a person’s pain, but you can’t help it when you watch Alexander’s performance as Earl is a man eternally lost in a gray void who can’t even get the attention of his co-workers when he loudly announces his plans to kill himself. Plus, while he’s life hasn’t changed much by the end of the episode, he does find a new lease on life because Phoebe convinces him via fate that “the universe cares” about him, even if nobody else does.

4. Reese Witherspoon

With films like Cruel Intentions, Election, and Pleasantville on her resume, Reese Witherspoon was already very much a proven talent before her two-parter on Friends as Rachel’s sister Jill, but her work on the sitcom practically created a perfect runway to her time as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Jill is basically proto-Rachel, which is to say that she still has all of the terrible qualities of which Rachel worked so hard to rid herself – and it works for some chuckles as she works to seduce Ross to get revenge on her sibling, while also exercising prime spoiled brat material.

3. Julia Roberts

Being part of Friends’ big two-episode post-Super Bowl event in 1996, Julia Roberts’ guest spot got a big spotlight, but it also proved to earn every bit of the hype, as her revenge-seeking role in "The One After the Super Bowl: Part 2" ultimately makes for one of the best moments on the entire show. While she doesn’t hint at it early on, Roberts’ Susie Moss is a character eager for payback against Chandler for pantsing her in elementary school – and she successfully capitalizes by leaving the jokester in a restaurant bathroom naked with the exception of a pair of woman’s underpants. It’s super funny and memorable… not to mention an impressive get for a series in only its second season.

2. Christina Applegate

Sitcoms usually give their main stars one celebrity sibling at most, but Friends took a different route with Rachel, and it clearly worked as both of her sisters make this list. Admittedly Christina Applegate’s Amy Green isn’t a whole lot different than Reese Witherspoon’s Jill, in that they are both immensely vapid and spoiled twits, but we give the edge to Amy (and not just because she has the good sense not to date Ross). 

In “The One With Rachel's Other Sister” she proves to be a pitch-perfect instigator, riling everyone up about who will take care of Emma if anything were to happen to Ross or Rachel, and that’s then followed up by the awesome babysitting adventure in "The One Where Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits"… where she proves exactly why she definitely should never have custody of a child.

1. Brad Pitt

Obviously you all knew that Brad Pitt was going to be featured on this list, but how many of you guessed that he would be featured in the top spot? His appearance is a one-off, playing Ross’ old, formerly obese high school friend Will Colbert, but the role is special for a few reasons: 1) It’s one of the show’s famous Thanksgiving episodes; 2) he was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time; 3) the part gets huge laughs primarily because of how much Will hates Rachel and how much venom he spits at her. Pitt has always been primarily recognized for his dramatic work, but his time on Friends perfectly demonstrates how super funny he can be too.

Friends is now available for subscribers to stream in its entirety on HBO Max, and the series is also available for purchase on digital platforms, Blu-ray, and DVD.

Despite his other work and serious roles in indie films from auteurs like David Cronenberg, actor Robert Pattinson is still best known for playing sparkly vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise. That perception is likely part of the backlash to the reports that he is in talks to play the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ Batman film. That aversion to his casting is not shared by fellow Twilight alum Dakota Fanning, who supports Robert Pattinson in the role, as she explained:

While speaking with Variety at the Cannes Film Festival where her new film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is premiering, Dakota Fanning expressed real confidence in the talents of Robert Pattinson to be great in whatever role he takes on. That includes Batman, and Dakota Fanning seemed to be genuinely excited and happy for her fellow Twilight alum.

Although I wouldn’t expect Dakota Fanning to boo the casting of her former co-star or advocate people sign a silly petition (those always work) to have him removed from the role, it is nice to hear that she has positive feelings about him and what he can do. And she would know. The actress starred in three Twilight movies as Jane, a member of the villainous Volturi coven set against Robert Pattinson’s Edward and Kristen Stewart’s Bella.

So she has gotten to know him and seen his acting in person on set, giving her greater insight into his abilities. It’s also possible that she’s actually seen him in more than just the Twilight movies and has a better knowledge of his work and range as an actor and that informs her faith in him playing Batman.

Robert Pattinson has Dakota Fanning in his corner, but as is seemingly the case with every big time superhero casting, he’ll have to prove himself to many fans. Rightly or wrong, he is still known mainly for Twilight-- even though he has proven to be much more than that in plenty of other films. But even if fans acknowledge he is a good actor, they may still not see him as Batman.

That’s understandable and like Ben Affleck before him in the role or Heath Ledger as Joker or Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it will take time if that acceptance is to happen at all. Now may be the right time for him to take on the role though, with DC trying new things and the details about Matt Reeves’ exact vision for his movie The Batman still under wraps.

It's also important to note that we also still don’t know with 100% certainty that Robert Pattinson will be Bruce Wayne in The Batman. That seems to be the way things are trending but until the deal is final it’s not final and other reports say that Nicholas Hoult is still in the running for the part. Whoever gets it, he’ll be possibly be facing off with Penguin and Catwoman, two of the film’s reported villains.

The Batman is scheduled for release on June 25, 2021. While we await that, there are plenty of other movies hitting theaters this summer, check them out in our 2019 Release Schedule.

For Quentin Tarantino's supposedly penultimate film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the auteur is seemingly trying to put together one of the most absurdly stacked casts ever assembled. The cast already featured the usual suspects of frequent Tarantino collaborators, as well as exciting talent that will be working with the director for the first time. At the head of the cast are Leonardo DiCaprio as former Western TV star Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as his stunt double Cliff Booth. Now, joining Quentin Tarantino's 1969 Hollywood and Manson family murders pastiche are a lot of new names in some intriguing roles. Among them is Billions actor and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis.

According to Deadline, Damian Lewis will play Hollywood icon Steve McQueen in the film. The Great Escape and Bullitt actor enjoyed the heights of his fame and popularity in the '60s and '70s. The ultra-cool, super smooth Steve McQueen was a friend of actress Sharon Tate, and according to legend, he was supposed to attend the actress' dinner on the fateful night when the Manson family killed her, only to escape that fate by going off with a mistress. Including Steve McQueen in the film shows that all of the major figures adjacent to the Manson murders will be accounted for in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. To that end, several other newcomers to the cast will join Damian Lewis.

Also bolstering this cast are Emile Hirsch and Dakota Fanning. Emile Hirsch will play Jay Sebring, the Hollywood hairstylist who was one of the Manson family victims at Sharon Tate's house. On the other side of things is Dakota Fanning. The actress who is appearing in this weekend's Ocean's 8 will portray Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, the Manson family member who in 1975 attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford.

Veteran actor Nicholas Hammond, who was Friedrich in The Sound of Music and played Peter Parker in the 1977-1979 series The Amazing Spider-Man, joins Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as director Sam Wanamaker. An actor and TV director in the '60s and '70s, you can imagine he may be part of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt's characters' stories. Luke Perry, who currently stars on the gleefully absurd TV series Riverdale, will be playing a character named Scotty Lancer, which could be the character from the 1968-1970 TV Western Lancer, played by Wayne Maunder.

Last but certainly not least are Clifton Collins Jr. and Keith Jefferson. Clifton Collins Jr., who is currently playing the host Lawrence on Westworld, will play someone called Ernesto the Mexican Vacquero, who sounds like a very Tarantino-ish character. Keith Jefferson, who had small parts in Tarantino's Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, will rejoin the director for a third time as Land Pirate Keith.

Just reading who all of these actors are playing you can see how this movie will have a very Pulp Fiction-eque feel with a lot of intersecting stories and adjacent characters to weave a compelling Hollywood tale. These actors join an already ridiculous cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Timothy Olyphant and Burt Reynolds in the film. So I'm assuming the poster for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will just be a super long list of all the talent involved.

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood hits theaters on August 9, 2019. For everything coming to theaters this year, check out our release schedule.

Dakota Fanning left an indelible mark as a child actress. She appeared in nine movies before the age of 10, and she entirely lived up to the aphorism about adults not working with children or animals -- having a tendency to regularly steal scenes from major actors. These performances all helped her build a reputation as an immensely talented actress, and it was only a matter of time before she found a project that could help her truly express her skills as a grown-up. Thankfully she now has director Ben Lewin's Please Stand By, which not only proves to be a fantastic vehicle for a phenomenal Fanning performance, but an all-together wonderful dramedy with rich, delightful characters, and genuinely heartwarming and funny storytelling.

Based on an original screenplay by Michael Golamco, Please Stand By begins in San Francisco, California introducing Wendy (Dakota Fanning), a young woman with extreme autism living in a home established by her caregiver, Scottie (Toni Collette). Bold and independent, Wendy has aspirations for a normal life where she can be trusted around her newborn niece -- daughter of her sister, Audrey (Alice Eve) -- but the greatest passion in her life is unquestionably Star Trek. Truly connecting with the intensely logical mind of Leonard Nimoy's Spock, she has not only memorized the entire canon of the expansive sci-fi world, watching old episodes religiously, but has also put together a massive 500-page screenplay that she feels reflects the entirety of Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the franchise.

After an extended period of disengagement, Audrey is scheduled for a special visit, hearing news that her sister has been doing well, but things melt down when Wendy is told that she is not yet ready to be around a baby. The only thing remotely calming her is the fact that there is a contest being held by Paramount Pictures calling for the world's best Star Trek fan script -- but that becomes another issue when she realizes that her mailed submission won't make it to the studio in time. Determined to submit her work, Wendy breaks all of Scottie's rules, crosses the warned barrier that is Market Street, and along with her tiny canine companion, Pete, makes her way down to Los Angeles where she can deliver her opus in person.

Tonally, Please Stand By is a tightrope walk from beginning to end, but ultimately deserves appreciation for its balance. Up front, there is the serious potential to be too mawkish or saccharine, but it never lets things get too melodramatic, and all of the genuine performances buy back a lot of the wonderful sweetness that the film has to offer. At the same time, the movie is surprisingly funny, featuring a number of real laugh-out-loud moments, but it's also incredibly sympathetic to the seriousness inherent in the subject matter. All of these factors blending could have left the film a total mess, or at worst feeling tone-deaf or insensitive, but it's a credit to the strength of the storytelling that's not the case.

As intimated, Dakota Fanning is the heart of the movie, and delivers one of the best performances of her adult career disappearing into Wendy. It's a challenging part, but the actress' success registers through not only recognition of the character's social weaknesses, but also her immense strengths. The audience is meant to be simultaneously worried and impressed by Wendy's independence, and Fanning's turn absolutely supplies that, with a tremendous grip on the protagonist's passion and complexity. She happens to also be supported by two other talented actresses putting in solid roles, as both Toni Collette and Alice Eve delivering admirable work, but it's Fanning's show.

Please Stand By is a tiny movie that will get limited exposure, but it's also a title worth searching out. It's quirky but never cloying; creative but never over-the-top; and funny without sacrificing drama. It's a sweet, soft bit of entertainment, armed with a fantastic lead performance and a fun story to tell.

In 2001, director Steven Soderbergh helped re-introduce audiences to Danny Ocean and his lovable gang of criminals as they went through with a plan to rob multiple Las Vegas casinos in one night with his remake of the 1960 Rat Pack classic of the same name. The film went on to make more than $450 million worldwide and spur two sequels, resulting in the wildly popular Ocean's Trilogy. Well, anyone who's been missing the heist-based shenanigans of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and their team of thieves in that series should be glad to know that a spinoff is coming to theaters next year

Titled Ocean's 8, this new film will focus on a heist team of eight women, who will be played by some of the most popular actresses working in film and television today. Now, we've assembled a handy guide to make sure you can stay up to date on all the important info about Ocean's 8. Let's start with what we've seen from the movie by way of the most recent trailer. Take a look:

Well, this certainly looks like the cool, funny, stylish Ocean's movie that we've come to expect. Now, read on to see what this new film has in store for us!

What Is The Ocean's 8 Release Date?

In October 2016, Warner Bros. announced that the highly anticipated spinoff Ocean's 8 had been given a summer 2018 release date; specifically June 8, 2018. Should that release date continue to hold (and there's no reason for it not to, considering that the film had finished principal photography and was officially in post-production by August of 2017), it will put the movie in direct competition with some other potential blockbusters that summer. June 15 will finally give audiences the long-awaited sequel The Incredibles 2, and June 22 will put Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in theaters. Clearly, the studio is hoping that Ocean's 8 will fill a very specific live-action/comedy void that will be left by these big films.

What Is The Ocean's 8 Rating?

Movies don't receive official ratings from the MPAA until a final cut of the film is available to screen. This means that we probably have to wait until sometime in May 2018 to find out what Ocean's 8 will be rated and why the film gets that rating, but, based on the other films in the series, we can make an educated guess as to what the outcome will be. Each film in the Ocean's Trilogy netted itself a PG-13 rating for some combination of language, sexual situations and sensuality, and it's likely that Ocean's 8 will have a similar tone to those films and shoot for the same rating.

What Is The Ocean's 8 Story?

Unlike its predecessors, Ocean's 8 is not planning to focus on Las Vegas casino capers or a stylish European jaunt. This time around, the story will follow our new crew of thieving anti-heroes in New York City as they construct a (I'm sure elaborate) scheme to pull off a major heist during the famed annual event, the Met Gala. The event is a yearly fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and marks the opening of each year's exhibit. Every year sees hundreds of celebrities and power players from several industries gather in their flashiest designer clothes and jewels to donate to the cause.

Until the trailer was released, we had no idea what the focus of the heist was going to be. Now, though, we know that Debbie Ocean and her crew will set their sights on the necklace that's going to be worn to the gala by Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), which is worth $150 million. One of the big questions that's come up since the trailer came out is who, exactly, the eighth member of the crew will be. It was thought before that Hathaway's character was also a member, but since she's the one being robbed, Daphne will either be a very canny inside woman, or she's really just the mark and the final person on Debbie's team is being kept a big secret.

The Director

While the original Ocean's Trilogy films were all helmed by Steven Soderbergh, he won't be behind the camera this time. That job will instead go to writer/director/producer Gary Ross, who first came to prominence by writing and co-producing 1988's Big, and went on to direct big name films like Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Hunger Games, with his most recent directorial effort being Free State of Jones with Matthew McConaughey, which was released in 2016.

The Writers

Gary Ross also stepped up to the keyboard to help pen Ocean's 8, along with Olivia Milch, who wrote and directed the 2017 coming of age comedy Dude, starring Lucy Hale. Along with Big, Ross wrote Dave, The Tale of Despereaux, the 1994 Lassie remake and his films, The Hunger Games, Pleasantville, Free State of Jones and Seabiscuit.

Sandra Bullock

We might see a slightly harder edge from likable star Sandra Bullock than we're used to in Ocean's 8, as she'll be portraying Debbie Ocean, sister to George Clooney's Danny Ocean, and the heist-master who will decide to rob the Met Gala and assemble an all female crew to do it. Since we've never been introduced to any of these characters before, expect a large portion of the film to follow Bullock's character as she picks out her teammates and explains why she needs them, along with (possibly) letting us in on some Ocean family backstory.

When we're first introduced to Bullock's character, she's getting out on parole after spending about five years behind bars, though we don't know what got her locked up just yet. Additional information from the trailer tells us that Debbie plans this heist as a way to seek revenge on currently unknown parties. And, according to a brief scene in that same trailer, her estranged brother Danny has either died recently or is (more than likely) faking his own death.

Bullock's last big screen project was the 2015 flop Our Brand Is Crisis, so I'm sure she's hoping that a fun, star-powered ensemble like Ocean's 8 will be just the right thing to put her back on top at the box office.

Cate Blanchett

Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will be taking on the role of Lou in Ocean's 8, and, well, that's all we really know about her character at this point. It seems that Blanchett will fill the Brad Pitt role from the original Ocean's Trilogy of best friend and true partner-in-crime to Sandra Bullock's criminal mastermind Debbie, but there's no way to know for sure right now. And, seeing as how we don't even have a last name for Blanchett's character, it's possible that it might be some time until we find out what Lou's main part in the heist will ultimately be.

Blanchett has a number of films in the works right now, including voice parts in How to Train Your Dragon 3 and Jungle Book, as well as Where'd You Go, Bernadette and the fantasy The House with a Clock in its Walls. She was last seen as the villain Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, which hit theaters on November 3, 2017, and was hugely successful with critics and audiences alike.

Mindy Kaling

Actress and writer Mindy Kaling, who's best known for her work on The Office and The Mindy Project (which wrapped its six-season run in November 2017), is taking on the role of Amita in Ocean's 8. And, as it turns out, we've finally been given some insight into the special skill Amita possesses that leads Debbie to call on her. Apparently, Amita will be required to forge seven pieces of extravagant jewelry, something she says she can do in as little as five hours (providing the reward for this job will let her move out of her mom's place). Kaling will next be seen on the big screen in A Wrinkle in Time, which comes out March 9, 2018.

Anne Hathaway

Well, look at that. With Anne Hathaway's Ocean's 8 character we've finally hit on another one who actually has a full name, as she'll be playing Daphne Kluger in the film. Of course, being blessed with a surname doesn't really tell us anything about Daphne, and right now it looks like she'll simply be the woman with the super expensive necklace that Debbie wants to walk away with after hitting the Met Gala. It's possible that the revenge Debbie is looking for by pulling this job is because of something Daphne did to her, but that's just speculation.

Hathaway's last movie, the giant monster comedy Colossal was released early this year, and the actress has a full slate of projects coming up in the next couple of years. The Lifeboat, Serenity, O2, Nasty Women, Live Fast Die Hot and (possibly) the live action Barbie movie are all in various states of production with Hathaway attached to star in some capacity.

Sarah Paulson

Until the trailer was released, Sarah Paulson's Ocean's 8 character, Tammy, was basically a complete mystery with the exception of her name and the fact that she's a member of Debbie's gala thieving crew. Now we know that Tammy claims to have been out of the grifting game for a while when Debbie asks her to return for the Met job. This is contrary to the evidence found in her garage, though, which is packed with a suspicious number of (still boxed) household electronics. The actress has been racking up film credits since her 1994 appearance on Law & Order, but recently really made a name for herself via her work on several seasons of American Horror Story and her Emmy-winning role as Marcia Clark in 2016's American Crime Story.

Helena Bonham Carter

A film staple since the early '90s, actress Helena Bonham Carter will fill the role of Rose in the upcoming heist movie. It seems that Rose is a fledgling fashion designer, who, I'm guessing, will be needed to create gorgeous gowns for the women to wear during the gala. Bonham Carter has become known for some wild characters in recent years, with performances as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother and The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland under her belt, so it's possible that she'll bring another crazy characterization to Ocean's 8. Bonham Carter has almost 100 credits to her name, including A Room with a View, Howards End, Fight Club, Big Fish, several Harry Potter films, The King's Speech (which saw her nominated for her second Oscar), Les Misérables and Burton and Taylor.

Rihanna

She may mainly be known as a singer, but Rihanna has been making strides in the past few years to become known as an actor as well, and I'm sure she's hoping her work as the tech-inclined Nine Ball in Ocean's 8 will help her continue to branch out. The eight-time Grammy winner has appeared in a handful of projects, including Battleship, This Is the End, the remake of Annie, Bates Motel and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Awkwafina

If you're not familiar with the name Awkwafina, you're probably not alone. Born Nora Lum, she took on the stage name when she began rapping as a teenager and is now mostly known for her work in alternative hip hop and comedy, but she has been taking acting roles for a few years now. The Queens, NY native is playing pick-pocketing crew member Constance in Ocean's 8, adding that performance to her list of 10 credits, which include Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and the upcoming film Crazy Rich Asians.

Returning Ocean's Trilogy Actors

Even though there are, obviously, many characters from the Ocean's Trilogy that could show up in the new film, we've only gotten confirmation that two recognizable faces from the franchise will show up in the next installment: Matt Damon and Carl Reiner. Matt Damon was the first returning actor to be announced, but right now we still don't know if he'll be reprising his role of expert pickpocket Linus Caldwell or playing someone else in the movie. Of course, since this is the same continuity of the previous films, it makes sense that Damon will, once again, bring Linus to life. This would seem to be even more likely, as Carl Reiner will, indeed, be reprising his role as old pro Saul Bloom in Ocean's 8. And, a recent interview given by Matt Damon seems to indicate that "a few" other members of the original Ocean's Trilogy will show up for the spinoff.

The Villain

Seeing as how most of Ocean's 8 is still a mystery, it should come as no surprise right now that we still don't know who the main antagonist will be when the film hits theaters. In December of 2016, it was reported that former Homeland and current Billions star Damian Lewis would be filling that role, as an ex-lover of Sandra Bullock's character. But, within a few months that report was refuted, and Lewis currently appears nowhere on the cast list. Someone who has popped up as a member of the cast, though, is Richard Armitage.

According to IMDB, Armitage is playing Claude Becker in the film, and while we don't know for sure that he will serve as an antagonist to Debbie Ocean's thieving crew, it does seem like a good bet. Armitage is known for playing a wide variety of tough guys in movies and on TV over the years, and his credits include MI-5, Captain America: The First Avenger, Strike Back, The Hobbit Trilogy, Hannibal, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Berlin Station. Whether Armitage is playing a bad guy in Ocean's 8 or not, he will certainly be fun to watch on screen.

The Other Characters

Seeing as how Ocean's 8 is a movie that will take place during a major, real-life event that is traditionally frequented by celebrities, there are a few who've signed on to the film and will either be playing themselves or characters created for the movie. The biggest news in this department is that, apparently, the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan will be showing up for cameos in the film. Along with that news comes the report that they will, somehow, be directly involved in the heist and that their appearances will hit pretty close to home, as jewel theft will be involved.

Other stars who've joined the project include late night talk show host James Corden, who will, reportedly, be playing a suspicious insurance investigator and have a pretty significant role. Dakota Fanning has been signed on to the movie for quite some time, but we have no idea who she's playing or how her character will fit into the plot. Katie Holmes filmed a cameo for Ocean's 8, but we, again, don't know if she's playing herself or not. Also, Olivia Munn recently spoke out about her cameo in the film, for which she got all dolled up for the movie's version of the Met Gala, only to be told that the money she spent on getting fancy wouldn't be reimbursed as she thought it would.

According to the cast list on IMDB, we can also expect appearances from model Adriana Lima, singer Zayn Malik, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Zac Posen.

Vanity Fair is adding a whole lot of old Hollywood glam to the young starlets that stole our attention on the big screen this year. The magazine's Hollywood issue for 2017 is giving fans a look at the biggest stars of 2016 all dressed up in some serious glitz and glamour!

Shot by the legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, the Vanity Fair cover dubs the eleven actresses posing in high glamour in a studio back alley Wonder Women. And Leibovitz must have been inspired by La La Land's cheery embrace of the classic, golden age of MGM films for this photoshoot, as the young actresses are all decked out in traditional old Hollywood elegance. Check out the cover spread below.

The cover story reads as an homage to the women that gave us hope throughout a particularly shitty year. Calling upon the timeless wit, fortitude, and grace of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, both of whom died at the very end of 2016, the profile praises the roles that these eleven actresses have taken on in the past year, all of which tell the stories of women overcoming adversity, and have all set themselves apart as some of the most lauded actors of 2016 for their performances. These actresses are (from left to right): Emma Stone, Lupita Nyong'o, Amy Adams, Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Aja Naomi King, Dakota Johnson, Greta Gerwig, and Janelle Monae.

Emma Stone's rise from teen movie queen to critical darling in the past several years has been spectacular, and she cemented her place as one of the most promising young actresses in the business this year in La La Land. Drawing on some of her own experiences as an actor struggling to make it in L.A., Stone sang and danced her way into the hearts of everyone who say the film. She just nabbed a Golden Globe for her performance, and now is up for an Oscar as well.

Next to Stone is everyone's red carpet favorite: the constantly stylish Lupita Nyong'o. Though she only has a few film credits to her name, each of them has made a major impact. She won the Academy Award for her feature length film debut in 12 Years a Slave, and proved her unparalleled dramatic prowess yet again this year in Queen of Katwe and the Broadway play Eclipsed. And she's also getting into the blockbuster franchises, having just appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and taking a part in the upcoming Black Panther.

Amy Adams did dual duty in 2016 by starring in two of the year's buzziest films: Arrival and Nocturnal Animals. Though many people assumed that Adams would be getting an Oscar nod for her alien-language interpretation skills in Arrival, it just wasn't in the cards. Still, the film was one of the more successful of the year in terms of both critical praise and box office draw.

Natalie Portman is positively glowing in the photoshoot, thanks to her growing baby bump. The actress and soon-to-be mommy of two has a lot to be excited about, seeing as she's up for the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in Jackie. If she wins, it would be her second Oscar after taking home the trophy for Black Swan a few years back.

One of the actresses that casual movie-goers may not so quickly recognize is Ruth Negga, who takes center stage in this photoshoot. Negga made a huge splash this year for her lead role in Loving, the film telling the story of the groundbreaking interracial marriage case, and now she's heading to the Oscars. Avid sci-fi fans might recognize her from her past TV work on shows like Misfits, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Preacher.

Elle and Dakota Fanning make up the sister act that's been conquering Hollywood since they were prepubescent girls. Though it was younger sister Elle who had the breakout year with her role in 20th Century Women and the controversial The Neon Demon, Dakota has never stopped proving her acting chops. The older sister is preparing to star in an adaptation of The Bell Jar this year.

Shondaland fans will quickly recognize Aja Naomi King for her no-nonsense law student character in How to Get Away with Murder, but she proved her big-screen chops this year in the buzzy The Birth of a Nation.

Getting into this old Hollywood-style photoshoot must have been a piece of cake for Dakota Johnson. The actress comes from a long line of Hollywood icons, such as her mother Melanie Griffith and her grandmother Tippi Hedren. But Johnson has made a name for herself by starring in the insanely popular film adaptations of the Fifty Shades of Grey book series.

Always beloved by the indie movie crowd, Greta Gerwig is now making a name for herself in the mainstream by appearing in two critical favorites from 2016: 20th Century Women and Jackie. But don't think she's lost her indie edge. Gerwig also starred in a pair of under-the-radar gems: Weiner-Dog and Maggie's Plan.

And last but certainly not least is Janelle Monae, who before 2016 was better known to her fans as a musician. Monae has been releasing infectious techno-pop hits for years, but this year she proved that she's a force to be reckoned with in the acting world as well as the music world. Signing on to two of the most critically beloved movies of the year --- Moonlight and Hidden Figures --- Monae delivered masterful turns as strong women who refuse to give up.

You can see more of Vanity Fair's stunning photos and the feature they've done on these talented women here.

The last time Dakota Fanning had a regular role on a TV show, it was for the alien-tinged Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Taken, which premiered the year after her talents shone in her breakout role for 2001's I Am Sam. Now, for the first time since 2004, Fanning will finally head back to the small screen for a starring role in TNT's period crime drama The Alienist, based on the best-selling novel. Despite the name, there won't be any extraterrestrials in this new show.

In development for almost two years now, The Alienist canters on a trio secretly attempting to track down one of New York City's first serial killers in 1896, and the drama at last started the casting process late in 2016, adding Daniel Brühl as forensic psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and Luke Evans as reporter John Moore. Dakota Fanning rounds things out as Sara Howard, hired as the NYPD's first female employee. Confident and She aims to be the first female detective working in the NYC, and this case is certainly big enough to land her such a distinction.

In the acclaimed 1994 novel, written by Caleb Carr, the murders in question involve the brutal and disturbing deaths of boy prostitutes. The freshly appointed commissioner Theodore Roosevelt pulls together the three aforementioned quasi-sleuths to track the killer down, and it obviously won't be an easy task. They'll be using the psychological and technological methods of the time period, so it's the team's wits as much as anything that will lead them to their goal. No cell phone CSI here.

Dakota Fanning's last TV appearance was for a Season 10 episode of Friends, as the girl moving out of this house, so there must have been something in The Alienist that really spoke to her. She's definitely kept up a consistent career on the feature side, with blockbusters like the Twilight films, top-notch animated flicks like Coraline, and more. Her upcoming slate is chock-to-the-blocks full of potentially stellar projects, too, making the jump to television all the more intriguing. She'll star in the punk rock drama Viena and the Fantomes alongside Evan Rachel Wood, in Dutch director Martin Koolhoven's acclaimed Western thriller Brimstone (which premiered at Venice but has yet to get a wide release), in Universal's star-studded animated comedy Ghost Wars, in The Bell Jar's adaptation, and in the female-led spinoff Ocean's Eight. So much Dakota Fanning is coming to our lives.

The Alienist is one of TNT's newest offerings as part of their shift to darker and edgier programming, and it's also one of the latest series to draw film actors over to episodic projects. Marvel's Helmut Zemo, Daniel Brühl was in some German television series, but hadn't yet made U.S. TV a home, so having him, Luke Evans and Fanning together all for this show is a pretty impressive catch for TNT. As well, the series was developed by Cary Fukunaga, with Caleb Carr serving as a consulting producer, and the writing team consists of names like John Sayles (Apollo 13), Hossein Amini (Drive), Gina Glonfriddo (House of Cards) and E. Max Frye (Foxcatcher). Talent all around.

The Alienist is set to premiere on TNT in late 2017, but nothing specific has been worked out just yet. In the meantime, check out all of the things currently heading to TV in early 2017 with our midseason premiere schedule.

At present, there isn't a lot of information pertaining to the characters and story of the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, largely owing to the fact that the book on which the feature is set to be based is a reference guide. However, the latest casting update does offer a potentially sizable clue about the eventual nature of the relationship between lead character Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and one of the other leads.

It's odd to have to say spoiler alert here, given how little we know about Newt Scamander from the single-page bio that's included in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, but because this information did come from the book and references something from his future, it feels only fair to say, potential book spoilers ahead!

Is Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them in the process of trying to cast Newt Scamander's eventual wife? We've known that there would be four lead characters set to be featured in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, in addition to Eddie Redmayne's character Newt Scamander. Today, The Wrap dropped a list of names of actors being eyed for the two female leads, along with the names of their characters, Queenie and Tina. Tina is the older sister, and Queenie is the younger of the two. And if previous reports are accurate, they're American. On the surface, that's not a lot of information to go on, however, we do know from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that Newt eventually lives to retire and settle down with his wife Porpentina (and their pet Kneazles).

Is it possible that Tina is actually Porpentina, Newt's eventual wife?

It's entirely possible that the name similarity is a coincidence, and maybe we're just eager to mine any clues we can from what little information has been given about this project. But from what we know about J.K. Rowling's past work, names matter. Rowling not only wrote all seven Harry Potter books (as well as bonus books Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages), but she also penned the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. If Porpentina and Tina aren't actually the same character, perhaps there's some other connection yet to be revealed between this character and Newt's future wife.

Whether or not Tina is actually the referenced Porpentina from Newt Scamander's textbook remains to be revealed. But from what The Wrap reports, there are a number of actors being looked at for both Queenie and Tina.

Queenie could be played by the lovely and talented Saoirse Ronan, Dakota Fanning, Lili Simmons or Alison Sudol.

All four are reported to be up for that part. Fanning and Ronan have a Stephenie Meyer connection, as Fanning played the role of Jane in the Twilight films, while Ronan starred as the lead character(s) in The Host. As for Lili Simmons, you may have seen her in Banshee or Hawaii Five-0, while Alison Sudol's latest credits include Dig and Transparent.

From the names being eyed for the role of Queenie's older sister, it seems like they're looking at some strikingly beautiful to play the role of Tina. Kate Upton, Katherine Waterston and Elizabeth Debicki are said to be in the running for the part. Upton may be better known for her modeling, but she does have a few acting credits to her name, including that of the other (other) woman in The Other Woman. Katherine Waterston was recently seen in Inherent Vice, and has a part in the upcoming Steve Jobs. Elizabeth Debicki's recent credits include The Great Gatsby, as Jordan Baker, and the upcoming The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The Wrap notes that casting is still in the early stages so there may be other actors being eyed for this role.

This gives us some information to mull over about the two lead females. It's also been reported that there are two lead male roles, in addition to Eddie Redmayne's character. It'll be interesting to see what information is revealed about them -- and their potential connection to the two sisters -- once additional casting updates circulate.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is expected to arrive in theaters November 18, 2016.

Friends fans may be gearing up for a massive 2015 binge-watch, as the beloved NBC comedy series is about to make its streaming debut on Netflix. Those die-hard Friends fans may already have a mental catalog of talented actors who've crossed the threshold of Central Perk, but if it's been a while since you've watched the show, you may be surprised to spot some familiar faces, who weren't so familiar back during the show's original run. It's with that in mind that we've compiled a list of actors to keep an eye your for as you make your way through ten seasons of Friends greatness.

Just to get this out of the way, this list excludes big guest stars eg. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Christina Applegate, Reese Witherspoon, Noah Wyle, Morgan Fairchild, Teri Garr. etc -- as these are people you likely recognized when the show originally aired. We're also excluding those actors who appeared in more than two episodes, (but be sure to check out the last page for that little cheat sheet!)...

Spoiler alert: This list contains spoilers from the plot of Friends, so if you haven't seen the series yet, skip the text!

Mae Whitman

Long before she was playing Amber Holt in Parenthood and blanding it up as Ann Veal on Arrested Development, Mae Whitman dropped in for an episode of Friends ("The One Where Rachel Quits") to play the adorable Sarah Tuttle, a Brown Bird girl who breaks her leg, resulting in Ross having to help her sell cookies...

While Whitman was just getting her start as an actor during this time in her life, this was hardly her first role. By the time the Friends episode aired, she'd already played the president's daughter in Independence Day and little Michele in the Paul Reiser feature comedy Bye Bye Love.

Hugh Laurie

Remember the one where Rachel sat next to Hugh Laurie on a plane? Possibly not, as he wasn't nearly as well known in the U.S. when "The One with Ross's Wedding" aired in 1998, as he would go on to be thanks to House. See what "Man on Airplane" had to say to Rachel when she was explaining her plans to tell Ross she loves him as he's about to marry Emily...

The best part about the above clip is when he refers to Phoebe as "your friend 'Pheebs'."

Hugh Laurie has a lengthy list of credits in the 1980s and '90s, including Blackadder, so it's not as though he was a complete unknown when he sat next to Rachel on that airplane. Less than a decade later, Laurie would go to win two Golden Globes for his performance as Dr. Gregory House in Fox's House.

Kristin Davis

Kristin Davis dropped by Friends for "The One with Ross's Library Book" in 2000. In the episode, she plays Erin, a woman who dates Joey and hits it off with him pretty well. Of course, the relationship doesn't last...

Davis' inclusion on this list is borderline in terms of her fame. After all, Sex and the City was on the air for two seasons by 2000, and Davis also had Melrose Place and General Hospital under her belt by this time. With that said, Sex and the City was only still beginning to blow up at HBO, so it counts. Plus, Davis can boast appearances in both Friends and Seinfeld, which seems like a notable must-see-TV accomplishment (see also, Christine Taylor, Jennifer Coolidge, Jon Lovitz, Jason Alexander and a handful of other actors.).

Ron Glass

If you know Friends well enough then you know that Ross sometimes gets married. Just as often, he gets divorced. Following his third marriage -- his unplanned nuptials to Rachel in Las Vegas -- Ross went to see his attorney, who's played by Ron Glass. You may know him best for playing the wise preacher Shepherd Book in Firefly, but before that, he dropped in for two episodes of Friends, including "The One Where Ross Hugged Rachel"...

Ron Glass was hardly new to acting when he appeared in Friends. Prior to the 1999 appearances in the NBC sitcom, his credits included Barney Miller, Teen Angel, Mr. Rhodes and Rhythm & Blues, not to mention an appearance in 227, The Twilight Zone and -- Book would approve: -- Amen.

Steve Zahn

A year before Steve Zahn would go on to blow our minds as The Oneders guitarist Lenny Haise in That Thing You Do!, Steve Zahn appeared in Friends as Phoebe's figure-skating "husband." Watch him reveal the awkward truth about his sexuality in this clip...

Steve Zahn's acting career was on the rise when he appeared in Friends "The One with Pheobe's Husband." At this point, he had Reality Bites and Crimson Tide under his belt, and he was on his way to appearing in the mentioned Tom Hanks film, as well as You've Got Mail, Hamlet and the creepy Paul Walker horror-thriller Joy Ride. Much more recently, you may have seen him in Treme, Mind Games or playing the Dunphy's new neighbor in Modern Family.

Dan Bucatinsky

Maybe you know him as Cyrus' husband James Novak from Scandal, or Kevin 2 from Marry Me, but once upon a Friends episode, Dan Bucatinsky was just a "Waiter" in "The One with Phoebe's Birthday Dinner."

As recognizable as he may be for his on-screen roles, since Friends aired, Dan Bucatinsky has actually teamed up with Lisa Kudrow to produce a number of TV projects, including Web Therapy, Who Do You Think You Are? and most recently, The Comeback, in which he also plays the role; that of Billy Stanton, Kudrow's character's high-strung manager.

TJ Thyne

Blink and you'll miss T.J. Thyne's brief appearance in Friends. But you won't miss it because it's one of the funnier moments in Friends' milestone episode, "The One Hundredth," which has Phoebe going into labor with her brother's triplets. For about two seconds, Thyne plays Phoebe's doctor, Dr. Howser Oberman...

Playing a guy with a lot of education is something Thyne excels at. Just catch his appearances in Erin Brockovich or Angel for evidence of that. These days, Thyne is likely best recognizable as Dr. Jack Hodgins in Fox's Bones.

Dakota Fanning

Around the time that Friends was drawing to a close, Dakota Fanning appeared in the role of Mackenzie in "The One with Princess Consuela." Watch her in all of her adorableness she interacts with Joey...

Fanning was building up the credits at this point in her career, having already starred in the sci-fi TV miniseries Taken, as well as starring opposite Brittany Murphy in Uptown Girls. 2004 was also the year she starred in Man on Fire, so she was very clearly on her way up. In more recent years, she played Jane in some of the Twilight movies, Effie Gray, Every Secret Thing and The Last of Robin Hood.

Ellen Pompeo

Not long before Ellen Pompeo got her big break as Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy, she scored herself the part of Missy Goldberg in Friends. As you'll see in the clip, she plays a woman who knew Ross and Chandler in their college days...

At this point in Pompeo's career, she'd already appeared in Old School, Daredevil and Catch Me if You Can. In the year following her Friends appearance, Pompeo took on the part of Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy, which is where she's been for nearly a decade. The series remains a massive hit for ABC.

Penn Jillette

Penn Jillette may be the only person on this list that can credit himself a magician, juggler, comedian, musician, actor and author, who also happened to appear in Friends as... an encyclopedia salesman...

The great thing about Penn Jillette is that you never really know where he's going to show up. In the 90s, it might be Babylon 5 or Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. More recently it might be Celebrity Apprentice or Alpha House. In Friends, he had volumes of encyclopedias for sale and Joey just so happened to have a lot of time on his hands.

Jim Rash

When he appeared in "The Last One," Jim Rash wasn't the familiar face and Oscar winner that he is today. Back then, he was another plane passenger stuck sitting next to Rachel Green. Except, instead of hearing all about her plans to break up Ross's wedding, this flight had Rachel sharing Phoebe's fake warning about a busted phalange, which set Rash's character off into a full-on panic...

Anyone who knows Friends knows Phoebe loves the word phalange. And anyone who knows Community likely has no trouble recognizing Jim Rash now, as he plays the dean in the once-NBC series. Rash also nabbed himself an Oscar for penning The Descendants, so there's that too...

Remember how we said we were sticking to actors who only appeared in one or two episodes of Friends? Well, let's take a moment to celebrate some of the other very recognizable faces who appeared in longer arcs on the series.... Here are some familiar faces who appeared in bigger arcs in the series. Most are people who dated one of the lead characters on the show, though you'll also find Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie, and the the birth mother to Chandler and Monica's twins, Erica...

Jon Favreau (as Pete Becker)

Michael Rapaport (as Gary)

Hank Azaria (as David)

Paul Rudd (as Mike)

Aisha Tyler (as Charlie Wheeler)

Paget Brewster (as Kathy)

Adam Goldberg (as Eddie)

Christine Taylor (as Bonnie)

Anna Faris (as Erica)

Tate Donovan (as Joshua)

"She has to get away from their clutches." What is wrong with Effie? That's the question that plays at the center of the biopic Effie Gray. And from the look of its first trailer, the simple answer is that it wasn't easy being a woman in the Victorian age, where sex and desire were four-letter curse words.

The Telegraph premieres Effie Gray's debut trailer ahead of its world theatrical debut in the U.K. on October 10th. Dakota Fanning stars as its title character, a woman who caused quite a scandal in Victorian England when she cheated on her art critic husband John Ruskin (Greg Wise), with the painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). Emma Thompson co-stars alongside David Suchet, Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters, but it was her screenwriting credit that has caused the film's modern-day scandal.

Indie Wire reports that director Richard Laxton completed production on Effie Gray 18 months ago, but from there copyright claims proved obstacles to the biopic's release. Though best known as an actress, Emma Thompson is an acclaimed screenwriter, having won an Academy Award for her adapted script of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility. Effie Gray marks her first produced screenplay since the pair of family friendly romps Nanny McPhee and Nanny McPhee Returns. But while the inspiration for her latest period piece might understandably be assumed to be the life of Euphemia "Effie" Gray herself, two separate writers have sued Thompson and the production over copyright claims.

The first was Eve Pomerance, who has written two scripts inspired by the life of Effie Gray. One of these has been produced as a play, but by December of 2012, a judge dismissed her claims. Next, playwright Gregory Murphy sued because he had penned a play and screenplay about Effie Gray. This second suit delayed release plans until it was settled in March of 2013. But plans to open in October of 2013 fell through, perhaps because of Murphy's public claims of seeking an appeal.

With accusations of plagiarism behind it, Effie Gray can now focus on the accusations of indecency launched at its heroine, who married a childhood friend -- only to find him to be a cold lover. The Telegraph laments that the Gray and Ruskin's first night as man and wife included no consummation. And according to Effie's writings, that was all on her reluctant groom. She explained:

Some historians have posited that Ruskin had expected a nude woman to look like those in the paintings he'd seen, so the reality provided a shock instead of a thrill. Regardless of his reasons, it's little wonder that Effie Gray sought love elsewhere.

Effie Gray has not yet secured a U.S. release date.

After playing a wife and mother in Godzilla, Elizabeth Olsen is reclaiming her youth in the coming-of-age drama Very Good Girls. Here she co-stars with Dakota Fanning, and as you can see in the trailer above, both play beautiful girls who are navigating the tricky path from childhood to adulthood.

Written by first-time director (and mother to Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal) Naomi Foner, Very Good Girls stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as Lily and Gerry, best friends trying to make the best out of their last summer in New York City before college starts. Having left high school behind, these young women are perhaps too eager to grow up fast, making a pact to lose their virginity before summer's end. But rivalry arises when they both begin to crush on a handsome young artist played by Boyd Holbrook (The Host). Also in the mix is Peter Sarsgaard as a flirtatious older man/boss of Dakota's good girl Lily.

Also on board for this tender indie are Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin, and Clark Gregg. Adding to its appeal is a soundtrack featuring new music from Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis.

We first got word on this production back in the spring of 2011, when Very Good Girls was being shopped at Cannes with Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, and Peter Sarsgaard already attached. At that time, so were Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek, but it seems they have since been replaced by Richard Dreyfuss and Ellen Barkin. The following January, Anton Yelchin was in talks to join, presumably for the role that ultimately went to Boyd Holbrook. At that time, Foner gave some insight into her script, saying:

One note: when you cast Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen, no matter how emotionally immature their characters might be in the film, they read as "stunning young women" now. Moving on.

Joining the new trailer, we now also have the first released still from Very Good Girls, which sadly only gives facetime to one of the two leads.

Principal photography on this drama began on location in New York City in the summer of 2012. Very Good Girls made its world premiere earlier this year the Sundance Film Festival, and now Tribeca Film is bringing it to theaters on July 25th.

Near the top of my list of most anticipated films playing at the Tribeca Film Festival was the crime drama Every Secret Thing. My interest in the film was first sparked when it was announced as the first narrative feature from documentarian Amy Berg, maker of such celebrated crime docs as West Of Memphis and Deliver Us From Evil. Having admired her past work, I was intrigued to see what she'd do with the freedom of narrative storytelling. Adding to my anticipation was a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, who has a marvelous skill for crafting complicated and compelling characters. Plus, Berg had wrangled a cast that includes such mesmerizing performers as Nate Parker, Diane Lane, Dakota Fanning, and Elizabeth Banks. All this was to be folded into the kind of murder mystery that I'd willingly indulge in right before a restless night's sleep.

For all these reasons, I couldn't wait to see Every Secret Thing. And for all these reasons it crushes me to report how profoundly disappointed I was in the final film.

Adapted from the novel by Laura Lippman, Every Secret Thing centers on the investigation into a missing three-year-old girl, snatched away from a furniture store. Suspicion instantly falls on two 18-year-old girls who were recently released from prison after serving seven years for the abduction and murder of an infant. The details of that long-closed case have continued to haunt Detective Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks). With a similar crime popping up so coincidentally after the girls' release, she dives in to uncover what she may have missed the first time around.

The film quickly spins into a she said/she said battle between the teens, who couldn't be more different. Alice Manning (Danielle Macdonald) comes from a middle-class home where she wanted for nothing, except a slimmer figure. Her weight makes her feel like a disappointment to her thin and pretty mother (Diane Lane), but nonetheless she now has aspirations of reality TV stardom and clearing her name. Skinny and fair Ronnie Fuller (Dakota Fanning) comes from a far shabbier situation. It's implied her mother is a junkie, her father is a crook, and so on some level it's expected that she'll go nowhere, no matter how she might try. These two girls were barely friends seven years before, but now their fates are inextricably linked. Unfortunately, this conflict never feels in focus, as the film stumbles from it to Porter's investigation and back with an unpredictable pivots.

The wonky structure can be blamed on Holofcener, who took a major risk stepping outside her comfort zone of so-called "white people problems" movies like the hilarious and moving Enough Said and Friends with Money. As much as I like her low-stakes comedies, I admire her risk-taking here. Unfortunately, without the familiar setting or even her reliance on observational humor, she is lost. The plot is a snarl of scenes, and the dialogue too often feels like a stark early draft with characters nakedly spouting out should-be subtext and exposition, and smaller characters falling out the plotline abruptly and completely.

Though there are flashbacks to the first crime, most of the narrative is set in the thick of the search for the missing girl. Anyone who has every even watched a movie or TV show about a missing child knows how critical the first 48 hours are to finding a kid alive. And yet there's no sense of urgency to the film's tone. It's pacing is languid, slumping from one scene to the next. Passing time is lazily marked by expositional dialogue. I was stunned that Berg, who had so masterfully laced tension and heart-sinking drama into her doc work, has so completely failed to thrill here. There's no momentum to the proceedings. And surprisingly the cast does little to lift Every Secret Thing out of its stupor.

With a stony stare and lackluster wig, Banks is believable but bland as the detective plagued by doubts about her big case. Lane adds some spice as the mother of one of the convicted girls, but at times her delivery of Holofcener's uncharacteristically rough dialogue makes the film veer too far into the tone of made-for-TV melodrama. Dakota Fanning brings an instant gravity to the proceedings as Ronnie, carrying both her physical and emotional scars with a heartbreaking sense of fragility. But much of the film's dramatic gravity depends on Macdonald, who is not a strong enough actress to ground it.

Most of the film Macdonald seems either to be sulking or sneering, breathing little emotional depth into a character who--with all her faults--is complex and potentially compelling. Instead, Alice seems a transparent devil who is giddy at the idea of messing with the minds of those around her. With this element out of whack, the narrative's stacks of supposedly shocking revelations don't dazzle the way they are clearly intended to, then the finale feels predictable and too long in coming. I'm astonished Every Secret Thing's running time comes to 93-minutes. It feels much, much longer.

So, yes, in the end, I was greatly let down by Every Secret Thing. I genuinely don't understand how it was such a misfire when on paper it was so promising. Holofcener seems in over her head, cramming in so many plot threads and characters along with half-cooked themes about racism, class prejudice, and fatism. Berg doesn't show a natural gift for drawing out engaging performances as she did in conducting fascinating interviews. Instead, the movie works best in silent moments, like Lane's mother alone in her thoughts, or Fanning's Ronnie regarding herself in the mirror, while hiding her wrists torn up with self-inflicted scars.

Making me all the more concerned about Every Secret Thing is just how hard it is for female filmmakers in particular to rebound after a film fails. Despite its faults, I do want to see more from Berg. While the execution was a mess, the concept and intent here is as compelling as that of her earlier works. Thankfully, she's already in the works on a slew of new documentaries. Here's hoping that if and when she returns to narrative moviemaking she scales back to better focus and create the kind of unforgettable films we've become accustomed to from her.

Amy Berg's background in film is largely in documentary work, with the Oscar nominated Deliver Us from Evil and BAFTA nominated West of Memphis among her credits. Following those critically acclaimed documentaries from past years, Berg is about to embark on her narrative helming debut with Every Secret Thing, a film about two 11-year-olds imprisoned for killing a baby. It was announced today that Dakota Fanning and Danielle Macdonald are set to play the two girls, seven years after their conviction.

The announcement was made by Likely Story, Merced Media Partners, Palmstar Media, Capital and Hyde Park International, stating that Fanning and Macdonald are joining Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks in the film. The story follows Fanning and Macdonald's characters after they're released from prison at eighteen years old, seven years after being convicted of the murder of a baby.

Berg is no stranger to exploring dark subjects, when considering the two documentaries she wrote and directed, one of which focuses on a priest who was repeatedly relocated to different parishes due to sexual abuse incidents (Deliver Us from Evil) and the more recent one, which focuses on the investigation of the murder of three children, which led to the conviction of three teens known as the West Memphis Three (West of Memphis). It'll be interesting to see how she does with this story, which is based on a script by Nicole Holofcener, adapted from Laura Lippman's 2004 novel.

And it certainly sounds like a potentially dark but intriguing role for Dakota Fanning, whose recent films include The Twilight Saga, Ol Parker's drama Now is Good and the 2010 film The Runaways. Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress, whose recent credits include a TV show called The Valley and an episode of Glee in 2011. With Fanning and Macdonald joining a cast that already includes the talented Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks, the cast is definitely coming together nicely.

The film begins principal photography March 25 in New York.

Jenny Downham's novel Before I Die sounds like an intense but, from the description in the New York Times review, worthwhile experience. It's a novel narrated by a 16-year-old girl dying of leukemia, describing her every experience and emotion and pain as she slowly makes her way toward a death she knows is coming. Yeah, I know. Not only does it sound like a challenging book but pretty much an impossible movie, and yet director Ol Parker is giving an adaptation a shot, with Dakota Fanning in the lead role.

Now, according to Production Weekly, Naomi Watts is in "preliminary discussions" to join the film, which will be titled Now Is Good (presumably to keep people from thinking it's a horror movie? Who knows). They're not saying what Watts's role would be but I'm guessing she'd play the mother; according to the review in The Guardian the mother in the book has only newly reappeared in the girl's life, but it's possible they'd change things to accommodate a star with as much leverage as Watts.

Fanning was at one point set to play another girl with cancer in My Sister's Keeper, a dull weepie she was right to bow out of, and this sounds like a much more realistic, less sentimental take on the same material. Fanning just keeps getting better as she gets older, and she really does seem to be at the point where she couldn't just carry a movie, but hold her own against the likes of Watts. So long as the movie veers away from sentimentality the way the book apparently does, this sounds like a tearjerker worth the time.