Synopsis – Chef Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) had it all – and lost it. The former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene had earned two Michelin stars and only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. To land his own kitchen and that third elusive star though, Jones will need to leave his bad habits behind and get the best of the best on his side, including the beautiful Helene (Sienna Miller). BURNT is a remarkably funny and emotional story about the love of food, the love between two people, and the power of second chances.

Director – John Wells

Starring – Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl

Check out some stills:

Check out the trailer:

Production Notes:

Food has become a lifestyle obsession, rather than the fuel it was considered twenty years ago. Television schedules have every variation of cookery shows, the kitchen is the center of the home, farmers markets abound, cook books are the new coffee table tomes, and social media entices people to new pop up venues. Chefs are regarded as rock stars, and behave accordingly, Director John Wells was attracted to Steven Knight’s screenplay for BURNT partly because of this ever growing foodie culture, and partly because it was a special look into the unique world restaurateurs. “I read the script and admired it. I’m always attracted to good writing and I was very taken with the character of Adam Jones. He’s a man who has had success in the past, followed by tremendous failure. He disappears, and then comes back, determined to recapture that success. He discovers that he can only do it with the help of other people, something that his narcissism and ego hadn’t bargained for. Steven Knight has written a wonderful story of a man coming to grips with being an adult and what is required to succeed in life, not just in his profession.”

As creator, writer and producer of such seminal US TV series as ER and The West Wing, Wells insisted on accurately portraying the world in which the drama is set. He explains, “Shooting ER, we had four medics on set all day every day, and the non speaking cast members were all medical staff, so that whatever was being done around cast members was appropriate to the scene. On The West Wing, we were surrounded by people involved in high end politics, on the writing team and on the set, giving advice on how it would look and feel.” Wells acknowledges that, currently, London is the world capital of fine dining. “London is where young chefs go to succeed, so it made sense that Adam goes to the place he can make the biggest impact to stage his comeback.” he says. “Being able to shoot in top restaurants and kitchens, like Michel Roux’s restaurant at the Langham Hotel and the Delaunay, a recent Corbijn King restaurant, was a bonus, adding to the authenticity on screen.”

Wells admits that before starting doing his research around kitchens, he hadn’t thought about the perils involved. “When you look around one of those kitchens, the arms of young chefs can be covered in cuts and burns. It’s a very physical world and reminded me more of iron workers than what I had in mind, which was a tableau of chefs wandering around in whites and long white hats. In fact, we had a number of people injured in minor, but very painful ways.”
The involvement of a Michelin starred chef was essential for the director to place an audience in the middle of the action. “I wouldn’t have done it without a chef of that calibre, because I don’t know what they do. I came into this project thinking I can cook, but quickly realized I don’t.” Marcus Wareing, Michelin star chef and presenter of the top rated BBC TV Master Chef, was approached by writer Steven Knight. “I was intrigued to know that someone was writing a film about my world so I met Steven and we spent a lot of time talking. I told him lots of backstage stories from my own kitchen experience, and from others. It’s a small world we work in, so we all know what happens in each other’s kitchens.”
Wareing’s interest in food began when he worked for his father in his fresh fruit and vegetable business. “The respect that my father showed for basic ingredients set me on the path I’ve followed since the age of 15. Working 16 hours a day, it’s been my whole life.”

I recognize myself in some of the scenes in the film. You can become a character that you don’t like but I know what I had to do to get where I am now. As a chef, it can be a fine line to your dark side.”
During early conversations there was never any discussion that Wareing would be part of the filming process. “My job is running restaurants and kitchens, but once Steven started writing, my life changed. Now I have a team around me that allows me to get involved in other projects, like this and Master Chef.”
Wareing was impressed with Wells’ determination to make the scenes reflect the reality of life in a Michelin star restaurant. “When the set was finished, I was envious of the size and it was difficult for me not to step into that kitchen – it looked real and felt real. The level of detail that John insisted on in that set, with the food and the kitchens, reflects what I do. John didn’t want to fake it – the stoves are on, the chefs are cooking. They got better with each take, and they start to look tired and annoyed, which is what happens in a kitchen every day.”
Wells explains that during the shooting of the cooking scenes, the cast and crew were virtually running a high end kitchen. “Again, our non speaking cast members were all trained chefs, surrounding the main cast. Marcus and his team designed dozens of dishes which had to be duplicated again and again, just as if we were doing a service, putting out 50 – 80 meals that looked Michelin star quality. I think audiences are quite sophisticated and they watch a lot of programs about food and cooking these days. They have a sense of what is authentic, so it has to be done properly. Marcus and his team were on set every day, keeping us real.”
Before shooting, Wells took the professional chefs through technical rehearsals, telling everyone what would be happening in the action of the scene, and what would be happening within the service at each moment of filming. He says, “It meant that when we shot with the cast, the food was prepared to the correct stage, and each of 40 or 50 pans on hot stoves would be in the right part of the process. The heat was high every day, around 40 degrees and the sweat, the cuts and the burns you see are real, so the audience should feel they’ve been dropped into a real kitchen.
Bradley Cooper fills the starring role as chef Adam Jones. Says Wells, “Adam is not an immediately likeable person. You put Bradley in there and your sympathies are with him, but you are asking yourself if they should be. He seems to be someone who only cares about himself. The trajectory of the story is Adam’s dark past and following him as he struggles with how to be a mature adult at the moment in life when you’re either going to become one thing, or take another direction. Through the help of Helene and the other people around him, he comes to realize that that there may be more to life than just looking after his own selfish interests.”
“Bradley is a wonderful actor, and very intelligent, and immediately understood the complexity of Adam’s character. He has been very upfront about his own struggles in the past, so I felt he would understand what Adam was going through – how difficult it is to give up your obsessions and now hard it is to take that next step. People are not always one thing and there is a wonderful complexity to Bradley that is present in Adam and I knew Bradley could bring that to life in his performance.”

“We are in the world of professional kitchens, a world I didn’t know a lot about, but the more research I did, the more I was convinced that Bradley was the right choice. He was very courageous to take the role on. It’s not only a difficult role, requiring a nuanced performance because he is not an immediately likeable person, but it requires enormous technical skill, and a commitment to that skill. Michelin star chefs are artisans with ten to twenty years of professional training to do that part of their job that is the craft and achieve the artistry to be extraordinary in such a way to attract attention and acclaim. That was a big commitment on Bradley’s part to convey that convincingly. Plus the work environment is dangerous. We built a real kitchen, with real pans on real heat, and stuff flying around at speed. “
All of the cast members put in long hours training in kitchens during preproduction in London. Wells singles out Sienna Miller for special praise. “Sienna was a real trouper in the kitchen. She had one of the more difficult stations – the fish – to work. She spent a tremendous amount of time with Marcus in his kitchen and throughout the kitchen shoot she stayed in there and kept at it.”
Miller plays Helene, a chef whom Adam recruits to his team. The actress describes her character: “She’s a chef and a single mother, juggling her life. When Adam is assembling his brigade, a friend tips him off about an interesting chef at the Delaunay. He tastes her dish – peppe e cacio – which is a simple dish but difficult to get exactly right. It’s delicious and he asks her to join him. She is initially reluctant but eventually becomes an important member of his brigade. Adam’s a rock n roll chef, a notorious bad boy who gained two Michelin stars but lost them because of his addictions and the general chaos his life descended into. His motivation is to regain the stars and surpass his previous success, but despite his ruthless ambition, he really needs to find out what really matters in his life. Helene has just come out of a bad relationship so she is not looking for another one. She is focused on trying to make a life for her daughter and working. She senses that she could be attracted to Adam but is resisting,” She adds, “She is pretty punchy. As a mother I, I wonder how she could work those insane hours. The sacrifices she makes as a chef are incredible.”
Sienna’s dedication to her kitchen work was immersive, and she was delighted to be told that, of everyone involved in the shoot, Marcus Wearing would hire her for his kitchen, if she ever decided on a change of career.
Says Sienna, “Marcus was tough on us, treating us as if we worked in his kitchen, not as if we are actors; no mollycoddling. Marcus trained alongside Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White and their management style comes from the military: strict and hierarchical. In the kitchen, Marcus commands huge respect.”
“My technique is much improved after cooking fish for weeks on end,” she notess. “It’s very taxing and needs mental focus. Fish is all about timing – even a few seconds can really matter. I now have much more appreciation of how a kitchen runs. The hardest part of filming was dealing with the intensity of the heat in a high octane environment.” She adds, “Marcus also explained to us the etiquette of eating in Michelin star restaurants, to add to your enjoyment of the meal.”
Adam’s assembly of his team from the brightest young chefs around is compared by John Wells to the gathering of the samurai, or the cowboys uniting to save the town from the villains in a Western. “Because kitchens are multinational with many languages spoken and lots of cross language slang, we were able to cast from a wide group of actors, including many whose work I had admired in foreign language films. In addition, we had people like Emma Thompson and Uma Thurman, and Alicia Vikander who cleared their busy schedules to fit in their roles. For a director to be able to work with such a group of actors was a great privilege.”
Wareing acknowledges the comparison of filmmaking to running a Michelin star restaurant. “The obsession is in getting it right, and it’s the same in both worlds. My job on the film was to impart my experience so that they look as if they know what they are doing. The actors came into my kitchen and asked all the right questions. They were willing to practice endlessly. Bradley knows how to work a kitchen. He has no fear and adapted to it in a way I can only admire. I like the respect he showed for my world. Sienna has real application and could be a professional if she wanted to take it further. A restaurant kitchen is like a home kitchen; attack those ingredients and don’t be frightened. Have confidence. “
John Wells acknowledges the parallels as well. “Both are pressured environment and need periods of prep. There is pressure to get everything right, or there are huge financial penalties. No one person does everything, and everyone must work in unison, trusting in what everyone else is doing, or the job doesn’t get done. The choreography of knowing where you have to be, and where everyone else is, is very similar to a film set. The same camaraderie exists, as in any tough workplace. They are tough on each other, but outside work everyone sticks together. And a kitchen is a place where you love it, or leave quickly.“

A Note on Michelin Stars
Michelin awards 0 to 3 stars to restaurants on the basis of the anonymous reviews. The reviewers concentrate on the quality, mastery of technique, personality and consistency of the food, in making the awards.
The stars are categorized thus:
o One star: A good place to stop on your journey, indicating a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard.
o Two stars: A restaurant worth a detour, indicating excellent cuisine and skilfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality
o Three stars: A restaurant worth a special journey, indicating exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.
Michelin stars are hugely important to a chef, awarded by a team of anonymous inspectors who scrutinise many aspects of the restaurants – the food, the presentation, the ambience of the restaurant and the originality of the dishes. “They are the Oscars of our world.” says Marcus Wareing. “But, unlike Oscars, they can be taken away from us, so on a day to day basis we have everything to lose. It keeps us constantly striving, challenging yourself. At the same time, if you don’t achieve stars, you must recognize what you have achieved.”
“The kitchen is the engine room but the dish has to be incredible – Mother Nature at its best, delivered by man – perfection.”

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
JOHN WELLS (Director/Producer)
John Wells is one of the most prolific writers, directors and producers in television, film and for the stage. Over the past two decades, Wells has been a creative force behind some of primetime’s biggest hit series, including ER, The West Wing, and Third Watch. He currently serves as executive producer on Showtime’s Emmy(r)- nominated Shameless, and has previously served as Executive Producer on the critically acclaimed Southland for TNT, the Emmy(r) and Golden Globe(r)-winning Mildred Pierce for HBO, and the Emmy(r) And Golden-Globe(r) nominated China Beach.
Shows produced by John Wells have received over 270 Emmy nominations with 55 Emmy wins, 5 Peabody Awards, 3 Producers Guild Awards, a Humanitas Prize (nominated 7 times). During its fifteen year run, ER earned 122 Emmy nominations, the most in television history. A seven-time Writers Guild Award nominee, in 2007, Wells received the WGA’s prestigious Paddy Chayefsky Television Laurel Award, given to writers who have advanced the literature of television and made outstanding contributions to the profession of television writers. In 2005, Wells was awarded the David Susskind Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America.
Wells has also served as President of the Writers Guild of America, West from 2009-2011 and previously served as its President from 1999-2001 and was vital to the success of the 2001 MBA contract negotiations.
Most recently, Wells released The Beach Boys biopic Love and Mercy, starring Paul Dano, which premiered at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival. Previously, he helmed August: Osage County, which he directed from Tracy Letts’ script, starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Ewan McGregor. Weinstein released the film December, 2013, and was nominated for two Academy Awards®. Wells wrote and directed The Company Men, released by Weinstein in 2011 starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. Previous feature production credits include Carroll Ballard’s acclaimed drama Duma, Peter Kominsky’s White Oleander, Neil Jordan’s The Good Thief, Andrzej Bartkowiak’s Doom, and Michael Mayer’s A Home at the End of the World. Additionally, Wells executive produced Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven and I’m Not There, Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo, Todd Graff’s Camp, Fenton Bailey’s Party Monster, Robert Altman’s The Company, John Waters’ A Dirty Shame, Mary Harron’s The Notorious Bettie Page, Phyllis Nagy’s Mrs. Harris, Tom Kalin’s Savage Grace, Douglas McGrath’s Infamous and Jordan Scott’s Cracks.
Born in Alexandria, Virginia, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Wells graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor of fine arts and later earned a Masters degree in film and television at the University of Southern California, where he also serves on the school’s Television Executive Advisory Council.
STEVEN KNIGHT (Screenwriter)
Steven Knight is a Writer and Director.

In 1988, Steve and Mike Whitehill started a freelance writing partnership providing material for television and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (co-created by Steve and produced by Celador) won awards around the globe including a BAFTA, National Television Awards, Indie Awards, Broadcast Awards, New York Festival, Silver Rose of Montreux and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Steve has had four novels published. The Movie House, Alphabet City, Out of the Blue and, in 2011, his first children’s novel, The Last Words of Will Wolfkin.
Steve’s first screenplay, Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears, premiered at the 2002 Venice Film Festival to outstanding reviews and was selected to open the prestigious London Film Festival. The film was released in the UK and the US to universal critical acclaim. It won a host of prestigious awards including four BIFAs, Best Film & Best Actor at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, the 2004 Humanitas Award, the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay, Best British Screenwriter at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 76th Annual Academy Awards.
His first stageplay, The President of an Empty Room, directed by Howard Davies, opened at the National Theatre, London in 2005.
2 more screenplays were released in 2007. Amazing Grace, directed by Michael Apted, about the life of the British anti-slavery politician William Wilberforce and Eastern Promises, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, which centred on London’s Russian crime community.
He has directed 2 films (both of which he also wrote):- his directorial debut, Hummingbird, starring Jason Statham and Agata Buzek about a damaged ex-special forces soldier living on the streets of London and Locke, starring Tom Hardy, about an ordinary working man whose life changes in the course of one evening and which won him a 2013 BIFA for Best Screenplay.
Other screenplays – The Hundred Foot Journey (directed by Lasse Hallström) released in 2014, Pawn Sacrifice (directed by Ed Zwick) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2014, Seventh Son (directed by Sergei Bodrov) in 2015, Burnt (directed by John Wells) releases later this year and The November Criminals (directed by Sacha Gervasi) is in post production.
He is also the creator and Executive Producer/writer on Peaky Blinders Series 1 & 2 (BBC2/Netflix), starring Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory. Series 3 is currently in production.
STACEY SHER (Producer)
Stacey Sher is a two-time Academy Award®-nominee, most recently for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. She was previously nominated for Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich, with Julia Roberts and Albert Finney.
Currently, Sher is producing The Hateful Eight, her third collaboration with Tarantino, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sher is also producing Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson. Both The Hateful Eight and Burnt will be released by The Weinstein Company this fall. Sher’s independently financed feature adaptation of the 2007 Academy Award® winning documentary short Freeheld, starring Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, and Michael Shannon, was recently picked up for distribution by Lionsgate for release later this year.
For television, Sher is producing AMC’s upcoming martial arts drama Into The Badlands, created by Al Gough and Miles Miller and starring Daniel Wu, Sarah Bolger, and Emily Beecham.
Sher’s film credits include Academy Award® Best Picture nominee Pulp Fiction, the 2005 Independent Spirit Award-winning Garden State, and three films with director Steven Soderbergh: Contagion, Erin Brockovich, and Out of Sight. Additional credits include Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here; Scott Frank’s A Walk Among the Tombstones, with Liam Neeson and Dan Stevens; Runner Runner starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck; Reality Bites; Along Came Polly; Get Shorty and its sequel, Be Cool; Gattaca; Extraordinary Measures; LOL; Camp; Man on the Moon; Living Out Loud; Skeleton Key; Matilda; Drowning Mona; How High; Feeling Minnesota and the Comedy Central television series “Reno 911,” for which Sher served as an executive producer for all six seasons.
Sher was honored by the ACLU for her commitment to films and television that are empowering, inspirational and thought-provoking, dealing with issues from public safety to education, social justice to censorship. In 2007, Freedom Writers, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Sher, was chosen as the recipient of the Humanitas Prize. World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, directed by Oliver Stone, was chosen for the 2006 Christopher Award, which is presented to those who create films that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Sher was the recipient of the 2002 Mary Pickford Award from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the 2000 Women in Film Independent Vision Award. She delivered the commencement address at the 2013 USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) graduation ceremony.
ERWIN STOFF (Producer)
Erwin Stoff began his career more than twenty years ago as a founding partner in 3 Arts Entertainment, one of the leading management/production firms in Hollywood, oversee-ing the careers of many high-profile performers.
More recently, while continuing as a partner in 3 Arts Entertainment, Stoff has focused on producing, including the biopic “Unbroken,” a chronicle of the life of Olympic runner and World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini, directed by Angelina Jolie. He also produced the Doug Liman-directed “Edge Of Tomorrow”, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Next up for Stoff is “13 Hours”, directed by Michael Bay, based on the New York Times best-seller of the same name, chronicling the Benghazi attacks on the US Embassy.
Among Stoff’s long list of previously produced projects are the films “Beautiful Creatures,” based on Stohl’s novel of the same name; “Water for Elephants”; the worldwide hit re-make of “The Day the Earth Stood Still”; “Street Kings”; Richard Linklater’s “A Scanner Dark-ly”; “Guess Who,” starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher; Francis Lawrence’s “Constan-tine”; “Biker Boyz,” starring Laurence Fishburne; “Sweet November,” with Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves; and “Picture Perfect,” starring Jennifer Aniston.
Stoff’s most recent executive producer credits include the Oscar® nominated drama “The Blind Side,” starring Sandra Bullock and the blockbuster sci-fi drama “I Am Legend,” di-rected by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. He also served as executive producer on “47 Ronin,” “The Lake House,” “Hardball,” “The Replacements,” “The Matrix,” “The Dev-il’s Advocate,” and “Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me.”
For the small screen, Stoff was an executive producer on NBC’s critically acclaimed dra-ma series “Kings,” as well as the ABC telefilm “Gotham” and Amazon’s original pilot COCKED, starring Jason Lee. In addition, 3 Arts Entertainment has produced numerous successful series, including “The Office,” “King of the Hill,” “Parks and Recreation,” ”30 Rock,” ”Louie,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
LYN ELIZABETH PAOLO (Costume Designer)
Lyn Paolo is one of the most iconic and sought after Costume Designers in Hollywood to-day with credits in hit TV series to major films. An Emmy® Award winning Costume Design-er, Lyn Paolo, is the force behind the impeccably dressed Olivia Pope on the ABC-‐TV hit television series “Scandal”, created by Shonda Rhimes and starring Kerry Washington. And if working on this fan favorite, “must tweet” series, cited on every list of the best dressed on TV, is not enough, Lyn is also costume designer for Showtime’s “Shameless” starring Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy.
In collaboration with Kerry Washington, ABC TV and The Limited, Lyn designed and launched the SCANDAL collection at retail to the delight of Gladiators nationwide. Lyn al-so served as ambassador to Platinum Guild International and worked with designer Alex Woo to create a limited edition necklace to support the Haagen Dazs® loves Honey Bees program.
Lyn was born in Sunderland, a rugged and beautiful part of England, close to the border with Scotland where a lot of Harry Potter was filmed. Her dad was a coal miner and her Mum was a homemaker who supported a family of 5 children with love, encouragement and a good classical education. Lyn received a grant to Trinity and All Saints College and ended up spending the bulk of her time in the theatre department working on costumes. Additionally, Lyn worked at Top Shop and her love of fashion grew. Moving to LA, with her American husband-‐to-‐be (who dreamed to have a career in movies), Lyn had to com-pletely rethink what she would do for a living…and worked as a receptionist at commer-cial production companies, PA, and craft service on commercials before getting into styl-ing of commercials and videos.
Working her way up from Set Costumer to Costume Supervisor, Lyn had a huge break in her career when she was hired to design the period piece “Homefront” for which she won 2 Emmys. Soon after Homefront was cancelled, Lyn was offered the Costume Design job on this new show that was coming out that “was going to be a huge hit”. That show was ER. Lyn stayed for all fifteen seasons and later worked on other TV shows that John Wells produced including “The West Wing” (fourth Emmy nomination, and Costume Designers Guild Nomination), “Presidio Med”, “LA Confidential”, “The Court”, “Southland”, and “Shameless” and recently designed John’s first directorial movie: “The Company Men”, with Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner
Lyn is mum to two children Gemma and Jack, and two dogs, Lou and Charlie. Lyn has a passion to teach and is working on writing a book. Her work has been covered by major fashion and entertainment press.
ROB SIMONSEN (Music By)
Rob Simonsen has had a thread in the fabric of some of the most noteworthy and prestig-ious films of the past decade. He spanned an eternity of star-crossed romance with The Age of Adaline (starring Blake Lively and Harrison Ford), also co-writing the film’s end credits song. He collaborated with director Bennett Miller to underline the unsettling atmosphere of the Oscar- nominated drama Foxcatcher, scored the Steve Carell-starring dramedy The Way Way Back with sensitivity, sympathized with the coming-of-age The Spectacular Now, and sweetened Zach Braff’s coming-of-middle-age film Wish I Was Here. His work in television has included the Joss Whedon Fox drama Dollhouse and the CBS ratings jug-gernaut Blue Bloods, led by Tom Selleck.
Recent projects include the comedy The Master Cleanse (starring Johnny Galecki and Anjelica Huston), Roland Emmerich’s political drama Stonewall and the Weinstein Com-pany’s Burnt starring Bradley Cooper, Uma Thurman and Sienna Miller.
Prior to flying solo, under the apprenticeship of composer Mychael Danna, Simonsen contributed additional music to the scores for Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (which won an Oscar for Best Score) and Bennett Miller’s Moneyball (Oscar-nominated for Best Picture)—as well as Catherine Hardwick’s The Nativity Story, Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up, and Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. With Danna he co-composed the score for Marc Webb’s hugely popular indie romance (500) Days of Summer.
Simonsen’s compositional voice is the product of an education in jazz, electronic and traditional orchestral music. In 2013 he co-founded The Echo Society, a collective that provides a platform for composers to experiment and create for live performances around Los Angeles.
“I think we all want to feel like we’re invited to an experience we can participate in, ra-ther than being hit over the head with something telling us how to feel,” Simonsen says of film scoring. “I think we are often more successful in scoring when there is space for the viewer. However I don’t think a ‘simple’ approach makes scoring any easier. Some-times simple is a lot more
difficult to nail.”

ABOUT THE CAST
BRADLEY COOPER (Adam Jones)
This Christmas, Bradley Cooper reunites with David O. Russell in a supporting role in the film JOY starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro. The film will be released by 20th Century Fox this Christmas. Next year, Cooper will be seen in a supporting role in the Warner Brothers film ARMS AND THE DUDES, directed and produced by Todd Phillips. Cooper serves as a producer on the film under their production company, 22nd & Green. ARMS AND THE DUDES will be released on March 11, 2016.
Cooper serves as a producer on the new CBS show, “Limitless,” inspired by the 2011 film in which he starred. Limitless premiered on September 22nd as the highest rated new series of the night.
Cooper recently finished the London run of the play THE ELEPHANT MAN in the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Cooper reprised his role as John Merrick, alongside Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola and directed by Scott Ellis. The production opened on May 26th and ran through August 8th. Last fall, Cooper performed the play at the Booth Theater on Broadway which garnered him a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in Leading Role, an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play, a Drama League award for Outstanding Distinguished Performance and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play. The Broadway production received five Tony nominations including Best Revival of a play. Cooper previously performed the role on the Nikos Stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2012 also directed by Ellis alongside the same cast.
In July, Cooper reprised his role as Ben in the Netflix remake of WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP, alongside Amy Poehler, Michael Ian Black and John Slattery.
Last year, Cooper produced and starred in Clint Eastwood and Warner Brothers’ critically acclaimed, Oscar® nominated film AMERICAN SNIPER, which became the top grossing film of 2014. Cooper’s performance as celebrated navy seal Chris Kyle, garnered him his third Oscar® nomination, a Producers Guild Award nomination, and won a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and an MTV Movie Award. The film is based on an adaptation of the autobiography of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, American Sniper: The Autobiography Of The Most Lethal Sniper In U.S. Military History. Cooper optioned the book in 2012 under his production company. AMERICAN SNIPER was released on December 25, 2014.
Cooper lent his voice for the character Rocket Raccoon in Disney’s Marvel 2014 smash summer action-adventure GUADIANS OF THE GALAXY. Directed by James Gunn, the film has grossed over $740,000,000 worldwide.
In 2014, Cooper was nominated for an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal as the unhinged FBI Agent, Richie DiMaso in the David O. Russell drama AMERICAN HUSTLE. Starring opposite Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE was nominated for 10 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Cooper received nominations for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, a Satellite Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The cast received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by
14
a Cast in a Motion Picture.
In April 2013, Cooper starred in the critically acclaimed Focus Features film THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, directed by Derek CianFrance opposite Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Dane DeHaan. Cooper portrayed the character of Avery, a rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective. The film was recognized by the National Board of Review as one of their top 10 films of 2013.
That same year, Cooper starred opposite Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis in the third installment of the comedy trilogy, THE HANGOVER PART III. Cooper also starred in the previous installments, all directed by Todd Phillips, which collectively grossed over $1.4 billion globally. THE HANGOVER PART II smashed opening weekend records for an R-rated comedy, and THE HANGOVER, which grossed $469.2 million worldwide, still ranks domestically as the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever.
In 2012, Cooper was nominated for an Oscar® for Best Actor for portrayal of Pat Solatano in the critically acclaimed, Weinstein Company drama SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. The film, directed by David O. Russell, and also starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker, was nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Cooper was recognized by the National Board of Review for Best Actor and won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance. Cooper also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and a Screen Actors Guild® nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, as well as nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Male Lead, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role.
In March 2011, Cooper starred in the box- office smash, LIMITLESS distributed by Relativity Media. Cooper also served as a producer on the film. Directed by Neil Burger, Cooper starred opposite Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Cooper portrayed a struggling writer who becomes a financial genious with the help of a mysterious pill that enables him to access 100 percent of his brain.
Cooper’s additional film credits include; THE WORDS, THE A-TEAM, NEW YORK I LOVE YOU, HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, HIT AND RUN, YES MAN, ALL ABOUT STEVE, WEDDING CRASHERS , WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, ALOHA and SERENA.
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.
On television, Cooper portrayed the character of Will Tippin on the hit ABC series “Alias,” which was on the air for five seasons. Cooper also starred in the F/X Drama “Nip/Tuck” as well as Fox’s
single-camera comedy “Kitchen Confidential,” based on the trials and tribulations of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain. His other television credits include “Jack & Bobby,” “Touching Evil,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Trial by Jury,” and a guest appearance on “Sex and the City.”
In March 2012, Cooper and Warner Bros. entered into a two-year first look deal for his Production Company 22nd & Indiana Pictures. In May 2014, Cooper joined forces with
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longtime friend and partner, Todd Phillips to form production company 22nd & Green as producing partners for a three-year, first-look production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.
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.
SIENNA MILLER (Helene)
Sienna Miller was born in New York, educated in England and studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. Miller is best known for her roles in American Sniper, Foxcatcher, Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, Interview and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. She was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2013 for HBO’s The Girl. She has been nominated by BAFTA, the London Film Critics Circle Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. She also has starred on Broadway and The West End, including most recently as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, the title role in After Miss Julie at the Roundabout, and in Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London. She will next be starring in Burnt, out in October, High Rise, set to be released next Spring and Ben Affleck’s much anticipated movie Live By Night which commences filming in December 2015.
OMAR SY (Michel)
Omar Sy is an award-winning actor, comedian, comic writer, and television-personality quickly establishing himself as an international star. Having starred in over 30 films in 15 years, Omar became a household name in France with the smash hit THE INTOUCHABLES, his third film with directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. His performance earned him a César for Best Actor in 2012, and the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated film went on to gross over $425 million worldwide, $166m of that coming from France. He reteamed with Nakache and Toledano in 2014 for SAMBA.
Over the last few years, Sy has also been breaking into American film, starring in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST with Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michael Fassbender, as well as Colin Trevorrow’s JURASSIC WORLD with Chris Pratt. Both films went on to achieve the highest worldwide box office grosses in their respective franchises, with JURASSIC WORLD currently ranking as the third highest domestic and worldwide gross ever.
Coming up, Omar will star in John Wells’ BURNT with Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Lily James, and Alicia Vikander; as well as Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dan Brown’s INFERNO with Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones. He has wrapped Roschdy Zem’s French-language period piece CHOCOLAT, and is currently shooting Hugo Gélin’s DEMAIN TOUT COMMENCE, which will premiere in 2016.
DANIEL BRUHL (Tony)
Since the start of his career, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated actor Daniel Brühl has been involved in a number of critically acclaimed film and television projects and has garnered international recognition for his talent and versatility.
Daniel is currently filming the role of ‘Lutz Heck’ in The Zoo Keepers Wife with Jessica Chastai. Adapted from Diane Ackerman’s novel of the same name, and based on the unpublished diary of Antonina Zabinska, the film is directed by Niki Caro and production is currently underway in Prague. The feature depicts the true story of ‘Antonina’ (Chastain) and her husband ‘Dr. Jan Zabinski’ (Johan Heldenbergh), the director of Warsaw Zoo, who courageously used the zoo to help 300 Jewish people escape from the Warsaw Ghetto
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after the Germans invaded Poland in September of 1939. The film is slated for release in late 2016.
Next, Daniel will star in Burnt: set against the backdrop of London, Daniel plays The Langham’s maître d’ ‘Tony’, starring opposite a stellar cast including Bradley Cooper, Alicia Vikander, Lily James and Sienna Miller. The drama is directed by John Wells and written by Steve Knight, and follows the story of Chef ‘Adam Jones’ (Cooper), a two-star Michelin rockstar and the former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene who is attempting to make a comeback after years in the wilderness. The feature will be released in the US on 23rd October and in the UK on 6th November.
In 2016, Daniel will take on one of the lead roles in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. Starring alongside Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Junior, the third instalment of the globally popular franchise follows the Avengers developing a schism over how to deal with an incident, which escalates into an open fight between allies Iron Man and Captain America. The film will be released in the UK on 29th April and in the US on 6th May 2016.
Following this, Daniel takes on the role of activist ‘Daniel’, starring opposite Emma Watson, in Colonia. Helmed by Florian Gallenberger, the South American drama had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival on September 13th, and is loosely based on real events during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. Watson plays ‘Lena’, ‘Daniel’s’ girlfriend, and the young couple become entangled in the Chilean military coup of 1973 when ‘Daniel’ is abducted by Pinochet’s secret police and ‘Lena’ tracks him to a sealed off area in the south of the country, called Colonia Dignidad. Gallenberger and Torsten Wenzel penned the script and the film will be released in 2016, date tbc.
Also next year, Daniel will portray ‘Escherich’ in Vincent Perez’s Alone in Berlin, with Emma Thompson and Mark Rylance. The screenplay has been written by Achim von Borries and Perez and set during the winter of 2014 in Germany. Based on a true story and adapted from Hans Fallada’s novel, written shortly after World War II, the film describes a city paralyzed by fear. ‘Otto’ (Rylance) and ‘Anna Quangel’ (Thompson) are an ordinary couple living in a shabby apartment block in Berlin, trying to stay out of trouble under Nazi rule. But when their only child is killed fighting at the front, their loss propels them into an extraordinary act of resistance. The film will be released in 2016, date tbc.
Daniel was most recently seen in Woman in Gold, written by playwright Alexi Campbell and directed by Simon Curtis. The feature tells of the true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family, and her battle to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s painting “The Lady in Gold.” Daniel played ‘Hubertus Czernin’ alongside a cast including Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Max Irons and Charles Dance, the film was released in April 2015.
In 2014, Daniel was seen in Michael Winterbottom’s The Face of An Angel, playing the male lead role of ‘Thomas’, starring opposite Kate Beckinsale and Cara Delevingne. The film follows a journalist and a documentary film maker as they explore the story of a murder in Tuscany and was released in the UK on 27th March and in the US on 19th June. Also that year, Daniel appeared in the lead role of ‘Sebastian Zöllner’ in Ich Und Kaminski, written and directed by Wolfgang Becker and also in Anton Corbijn’s thriller A Most Wanted Man, in which Daniel played ‘Maximilian’, starring opposite Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the film was released in the US on 1st August and in the UK on 12th September.
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In 2013, Daniel starred as ‘Niki Lauda’ in Ron Howard’s Rush, opposite Chris Hemsworth’s ‘James Hunt’. Set in 1976, the film is based on the true story of the Formula 1 champion driver and the 1976 crash that almost claimed his life. The multi-award nominated film was released worldwide in September, with Daniel being heralded as its breakout star: Digital Spy called his portrayal “an Oscar-worthy turn… Daniel Brühl is a masterful chameleon”, while Rolling Stone Magazine wrote he “starts at brilliant and revs up from there”. More glowing reviews of his performance followed: “awfully well played by Daniel Brühl” wrote The Hollywood Reporter, “quite brilliant” said HitFix, “remarkable” raved The Telegraph, “Brühl steals the show with a truly outstanding performance” reviewed HeyUGuys and Deadline said “take my word, this guy is the real deal and this is his year”. Daniel was consequently nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG and Critics Choice awards in the category of ‘Best Supporting Actor’. The film was released in the UK on 13th September followed by the US on 20th September.
Also in 2013, Daniel appeared in Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate playing ‘Daniel Domscheit-Berg’, colleague and friend of WikiLeaks founder ‘Julian Assange’, played by Benedict Cumerbatch. Based on the book “Inside Wikileaks” by Daniel Doimscheit-Berg himself and the Guardian book “Wikileaks” written by David Leigh and Luke Harding, the film follows the friendship and the eventual rift between the two as the international profile of the website suddenly explodes bringing instant fame and gradual disillusionment to its creators. The Fifth Estate opened the 2013 Toronto Film Festival before its worldwide release in October of the same year.
Even before his scene stealing turn in 2009 as German War Hero ‘Frederik Zoller’ in Quentin Tarantino’s iconic and Oscar winning Inglourious Basterds, opposite Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz, Daniel was an established and award winning actor in Europe: in 2003, Daniel starred in Good Bye, Lenin! and was lauded for his portrayal of ‘Alexander Kerner’ in the German tragicomedy set in East Germany in the year 1989. Daniel gives a heart-breaking performance playing a young man protesting against the regime, while desperately trying to protect his frail mother from the truth. The role saw him win the European Film Award for Best Actor and the German Film Award for Best Actor in 2003.
Daniel’s other notable film credits include: The White Sound with Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin, Ladies in Lavender where he made his English speaking debut opposite Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Stephane Robelin’s If We All Lived Together, Love In Thoughts for which he won the People’s Choice for Best Actor, The Edukators for which he was nominated for Best Actor at the 2004 European Film Awards, Joyeux Noel, Salvador, The Bourne Ultimatum, Julie Delpy’s The Countess and In Transit with John Malkovich.
He also speaks fluent German, English, Spanish and French.
RICCARDO SCAMARCIO (Max)
Born in Trani (Puglia), Riccardo Scamarcio received his formal training as an actor at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema in Rome and since then he has worked in cinema, theatre and television.
His career in cinema began in 2003 with the multi award winning film LA MEGLIO GIOVENTÚ by Marco Tullio Giordana. Scamarcio’s breakthrough in acting came in 2004 with his role in the teenage romance TRE METRI SOPRA IL CIELO, directed by Luca Lucini, for which he receive the Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe award
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for “Best Upcoming Actor”. Scamarcio starred in the Italian box-office hit ROMANZO CRIMINALE, before teaming up once again with director Lucini for L’UOMO PERFETTO.
Scamarcio played the main character in TEXAS, which was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2005. Then he played in noted Italian director Daniele Luchetti’s new movie, MIO FRATELLO É FIGLIO UNICO, as well as in HO VOGLIA DI TE directed by Luis Prieto.
In 2008 Scamarcio shot COLPO D’OCCHIO directed by Sergio Rubini. In 2009 he appeared in Costa-Gavras’s EDEN IS WEST, Michele Placido’s feature IL GRANDE SOGNO, Renato De Maria’s LA PRIMA LINEA and ITALIANS by Giovanni Veronesi. In 2010 he performed in MINE VAGANTI by Ferzan Ozpetek and in 2011 in MANUALE D’AMORE 3 by Giovanni Veronesi, with Monica Bellucci and Robert De Niro. That same year he also played ‘Romeo’ in ROMEO E GIULIETTA by Valerio Binasco opposite Deniz Ozdogan – the greatest success of the year in Italian theatre.
In 2012 Scamarcio appeared in Woody Allen’s TO ROME WITH LOVE, IL ROSSO E IL BLU by Giuseppe Piccioni, in Francesco Amato’s debut movie COSIMO E NICOLE and in Rocco Papaleo’s UNA PICCOLA IMPRESA MERIDIONALE. He also took on a leading role in GIBRALTAR by Julien Leclerq and in British movie EFFIE with Emma Thompson, by Richard Laxton.
Scamarcio is also a producer for Buena Onda, “MIELE” directed by Valeria Golino, premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2013 and LA VITA OSCENA by Renato De Maria, in Orizzonti competition in Venice Film Festival 2014. He has recently finished shooting Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s MARAVIGLIOSO BOCCACCIO, Pupi Avati’s UN RAGAZZO D’ORO and Abel Ferrara’s PASOLINI, in competition in Venice Film Festival 2014.
He performed in the movie LA PRIMA LUCE by Vincenzo Marra, shooting between Italy and Chile, and in 2015 shot a lead role BURNT by John Wells, alongside Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Uma Thurman and Daniel Bruhl.
Scamarcio will also be seen in 2015 in BBC’s “LONDON SPY” in which he co-stars with Ben Whishaw and Jim Broadbent. He has recently finished shooting Asif Kapadia’s “ALI AND NINO” as well as Stefano Mordino’s “PERICLE IL NERO” which he has also produced.
SAM KEELEY (David)
Irish born Screen Daily International Star of Tomorrow, Sam Keeley, originally starred in the BAFTA winning TV series MISFITS (Clerkenwell Films/E4) in 2010 and later appeared opposite Sean Penn and Frances McDormand as Desmond in The Weinstein Co’s comic drama, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The Irish actor has also starred in Jim Sheridan’s 2011 feature DREAM HOUSE opposite Saoirse Ronan, Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts. Television credits include murder mystery JACK TAYLOR: THE PIKEMEN; historical drama THE BORGIAS with Jeremy Irons; and drama series RAW. In 2011, Variety dubbed Sam as one of the rising Irish stars to watch, in a list that included Saoirse Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson.
In film, on 1 May 2015 Sam starred as a lead in sci-fi thriller MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT. Projects awaiting release include John Wells’ BURNT (US release date 23 October 2015, UK release 6 November 2015), in which Sam stars as David, a key member of disgraced chef
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Adam Jones’ dream kitchen team, opposite Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller; horror thriller AFTERDEATH (out 20 November 2015), about a group of young adults’ gruesome struggles in an abandoned beach house following the collapse of a nightclub in a coastal town; and adventure drama IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, the screen adaptation of the eponymous novel about a crew stranded at sea for 90 days following a life-threatening encounter with a sperm whale. Directed by Ron Howard, Sam stars opposite Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy (out 11 December 2015 in the US and 25 December 2015 in the UK). Looking to 2016, Sam will take a lead role in ALLEYCATS (release date TBC 2016), a high-octane action thriller set in the world of illegal bike racing, opposite Eleanor Tomlinson.
Earlier this year, Sam filmed JADOTVILLE, opposite Jamie Dornan and Mark Strong, in South Africa. The film, which recalls the incredible true story of a 150-member Irish U.N battalion fighting against 3,000 Congolese troops in 1961 without losing a single man, will be released on Netflix in 2016.
2016 will also see Sam appearing alongside Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy in Sean Ellis’ ANTHROPOID which is based on the true story of two Czechoslovak soldiers sent to assassinate the head of the SS in 1941. SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich was the Reich’s number three and main architect for the ‘Final Solution’. ANTHROPOID will be released by LD Entertainment. Sam is currently in the US filming MEASURE OF A MAN, the independent adaptation of Robert Lipsyte’s YA novel One Fat Summer, alongside Donald Sutherland and Luke Wilson.
MATTHEW RHYS (Reece)
With his acclaimed performances on television, film and the stage, Matthew Rhys has solidified his place in the industry as a reputable and versatile actor.
Rhys has been earning rave reviews for his portrayal of ‘Philip Jennings’ on the critically acclaimed FX drama series THE AMERICANS, opposite Keri Russell. The series focuses on two Soviet KGB officers (Rhys and Russell) posing as an American married couple, and follows their personal and professional lives. For his performance, Rhys has garnered nominations for Critics Choice Television Awards for ‘Best Actor in a Drama Series’, and Television Critics Association Awards for ‘Individual Achievement in Drama’. This month, the show will begin shooting it’s forth season.
Rhys just wrapped Warner Bros’ JUNGLE BOOK: ORIGINS, directed by Andy Serkis, starring Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cate Blanchett, out 2017. Last year, he wrapped production on two films: BURNT, the John Wells’ directed culinary project opposite Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, out October 233d 2015, and Christian Carion’s DARLING BUDS OF MAY. In the Steven Knight-scripted, BURNT, he’ll play Reece, the rival of Cooper’s chef character. DARLING BUDS OF MAY, will follow Rhys as a stranded British army officer who teams up with a German fugitive to find his son in Nazi-occupied France.
In 2013, Rhys starred in Daniel Percival’s miniseries DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY, taking on the iconic role of Mr. Darcy. The BBC and PBS adaption of the novel of the same name, take the characters from Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and plunges them into a murder mystery.
In 2008 Rhys starred as legendary poet Dylan Thomas in THE EDGE OF LOVE, opposite Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller. This performance earned him a BAFTA Cymru Award nomination for ‘Best Actor’. Other film credits include LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS, VIRGIN TERRITORY, THE TESTIMONY OF TALIESIN JONES, VERY ANNIE MARY, PEACHES, TABLOID and DEATHWATCH.
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On the small screen, Rhys is best known for his role on ABC’s hit drama BROTHERS & SISTERS, where he played ‘Kevin Walker.’ The series followed the California-based Walker family through the ups and downs of their lives. Most recently, he starred in Charles Sturridge’s independent film, THE SCAPEGOAT, in which he played the roles of both ‘John’ and ‘Johnny’ in a story about two men who realize they are each other’s exact double. Additional television credits include the lead role in METROPOLIS, a drama series following the lives of six twenty-somethings living in London; BBC’s THE LOST WORLD, which recreated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale of British explorers searching for an undiscovered plateau inhabited by prehistoric beasts; and the 2012 BBC miniseries THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD.
On stage, Rhys opened to huge critical acclaim when he starred as ‘Benjamin’ opposite Kathleen Turner in the 2000 world premiere of the stage adaption of THE GRADUATE at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End. In 2011, Rhys made his off-Broadway debut playing the lead role in the Sam Gold-directed revival of John Osborne’s LOOK BACK IN ANGER.
Rhys attended the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he was awarded the Patricia Rothermere Scholarship.
Born and raised in the historic city of Cardiff, South Wales, Rhys currently splits his time between Los Angeles and New York.
EMMA THOMPSON (Dr. Rosshilde)
Emma Thompson is one of the world’s most respected talents for her versatility in acting as well as screenwriting. She is the sole artist thus far to have received an Academy Award for both acting and screenwriting.
In 1992, Thompson caused a sensation with her portrayal of Margaret Schlegel in the Merchant-Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Howards End. Sweeping the Best Actress category wherever it was considered, the performance netted her a BAFTA Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Award, New York Film Critics Award, Golden Globe and Academy Award. She earned two Oscar nominations the following year for her work in The Remains of the Day and In the Name of the Father. In 1995, Thompson’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee, won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and Best Screenplay awards from the Writers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of Great Britain, among others. For her performance in the film she was honored with a Best Actress award from BAFTA and nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Her performance in Richard Curtis’ Love Actually earned Thompson Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2004 Evening Standard Film Awards, London Film Critics Circle Awards and Empire Film Awards, along with a BAFTA nomination. In 2013, Thompson’s moving portrayal of author ‘P.L. Travers’ in Saving Mr. Banks earned her both the National Board of Review and Empire Best Actress Awards, along with Golden Globe, Broadcast Film Critics, SAG and BAFTA nominations.
Thompson most recently completed filming Alone in Berlin with Brendan Gleeson and Daniel Bruhl. An English language adaptation of Hans Fallada’s powerful novel, based on the true story of a working class couple who conducted a harrowing series of anonymous protests against the Nazi regime during Second World War, the film is being directed by Vincent Perez, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Thompson’s other films this year include
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The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson opposite Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone and A Walk in the Woods, opposite Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
In March of 2014, to the delight of both critics and audiences, she portrayed ‘Mrs. Lovett’
in the New York Philharmonic’s staged production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, opposite bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, in the title role. The production marked Thompson’s New York Philharmonic debut, New York stage debut, and first time performing the role. She and Terfel reprised their roles this Spring, in a sold-out, limited run at the London Coliseum with the English National Opera, for the ENO’s first ever season of musical theater.
In September of 2014, Penguin Press published The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit, the third in the series written by Thompson. To celebrate the 110th anniversary of Peter Rabbit, Thompson was commissioned to write the 24th tale in the existing collection of Peter Rabbit stories. It marked the first time that Frederick Warne, the publisher, had published an additional title to the series, which Beatrix Potter wrote between 1902 and 1930. The book, entitled The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in September of 2012 to great critical acclaim and, in October of 2013, Penguin published The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Thompson’s feature film debut came in 1988, starring opposite Jeff Goldblum in the comedy The Tall Guy. Her other film credits include Henry V; Dead Again; Peter’s Friends; Much Ado About Nothing; Junior; Carrington; The Winter Guest; Imagining Argentina; Primary Fiction; Stranger Than Fiction; Last Chance Harvey (Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress); Love Punch; Pixar’s Academy Award-winning animated film, Brave, and Men In Black 3.
In 2010, she reprised the title role of the magical Nanny in Nanny McPhee Returns, for which she also wrote the screenplay and acted as an Executive Producer. Thompson created the character for the screen originally in 2004, in her own adaptation of Nanny McPhee, directed by Kirk Jones.
In 2004, she brought to the screen JK Rowling’s character of Sybil Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, for director Alfonso Cuaron, and in 2007, she reprised the role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, for director David Yates
For director Mike Nichols, she starred in the HBO telefilms Wit (2001, in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) and Angels in America (2002, Screen Actors Guild Award and EMMY Award nominations). For her performance in the BBC Two television production of Christopher Reid’s narrative poem, Song of Lunch, opposite Alan Rickman, Thompson was nominated for a 2012 Emmy Award (in the U.S. it aired on “Masterpiece” on PBS). Also in 2012, she portrayed Elizabeth II in the Sprout/SKY ARTS production Walking the Dogs.
Throughout the 1980s Thompson frequently appeared on British TV, including widely acclaimed recurring roles on the Granada TV series Alfresco, BBC’s Election Night Special and The Crystal Cube (the latter written by fellow Cambridge alums Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie), and a hilarious one-off role as upper-class twit Miss Money Sterling on The Young Ones. In 1985, Channel 4 offered Thompson her own TV special Up for Grabs and in 1988 she wrote and starred in her own BBC series called Thompson. She worked as a stand-up comic when the opportunity arose, and earned £60 in cash on her 25th birthday in a stand-up double bill with Ben Elton at the Croydon Warehouse. She says it’s the best money she’s ever earned.
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Thompson was born in London to Eric Thompson, a theatre director and writer, and Phyllida Law, an actress. She read English at Cambridge and was invited to join the university’s long-standing Footlights comedy troupe, which elected her Vice President. Hugh Laurie was President. While still a student, she co-directed Cambridge’s first all-women revue Women’s Hour, made her television debut on BBC-TV’s Friday Night, Saturday Morning as well as her radio debut on BBC Radio’s Injury Time.
She continued to pursue an active stage career concurrently with her TV and radio work, appearing in A Sense of Nonsense touring England in 1982, the self-penned Short Vehicle at the Edinburgh Festival in 1983, Me and My Girl first at Leicester and then London’s West End in 1985, and Look Back in Anger at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in 1989.
Thompson is President of the Helen Bamber Foundation, a UK-based human rights organization, formed in April 2005, to help rebuild the lives of, and inspire a new self-esteem in, survivors of gross human rights violations. On behalf of the Foundation, Thompson co-curated “Journey,” an interactive art installation which used seven transport containers to illustrate the brutal and harrowing experiences of women sold into the sex trade. Thompson and “Journey” traveled to London, Vienna, Madrid, New York and the Netherlands for exhibitions and interviews.
Last year, Thompson joined Greenpeace on their Save the Arctic campaign. She is also an Ambassador for the international development agency, ActionAid, and has spoken out publicly about her support for the work the NGO is doing, in particular, in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic that continues to sweep across Africa. She has been affiliated with the organization since 2000 and thus far has visited ActionAid projects in Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, Liberia and Myanmar.
Thompson has served as President of the Teaching Awards since 2010. The awards are open to every education establishment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland teaching pupils between the ages of 3 and 18, to nominate and celebrate teachers (and schools) who transform lives and help young people realize their potential. She is a Patron of the Refugee Council and also patron of Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio of Scotland.
LILY JAMES (Sara)
Having graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010, Lily James is best known for her role as Lady Rose in the hit television series Downton Abbey. Film credits include Regan Hall’s Fast Girls and Clash of the Titans 2. Other television credits include The Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Just William.
This year, Lily starred as the title role in Disney’s live action remake of Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh. She recently completed filming for the much anticipated Pride, Prejudice and Zombies as lead Elizabeth Bennett which is set for release February 2016. She has also just finished on set for the BBC’s adaptation of the classic novel War and Peace which will air later early next year. She will be seen playing opposite Bradley Cooper in film Burnt due for release in October 2015.
Lily will play opposite Richard Madden in Romeo and Juliet as part of the Kenneth Branagh season next year in London’s West End. Other theatre roles include Desdemona in the Sheffield Crucible’s Othello alongside Dominic West and Nina in the Southwark Playhouse production of The Seagull back in 2012.
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This year she will begin filming Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver opposite Ansel Elgort and The Kaiser’s Last Kiss alongside Christopher Plummer.
SARAH GREENE (Kaitlin)
Sarah Greene is originally from Cork and trained in Dublin where she graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2006. Sarah played Helen McCormick (Slippy Helen) opposite Daniel Radcliffe as Billy Claven in Martin McDonaghs’s THE CRIPPLE OF INISH MAAN, directed by Michael Grandage at the Cort Theatre on Broadway, NYC. Sarah was nominated for a TONY award (Best Actress in a Featured Role) 2014 for her performance in this show, one for which she was already nominated for an Olivier Award in 2013 during it’s West End run and for which she was awarded the 2014 World Theater Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut. Other theatre includes Rough Magic’s production of PEER GYNT for Dublin Theatre Festival 2011 her acclaimed performance as Alice in thisispopbaby’s and the Abbey Theatre’s hugely successful production ALICE IN FUNDERLAND in 2012. She also appeared in ELLEMENOPE JONES both directed by Wayne Jordan at The Project Arts Centre, Dublin in 2011. Sarah appeared as Sorcha in Paul Howard’s play BETWEEN FOXROCK AND A HARDPLACE at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and Cork Opera House. She played Ismene in Rough Magic’s production of PHAEDRE by Hilary Fannin, directed by Lynne Parker as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Sarah appeared as Amber in Guna Nua’s award winning and highly acclaimed production of LITTLE GEM which won the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and led to a remounting of the production in New York as well as tours across the UK and Ireland. Other previous productions have included: DANTI DAN for Galloglass, THE DEATH OF HARRY LEON for Ouroboros, THE YEAR OF THE HIKER, PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, THE EMPRESS OF INDIA, and most recently BIG MAGGIE, all with Druid Theatre Company and directed by Garry Hynes. Sarah stars as Christina Noble alongside Deirdre O’Kane, Liam Cunnigham and Brendan Coyle in Stephen Bradley’s feature NOBLE and has already won awards Jury and Audience awards at the Boston Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Newport Beach Festival, Nashville and Dallas Festivals. In 2014, Sarah joined the cast of Showtime’s PENNY DREADFUL playing Hecate Poole. Other film and television includes: RAW RTE/Ecosse Films, EDEN/Samson Films, SPEED DATING/RTE, BACHELOR’S WALK/Samson Films/RTE. She played the leading role of Cathleen in the Canadian/Irish feature LOVE AND SAVAGERY directed by John N. Smith. MY BROTHERS (Treasure Films) and THE GUARD (Element) opposite Brendan Gleeson. She most recently appeared as Judith in three episodes of VIKINGS (History Channel/MGM).
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CREDITS
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Presents
A
SHINY PENNY PRODUCTIONS / 3 ARTS ENTERTAINMENT / BATTLE MOUNTAIN FILMS
Production
BRADLEY COOPER
SIENNA MILLER
OMAR SY
DANIEL BRUHL
RICCARDO SCAMARCIO
SAM KEELEY
ALICIA VIKANDER
MATTHEW RHYS
with
UMA THURMAN
and
EMMA THOMPSON
LILY JAMES
SARAH GREENE
BURNT
Chief Consultants
MARCUS WAREING and MARIO BATALI
Casting By
NINA GOLD
Music Supervisor
DANA SANO
Music By
ROB SIMONSEN
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Costume Designer
LYN ELIZABETH PAOLO
Edited By
NICK MOORE
Production Designer
DAVID GROPMAN
Director of Photography
ADRIANO GOLDMAN
Co-Producer
CAROLINE HEWITT
Executive Producers
BOB WEINSTEIN
HARVEY WEINSTEIN
Executive Producers
MICHAEL SHAMBERG
KRIS THYKIER
DAVID GLASSER
Executive Producers
CLAIRE RUDNICK POLSTEIN
DYLAN SELLERS
NEGEEN YAZDI
Produced By
STACEY SHER, pga
ERWIN STOFF, pga
JOHN WELLS, pga
Story By
MICHAEL KALESNIKO
Screenplay By
STEVEN KNIGHT
Directed By
JOHN WELLS