Jack Black returned as “Po” in Kung Fu Panda 2 for Paramount Pictures this past May, grossing $125 million in its’ international opening weekend.
In October 2012, Black released The Big Year with Academy Award® winner Anjelica Huston and a comedy super cast of Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones and Joel McHale for 20th Century Fox. He has also recently been seen in The Muppets, written by his Gulliver’s Travels co-star, Jason Segel, for Disney.
In 2010, Black released the highly anticipated Gulliver’s remake for 20th Century Fox. Black, who produced the film, starred as “Lemuel Gulliver” opposite Academy Award® nominated Emily Blunt, Segel and Amanda Peet. Gulliver’s grossed nearly $238 million worldwide.
In 2009, Black voiced video game character Eddie Riggs (modeled after him) in the widely popular Brutal Legend. The game follows roadie (Riggs) into a fantasy world of heavy metal. Black was nominated and won for Best Voice at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2009.
The year 2008 was very busy; starting by lending his voice to the lead animated character of “Po” in Paramount Pictures’ Kung Fu Panda, which earned more than $626 million worldwide. In August, Black found himself on top of the box office again for the Paramount release of Tropic Thunder. Directed and written by Ben Stiller, who also starred in the film, Black was joined by the star studded cast Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey. The film was #1 in the box office for two straight weeks and has earned over $110 million domestically.
Being #1 is nothing new for Black. In September 2003, he proved his box office draw with a #1 opening for Paramount Pictures, School of Rock, from producer Scott Rudin, and writer Mike White. In the film, Black received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The next year Jack reunited with White to release Nacho Libre, which marked the first production under Black & White Productions, formed in late 2004 by White and Black.
In December 2005, Black was seen in the highly anticipated cinematic blockbuster and Academy Award®-winning film, King Kong. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film opened at #1 and remained on top for three weeks in a row, and grossed over $540 million worldwide.
Black’s other screen credits include the comedies Bob Roberts, High Fidelity, Saving Silverman, Shallow Hal, Orange County, Envy, Shark Tale, The Holiday, and 2000’s independent drama Jesus’ Son and 2007’s drama Margot at the Wedding.
Fans also know Black as the lead singer of the rock-folk comedy group Tenacious D, which he created with friend Kyle Gass. Their self-titled album was released in the fall of 2001 with Epic Records and was quickly certified at gold-selling status. The band had a variety series on HBO that aired in 1999. The duo completed their first feature Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny for New Line Cinema, which released in November 2006. Following Pick of Destiny, two documentaries were released in relation to the film. The first, directed and produced by Black titled, The Making of ‘The Pick of Destiny reveals a behind the scenes look at the making of the film. The second, D Tour: A Tenacious Documentary focused on the band’s world tour in support of their film and soundtrack.
Black currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Tanya and their two sons.
Bradley Cooper is one of the industry’s most sought after actors, With extensive training and experience in theater, television and film. Recently, Cooper signed a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Bros. announcing his production company, 22 & Indiana Pictures.
Cooper can be seen in the romantic drama The Words. Starring opposite Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons and Dennis Quaid, Cooper portrays a writer at the peak of his literary career when he discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man’s work. The film is written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal and was released by CBS Films on September 7th, 2012.
Later this year, Cooper will be seen in the Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) thriller, The Place Beyond the Pines alongside Ryan Gosling, Rose Byrne and Eva Mendes. The film follows Gosling, a professional motorcycle stunt rider who turns to bank robberies to support his family. When he crosses paths with a rookie police officer (Cooper) there confrontation spirals into a generational feud.
In 2010, Cooper was seen on The A-Team, a remake based on the original television series. Cooper played the role of Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck starring opposite Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Directed by Joe Carnahan, 20th Century Fox released the film on June 11, 2010.
In 2009, Cooper starred in New York, I Love You, the American version of the acclaimed film, Paris, je t’aime, and the hit comedy He’s Just Not That Into You opposite Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett Johansson and based on The New York Times’ best-selling novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. Cooper’s other film roles include the box office success Yes Man opposite Jim Carrey, All About Steve, Wedding Crashers opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, in which he came to prominence portraying a quintessential jerk, and the 2001 cult favorite Wet Hot American Summer, opposite Janeane Garofalo, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, and directed by David Wain.
Cooper is currently in rehearsals in Williamstown, PA on The Elephant Man which will be presented on the Nikos Stage in Williamstown from Wednesday, July 25th through Sunday, August 5th. Directed by Scott Ellis and starring alongside Patricia Clarkson, this marks Coopers second run at the theatre in which he first performed The Understudy in 2008.
Cooper recently wrapped production on the independent drama Serena, based on the adaptation of Ron Rash’s period novel. Directed by Oscar winner Suzanne Bier, Serena takes place in a depression-era, 1929 North Carolina and follows the story of traveling newlyweds George (Cooper) and Serena (Lawrence) Pemberton looking to make their fortune in the timber business. When they realize Serena is not able to bear children, she attempts to murder George’s illegitimate son.
In May 2011, Cooper starred opposite Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha in the Warner Bros. comedy sequel The Hangover Part II directed by Todd Phillips. The opening weekend of the film marked the highest-grossing worldwide opening for any comedy and in June 2011, the film out-grossed the original Hangover in worldwide earnings to become the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. This September, Cooper, Galifianakis and Helms will reprise their roles in the final installation, The Hangover Part III, which will be released by Warner Bros. on May 24, 2013.
Cooper made his Broadway debut in the spring of 2006 in Joe Montello’s production of Three Days of Rain opposite Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. In July 2008, Cooper joined the cast of the critically acclaimed Theresa Rebeck play The Understudy, which premiered at Williamstown Theatre Festival to rave reviews and sold out performances.
In 2009, Cooper reprised his role as “Aidan Stone” on the critically acclaimed F/X drama Nip/Tuck, who’s sixth season premiered this January. In 2005, Cooper starred in FOX’s single camera comedy Kitchen Confidential based on the trials and tribulations of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain. Other television credits include the Golden Globe nominated series Alias, Jack & Bobby, Touching Evil, Law & Order: SVU and Trial by Jury.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Cooper graduated with honors in the English program at Georgetown University. After moving to New York City, he obtained his Masters in the Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio Drama School at the New School University.
Cooper currently resides in Los Angeles.
John Hawkes has been working non-stop since his critically acclaimed performance as Teardrop in WINTER’S BONE, the role which earned him an Independent Spirit Award win and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, along with nominations from the Screen Actors Guild and several film critic groups, also garnered him the Virtuoso Award from the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Next, Hawkes will be seen in Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN. He has also completed production on ARCADIA and THE PLAYROOM. Recent releases include HIGHER GROUD with Vera Farmiga, Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION and the Sundance hit MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, for which Hawkes received an Indie Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Hawkes previously starred in ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It shared Camera d’Or honors and won the International Critics’ Week sidebar at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and received two 2006 Independent Spirit Awards nominations. He also starred in and co-produced the independent film, BUTTLEMAN, for which he received a Breakout Performance Award at the 2004 Sedona Film Festival. Additional credits include AMERICAN GANGSTER, MIAMI VICE, IDENTITY, THE PERFECT STORM, SMALL TOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, HARDBALL, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY, THE AMATEURS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, and A SLIPPING-DOWN LIFE.
On television, Hawkes has starred in two acclaimed series for HBO. He portrayed Sol Star in the critically lauded drama “Deadwood” and now plays Danny McBride’s brother Dustin in the comedy “Eastbound and Down.”
Born and raised in rural Minnesota, Hawkes moved to Austin, Texas, where he began his career as an actor and musician. He co-founded the Big State Productions theater company and appeared in the group’s original play, In the West at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also starred in the national touring company production of the play Greater Tuna, including extended engagements in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. Hawkes wrote and performed the solo play Nimrod Soul at the Theatre at the Improv and appeared on Broadway in 24 Hour Plays alongside Sam Rockwell.
Hawkes has penned several songs featured in films and television shows. His song ‘Bred and Buttered’ appears on the WINTER’S BONE soundtrack. With his band King Straggler he performed at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Music Festival and numerous clubs across the United States. He is currently writing and recording a new full-length album due for release in 2012.
Thure Lindhardt is considered one of the biggest contemporary Danish dramatic talents and one of his generation’s most versatile and acclaimed actors. As a child, he had a part in Bille August’s Pelle the Conqueror, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film in 1988.
His breakthrough came with Kaspar Rostrup’s A Place Nearby (2000), after which he was presented with a Shooting Star Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In the critically acclaimed Flame & Citron (2008), Lindhardt starred with Mads Mikkelsen as real-life World War II resistance fighters, receiving a European Film Award nomination for Best Actor. Lindhardt also starred in Nicolo Donato’s Brotherhood, which won the jury award for Best Film and the Golden Butterfly at the Rome Film Festival in 2009, and The Island, which was chosen for Director’s Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival 2011.
Thure’s U.S. films include Ira Sachs’ Keep the Lights On (2012), Ron Howard’s Angels & Demons (2009) with Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgard, and Sean Penn’s Into the Wild (2008), starring Emile Hirsch. Recent credits include Neil Jordan’s Byzantium (2012) and Formentera (2012, Ann-Kristin Reyes). He will soon be seen as the lead in 3096 (Sherry Horrmann), based on Natascha Kampbush biography and premiering in February 2013; the third and fourth season of TV’s The Borgias; and The Fast and the Furious 6 (2013).
Matthew McConaughey’s past film credits include Dazed & Confused, Amistad, A Time to Kill, How to Lose a Guy and We Are Marshall to name a few. The last few years have been filled with career changes, beginning with his successful turn in The Lincoln Lawyer, as well as a run of varied roles in edgy indie movies.
McConaughey reteamed with Linklater in the award-winning Bernie. He then starred in William Friedkin’s Killer Joe, a leading role for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Soon after, he took a supporting turn as the veteran male stripper in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike. For his role as Dallas he has already earned a supporting Independent Spirit nomination as well as a New York Film Critics Circle win. He is currently portraying AIDS victim Ron Woodruff in his next project, The Dallas Buyers Club.
Wendell Pierce is recognized by film audiences for his extensive work for directors including Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, Sidney Lumet and Taylor Hackford. Hailed for his portrayal of Det. Bunk Moreland on five critically acclaimed seasons of The Wire. His present series Treme reunites him with the same creative team: HBO, David Simon, and Eric Overmyer. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, it chronicles the rebuilding of the city through the eyes of local musicians.
Wendell is a native of New Orleans and has worked to rebuild the the neighborhood in which he was raised. He formed Ponchartrain Park Comunity Development Corp, a non-profit corporation to rebuild 500 affordable and environmentally friendly homes which will preserve the community character and help longtime residents come back to their neighborhood. It was featured on CNN in the documentary film “New Orleans Rising” with Soledad OʼBrien.
Wendell most recently starred in Sony’s hit summer comedy Horrible Bosses and will be featured in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn for November release. Wendell is currently filming Parker directed by Taylor Hackford. Upcoming for 2012 release is the independent film Bolden co-starring Anthony Mackie. Wendell starred in Life Support for HBO opposite Queen Latifah, which garnered him an NAACP Image Award. He appeared as himself in Spike Leeʼs documentary When The Levees Broke telling his familyʼs story of loss.
Wendell starred in Stay Alive for Disney, the award winning Ray (based on the life of Ray Charles) and Love Ranch for director Taylor Hackford, Wim Wendersʼ Angst & Alienation In America, and Hole In One which had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. These films contribute to Wendell’s large body of work which includes Fighting Temptations, 24 Hour Woman, Brown Sugar, Volcano, Abilene, Bullworth, and Spike Lee’s Get On The Bus. His filmography also includes Sleepers, Waiting to Exhale, Hackers, Bye Bye Love, It Could Happen To You, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Malcolm X, Husbands and Wives, A Rage in Harlem, Bonfire of the Vanities, Casualties of War, Family Business, Ishtar, Patty Hearstand The Money Pit.
In addition to The Wire, Pierce has had regular roles on The Weber Show for NBC, CBS’s Gregory Hines Show, Maloney, and The Brian Benben Show and has had recurring roles on shows including Numb3rs, Law and Order, Third Watch, New York Undercover, and I’ll Fly Away. Pierce’s credits also include the mini-series Advocate’s Devil, the CBS telefilm Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story, the HBO projects Strapped and Vietnam War Story and the BBC miniseries With Two Lumps Of Ice.
Heralded for his work in the world premiere of Queenie Pie at the Kennedy Center, Pierce includes among his Broadway stage credits roles in The Piano Lesson, Serious Money and The Boys of Winter. He has appeared in such off-Broadway productions as The Good Times are Killing Me, Psychneurotic Phantasies for Playwrights Horizons, and Tis a Pity She’s A Whore, Cymbeline and Two Gentleman of Verona for the New York Shakespeare Festival. He received rave reviews for ”The Cherry Orchard” at the Classical Theatre of Harlem (nominated for a VIV award in the lead actor category). He followed up with Waiting For Godot set on a rooftop surrounded by water in a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
In 2006 he co-starred with Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett in August Wilsonʼs Fences at the Pasadena Playhouse. Earlier he performed the Oedipus Plays in the ancient Herod Atticus Theatre at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece in association with the Washington DC Shakespeare Theatre. In the fall 0f 2009 he starred in Broke-ology at Lincoln Center Theater Wendell is a three-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Best Actor in a television drama for his work on The Wire and won the 2008 Image Award for best actor in a television movie for HBOʼs Life Support as well as the Womenʼs Image Network “WIN” Award. In 2010 he received an Obie Award. Wendell has won five Los Angeles Emmy Awards for his narration of Golden Days, Purple Knights: 50 Years of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I love everybody. We were so lucky to get to work together once; if we get to do it again in the future, that would be amazing,” Cardinelli tells IFC of working with the “Freaks and Geeks” cast.
“Sure, I can be in ‘Ant-Man.’ Why not?” Winstead tells IFC at the Spirit Awards.
Timberlake hosts “SNL” on March 9.
“It’s all about the script for me,” Oyelowo says.
