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'The Great Gatsby' Cast: Now And Then

Dale Chong |
May 1, 2013 | 1:29 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

"The Great Gatsby" poster (TwitPic)
"The Great Gatsby" poster (TwitPic)
As the highly anticipated film "The Great Gatsby" nears theaters, everyone's talking. The film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous novel has a lot of expectations to live up to when it comes to executing all the details, especially the portrayal of its characters. The meticulously chosen cast has each been known for one role or another, making the actors' names as famous as the characters they play.  

 

Isla Fisher in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (Tumblr)
Isla Fisher in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (Tumblr)

Showing her more dramatic side as an actress, Australian Isla Fisher stars as Myrtle Wilson. Before landing a spot on the cast of "The Great Gatsby," her projects were more of the comedic sort. One of her first roles was a small part in "Scooby Doo 2" as Shaggy's love interest, Mary Jane. However, many people know her as the Vince Vaughn-obsessed Gloria Cleary in "Wedding Crashers" and has a silly shopaholic in "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Many are very eager to see how she'll do as Tom Buchanan's mistress.

 

Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars (Tumblr)
Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars (Tumblr)
Joel Edgerton was most recently in "Zero Dark Thirty," and he has quite the résumé. Playing the new Tom Buchanan, the Australian actor has been working primarily in action films such as "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" as Owen Lars. He also played Gawain in "King Arthur." Since he usually plays rugged characters, it will be very different to see him as a suited young man in "The Great Gatsby." 

 

Elizabeth Debicki on set of "The Great Gatsby" (Tumblr)
Elizabeth Debicki on set of "The Great Gatsby" (Tumblr)
A new face to the silver screen, Elizabeth Debicki makes her grand debut in "The Great Gatsby" as Jordon Baker, Nick Carraway's main squeeze. Another Australian among the main cast, Debicki starred in the Australian-British comedy "A Few Best Men" before starring as a long-legged girl of the 20's. 

 

 

 

Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man"
Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man"
Tobey Maguire's longtime friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio mirrors that of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatbsy. Maguire is best known for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the "Spider-Man" trilogy, and people will always remember him for that. However, it'll be nice to watch him play a role that doesn't involve a red and blue skin-tight bodysuit. 

 

Carey Mulligan in "Pride and Prejudice" (Tumblr)
Carey Mulligan in "Pride and Prejudice" (Tumblr)
The casting directors couldn't have picked a better Daisy Buchanan than the fair-skinned beauty Carey Mulligan. Before being picked for "The Great Gatsby," Mulligan didn't have too many projects under her belt, but she did work on a number of feature films with big names, including the action flick  "Drive" alongside Ryan Gosling and drama "Never Let Me Go" with Keira Knightley. Before those films, Carey Mulligan got her big break as Kitty Bennet in "Pride & Prejudice." 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo in "Romeo + Juliet" (Tumblr)
Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo in "Romeo + Juliet" (Tumblr)
Last but most certainly not least, Leonardo DiCaprio is the biggest name of the entire cast. Known for a long list of films, the 1990's teenage heartthrob got his major break from his role as Jack Dawson in "Titanic" with Kate Winslet. A little before that iconic movie hit the big screen, he starred in "Romeo + Juliet," also directed by Baz Luhrmann. A role like Jay Gatsby could not be more perfect for DiCaprio, and perhaps he'll finally get the Oscar he deserves.

 

 

 

The cast of "The Great Gatsby" is only one component to the huge production, and it falls nothing short of the movie's overall expectations. Each actor has a notable set of previous movies, and each bring their own element to the movie. As the wait for the film's release comes to a close on May 10th, fans of both the novel and the actors are eager to see how it will all play out.

Reach Staff Reporter Dale Chong here.
Follow her on Twitter here.


 

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