The epic action-adventure, set in the mystical lands of Persia,
Prince of Persia is releasing on 21 May. Here are some fast facts on some of the cast members.
Academy Award-nominated
Jake Gyllenhaal (Dastan) has established himself as one of the most promising actors of his generation. His poignant and diverse performances have garnered the attention of audiences and critics alike. Winner of the 2006
Best Supporting Actor Awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the National Board of Review, Gyllenhaal also earned
Oscar and
SAG Award nominations for his poignant performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee’s
Brokeback Mountain.
Gyllenhaal recently wrapped production on Duncan Jones’
Source Code opposite Michelle Monaghan, and Ed Zwick’s
Love and Other Drugs opposite Anne Hathaway, which will be released by Twentieth Century Fox on 24 November. Other film credits include Jim Sheridan’s
Brothers, opposite Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire; Gavin Hood’s
Rendition, opposite Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, Reese Witherspoon and Peter Sarsgaard; David Fincher’s critically acclaimed
Zodiac, opposite Robert Downey Jr and Mark Rufalo; Sam Mendes’
Jarhead, opposite Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard; John Madden’s
Proof, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow; Miguel Arteta’s
The Good Girl, opposite Jennifer Aniston and John C Reilly; Brad Silberling’s
Moonlight Mile, opposite Dustin Hofman and Susan Sarandon; Nicole Holofcener’s
Lovely and Amazing, opposite Catherine Keener; Richard Kelly’s cult hit
Donnie Darko; and Joe Johnston’s
October Sky, opposite Chris Cooper and Laura Dern.
On stage, Gyllenhaal starred in Kenneth Lonergan’s revival of
This Is Our Youth opposite Anna Paquin and Hayden Christensen. The show ran in London’s West End for eight weeks and garnered Gyllenhaal the
Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer.
Rising star
Gemma Arterton (Tamina) made her feature-film début in “St Trinian’s,” directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson Arterton played Kelly, the head girl, in this modern version of the 1950s film classic. In 2008, Arterton was seen in the role of Agent Fields in
Quantum of Solace, which stars Daniel Craig in his second outing as
Agent 007, as well as in the title role in BBC’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s
Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Arterton had a supporting role in Guy Ritchie’s
RocknRolla, and she also appears in
Pirate Radio (aka
The Boat that Rocked), directed by Richard Curtis Arterton’s starring roles include
The Disappearance of Alice Creed;
Clash of the Titans; and
Tamara Drewe.
Television credits include Stephen Poliakof’s
Capturing Mary (BBC) and
Lost in Austen (ITV). Among her stage credits are
Love’s Labour’s Lost, directed by Dominic Dromgoole at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Arterton graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in the summer of 2007.
After earning an
Academy Award, two
Golden Globes and two
BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi,
Sir Ben Kingsley (Nizam) continues to bring unequalled detail and nuance to each role. In 1984, Kingsley was awarded the Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India Kingsley went on to earn three additional
Oscar nominations for
Bugsy (1991);
Sexy Beast (2000); and
House of Sand and Fog (2003).
His roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a sturdy vice president in
Dave, to the scheming Fagin in
Oliver Twist. Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honours as a truly international star. Kingsley can currently be seen starring in Martin Scorsese’s 1950s drama,
Shutter Island, with Leonardo DiCaprio; Mark Rufalo; and Michelle William. Also upcoming is
Teen Patti, an emotionally riveting and razor-sharp thriller set in India and England that revolves around greed, deception and giant feats of imagination in which he stars with Amitabh Bachchan.
He recently was the star of the sexually charged
Elegy opposite Penelope Cruz, directed by Isabel Coixet, for which he was nominated British Actor of the Year by the
London Critics Circle Film Awards. He starred in two films at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, which give further perspective to his work: The Audience Award-winning and Grand Jury Prize-nominated
The Wackness, in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck; Famke Janssen; Olivia Thirlby; and Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller
Transsiberian, as a mysterious traveller opposite Woody Harrelson. He also starred in
50 Dead Men, a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more light-hearted crime comedy
War, Inc opposite John Cusack.
Steeped in British theatre, Kingsley marked the beginning of his professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967. From roles in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream;
The Tempest;
Julius Caesar (as Brutus) and the title roles in
Othello and
Hamlet, among others, his more recent and diverse stage roles include those in T
he Country Wife; The Cherry Orchard; A Betrothal;and
Waiting for Godot.
Kingsley’s film career began in 1972 with the thriller
Fear Is the Key, but his first major role came a decade later in the epic,
Gandhi.