Actors in Character (8) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bradley Cooper

In his directorial debut, American actor Bradley Cooper starred alongside Lady Gaga in this 2018 version of "A Star is Born". Cooper portrayed the alcoholic country-rock musician Jackson Maine who discovered new singer-songwriting talent Ally (Lady Gaga). This was the third remake of the 1937 original and gained eight Oscar nominations with Lady Gaga sharing an Oscar for Best Original Song.

The biopic "Maestro" (2023) was about the American composer Leonard Bernstein and the relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre (portrayed by Carey Mulligan). Bradley Cooper both directed the film and took on the role of Bernstein. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, although winning none.

The third film in this selection is another biopic, the 2014 war drama "American Sniper" about the American marksman Chris Kyle (portrayed by Cooper). He became the most successful marksman in US military history, however the tours of duty took a toll on him. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood and received seven Oscar nominations.

Answer: Anne Hathaway

American actress Anne Hathaway's film debut was the 2001 comedy "The Princess Diaries" in which she portrayed the titular princess. Based on the young adult novel of the same name by Meg Cabot (published in 2000), Mia Thermopolis discovered she was heir to the European kingdom of Genovia and had to decide whether to accept or renounce the throne.

The 2008 drama "Rachel Getting Married" saw Hathaway playing the role of Kym Buchman, who was granted weekend leave from rehab to attend her sister's wedding. Family dynamics mixing with the rehab world resulted in an interesting weekend and an Academy Awards Best Actress nomination for Hathaway.

Hathaway portrayed Fantine in the 2012 period musical "Les Misérables". Fantine was fired from her factory job when the existence of her illegitimate daughter became known. Selling her hair and her teeth were part of a desperate attempt to keep her head above water. Hathaway's performance won her various awards, including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Answer: Adam Driver

In the 2016 drama "Paterson", Adam Driver portrayed the protagonist Paterson. He drove a New Jersey bus for his living and wrote poetry in his spare time. The family dog Marvin destroyed his notebook of poems when Paterson was on the cusp of publishing them. Nellie, the dog portraying Marvin, won a posthumous Palm Dog Award at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for her performance.

Adam Driver also took on another driving role, the titular role in the 2023 biopic "Ferrari", which followed the ups and downs of both the private and public life of Enzo Ferrari, the Italian behind the sports car brand. Driver was in part cast for the role due to his performance in the 2019 drama "Marriage Story".

In "Marriage Story", Adam Driver played Charlie Barber opposite Scarlett Johansson as his wife Nicole Barber. The film followed the family as it went through a bi-coastal divorce with custody complications. The film won 55 awards from 136 nominations with the Oscar going to Laura Dern as Best Supporting Actress. She portrayed Nicole's lawyer.

Answer: Reese Witherspoon

As Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy "Legally Blonde", Witherspoon portrayed a sorority girl initially trying to get her man back. Her chosen route was to qualify as a lawyer at Harvard Law School. The film was the start of a franchise.

In the 2002 rom-com "Sweet Home Alabama", Witherspoon had achieved success in New York after re-inventing herself after her Alabama upbringing. To marry her new man, she needed a divorce from her estranged Alabama husband, so she returned to her home town. Things don't work out as intended.

The 2005 music biopic "Walk the Line" was about Johnny Cash's early life and his romance with June Carter, however, it was Witherspoon who received the Oscar for Best Actress (amongst other awards) for her performance as American country singer June Carter.

Answer: Jamie Foxx

In a tribute to and re-imagining of the 1966 spaghetti western "Django", Jamie Foxx was the titular character in the Quentin Tarantino-directed 2012 "Django Unchained". Foxx started off in a group of chained slaves before being freed and ultimately partnering a bounty hunter named Schultz. It was a violent film.

The 2004 biopic "Ray" saw Foxx take on the role of musician Ray Charles, who became completely blind by the age of seven. His trademark sunglasses were to hide his damaged eyes. Foxx became the second actor to win all five major lead actor awards for the one film performance.

In another biographical film, Foxx portrayed Walter McMillan, who was on death row. The 2019 legal drama "Just Mercy" is mostly about the lawyer Bryan Stevenson who sought to have McMillan released, although Foxx gave an award-winning performance.

Answer: Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in the 2009 biographic "The Blind Side". She was cast in the role of business woman Leigh Anne Tuohy. After her son Sean meets Michael Oher at school, Michael gradually becomes part of the family with Leigh Anne's encouragement. He went on to have a successful career as a football offensive linesman.

Tomboy agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is required to go undercover as a contestant in a Miss United States beauty pageant when a bomb threat is made in the 2000 comedy "Miss Congeniality". The film received various award nominations and a sequel followed.

The 2018 heist comedy "Ocean's 8" was a spinoff of Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's" trilogy. Sandra Bullock portrayed Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean (George Clooney), who was the ringleader and ideas man in the earlier trilogy. Debbie Ocean assembles an all-female team targeting the annual Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Answer: Jake Gyllenhaal

The 2010 fantasy film, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", is an adaptation of the 2003 video game of the same name (as well as elements from two sequels) with Jake Gyllenhaal portraying the protagonist. The film revolves around a sacred dagger which permits a sort of time travel. The film was the highest-grossing of the video game genre at the time, although planned sequels were cancelled.

The 2017 biographical drama "Stronger" is next on the list. This saw Gyllenhaal portraying Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The film showed how he came to be there on the day together with the aftermath and those who had an impact on him.

The 2011 science fiction thriller "Source Code" involved US Army pilot Captain Colter Stevens (portrayed by Gyllenhaal) waking up to find himself on a commuter train which then blew up. All is not as it seemed. He was in a simulation and tasked with finding the bomber to prevent further terrorist incidents.

Answer: Florence Pugh

In the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, Florence Pugh portrayed Amy March, the youngest of the four sisters. This 2019 period drama was a coming-of-age story and garnered numerous award nominations as well as critical acclaim.

In another 'family' film, the 2019 biographical comedy-drama, "Fighting with My Family", saw Pugh portray Saraya Knight, an English professional wrestler, as her career took her to the US and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Paige.

Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pugh first appeared as Yelena Belova in the 2021 superhero film "Black Widow". She joined her on-screen sister Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in becoming a Black Widow assassin through the Red Room. The film concerned a chemical mind agent and its antidote with much fighting involved.

Answer: Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed the cryptanalyst and early computer scientist Alan Turing in the 2014 biographical thriller, "The Imitation Game". The film focused on the efforts Turing and others at the Bletchley Park code-breaking facility to read German military messages generated by the Enigma cypher machine during the Second World War.

Based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel "The Power of the Dog", the 2021 Western drama saw Cumberbatch portray Phil Burbank, one of two ranch-owning brothers. His character was quick to show his dislike for the innkeeping widow that his brother George had married, causing her to turn to alcohol. The film won 238 awards from 333 nominations, including 12 Oscar nominations (but one only award).

The 2020 historical spy film "The Courier" was based on a true story. Cumberbatch portrayed the British businessman Greville Wynne who was recruited by MI6, the British intelligence service, to pass messages to a Soviet official in the early 1960s. This was a time of increasing Cold War tensions in the lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer: Amy Adams

In the 2007 musical fantasy "Enchanted", a self-parody of Disney animated features, Amy Adams portrayed the princess-to-be Giselle. The corrupt and ruthless queen wanted to stay in power. Unfortunately Giselle threatened this and so the Queen sought to remove her. The action flipped between the animated and real worlds.

As a contrast, the 2016 science fiction drama "Arrival" saw Amy Adams portray the linguist Louise Banks who was tasked with communicating with extraterrestrialsat one of the arrival sites. Misunderstandings arose and war was on the cards for a while. The film received 42 awards from 136 nominations.

In the 2014 biopic "Big Eyes", Amy Adams took on the role of American painter Margaret Keane. When she married her second husband Walter Keane, a celebrity gossip columnist showed interest in her paintings of young girls with big eyes, assuming them to be Walter's. Walter did not correct the mistake. He then got Margaret to stay at home to paint whilst he handled all sales and took credit as the artist. It took a court case to resolve matters.