Career: In 1992, Banderas made his Hollywood debut with The Mambo Kings. Because he didn't then speak English, his dialogue was taught to him phonetically. He shot to international fame with his sensitive performance as Tom Hanks' lover in Philadelphia, then played opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire in 1994. He established himself as one of Hollywood's leading men after co-starring with Madonna in Evita in 1996. In 1998 he won acclaim for his performance in Zorro, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and later returned to the role in The Legend of Zorro. In 1999 he made his directorial debut in Crazy in Alabama and showed his comic ability as the voice of Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise and its spin-off. He is a hugely busy actor.

Career: Hayek made her name in Mexican TV through soap operas such as Un Nuevo Amanecer, and Teresa. She hit the big time when director Robert Rodriguez cast her in 1995 adventure Desperado. She subsequently appeared in From Dusk Till Dawn, Dogma, Wild Wild West and Timecode. She also produced and starred in acclaimed biopic Frida, and was Oscar-nominated for her role as the titular artist Frida Kahlo. In 2005, she directed a music video for Prince, and the following year, was executive producer and occasional star on Ugly Betty. Her more recent films have included Across the Universe, Grown Ups, Puss in Boots and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.

Career: Galifianakis moved to Los Angeles and managed to land a recurring role on short-lived NBC sitcom Boston Common. He landed a role alongside Lee Majors in box-office flop Out Cold (2001) and went on to have small roles in a number of films. In 2002, he began presenting a talk show on VH1 called Late World with Zach and went on to win a Primetime Emmy for his work on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. His big breakthrough came in 2009 when he played Alan Garner in The Hangover. Made on a budget of $35million, it grossed more than $465million worldwide. He went on to reprise the character in two equally popular sequels. In 2009, he also began starring in HBO comedy drama Bored to Death, a series than ran for three seasons. His other film credits include The Campaign (2012) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014).

Career: After years of trying to interest studios in their script, Thornton and Epperson sold their screenplay for One False Move, which was turned into a movie in 1992. Thornton co-starred, and by 1996 he had written, directed and starred in the critically acclaimed Sling Blade for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Thornton was then snapped up for projects including U Turn, Armageddon, A Simple Plan, Pushing Tin, The Man Who Wasn't There, Monster's Ball, Bad Santa and Bandits. More recent projects have included School for Scoundrels, Mr Woodcock, Eagle Eye and Manure, and the TV miniseries Fargo.