Matt Long

After Sunday’s season four premiere of Mad Men in the States, everyone is talking about the mystery man who plays Peggy’s new assistant.  Well, he’s no mystery man; his name is Matthew Long.

You may recognize the 30-year-old actor from the short-lived coming-of-age drama Jack and Bobby, which ran for just one season in 2004 on the CW.  Long also played the lead character in ABC’s legal drama, The Deep End, a January 2010 mid-season replacement that was not renewed for a second season, and also featured True Blood’s Mehcad Brooks and Napoleon Dynamite star Tina Majorino. 

Born and raised in Winchester, Kentucky, Long began acting at an early age in elementary school plays.  He continued to act while studying at Western Kentucky University, where he met his now wife Lora Chaffins (the two were married in 2005).

He was discovered by his agent at the Williamstown Theater Fest in Massachusetts, and has since then appeared in the films Sydney White, opposite Amanda Bynes, and Ghost Rider, alongside Nicholas Cage. 

For now, you can catch Matt Long as Joey Baird on Mad Men, though it has yet to be confirmed whether or not he will become a show regular.  

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Catherine Keener

Acclaimed for her many great supporting actress roles, Catherine Keener wasn’t always planning on being an actress. With a bit of a wild streak growing up, she was expelled in 11th grade at her Catholic school in Miami, Florida. However, she later returned to school a bit more focused and was able to earn high enough grades to be accepted into Wheaton College in Massachusetts. It was there that Catherine tried her hand at acting. She ended up taking a theatre class on a whim after being unable to get into a photography class. Clearly enjoying the stage, she ended up performing in various stage productions while in College, however she still wasn’t set on being an actor.

After graduating in 1983, Catherine moved to New York and got a job as an assistant for casting agent Gail Einstadt. When Gail later relocated to Los Angeles, Catherine followed and decided to seriously give acting a try. With the help of her boss, she began booking small roles, including a one-liner in her first film About Last Night. While struggling to find success, the stars aligned when she met her future husband Dermot Mulroney on the set of Survival Quest. She then went on to book more prominent roles, including a Seinfeld episode, where she played the girlfriend of Jerry Seinfeld who painted an infamous portrait of Kramer, as well as a part in Johnny Suede with then unknown Brad Pitt, where she landed her first Independent Spirt Award nomination for Best Lead Actress.

Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt in Please Give

Her career has steadily been rising, and in 2000 she got her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Being John Malcovich, followed by another nomination in 2005 for Capote. She has since been in many critically acclaimed films, including comedy genius 40 Year-Old Virgin, Where the Wild Things Are and Into the Wild. She quite likes being a supporting actress, and has said “I like to come and go in the film. The interesting characters are very few if you want to be the lead, and they depend on you being beautiful. Since I’m not interested in those parts, the pressure’s off, in a way.” As an actress dedicated to interesting, real characters, she has given us a steady presence in cinemas as the go-to actress for relatable women.

Unfortunently, her 15-year marriage came to an abrupt end in 2007 when she divorced her husband Dermot Mulroney, which came about at an interesting time as her close friends Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, whom they often double dated with, announced their split at the same time.

To see some of her latest work, you can catch her in theatres now starring in the new film Please Give, alongside Oliver Platt and Amanda Peet.

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Xavier Samuel

No doubt you’ve seen his handsome face plastered in adverts all around the Underground stations. Newcomer Xavier Samuel’s performance in the newest Twilight film Eclipse is earning buzz among fans of the series.

An Australia native, Xavier was born in 1983 and grew up in Adelaide. He graduated from Rostrevor College in 200 and took drama courses at Christian Brothers College. He also attended Flinders University Drama Centre in 2005. For his graduate thesis, he starred in a production of Hamlet as the tragic Danish Prince.

Xavier with co-stars Robert Pattinson and Bryce Dallas Howard in a scene from Eclipse

Xavier made his debut on the Australian television series McLeod’s Daughters in 2003. He went on to star in several Australian films including the drama Newcastle and the horror movie, Road Train. Regarding the gruelling schedules and demands that are inherent with lower budget films, Xavier says, “A second take was a luxury. It taught me to be prepared and focused from the beginning.”

Xavier recently landed his breakthrough role in Eclipse, the third movie in Stephenie Meyer’s enormously popular Twilight franchise. He reportedly beat out actors Channing Tatum and Tom Felton for the role of Riley, a handsome newborn vampire, who will do anything to help Bryce Dallas Howard’s vampire leader Victoria kill Bella Swan. Xavier admits getting into character for the part was no easy task. He says, “[Director] David Slade and I talked a lot about conveying how complex he is—he’s harbouring extreme jealousy and hatred for humanity because that’s exactly what he’s been deprived of.” Catch Xavier’s angst ridden performance when Eclipse opens on 9 July in cinemas.

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Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Moss was born in 1982 in Los Angeles, California to performing arts family.

Her mother is a blues harmonica player and her father is a music agent. She was encouraged by her parents to get involved with the arts, and she became a ballet dancer at the age of 5. Instead of following in her family’s musical footsteps, Elisabeth chose to pursue acting and she got her first recurring role in a television series was as in the popular police series Picket Fences. From there, she furthered her television career by guest appearing on dramas such as The Practice and Law & Order. In 1999, Elisabeth guest starred in 25 episodes of the Emmy-winning series The West Wing as President Bartlet’s daughter Zoey.

Elisabeth and Mad Men costars, January Jones and Christina Hendricks

Elisabeth’s resume isn’t only limited to television appearances. In 1999, she joined the cast of Girl, Interrupted opposite Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy. She earned rave reviews for her edgy performance and found herself propelled to an new level of fame. Four years later, her work in the 2003 drama Virgin earned her a nod for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.

In 2007, she returned to television as Peggy Olson on the critically acclaimed drama Mad Men alongside Jon Hamm and January Jones. The series revolves around a 1960’s Manhattan advertisement agency, and Elisabeth’s complex portrayal of a naive secretary has earned her critical acclaim. Elisabeth claims, “I love playing Peggy. [She’s] not out to hurt anyone, she’s just trying to figure out who she is. She is looking for her place in the world.”

Elisabeth appeared earlier this year in the comedy Did you Hear About the Morgans? with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. She has been married to Saturday Night Live comedian, Fred Armisen, since October of 2009.

You can catch her in cinemas this week starring with Jonah Hill and Russell Brand in the wild comedy Get Him to the Greek (in cinemas 25th June).

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Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller is one of the busiest men in Hollywood. Splitting his time between acting, writing, directing and producing, this 44 year-old comedian has been making us laugh for years. And we’re not the only ones who enjoy Ben’s comedic style. Worldwide, his films have grossed more than £1 billion!

Ben was born in New York City to actor parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Regarding his childhood, Ben has said “In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of travelling, a lot of late nights—not what you’d call traditional.”

He began to show an interest in acting from an early age. He enjoyed making short films with his friends and performing sketch comedy acts. When he was 18, he dropped out of the University of California, Los Angeles and began to pursue acting full time.

After a brief stint on the sketch comedy series, Saturday Night Live, Ben was offered his own show on MTV. The Ben Stiller Show, which featured sketches and live music, received great critical praise and even won an Emmy for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program.”

Ben and his wife, Christine Taylor

 Ben’s big break into film came in 1994 when he directed and starred in Reality Bites, a romantic comedy with Winona Ryder. His next big role was in the smash hit comedy There’s Something About Mary, which rocketed him to the comedy A-list. In recent years, he has starred in blockbusters like Dodgeball, Night at the Museum, Madagascar and Tropic Thunder.

Ben has become acknowledged as the leader for a group of American comedians nicknamed The Frat Pack. The Frat Pack, which includes Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black and Steve Carell have become notorious for starring in films together. In addition to making movies with his best friends, Ben enjoys collaborating with one actress in particular…his wife! Ben’s wife, Christine Taylor, has appeared in 3 of his films. The couple were married in 2000 and have two children.

Ben’s newest project is the quirky comedy, Greenberg, with Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Jason Lee. Catch it in theatres 11 June.

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Rhys Ifans

The gangly, snaggletoothed comedian, Rhys Ifans, has been making us laugh ever since he appeared as Hugh Grant’s oddball room mate in Notting Hill. We love a man with a good sense of humour, which is why we’re looking forward to his newest project, Greenberg, a new comedy with Ben Stiller opening this Friday.

Born in 1968, Rhys grew up in North Wales. His first language was Welsh and he began to use the traditional Welsh spelling of his surname “Evans” because he wanted “to be difficult.” He studied drama at the Royal Scottish Academy, and began appearing in theatre productions in London before embarking on a film career. Rhys’ scene stealing performance in the romantic comedy Notting Hill resulted in international attention. According to the DVD commentary, Rhys refused to wash his hair or brush his teeth to prepare for the role of Spike, Hugh Grant’s insufferable flatmate.

He followed his role in Notting Hill with a number of films including The Replacements and Little Nicky. In 2005, Rhys received a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of comedian Peter Cook in the TV film Not Once but Always. More recently, he can be seen in Elizabeth the Golden Age, the Boat that Rocked and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. His newest feature, Greenberg, is a comedy from acclaimed director Noah Baumbach. Later this year, he will appear as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Rhys is also a bit of a rock star. He was briefly the lead singer of the Super Furry Animals and has played with psychedelic rock group The Peth. In 2007, he was dating Sienna Miller, although she purportedly dumped him a year later. Curious about who Rhys is seeing now? Well, he has sworn off famous girlfriends claiming, “I learnt my lesson there, didn’t I? I won’t make that mistake again.”

Greenberg opens this Friday (11.06.10) in cinemas.

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Alex O'Loughlin

Earlier this summer, you might have caught his performance opposite Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy The Back-up Plan, but Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin is better known for his television roles. In fact, he’s actually set to star in the highly buzzed remake of Hawaii Five-O in the autumn!

Alex was born in Canberra, Australia in 1976. Recently, gossip spread around the Internet that AC/DC front man Bon Scott was his biological father, but these rumours were proven false. Alex’s real father is actually a physics and astronomy professor in Sydney, so although it’s not quite as exciting as having a rock star father, we like a man with humble roots.

After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2002, Alex began his acting career by starring in a film called The Oyster Farmer, where he played a man desperate to raise money to pay for his sister’s medical bills. He received strong critical reviews for his performance and Alex’s career began to take off in Australia. His role in television miniseries The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant earned him an Australia Film Institute Award for Best Actor. He was also pro-active in Australian theatre, acting in stage productions of Jarrabin, Country Music, Saved and The Fruits of Enlightenment.

Alex in The Back Up Plan

In 2005, He flew to the US and screen tested to become the new James Bond: a role that eventually went to Daniel Craig. Although he failed to earn the role of a secret agent, Alex was hired to play a special ops detective on the television popular drama The Shield. As a former Internal Affairs officer newly assigned to the Strike Team, Alex’s role on the show exposed him to a wider audience. He later headlined two short lived shows Moonlighting and Three Rivers. Despite having bad luck with these two series, Alex is hoping turn things around when Hawaii Five-O debuts this fall. Additionally, Alex’s role in The Back-up Plan with Jennifer Lopez has established him as a leading man in romantic comedies. The film performed well despite poor reviews from critics.

Like many rugged Aussies, Alex has an adventurous side. His hobbies include riding motorcycles, rock climbing, music and playing his guitar. ‘Too good to be true‘ springs to mind…

If you can’t get enough of Alex, check out Hawaii Five-O when it premieres later this year!

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Russell Brand

 Russell Brand has justifiably earned a reputation of being a bad boy and womanizer, but he has managed to rise above some controversial situations to become an incredibly successful comedian and actor. 

Russell was born in Grays, Essex in 1975. His parents separated when he was only six months old and his childhood was far from idyllic. At age 7, he was sexually abused by a tutor, and his mother began a long fight against both breast and uterine cancer when he was 8. He left home at 16 and began experimenting with drugs while taking acting classes. By the time he was enrolled in the Drama Centre London, he was suffering from alcoholism and heroin addiction. He was expelled from school one term before graduation for smashing a glass over his head and then stabbing himself after a poor reaction to his performance. 

In 2000, he began his career as a stand up comic, which led to a stint as a VJ on MTV. A year later, Russell was fired from MTV after coming to work dressed as Osama bin Laden the day after the 11 September terrorist attacks. This incident prompted him to seek treatment for his drug addiction, and he has struggled to stay sober ever since. In 2004, he became the host of Big Brother’s Big Mouth, the sister show of Big Brother for 3 years. He stirred up national controversy again on his BBC talk radio show in early 2008 when he and Jonathon Ross made a prank on-air phone call to Faulty Towers actor, Andrew Sachs. Sachs was less than impressed and reported Russell’s misconduct to the BBC, who then carried out a formal investigation after receiving over 30,000 complaints from listeners. This all led to Russell having to step down from his show. 

Katy Perry and Russell Brand

His breakout film role was in 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where he played sex addict rocker Aldous Snow. He also appeared with Adam Sandler in 2008’s family film, Bedtime Stories. Russell has filmed a number of stand up comedy DVD specials and even released a memior called “My Booky Wook.” In his newest film, Get Him to the Greek, he reprises the role of Aldous Snow and he’s already set his sights on an Oscar…

He’s said to PopEater.com: “I’m hoping to get an Oscar for this. I don’t want to jinx it, but there’s a real Oscar buzz around the film. A lot of people have been talking about Oscars. They’re saying that I might get one. Hopefully, I’ll get an Oscar and if I don’t get it I might not make films anymore.”
 

We’re not holding our breathe (!) but we are very excited to see the film from 25th June 2010.  

Russell is currently engaged to pop singer, Katy Perry, whom he met on the set of Get Him to the Greek. 

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Alice Eve

Perhaps best known these days as Charlotte’s braless, Irish nanny in Sex and the City 2, actress Alice Eve wants to be known as more than just a Hollywood pin-up.

Born in London to actor parents, Alice moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was three and lived there for the better part of ten years. She claims that her love of acting is a gift from her parents saying: “It is in my genes. It’s definitely nature over nurture.” She studied drama at the Beverly Hill Playhouse in California, before attending Oxford. As a student, she appeared in numerous plays including An Ideal Husband, Animal Crackers and The Colour of Justice.

Her first onscreen appearance was in 2004’s Stage Beauty, a historical drama with Billy Crudup and Claire Danes, followed up with roles on BBC dramas The Rotter’s Club and Poirot. Alice also starred in the Tom Hanks-produced film Starter for 10 and the UK heist flick Big Nothing — costarring Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer . Struggling to find commercial success, Alice travelled to India to shoot the UK miniseries Losing Gemma, another project that failed to establish her status as a celebrity. She encountered more disappointment in 2009 when her American film debut Crossing Over, starring Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Jim Sturgess tanked at the box office.

Alice Eve in She's Out Of My League

This summer, Alice is hoping to change her luck and secure her spot as a sought after Hollywood actress. She landed a juicy role in Sex and the City 2, as Charlotte’s braless nanny, which opened last week. She will also star in the R-rated comedy She’s Out of My League opposite every-man Jay Baruchel. In it, she stars as Molly, the perfect “10″ who is romanced by a geek airport attendant.

Although the marketing campaign would suggest otherwise, Alice is proud to say that her character in She’s Out of My League has more than physical beauty. She says that it’s her personality and brains that make her a “Perfect 10.” “[Molly] has the money, she has the prerogative, she’s got the incentive and she gets what she wants, or at least goes after it. That was really refreshing, because often you read a female role and she’s a bitch, or she’s got some sort of twist in her story line that’s like a reveal, or she’s stupid. This girl was pretty together.”

We’re positive that Alice’s intelligence plays a big role in her real life romances. She is currently dating poet Adam O’Riordan, whom she met when they were both undergraduates at Oxford University.

She’s Out of My League opens on 4th June.

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Emma Roberts

Recently, it seems, most young actresses just want to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers, such Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus, by “starring in a tween sitcom, discovering a singing career, and settling as a middle-of-the-road actress and tabloid headliner.”

While we certainly don’t find any shame in this career path, we are pleased to announce that 18-year-old Emma Roberts is breaking all the rules. Niece of Julia Roberts, she was always destined for a life in the spotlight, however she is doing something that many young starlets haven’t mastered: making good choices!

Her acting debut came as a role in Johnny Depp’s rated R flick “Blow,” though like most normal teens, she wasn’t allowed to see the whole film until she was 18. It was after acting alongside Depp that she landed her own Nickelodeon show, Unfabulous. This show made her a teen icon, winning her a Teen Choice Award and making her a favourite among young TV viewers. Roberts has also starred in several tween films including Aquamarine, Hotel for Dogs and Nancy Drew.

Cue mediocre singing career, right? Wrong. Though Emma did record songs for the Unfabulous and Aquamarine soundtracks, she is definitely not heading down the road to a record deal any time soon.

“People should be one or the other,” she explains. “You’re not going to be good at both…I’m going for acting.” Definitely a good choice Emma!

Emma Roberts in 4.3.2.1

Emma is currently busy being the face of several causes and companies like the yearly “Drop Everything And Read,” or D.E.A.R. Day, Abercrombie and Neutrogena. To top it off, she is a spokesperson for Dooney & Bourke, and has even designed her own bag for them. Continuing her growing film career, she appeared alongside her aunt in the movie Valentine’s Day. Starting 2nd June, she can be seen in the action thriller 4.3.2.1. directed by Noel Clarke. Also on the horizon, she will star in Scream 4 with Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell.

The final tween trend that Emma has given a thumbs down to is becoming fodder for the tabloids. Currently single, she had a brief romance with Alex Pettyfer, though the two have remained friends since the split. Unlike many of her colleagues, she has refused to fall for one of the Jonas Brothers. Last spring she revealed in the April issue of Teen People that “I used to have a crush on Nick, but he’s kind of making his rounds in Hollywood, and I don’t know if I like that.”

Harsh, but she was kind enough to send him a hand written apology note for any hard feelings. She instead has her eye on a certain Harry Potter redhead. “My most prized possession is an autographed picture of Rupert Grint,” she confesses. It’s ok, Emma, we like him better than Nick Jonas, too.

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