Meet the cast of Netflix movie All The Bright Places
The new film explores hard-hitting themes of mental illness through a story of young love
Jennifer Niven's young adult novel All The Bright Places, which depicts a romance between two deeply troubled teens, is the basis of a new original film from Netflix.
Set in a small Indiana town, the movie introduces us to Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) and Theodore Finch (Justice Smith), who form a deep connection when they are paired up to complete a school project.
Here's everything you need to know about the cast and characters of All The Bright Places...
Elle Fanning plays Violet Markey
Who is Violet Markey? Violet is a popular schoolgirl dealing with deep-rooted psychological trauma. After surviving the car accident that killed her sister, she is overwhelmed by feelings of guilt which cause her to quit her hobbies and isolate herself. That is, until she meets Finch, another troubled teen who helps her face her issues.
What else has Elle Fanning been in? Elle Fanning came to mainstream attention in 2011 when she starred in the JJ Abrams sci-fi throwback Super 8.
She has since appeared opposite Angelina Jolie in Maleficent and its 2019 sequel, while also making a name for herself on the independent scene with roles in The Neon Demon, 20th Century Women and Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled.
Justice Smith plays Theodore Finch
Who is Theodore Finch? Theodore is a teenage boy suffering with severe depression and suicidal thoughts. His family don't give him the support that he needs and he is bullied at school, all of which adds to his feelings of desperate isolation. He meets Violet, who shares with him her own trauma and the pair immediately form a close bond.
What else has Justice Smith been in? Smith broke out on Netflix's acclaimed musical drama The Get Down, which was cancelled after one season to the disappointment of its fans.
On the bright side, Smith was able to move on to high-profile leading roles in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and its upcoming sequel.
Alexandra Shipp plays Kate
Who is Kate? Kate is Theodore's older sister who helps to look after him.
What else has Alexandra Shipp been in? Shipp is probably best known to film fans as the Marvel Comics superhero Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse and its sequel Dark Phoenix.
She has also appeared in the Oscar-nominated NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton and the LGBT coming-of-age story Love, Simon.
Keegan-Michael Key plays Mr Embry
Who is Mr Embry? Mr Embry is Theodore's guidance counsellor who worries for his mental health and wants him to seek support.
What else has Keegan-Michael Key been in? Key shot to stardom after collaborating with Jordan Peele on their self-titled comedy sketch show Key & Peele.
Since the show wrapped up its acclaimed run in 2015, he has since appeared in Netflix's Friends From College, The Predator and Dolemite is My Name.
Key is also a prolific voice actor who has featured in numerous animated films and TV shows, such as Toy Story 4, Archer, the Hotel Transylvania series and 2019's The Lion King remake.
Luke Wilson plays James
Who is James? James is Violet's father, who is protective of her and mistrustful of Theodore.
What else has Luke Wilson been in? Wilson starred in a number of '00s comedies including Charlie's Angels, Legally Blonde, Anchorman and My Super Ex-Girlfriend.
He collaborated with iconic director Wes Anderson on both Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, later portraying Laura Dern's troubled ex-husband on the acclaimed HBO series Enlightened.
Kelli O'Hara plays Sheryl
Who is Sheryl? Sheryl is Violet's mother and a writer.
What else has Kelli O'Hara been in? O'Hara is a Tony Award winning stage actress who has acted on Broadway and in the West End.
She has appeared on screen in Showtime's Masters of Sex and in the second season of Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why.
Felix Mallard plays Roamer
Who is Roamer? Gabe Romero, nicknamed Roamer, is a former friend of Theodore who now bullies him.
What else has Felix Mallard been in? Mallard played the role of Ben Kirk on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, leaving in 2018 to join the cast of short-lived American sitcom Happy Together.
More recently, he has appeared in Netflix's brand new fantasy drama Locke & Key.
Virginia Gardner plays Amanda
Who is Amanda? Amanda is Roamer's girlfriend who treats Theodore with similar levels of cruelty, while hiding her own personal problems.
What else has Virginia Gardner been in? Gardner had a starring role as Karolina Dean in Marvel's Runaways series, about a group of teenagers who discover their parents are super villains.
She has also appeared in the science-fiction thriller Project Almanac and 2018's Halloween reboot with Jamie Lee Curtis.
Lamar Johnson plays Charlie
Who is Charlie? Charlie is one of Theodore's only friends, who is aware of his psychological troubles and supports him.
What else has Lamar Johnson been in? Johnson starred in several seasons of Canadian teen drama The Next Step and played the role of Seven Carter in young adult adaptation The Hate U Give.
Sofia Hasmik plays Brenda
Who is Brenda? Brenda is one of Theodore's other friends, who has a secret crush on Roamer.
What else has Sofia Hasmik been in? Hasmik played Jocelyn in 2018's thriller Bad Samaritan starring David Tennant and also appeared in last year's revival of Mad About You.
All The Bright Places is streaming now on Netflix
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
