A child star who enjoyed that rare successful transition to onscreen adulthood, Christina Ricci’s continuing film presence was aided in no small part by the fact that her early roles did not depend on dimpled cuteness, but on an unnerving maturity that suggested her characters were smarter than their adult counterparts. Ricci spent her teens as a gloomy, precocious lead in Goth-tinged big budget comedies and heavier independent dramas – all of which best showcased her flair for unconventional teen females burdened by fear and identity issues. As the actress matured, she enjoyed increasing respect from the art house crowd, but had difficulty translating her persona as an intelligent, tough-talking, yet vulnerable outsider into the limited confines of Hollywood female characters.
Christina Applegate first rose to fame as a teenager, playing the angel-faced yet promiscuous halfwit, Kelly Bundy, on Fox’s gleefully trashy sitcom "Married... With Children" (1987-1997). She had been a working actress since she was an infant, but Applegate managed to escape the fate of so many child actors by steering clear of the seductive Hollywood lifestyle; instead carving out a respectable adult career with her own sitcom “Jesse” (1998-2000) and a recurring role as Rachel’s sister on “Friends” (NBC, 1994-2004), which earned her her first Emmy Award.
Christina Applegate first rose to fame as a teenager, playing the angel-faced yet promiscuous halfwit, Kelly Bundy, on Fox’s gleefully trashy sitcom "Married... With Children" (1987-1997). She had been a working actress since she was an infant, but Applegate managed to escape the fate of so many child actors by steering clear of the seductive Hollywood lifestyle; instead carving out a respectable adult career with her own sitcom “Jesse” (1998-2000) and a recurring role as Rachel’s sister on “Friends” (NBC, 1994-2004), which earned her her first Emmy Award.
Hailed by The Los Angeles Times, as quite simply, "the coolest actor in the world," the endearingly plebeian, yet strikingly handsome Chow Yun-Fat was a fixture of Hong Kong film and TV since his debut in the early 1970s. Most celebrated by American and British cultists as a hard-boiled action hero, Chow specialized in portrayals of honorable hitmen, gangsters, thieves and trigger-happy cops. A bona fide superstar in his native Asia, Chow‘s extensive credits spanned a variety of genres, including romances, dramas, slapstick comedies and supernatural thrillers. A favorite of both common folk and cinephiles alike, Chow segued effortlessly between commercial and artsy fare. Moreover, Chow came to define "cool" with his signature handling of cigarettes and firearms with equally devastating flair.
Tall, dark and photogenic, Benicio Del Toro spent several years in less than memorable supporting roles before his breakthrough as the mumbling Fred Fenster, the most erratic of the conspirators, in Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects" (1995). After that award-winning turn, the actor seemed on his way to a sterling career, although not all of efforts have met with box-office success.
A waifish blonde, Anne Heche (pronounced 'haytch') was still relatively unknown when she made headlines in April 1997 disclosing her relationship with comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Almost immediately, there was speculation and questions about whether the actress' decision to reveal her lesbianism would adversely affect her career, particularly as Heche had been cast as Harrison Ford's love interest in "Six Days/Seven Nights" (1998). Reportedly, the marketing campaign for the film was altered to play up the adventure aspect of the film instead of the romance, but it was for naught: not only did Heche's bid for movie stardom fizzle quickly, her much-discussed relationship with Degeneres also collapsed in 2001 and she suffered a highly public 2000 meltdown in which she was found wandering in a dazed state concerned about aliens. Neverthless, she managed to collect herself and reclaim her acting career, as well as become and wife and mother away from the set.
After making BOOTMEN, Adam Garcia was snapped up by US producer Jerry Bruckheimer for the lead role in Coyote Ugly for Touchstone Pictures.
Australian born Garcia last year won rave reviews and an Oliver nomination for his electric performance as Tony Manero in the West End production of Saturday Night Fever in the UK. The News of the World summarised perfectly with the line: "Travolta exploded to stardom as Tony Manero on celluloid and the devastatingly handsome, stunningly athletic Australian Adam Garcia does the same here. He's brilliant."
