Just Mercy

Michael B Jordan (Actor) .. Bryan Stevenson

Born: February 09, 1987 in Santa Ana, California

Best Known For: The Wire, Friday Night Lights and Fruitvale Station.

Early-life: Michael Bakari Jordan was born in Santa Ana, California, on February 9, 1987 to Donna and Michael. He has an older sister, Jamila, and a younger brother, Khalid. Michael was still a boy when his family moved to Newark, New Jersey. After modelling for newspaper advertisements when he was 10, he spent two years auditioning for commercials without any success. Just as he was about to give up on acting, he landed a recurring role on the sitcom Cosby.

Career: Jordan starred alongside Keanu Reeves in Hardball (2001) and a year later he landed the role of Wallace in the first season of HBO drama The Wire. In 2003, he joined the cast of daytime soap opera All My Children and stayed with the series for three years. In 2009, he starred in the short-lived Canadian sitcom The Assistants. In the same year, he began starring in American drama Friday Night Lights as quarterback Vince Howard. He stayed on the show for two seasons until it ended in 2011. Since then, Jordan has appeared on the big screen in Red Tails (2012), Chronicle (2012), Fruitvale Station (2013) and That Awkward Moment (2014).

Quote: "Don't pretend to know everything. I've been blessed to work with a lot of veteran actors, and I soak up lessons from them like a sponge."

Trivia: Jordan took tap-dancing lessons as a child.

Jamie Foxx (Actor) .. Walter McMillian/Johnny D

Born: December 13, 1967 in Terrell, Texas

Best Known For: The films Collateral and Ray.

Early-life: Born Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. His parents' marriage broke up and he was adopted by his grandparents when he was seven months old. He was raised in a strict household, was a member of the church choir and scouts, and had piano lessons from the age of five. He went on to win a classical piano scholarship at the International University in San Diego.

Career: Encouraged by a girlfriend, he made his stage debut as a stand-up comic in 1989. Foxx changed his name to something androgynous after learning that women were first on the bill at open-mic nights in comedy clubs. By 1991 he was a star in the US thanks to TV show In Living Color. His first film was 1992's Toys. Since then he's had his own, self-titled show, and featured in movies The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Any Given Sunday, Ali and Collateral. His leading role in Ray Charles biopic Ray propelled him onto Hollywood's A-list. He's also released several albums, and collaborated with Kanye West on hit single Gold Digger.

Quote: "When a project becomes magic and special it means that at certain points in the script it parallels your story."

Trivia: He took his surname from one of his favourite comedians, Redd Foxx, is a big fan of wrestling and won a grand total of 22 awards for his performance in Ray, including an Oscar.

Brie Larson (Actor) .. Eva Ansley

Born: October 01, 1989 in Sacramento, California

Best Known For: Playing Ma in Room.

Early-life: Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers was born on October 1, 1989 in Sacramento, California. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother and sister following her parents' divorce. Brie was home-schooled and later studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She started using Larson as her stage name because her surname was too difficult to pronounce.

Career: Larson got her first acting role in sketches on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and then went on to appear in a number of other TV shows, including Raising Dad. During her teen years, she had brief appearances in such films as 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Sleepover (2004). When she was older, she landed supporting roles in Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010), 21 Jump Street (2012) and Don Jon (2013). Her breakthrough role was in Short Term 12 (2013), which she received critical acclaim for. She then went on to star in Room (2015) and receive several awards for this performance, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. Since then, she has appeared in Kong: Skull Island (2017).

Quote: "It's really hard to see yourself and to recognise that you are a human being like everybody else. You just think everybody's judging you."

Trivia: She is also a professional singer, having released an album in 2005 and touring with Jesse McCartney.

J. Alphonse Nicholson (Actor) .. Henry Davis

Michael Harding (Actor) .. Sheriff Tate

Rob Morgan (Actor) .. Herbert Richardson

Adam Boyer (Actor) .. Prison guard

Destin Daniel Cretton (Director)

11:50 pm - 02:00 am, Saturday, January 31 on BBC One London HD (101)

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