Actors in Character (7) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Matthew McConaughey

The 2013 biographical drama "Dallas Buyers Club" sees Matthew McConaughey portray the protagonist Ron Woodroof. He is a Texan cowboy who caught AIDS from a drug-injecting prostitute during the 1980s when treatment were uncertain and those with AIDS were not well regarded. The 'Dallas Buyers Club' was set up by Woodroof to distribute unauthorised drugs for treatment to fellow sufferers. A 1992 magazine article by Bill Minutaglio about the Club sparked the interest in making the film. McConaughey was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor while Jared Leto received the one for Best Supporting Actor.

McConaughey's character captains a captured German submarine with an American crew in this 2000 war-time action film "U-571". They are after the Enigma cipher machine in the submarine, however things do not go to plan. The film won an Oscar but was also criticised for historical inaccuracy. For example, Enigma machines had already been captured by the British by 1942, the time setting for the film. Only one of the fifteen Enigma machines captured was by US forces; this was by a US Navy Coastguard cutter in 1944. The submarine U-571 was never captured, but lost with all hands in 1944.

In the 2014 sci-fi epic "Interstellar", astronauts travel through a wormhole in search of a new home for mankind in this dystopian future where Earth faces extinction. McConaughey is a retired NASA test pilot who becomes the lead pilot on the mission. The film won 23 awards from 87 nominations.

Answer: Charlize Theron

In this 2003 biographical crime drama, Charlize Theron portrays Aileen Wuornos, who becomes a serial killer to support her partner. Theron won an Oscar for her performance, getting into her role by shaving her eyebrows and putting on 30 pounds (13.6 kg) of weight. Patty Jenkins wrote the script and it was her directorial debut for a feature film.

The next two films involve sexual harassment dealt with through the courts or by public complaints. In the 2019 biographical drama "Bombshell" Theron portrays Megyn Kelly, one of several women subjected to sexual harassment by the Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. Margot Robbie also appears in this film as a composite character.

The 2005 drama "North Country" was inspired by the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company, the first US class action sexual harassment lawsuit which was filed in 1988. In the film, the aim of Josey Aimes (portrayed by Theron) is to try and force her employer, a mining company, to change its ways.

Answer: Christian Bale

Christian Bale appears with Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 biographical drama "The Fighter". Bale's role is as Dicky Eklund, former boxer-turned-coach for his half-brother, professional boxer Micky Ward. Eklund's crack addiction does not help. The film was inspired by the 1995 documentary "High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell".

Inspired by the FBI's Abscam operation, which saw several corrupt US politicians caught as a result of sting operations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bale's role is as one of a pair of con artists forced to set up one such sting in the 2013 crime drama "American Hustle". Jennifer Lawrence appears as the unstable wife of Bale's character. Of the 151 nominations made in connection with the film, 33 awards were received.

The 'vice' in the 2018 biographical black comedy drama "Vice" is former Vice-President Dick Cheney, as portrayed by Christian Bale. The film takes a satirical look at Cheney's career and polarised critics with the film receiving 19 awards from 93 nominations.

Answer: Margot Robbie

Based on the 2004 biography "Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart" by John Guy, the 2018 historical drama "Mary Queen of Scots" was Josie Rourke's feature film directorial debut. Margot Robbie has the role of Mary's cousin Queen Elizabeth with Saoirse Ronan taking the titular role. The film documents events affecting relations between the Protestant queen and her Catholic cousin.

The figure skater is Tonya Harding (portrayed by Margot Robbie) in the 2017 biographical sports drama "I, Tonya". Although she later had a career as a boxer, Harding's connection to the infamous assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994 was more indirect and the film portrays Harding more as a victim. The film received 44 awards from 96 nominations, with Margot Robbie receiving an Oscar for Best Actress.

The 'fashion doll' reference is to the 2023 fantasy comedy film "Barbie" in which Margot Robbie played the titular role with Ryan Gosling as 'Beach Ken'. In fact there were another ten actresses playing different Barbies in the film. To distinguish her part, Robbie's role is sometimes referred to as 'Stereotypical Barbie'. The film has been analysed on philosophical, feminist, and masculine bases, however, based on the box office takings, most folk just enjoyed it. With eight Academy Award nominations, the Oscar was for Best Original Song.

Answer: Joaquin Phoenix

The 2019 psychological thriller "Joker" gives an alternative origin story for the character as well as an alternative origin name. Joaquin Phoenix portrays the struggling clown Arthur Fleck who becomes mentally ill and takes on the Joker persona. In the process he inspires a violent reaction to the wealthy of Gotham City. The film's success led to a 2024 sequel.

The cult in this case is The Cause, led by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), with World War II Navy veteran Freddie Quell (Phoenix) being recruited in the 2012 psychological drama "The Master". The film received 59 awards from 155 nominations. Phoenix received an Oscar nomination, as did Hoffman and Amy Adams.

The country singer is Johnny Cash. Phoenix portrays the Man in Black in the 2005 biographical drama "Walk The Line". The film is based on Cash's two autobiographies: "Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words" (1975) and "Cash: The Autobiography" (1997). Rees Witherspoon, who portrays June Carter, received an Oscar for Best Actress.

Answer: Brie Larson

Brie Larson gets to be the titular superhero in the 2019 superhero film "Captain Marvel". For the film version of the character's story, Carol Susan Jane Danvers was a USAF pilot and gains her powers from exposure to Tesseract energy. The film became the first female-led superhero film to surpass $1 billion in box office takings. A sequel, "The Marvels", was released in 2023.

Moving to monster films, the 2017 "Kong: Skull Island" is the second of the Monsterverse franchise and one in a long line of King Kong films. Larson's role is as an investigative photojournalist Mason Weaver. Weaver is on the side of trying to help Kong against the revenge plans of a team member. The reptilian Skullcrawlers complicate things. No Empire State Building this time!

Larson won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Joy Newsome in the 2015 psychological drama "Room". The Room is where Joy has been kept captive for the past seven years before she manages to escape with her 5-year-old son. The film is based on the 2010 book "Room" by Emma Donoghue.

Answer: Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne portrays the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama "The Theory of Everything", which follows Hawking from his post-graduate days. Redmayne received an Oscar for Best Actor for his role, one of 19 awards for the film from 91 nominations.

Playing opposite Jessica Chastain in the 2022 thriller "The Good Nurse", Amy Loughren (Chastain) helps to unmask serial killer Charles Cullen (Redmayne) who has been killing hospital patients for years within a system which allows him to get away with it. The film is based on the 2013 true-crime book "The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder" by Charles Graeber.

A spin-off prequel fantasy series to the Harry Potter novels and films, Eddie Redmayne first appeared as Newt Scamander in the 2016 "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Set in New York, escaped magical beasts and overbearing magical bureaucrats result in interesting times and an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Answer: Jennifer Lawrence

If you are familiar with the Miracle Mop, perhaps you will be familiar with its inventor Joy Mangano. Jennifer Lawrence portrays Mangano in the 2015 biographical comedy-drama "Joy", earning her an Oscar nomination in the process. The film follows Mangano's story and how she overcomes the barriers to success.

In an action role, Lawrence is blackmailed into becoming a recruit for a Russian spy agency. After training as a 'sparrow', her first mission is to uncover a Russian mole codenamed Marble. The 2013 spy thriller "Red Sparrow" was based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews.

Based on the 2008 novel "The Silver Lings Playbook" by Matthew Quick, Tiffany Maxwell (Lawrence) becomes dance partner to Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper). Suffering from bipolar disorder and recently released from a psychiatric hospital, Solitano is determined to win back his estranged wife. The dancing competition is intended to help. Lawrence earned an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

Answer: Ryan Gosling

A friendship develops after one of his students discovers teacher Dan Dunn (Ryan Gosling) using drugs in the 2006 drama "Half Nelson". The film title is also the name of a wrestling hold, perhaps reflecting Dan Dunn's struggle between his habit and teaching role. Gosling received an Oscar nomination for his performance.

A struggling musician in the 2016 musical rom-com "La La Land", Ryan Gosling portrays jazz pianist Seb Wilder. His path crosses with struggling actress Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) before their chemistry brings them together enough to support each other's dreams. Receiving fourteen Oscar nominations, the film won six. Although Ryan Gosling missed out on an Oscar, Emma Stone did not.

Gosling portrays Neil Armstrong in the 2018 biographical film "First Man" about the first man to walk on the moon. Starting with Armstrong as a test pilot in 1961, the film goes through to the Apollo 11 landing in 1969. Clare Foy as Armstrong's wife Janet at the time won praise for her performance, however, most award nominations were for the more technical aspects of the film's production.

Answer: Jessica Chastain

The 2016 political thriller "Miss Sloane" sees Jessica Chastain take on the role of Elizabeth Sloane who becomes involved in lobbying around some proposed gun control legislation. A congressional hearing reveals the lengths to which the lobbyist will go to achieve the brief.

In the Ridley Scott-directed 2015 sci-fi film "The Martian", Chastain is the Ares III commander for a mission involving a Mars landing which goes wrong. The film is about one astronaut's struggle to survive and is an adaptation of the 2011 novel "The Martian" by Andy Weir.

In the 2017 biographical film "Molly's Game", Chastain portrays Molly Bloom on whose 2014 memoir the film is based. Bloom became known for organising underground poker games during the 2000s. In the film she becomes a target for an FBI investigation.