Where You Know The Cast Of Babylon From

From "La la Land" director Damien Chazelle comes another film that pulls back the curtain on the movie making industry. Set in the 1920s, "Babylon" follows Jack Conrad, played by Brad Pitt, a leading man with much of his career in the rear-view mirror, Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a Hollywood star on the rise, and Manny Torres (Diego Calva), an aspiring filmmaker who works his way up the show business ladder.

As silent films were being replaced by "talkies," a whole new world of opportunities and threats emerged. "I wanted to capture just how big and bold and brash and unapologetic that world was," the Oscar-winning director told Vanity Fair. "It was really a wild West period for these people, this gallery of characters, as they rise and fall, rise, fall, rise again, fall again."

And what a gallery of characters, indeed. "Babylon" boasts an ensemble that features some newcomers, such as breakout star Diego Calva, but the roster also includes some Hollywood veterans, such as a Marvel superhero, a TV legend, a horror film favorite, and a Grammy-winning musician. The stars are so bright that you'll wish you had a clapperboard handy to shield your eyes.

Margot Robbie shot to stardom acting opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2014 Best Picture winner "The Wolf of Wall Street." In 2017, she starred as disgraced Olympic skating phenom Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya." Robbie, who received an Oscar nomination for the role, told Time Out, "I wanted to meet her just to let her know that we would be handling her story respectfully, but at the same time, it's a film. I wasn't going to be holding back with this character, and I hoped she understood that."

You may remember Robbie as Harley Quinn in "The Suicide Squad" and the spinoff "Birds of Prey." "One of the first things I said to [director James Gunn] was, I think Harley is a catalyst of chaos," Robbie told Total Film (via GamesRadar+) in 2021. The Australian actor earned a second Oscar nod for her role in "Bombshell," playing Kayla, a Fox News staffer, in the 2019 film about allegations of sexual harassment at the media giant. That same year, Robbie appeared as actor Sharon Tate in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood." 

And she continues to keep busy. In 2022, Robbie popped up in David O. Russell's star-studded film "Amsterdam." And as for playing up-and-coming star Nellie LaRoy in "Babylon"? "It was the most physically and emotionally draining character I've ever played, by a country mile," Robbie said in Vanity Fair. "She demands so much of you that she left me in pieces."

Brad Pitt first caught Tinseltown's attention as a hunky con man in 1991's "Thelma and Louise." "After 'Thelma & Louise' I was offered hitchhiker roles, which is no surprise — but you would be surprised at how many hitchhiker roles there were," he told The New York Times. "A River Runs Through It" and his turn in "Interview with a Vampire" proved he was destined for stardom. In the 2005 spy thriller "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Pitt went toe-to-toe with his now-estranged wife Angelina Jolie.

The Hollywood A-lister also starred alongside Edward Norton in 1999's "Fight Club." In "Moneyball,' he played Oakland A's manager Billy Beane. "I'm a sucker for injustice stories and wanting to right the injustice," Pitt said to The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 about the sports drama. The actor who portrays a matinée idol in "Babylon," won his first Academy Award in 2020 for his performance in another Tinseltown drama, playing movie stuntman Cliff Booth in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood."

"He's one of the last remaining big-screen movie stars," Quentin Tarantino, who directed the film, said of Pitt in GQ. "And frankly, I don't think you can describe exactly what that is because it's like describing starshine," Tarantino added. In 2022, Pitt unleashed his killer instinct, playing an assassin named Ladybug in the action-packed thriller "Bullet Train," facing off with the likes of Bad Bunny and Brian Tyree Henry.

"Babylon" actor Toby Maguire started out in a short-lived 1992 TV series called "Great Scott." He soon moved on to big-screen roles, landing in Ang Lee's 1997 acclaimed drama, "The Ice Storm." Decades later, he still rakes in praise for his performance. "Perfectly cast, perfectly shaped, sad & funny. Tobey Maguire is otherworldly," New York Mag's Matt Zoller Seitz tweeted in 2022. Maguire also played Charlize Theron's love interest in Lasse Hallström's 1999 film, "The Cider House Rules."

In 2009's "Brothers" remake, Maguire's character is in war-torn Afghanistan, wrapped up in the middle of a messy love triangle with his real-life childhood friends, played by Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Maguire's work in the feature earned him a Golden Globe nomination. And let us not forget about his taken on the web-wielding hero Peter Parker in the first three "Spider-Man" films. "He's someone kids can relate to, and he doesn't die out, so a new generation can come along and appreciate him," Maguire told CNN in 2002.

"He's a relatable, everyday kid. He's not an alien or a multimillionaire," the actor added. In 2013, Maguire played Nick Carraway in Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby," alongside Carey Mulligan and his longtime pal Leonardo DiCaprio. The following year, Maguire took on the role of Devon Morehouse, the son of a wealthy oil magnate in "The Spoils of Babylon." In a review for The Wrap, critic Tim Molloy wrote of the 1980s mini-series spoof, "It's gloriously, throw-up-your hands ridiculous." 

In "Babylon," Jovan Adepo plays a jazz trumpet player named Sidney Palmer. Getting his start as a professional actor in 2015, Adepo has already amassed an impressive list of credits. He played Hooded Justice in the HBO limited series "Watchmen," was one of the main characters in the 2020 adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand," and acted opposite Viola Davis and Denzel Washington in the critically acclaimed adaptation of August Wilson's play "Fences." 

While many up-and-coming actors cut their teeth in the indie film world or low budget TV shows, Adepo's career officially began with a prestige series. As he shared in The New York Times Style Magazine, "My first job was 'The Leftovers' [from 2015-17]. That was with no résumé, but the creator of the show, Damon Lindelof, saw my audition and was like, 'That guy.' He took me out of Inglewood, working at Sunglass Hut."

Becoming an actor wasn't always Adepo's plan. As he told Interview, he moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to try to pursue a writing career, but one thing led to another, and he switched gears. "I had taken a couple acting workshops—commercial workshops—here and there, and every time I had taken one the teachers told me that I should take it seriously," he recalled. Safe to say, that pivot worked out.  

"Babylon" cast member Lukas Haas made his mark as a child actor, starring alongside Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis in 1985's "Witness." By age 16, he already had 25 film and TV credits, including the titular role in "The Ryan White Story," a movie about an Indiana teen who was barred from his school after he contracted HIV. "Being a working actor is the best education I could get," Haas told UPI in 1992. "I visit cathedrals, museums, battlefields and ruins. I learn geography and history through experience, not just from books. It's wonderful."

The actor appeared in Christopher Nolan's 2010 sci-fi action film, "Inception." The following year, he played Father Auguste in "Red Riding Hood," which features "The Dropout" star Amanda Seyfried. In 2018's "Widows," Haas played David, Elizabeth Debicki's sugar daddy. Of his character, Haas told The Hollywood Reporter, "He's framed as if he's some kind of bad guy, but the reality is he's just being himself."

Haas portrayed astronaut Michael Collins in Damien Chazelle's 2018 film, "First Man," the story of Neil Armstrong and his historic first steps on the moon. "It was like one of the coolest filmmaking experiences I've ever had, by a long shot," he said. You also may have spotted the actor in his recurring roles on TV. He's guest-starred on "Criminal Minds, "24," and HBO's "Entourage."

"Babylon" actor Eric Roberts is among the most prolific character actors in the business, with more than 700 credits on his IMDb profile. "The way I look at it is that I'm one of the luckiest guys in Hollywood," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022. 1978's "King of the Gypsies" was his first film, alongside relative newcomer Susan Sarandon. "I was a 21-year-old kid who was scared to death," Roberts said in Vanity Fair in 2018.

His vast list of credits includes a small-time hustler slash killer in Bob Fosse's "Star 80" and a wannabe mobster named Paulie in "The Pope of Greenwich Village." In the 1996 film "It's My Party," Roberts portrayed Nick, a man dying from AIDS as he plans one final hurrah. The actor, who also appeared in 2010's "The Expendables," explained to Uproxx that he tries to find the lighter side of darker stories. "You have to find a way to relieve the audience. They have to be relieved from the constant bang, bang, bang. This is serious. This has meaning." 

In recurring roles, Roberts played Robert Avery (Jesse Williams' on-screen dad) on "Grey's Anatomy," as well as Junior in HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones." "I've seen the whole planet. I've seen the whole thing," the "Suits" alum said to Uproxx. "All of the Arctics. I've seen everything. I've seen everybody. We have the best jobs on the planet."

Max Minghella, who plays Irving Thalberg in "Babylon," first made waves in "The Social Network, the 2010 film based on the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg. When he heard George Clooney was directing "The Ides of March," the English actor quickly rushed off an audition tape to the "Ticket to Paradise" star. "I did it psychotically, in 50 different ways, then I chose the one I liked most and sent it in. It was the most strenuous audition I've ever done in terms of process," Max told The Guardian in 2011.

The son of director Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient") also appeared in the Vince Vaughan and Owen Wilson comedy "The Internship." That's when his big break came along — the role of Detective William Schenk in Hulu's hit series "The Handmaid's Tale." "None of us take it for granted," Max told Variety of the buzzy show. "We're all extremely conscious of how unique this experience is."

You may recall the actor from his stint as Chris Messina's younger brother on "The Mindy Project." In 2021's "Spiral," the ninth installment of the 'Saw" horror film franchise, Max plays a detective partnering up with Chris Rock to track down a copycat killer. "It's probably the closest to my taste of anything I've worked on, weirdly. I'm completely obsessed with 'Beverly Hills Cop,'" he told Harper's Bazaar of the horror film. "I would say if there's any piece of pop culture that is inside my bones, that is it."

In "Babylon," TV icon Jean Smart plays a fictional celebrity gossip columnist. Smart first became a household name in the 1980s playing the ditzy Charlene Frazier on the beloved female-centric sitcom "Designing Women." She won back-to-back Emmys for her guest-starring turn on "Frasier," as Lana, an old flame with a rather short fuse. "The character was just so much fun, just her, the way she'd turn on a dime with her anger issues," Smart told Parade. She earned another Emmy as Christina Applegate's self-centered mom in ABC's comedy series "Samantha Who?"

Smart is known for playing more than just comedic roles. She took on the role of Floyd Gerhardt, the head of a North Dakota crime family, on Season 2 of "Fargo." Speaking to Fox News in 2016, the actor said of the part, "She is not an easily intimidated person, but she's a mother so that's her weak spot." In 2021, Smart played Kate Winslet's sarcastic mother in HBO's critically acclaimed crime drama "Mare of Easttown."

In 2022, Smart picked up yet another trophy for her role on HBO's hit series "Hacks," playing Deborah Vance, a sharp-tongued comic trying to revive her fading career. In an interview with The Guardian, Smart admitted she and her character have a few things in common. "We both like leopard print and sequins," she said. But there's more to the connection than a fondness for flashy fashion choices. "I'm a smarta** like her – sarcasm is in my arsenal," she added.

With a résumé that includes hit shows like "Damages," "Chicago P.D.," "Quantico," and "Evil," Li Jun Li has been a fixture of the small screen since 2010 — and she shows no signs of slowing down. In 2019, she joined the main cast of the Netflix original series "Wu Assassins"; that same year, she appeared in the first season of "Why Women Kill." 

In "Babylon," Li plays Lady Fay Zhu, a character based on real-life silent film star Anna May Wong. When asked about taking on a role inspired by the Hollywood legend, Li told Deadline, "She was a pioneer. What she lived through during her career – the discrimination she faced – was arduous, infuriating and eye opening. Yet she kept her chin up and with her extraordinary talent, still made an unforgettable career." Months before "Babylon" hit theaters, Li received a major award for her work in the film. At the Critics Choice Awards' Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television, which was held in September 2022, Li received the Breakthrough Actress Award for Film. 

"Babylon" actor Jeff Garlin is the co-star and executive producer of HBO's long-running comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," alongside Larry David. "The fact that it's gone on to be a big success, I am shocked. Because it truly was something that was organic, that we did to make ourselves laugh," Garlin told The Guardian in 2011. 

Garlin teamed up with Steve Zahn and Eddie Murphy in the 2003 film "Daddy Day Care," playing three out-of-work dads who start up their own daycare center. The comedic actor also played Marvin on "Mad About You," alongside Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. You may also remember him as Mort Myers on Netflix's "Arrested Development." But his best-known role to date is playing Murray Goldberg in ABC's "The Goldbergs," a popular sitcom about a Philadelphia-area Jewish family in the '80s.

Based on series creator Adam F. Goldberg's dad, Murray is a crusty father of three who loves his family, but really likes his peace and quiet. When Goldberg approached him about the role, Garlin told Parade there were two things that sealed the deal: "The script I really liked, and I saw Adam's home movies, and I thought, "Oh, this is something that could be really fun and something I could do."

Samara Weaving has played an array of intriguing roles in her career. The young "Babylon" star captured major attention for her role as Penelope, John Hawkes' teenage girlfriend in 2017's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." Then, she took a turn toward the lighter side, starring on Showtime's comedy "SMILF" for three seasons. All the while, Weaving was cranking out one horror film after another. In 2017, she starred in "Mayhem," alongside "Nope" stsar Steven Yeun, and she played the titular role in "The Babysitter" and its 2021 sequel.

"People seem to like having me covered in blood all the time," Weaving told W Magazine in 2017. "It has nothing to do with me! I am actually terrified of horror films." In Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood," she played Claire Amberg, a woman trying to discover her true self. "Claire's like a fighter. She can hide and camouflage and she can listen and watch... She wears a lot of red and black, sort of like a spider," she told Elite Daily. 

In 2020, the Australian actor joined Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in "Bill and Ted Face the Music." "It's so insane, the kind of things that they get themselves into," Weaving told Collider. "It was great just to be a part of one of their crazy adventures." She also signed up for "Nine Perfect Strangers," which features an all-star cast, including Melissa McCarthy, Nicole Kidman, and Bobby Cannavale. "The whole experience was like a dream. I was starstruck by everyone," Weaving told Cosmopolitan.

Katherine Waterston's breakout role came in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2014 film "Inherent Vice" as Shasta Fay, Joaquin Phoenix's hippie girlfriend. "Paul really did pluck me from obscurity," the daughter of "Law & Order" actor Sam Waterston told Indiewire in 2021. "I was making my way like a scrappy underdog actor in New York does, job to job." You also may remember her as Michael Fassbender's other half in "Steve Jobs."

Needless to say, obscurity is a thing of the past for the "Babylon" actor. After first appearing alongside George Clooney and Tilda Swinton in the legal drama Michael Clayton back in 2007, she moved onto roles in "Boardwalk Empire," "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her," which stars Jessica Chastain, and the sci-fi action flick "Alien: Covenant." In 2016, Katherine took on the role of Tina, the well-intentioned, though not always welcomed, wizard in 2016's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," and its sequels.

"I have played a lot of [dark characters]," she acknowledged to Refinery29 in 2020. "One of the pleasures with [HBO's series] 'Third Day' was just not being the person going through hell, you know?" In the 2020 period drama "World to Come," Katherine and Vanessa Kirby star as two women in traditional marriages hopelessly in love with each other. Katherine, who provides the narration for the film, told Indiewire, "What really excited and struck me about it right away was how intimate, how deeply interior that voiceover read on the page."

When you see Spike Jonze's name, his work in front of the camera probably is not the first thing that comes to mind. The Hollywood veteran is best known for his work as a writer/director/producer. Jonze was not only directed films such as "Being John Malkovich," "Her," and "Where the Wild Things Are," but he co-created the "Jackass" franchise. And, of course, he's helmed a number of iconic music videos, working with artists like Björk, Beastie Boys, and Weezer. 

That said, "Babylon" is not Jones' first acting role. Throughout his film career, he's popped up in movies like "Three Kings" and "Moneyball." Looking back at trying his hand at acting for the first time in the movie "Three Kings," he said on "The Nine Club" podcast, "There was definitely times on set I was nervous about it ... You feel self-conscious, you feel like an a**hole, is what you feel like in front of the camera with a bunch of people."

Before "Babylon," Olivia Wilde launched her career on TV, playing Alex Kelly, a bisexual teen on "The O.C." On the show, Alex had relationships with both Seth and Marissa, played by Adam Brody and Mischa Barton respectively. Looking back at her character's arc on the primetime soap, she told Elle in 2019, "We thought we were so woke in 2003! So much has changed, it's incredible." The actor's signature TV role is Dr. Remy Hadley, a.k.a. "Thirteen," in the medical series "House," which starred Hugh Laurie.

"My work has gotten so much better from being on the show and learning from Hugh and all the other actors," Wilde shared with E! News in 2011. "My film career is thanks to 'House.'" In the 2011 sci-fi action film "Tron: Legacy," Wilde plays sexy sword-wielding warrior Quorra, a role she described to Den of Geek as "the biggest departure from myself that I've played in a long time." The actor also appeared alongside Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks in the 2012 dramedy "People Like Us."

In 2018, Wilde teamed up with Oscar Isaac on "Life Itself." Alas, the film, which was directed by Dan Fogelman ("This is Us"), was panned by critics and flopped at the box office. Wilde also both acted in and directed 2022's "Don't Worry Darling," which stars her now ex-partner Harry Styles.

Flea, whose real name is Michael Peter Balzary, is best-known as the head-banging bassist of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Australian-born rocker has been acting in films and TV for more than three decades. The "Babylon" actor's first feature film was a small role in Penelope Spheeris' ("Wayne's World") 1983's punk rock documentary "Suburbia." In a 2018 interview with Straight, the director recalled, "Flea said that wherever he travels in the world, punks come to him and say that Suburbia is the 'punk rock bible.”'

In 1991's "My Own Private Idaho," Flea played gay hustler Budd, alongside teenage sex workers River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. The actor also portrayed Needles, Marty McFly's rival in "Back to the Future II" and its sequel. Flea also appeared in "Low Down," a 2014 movie based on the real-life story of jazz pianist Joe Albany, who struggled with addiction. Of his personal connection to the project, he said in Interview Magazine, "When I was a kid, I did a bunch of heroin so I knew what it was to be on heroin." Some of his other credits include "The Wild Thornberrys," "Baby Driver," and "The Big Lebowksi."

While Flea's been in a ton of movies, don't think that means he's pounced on every script that's floated his way. As he told Grantland, "If it's some people that I respect doing a project that I believe in, then I'm down for it, if time allows. But I'm not out there pursuing acting gigs."