Career: In 2003, Boseman landed a small role in the TV series Third Watch. Guest appearances followed in All My Children, Law & Order and CSI: NY. In 2008, he had a recurring role in family drama Lincoln Heights. His big break came in 2013 when he played the lead role in 42, a film about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. Since then, he has appeared in Draft Day (2014) and played James Brown in Get on Up (2014). His recent credits include Gods of Egypt (2016) and Message from the King (2016). He played T'Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

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).

Career: In 2008, Nyong'o appeared in the Kenyan TV series Shuga. A year later, she wrote, directed and produced the documentary In My Genes. While studying a master's degree in acting at the Yale School of Drama, she appeared in a number of stage productions, including Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. After graduating from Yale, she was cast as Patsey in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013), a role that earned her an Academy Award. Since then, she has starred in Non-Stop (2014), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Queen of Katwe (2016). She voiced the character Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016).

Career: Freeman's TV debut came in 1997 with a bit-part in This Life. His first starring role arrived the following year in the short film I Just Want to Kiss You. Notching up a string of appearances in the TV series Lock, Stock..., Casualty and Black Books, he really came to the public's attention in 2001 as lovelorn Tim Canterbury in The Office. He's since become a major player in the British comedy and drama scene, appearing in Charles II: The Power and the Passion, Hardware, Love Actually, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Robinsons, Confetti, Hot Fuzz, and Nativity. He returned to TV in 2010, playing Dr John Watson in the acclaimed Sherlock. He played the lead role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of The Hobbit.

Career: Kaluuya played Posh Kenneth in the first two seasons of Skins. He was also a staff writer for the series and head writer for the episodes Jal and Thomas. Kaluuya then went on to get guest roles in such TV shows as Silent Witness, Doctor Who and Lewis. In 2010, he played the lead role in Sucker Punch at London's Royal Court Theatre. Since then, he has appeared in such films as Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Sicario (2015). He also played the lead role in Get Out (2017).

Career: Whitaker made his screen debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High alongside Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage and Phoebe Cates. Roles on TV followed, in such shows as Diff'rent Strokes and Cagney & Lacey, before an excellent scene in The Colour of Money opposite Paul Newman showcased his talents to a wider audience and led to further film roles in the likes of Platoon and Good Morning Vietnam. He starred in the 1988 Charlie Parker biopic Bird, and has since put together an impressive body of work, including The Crying Game, Ghost Dog, The Last King of Scotland, Vantage Point and two seasons of The Shield. He always has a number of films and TV work in the pipeline.