I’ve done almost every job on a film set, from a day-player P.A. to directing and producing a short film. I’ve held an umbrella over the camera while getting soaked on a cold, rainy day in Chicago and wrangled a dog in a New York City park on a beautiful spring day. So trust me when I say that the most difficult job I’ve had on set is script supervisor (also called continuity). It’s one of the lesser known positions amongst the general public but no film or television set could function without a good scripty. It’s a conduit between production and post-production, the nexus of all information on the shoot.

The script supervisor has three main duties – ensure continuity, log every take with notes for the director and editor, and ensure everything in the script is captured during production. You’d be surprised how many times chunks of dialogue or crucial parts of story are forgotten about in the chaos of set life. The shooting log is essential for the editor and director, the notations of every variation in each take contributing to an efficient post-production process. And continuity? Well, remember when a Northern Ireland coffee shop got some unintentional product placement on Game of Thrones?

However, the best way to fully understand the work of a script supervisor is to take a deep dive and do a case study of an individual project. Luckily, we have a treasure trove of documents from Frank Beddor’s 1998 psychological thriller Wicked. This collection of notes and photos provides an excellent insight into life as a script supervisor.

The script supervisor on Wicked was Dina Waxman, a set life veteran who has worked with such directors as Michael Mann, Spike Jonze, Wong Kar Wai, and John Frankenheimer. She has written and directed seven short films and has served as a scripty on over one hundred commercials, two TV series, and 12 films, including David Fincher’s iconic 1999 action thriller Fight Club starring Brad Pitt.

On Wicked, Waxman worked closely with costume designer Sara Jane Slotnick (Alpha Dog, Loving) and wardrobe supervisor Jim Hansen (Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) to produce a thoroughly detailed catalog of each actor’s wardrobe pieces for every day of shooting. From more general items like the types of outfits or the number of wardrobe changes to the more minuscule details such as if an actor’s wearing any jewelry or the way their shirt tucks into their pants. It is all noted, photographed, and indexed. It is a painstaking amount of work and requires a mind that is simultaneously able to hold both the minute and larger picture in equal importance at the same time.

There are a few reasons why this obsessive level of detail is required. Scenes will often be shot out of sequence and your director and cinematographer may choose to start with the end of the scene rather than the beginning or return to a scene later in production or during reshoots. You will also need to reset for each take and each time the camera moves. The actor’s costume needs to be the same as the other shots because if you have a shot where your actor’s sleeve is up and that sleeve down in the next angle, your film is going to look pretty amateurish. Your editor and director need shots that link up to produce a cohesive cut.

The Wardrobe Continuity log above contains all the information needed to identify what is being shot. It lists the shooting day, the scenes being shot, what is happening in those scenes, and what the actor, in this case Julia Stiles, who won Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for playing Ellie, wears in those scenes. This is designed so costume, props, camera, anybody, can take a quick look and get all the information they need. On the flip side of that document are polaroids of the actor in those costumes, giving the crew a visual they can match when resetting the scene. Quick note about the photos, script supervising can sometimes seem like you’re shooting behind-the-scenes content. You will take so many photos. You’ll think to yourself, “Am I taking too many photos?” and then realize you haven’t taken nearly enough. Thankfully, in 2024, scriptys use their phones so there aren’t any polaroids to come unstuck and slip out of the binder.

The scenes chronicled above call for Ellie (Julia Stiles) to wear a “cotton sleeveless nightgown” in Scenes 47-50 with a cardigan over it for Scenes 51-53. In the first polaroid, it’s noted that the nightgown is buttoned up and Stiles is wearing a ring on her left thumb and a blue and green bracelet on her left wrist. Those items are also marked on the photo itself. The second photo, where Julia Stiles is wearing the cardigan, also notes the placement of the ring and bracelet, even though you can’t see the jewelry because of the sweater’s sleeve. Why does the actor have to wear the ring and bracelet even if you can’t see them? Because, during the time frame in which these scenes take place, it wouldn’t be realistic for the character to have removed her jewelry. So if she lifts her arm during the scene and the sleeve falls down, the audience will notice she’s missing her ring and bracelet from the previous scene. This would take them out of the story and threaten to compromise their ability to suspend their disbelief, which is essential in any type of film viewing, but especially with Wicked.

For the third polaroid, the most important element is that Stiles will be wearing the same outfit in nonsequential scenes. The scenes take place during different times of the day and in a few different locations. If she got changed during lunch or they shot a different scene in the afternoon that required a wardrobe change, this snapshot ensures that the costume department can get her back into wardrobe quickly, efficiently, and accurately. This leads to a smoother set where the cast and crew can fully focus on character and story instead of the location of the main character’s turquoise blue Hawaiin.

You’ll notice that the log above contains much less information than the one shown in the previous section. However, the scenes represented here are infinitely more complex. Why? Well, if you guessed the blood, you’re absolutely correct. Blood and gore are super fun to work with but it’s a complicated, stressful business. First, there are the safety considerations. The fact that blood is being used on set generally means the actor or stunt double will be required to perform a stunt involving violence. In Wicked, for example, this sequence called for Ellie to be struck in the head with a heavy object and for Lawson Smith (Patrick Muldoon of Starship Troopers and Melrose Place). The safety of the individuals involved in the stunts is paramount and a lot of effort and concentration from everyone on the crew goes into making sure they’re safe.

The second reason special effects work such as blood can be challenging for crews is because blood is a continuity nightmare. How do you ensure the blood on the set and the blood on the actor’s costume match angle to angle, take to take? The answer – lots and lots of pictures. The pictures above are essential to ensuring continuity with lots of moving parts that usually require multiple setups to capture. The first photo would’ve been taken either before or after the camera started rolling so the crew could match their positioning and the amount and placement of blood when setting up another shot. The second photo specifies the blood droplets on Stiles’ shirt, allowing the crew to ensure they can replicate the pattern if they need a new top. The third polaroid specifies the position of Stiles’ clothing in a specific shot so the crew can once again match that look in subsequent set-ups. Working with special effects often makes for a high-pressure environment given the lost time and higher costs that can be a consequence of a mistake, so the script supervisor needs to be flawless in their documentation.

The position of script supervisor is a multi-faceted, sometimes stressful position that requires constant communication with every department. For a film like Wicked, requiring several specific costumes and detailed special effects work, Dina Waxman’s work contributed to an efficient set, allowing the actors and directors to craft an engrossing thriller that captivated audiences at Sundance and launched Julia Stiles’ career. 

You can watch Julie Stiles’ breakthrough performance in Wicked on the following streaming platforms: Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Plex, and Tubi.

An itinerant storyteller, John Drain attended the University of Edinburgh before studying film at DePaul University in Chicago and later earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. John focuses on writing mysteries and thrillers featuring characters who are thrown into the deep end of the pool and struggle to just keep their heads above water. His work has been recognized by the Academy Nicholls Fellowship, the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Cinestory, and the Montreal Independent Film Festival. In a previous life, John created and produced theme park attractions across the globe for a wide variety of audiences. John keeps busy in his spare time with three Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and a seemingly never-ending stack of medieval history books.

What is the most terrifying thing you can think of? Spiders? Public speaking? Failure? All are excellent options. Now, let me raise another – evil children. It’s an inversion of expectations. Kids are supposed to be kind, innocent, and full of life. Adults are the ones who perpetrate evil. The idea of children killing someone or summoning the Devil is entirely contrary to our expectations about how the world works. So when those twins appear in the hallway in The Shining or when Damien smiles in The Omen – it’s absolutely terrifying. The creepy kid is a common trope in horror films and even in thrillers, like Wicked. These films have captured the imaginations of their viewers and certainly inspired some nightmares too. 

Here’s a list of ten of the best movies featuring “evil kids”:

The Omen
If you think raising kids is hard, try telling the Antichrist he has a bedtime. That’s what Gregory Peck and Lee Remick have to deal with in the 1976 classic The Omen. One of the original evil kid movies, The Omen opens with an American diplomat, Robert Thorn, and his pregnant wife Katherine living in Rome. When Katherine gives birth, Robert is told that the child has tragically died and is convinced by the hospital chaplain to secretly adopt another child. Robert doesn’t tell Katherine about the switcheroo and five years later, they discover that their sweet Damien is none other than the son of Satan. Helmed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon), The Omen is a suspenseful, spine-tingling thriller that also helped popularize “666” as a sign of the devil. It grossed over $60 million on a $2.8 million budget and routinely appears on lists of the best horror films, including AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills.

Orphan
These types of films really aren’t favorable toward adoption. The 2009 psychological horror film Orphan stars Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard as a couple who adopt a nine-year-old girl after losing their unborn child. At least both parents knew this time. They soon experience every parent’s worst nightmare (I imagine). Their new daughter, played by Isabelle Fuhrman in a delightfully horrifying performance, is actually a 33-year-old Estonian serial killer with a hormonal disorder that stunted her growth, allowing her to pose as a child. Roger Ebert called Orphan a “shamefully effective horror film” and took in almost $80 million at the box office. But want to know something that will keep you up at night? Orphan is actually loosely based on the true story of Barbora Skrlova, a 34-year-old Estonian woman who posed as a child twice and even got her first adoptive mother to chain and starve her own sons. Chills.

Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn is 92 minutes of gory 80s fun. Based on the 1977 Stephen King short story (of course), Children of the Corn features an ensemble cast led by The Terminator star Linda Hamilton and is set in the cornfields of Nebraska. After the corn crop fails, local 9-year-old Isaac Chroner takes an interesting path to ensure the success of next year’s harvest. Isaac brainwashes all the local children into serving an evil deity named “He Who Walks Behind the Rows” and leads them to slaughter all the adults in the town in an act of mass sacrifice. And that’s just in Act One! The bloodfest was met with tepid responses from audiences and critics upon its release in 1984 but has since gained cult status, resulting in an 11-film franchise and inspiring a hilarious early South Park episode, “The Wacky Molestation Adventure”.

Wicked
Julia Stiles’ audition for disturbed Ellie Christianson in the 1998 thriller Wicked blew away director Michael Steinberg and producer Frank Beddor, who said, “…we knew. She was Ellie.” Ellie is a sixteen-year-old girl with a problem – her mom. Now, it’s certainly not uncommon for a teenager to have problems with their mom. But this teenager hates her mom because her mom is standing in the way of the person she desires the most – her dad. Yes, Ellie is in love with her father Ben, and will stop at nothing, including whacking her mom on the head with a stone mask, in her quest to have him. Wicked is a tense, chilling thriller with flashes of noir mixed with dark comedy. Julia Stiles is electric in her breakout role, producing a nuanced portrayal that still incites empathy for a character whose actions are truly detestable. The film was a smash at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival where Stiles’ performance made her “the darling of the festival”. She also won the award for Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

The Good Son
Macaulay Culkin is arguably the greatest child actor in the history of Hollywood and he really shows off his range in the 1993 psychological thriller, The Good Son. Written by Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan (Atonement), the film features Elijah Wood, as Mark Evans, who moves in with his aunt, uncle, and cousins after his mother dies. Reconnecting with your family is usually fun and a good source of healing. But not for Mark, who quickly learns his cousin, Henry (Culkin), is a brutal psychopath. Henry causes a massive car crash, tries to kill his sister Connie (twice), and admits to drowning his late brother over the ownership of a rubber duck, establishing himself as one of the great evil child characters. The Good Son fell flat with critics, who bristled at the twisted narrative and felt uncomfortable seeing Macaulay Culkin in such a villainous role. Honestly, that just makes the film more appealing audiences clearly agreed, buying $60 million worth of tickets during the film’s theatrical run.

Let the Right One In
Nobody ever thinks of vampires as young children. They appear to us as a dashing Romanian count, a charismatic Parisian actor, or a glittering centenarian posing as a high schooler. The 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, flips vampire tropes on their head with their humanist treatment of 12-year-old vampire Eli. During a dark, snowy Swedish winter, Oskar, a shy child who’s a favorite target of bullies, meets his new neighbor Eli. The two loners bond, building a friendship that only deepens when Oskar discovers Eli is a vampire. The film is a beautiful exploration of humanity featuring moving performances and brilliant cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema. Bloody Disgusting ranked it as the best horror film of the decade, calling it an “austerely beautiful creation”. Let the Right One In won dozens of awards including five Guldbagges at the Swedish Oscars.

Joshua
Every parent would be thrilled if their child was a prodigy, right? Well, not so fast. The 2007 thriller Joshua stars Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga (her second entry on this list) as parents to 9-year-old piano prodigy Joshua (Jacob Kogan). Everything seems to be idyllic at first, (aside from Joshua’s penchant to dress like a young Patrick Bateman, a huge red flag), until Joshua’s parents come home with his baby sister Lily. The wannabe Mozart shows his sociopathic side and begins to terrorize his family. He kills the family dog, gaslights his mother until she’s committed, tries to murder his sister, does murder his grandmother, and frames his father for abuse. Joshua is a creepy, disturbing psychological thriller, with Duane Byrge writing for The Hollywood Reporter the film is a “brilliant house-of-horror tale with Hitchcockian flare.” It was also well-received on the festival circuit, being nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and winning the Cinematography Award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Whisper
It seems that 2007 was an especially good year for movies featuring evil children. Whisper is a chilling slow burn featuring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies as a down-on-their-luck couple who, after being denied a bank loan, decide to take part in kidnapping a child to get the money they need. It’s a drastic step and one that backfires spectacularly when the child, eight-year-old David, starts commanding the members of the kidnapping ring to kill each other. It turns out that David is actually a demon with the power to convince mere mortals to do anything with only a whisper. Of course, David’s actions aren’t necessarily evil in this context. He was kidnapped after all. However, a demon child with supernatural powers of persuasion is pretty darn evil.

The Orphanage (El orfanato)
Another 2007 entry on our list is The Orphanage, a Spanish-Mexican gothic horror film that grossed almost $80 million and won seven Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars). J.A. Bayona’s directorial debut follows a woman, Laura, who brings her family back to her childhood home, a now-closed orphanage. She intends to reopen the orphanage as a home for disabled children, but things start to go haywire when Laura’s son Simon makes an invisible new friend and disappears soon after. The Orphanage earned praise for its grounded approach to horror, relying on craft rather than CG or gore. As Ellie Violet Bramley wrote for The Guardian, “It’s the humanity of the thing that went bump in the night that makes you shudder for a long while after.”

The Shining
A bonafide horror classic, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining proved to be both terrifying on screen and on set. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) as a writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the offseason caretaker of the Overlook Hotel deep in the Colorado Rockies. Jack, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are soon snowed in, and that’s where the “fun” begins. Jack slowly loses his sanity, the hotel is haunted, and Danny turns out to have psychic powers (“the shining”). Now, Danny isn’t the evil child that got The Shining on this list. It’s those creepy twins in the hallway. Pure nightmare fuel. The girls are actually the murdered daughters of the former caretaker, who went insane and murdered his whole family. So while the girls may not have started out as well, there’s no mistaking their malevolent intentions when they ask Danny, “Come and play with us…Forever… and ever… and ever.”

An itinerant storyteller, John Drain attended the University of Edinburgh before studying film at DePaul University in Chicago and later earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. John focuses on writing mysteries and thrillers featuring characters who are thrown into the deep end of the pool and struggle to just keep their heads above water. His work has been recognized by the Academy Nicholls Fellowship, the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Cinestory, and the Montreal Independent Film Festival. In a previous life, John created and produced theme park attractions across the globe for a wide variety of audiences. John keeps busy in his spare time with three Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and a seemingly never-ending stack of medieval history books.

Julia Stiles recently wrapped production on her directorial debut, “Wish You Were Here,” which she adapted from the bestseller of the same name by Renee Carlino. The romance stars Isabelle Fuhrman (The Hunger Games, The Novice) as a directionless server whose whirlwind one-night-stand with a terminally ill painter changes both of their lives. The film marks the culmination of an evolution for the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Stiles. With her tour-de-force breakthrough in the thriller Wicked, directed by Michael Steinberg and produced by Frank Beddor, Stiles launched a near-thirty-year career in front of the camera, which has produced a wide range of entertaining, compelling, and iconic performances. With her first directorial effort in the can, let’s take a look back at Julia Stiles’ top ten roles.

10 Things I Hate About You

Following the rabid reaction at Sundance to her debut lead role in Wicked, Julia Stiles was cast in the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, Gil Junger’s modern-day retelling of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Stiles is transcendent as Katarina “Kat” Strafford, an antisocial high schooler who is pursued by Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), an Australian bad boy who is paid to woo Kat as part of a plot designed to get her father (Larry Miller) to relax his restrictions regarding dating for Kat and her younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Starring opposite the sublime Ledger, Stiles deftly blends rage, intelligence, and vulnerability to create a beautiful portrayal of a young woman learning to allow herself to be loved and be loved. The film grossed $60 million at the box office and has become an iconic piece of 90s pop culture. The emotional core of the movie, Stiles’ performance was lauded by critics and led to a Most Promising Actress award from the Chicago Film Critics Association and established her as an up-and-coming star.

Save the Last Dance

Stiles cemented her status as a cult teen hero with her turn as Julliard hopeful Sara Johnson in the 2001 hit Save the Last Dance. A part of the wave of early 2000s teen dance movies, Save the Last Dance follows Sara, who quits ballet and moves to the South Side of Chicago with her father after her mother dies in a car accident. Depressed and struggling to navigate her new life, Sara is reinvigorated when she falls for Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas) at a hip-hop dance club at her new school. Their love motivates Sara to continue to pursue her passion for ballet and her dreams of attending Julliard. Stiles again imbues her character with a strength and wit uncommon for the genre and displays undeniable chemistry with Thomas. Stiles trained in ballet and hip-hop for two months ahead of shooting, preparation that paid off when Save the Last Dance debuted at #1 at the box office en route to taking in $131.7 million worldwide. Stiles was nominated for a host of awards and that dance scene has become an iconic teen movie moment, which she reenacted alongside Chloe Fineman on Saturday Night Live in 2023.

Dexter – Season 5

Julia Stiles breathed new life into Dexter with her performance as Lumen Pierce in Season 5. Pierce is a survivor of an attack by a group of men including rapist-serial killer Boyd Fowler. When Pierce witnesses Dexter (Michael C. Hall) kill Fowler, she tries to convince the vigilante to help her take revenge on the rest of her attackers. Initially reluctant, Dexter eventually agrees to help her get vengeance and the two kindred souls develop a romantic relationship. In Dexter, Stiles showcases her ability to portray strength through vulnerability. Her grounded style lends authenticity to the sometimes over-the-top show and helps to humanize Hall’s murderous forensic technician. Stiles’ ten-episode arc as Lumen Pierce “totally changed” her mind about working in television and proved to be one of the most critically acclaimed roles of her career, resulting in Golden Globes and Emmy nominations.

Wicked

Julia Stiles’ audition for disturbed Ellie Christianson in the 1998 thriller Wicked blew away director Michael Steinberg and producer Frank Beddor, who said, “…we knew. She was Ellie. She also had IT.” The sixteen-year-old Stiles continued to wow her employers and co-stars with her intense portrayal of Ellie, a fourteen-year-old whose twisted obsession with her father (William R. Moses) and hatred of her mother (Chelsea Field) leads to horrifying consequences. Stiles’ performance is pure adolescent rage, depicting a girl who hates the world and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. But Ellie is no caricature. Stiles continuously reminds us that Ellie is still a child, adding depth and shading by showing her character’s insecurities. The result is a nuanced portrayal that still incites empathy for a character whose actions are truly detestable. Wicked proved to be Stiles’ breakthrough. The film was a smash at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival where Stiles’ performance made her “the darling of the festival” and she won the award for Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

Bourne Franchise

Julies Stiles stole scenes with her role as CIA logistics technician Nicky Parsons in four of the Jason Bourne films opposite Matt Damon’s amnesiac assassin. An adversary turned ally, Parsons works for Treadstone, a shadowy CIA black-ops program that utilizes behavioral modification to develop almost superhuman assassins. In the first two films, The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, Parsons is a CIA operative who aids the hunt to capture Bourne. But in the third film, The Bourne Ultimatum, Parsons grows disillusioned with the CIA and helps Bourne evade his pursuers. As a character archetype, Nicky Parsons could’ve simply been a functionary. A character whose sole purpose was to move the plot forward by feeding information and exposition to the protagonist. But in Stiles’ hands, Nicky becomes essential to Bourne’s growth as a character. Stiles matches Damon’s intensity step for step, helping to set the foundation for a series of brooding, gritty, and spellbinding action thrillers.

The Business of Strangers

Tony-winning actor Stockard Channing said of her The Business of Strangers co-star: “In addition to her talent, she has an almost feral quality, something that can make people uneasy. She has an effect on people.” Rave reviews from critics are wonderful, but it’s arguably more important when praise comes from those you work with. In Patrick Stettner’s indie drama, Julia Stiles plays Paula, an assistant who helps her former boss Julie take revenge on Nick, a headhunter with whom Paula has a dark connection, when the three are stuck in a hotel after their flights are canceled. Paula is a woman of many secrets, and Stiles plays it perfectly, setting up a series of thrilling twists and turns. Her chemistry with Channing is electric and their back-and-forth drives the emotional resonance of the story. Stiles again reveled in success at Sundance as the film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize and she was later nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Satellite Awards.

State and Main

One of the hallmarks of Julia Stiles’ career is her ability to elevate an ensemble. This talent is conspicuously on display in David Mamet’s 2000 comedy State and Main. The film tracks the effects that a film production and its crew have on a small Vermont town. It’s packed with stars, including William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (and John Krasinski in his acting debut). Stiles plays Carla, a crafty local who develops a relationship with Alec Baldwin’s Bob Barrenger, the film’s star who is attracted to underage girls. Stiles is electric in her nuanced portrayal of Carla, showcasing once again her ability to show strength through vulnerability. Her performance is an essential piece of a stellar cast, one that earned Best Cast awards from the Florida Film Critics Circle, the Online Film Critics Society, and the National Board of Review.

Hustlers

Lorene Scafaria’s 2019 crime comedy-drama Hustlers is a visually stunning caper that blends piercing comedy with profound character work. The surprise hit drew comparisons to Goodfellas and praise for the star-studded cast, which included Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, Cardi B, and, of course, Julia Stiles. Stiles portrays Elizabeth, a journalist following the exploits of a group of New York City strippers who drug and rob stock traders and corporate executives who patronize their club. Stiles doesn’t have the most glamorous role in the film, but she performs an essential function that makes the movie work. Her character represents the audience, giving us a platform through which we empathize and come to love these characters. Her blend of strength and warmth is on full display as she endeavors to tell the story of this diverse, multi-dimensional group of women.

Silver Linings Playbook

Julia Stiles once again proves a scene stealer in David O. Russell’s Oscar-nominated 2012 romantic dramedy Silver Linings Playbook. The film follows a former teacher, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), with bipolar disorder who endeavors to win back his ex-wife after being released from a psychiatric hospital. But his plans are thrown into glorious disarray when he meets Tiffany Maxwell, a widowed dancer who promises to help Pat win his wife back if he enters a dance competition with her. In a supporting cast filled with heavyweights including Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, and Chris Tucker, Stiles stands out as Veronica, Tiffany’s spirited sister. Stiles punctuates brilliant performances from Cooper and Lawrence with her strength and energy, perfectly encapsulating the Philadelphia energy. Stiles earned a host of awards nominations as part of the ensemble, winning at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, as the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, with Lawrence winning for Best Actress.

O

The turn of the century saw a run on modern-day retellings of William Shakespeare’s works and Stiles seemed to appear in every one. After starring in 10 Things I Hate About You and Hamlet opposite Ethan Hawke, Stiles plays the Desdemona character in Tim Blake Nelson’s adaptation of Othello, O. Led by Mekhi Phifer as Odin (Othello), and Josh Hartnett as Hugo (Iago), O sets the Bard’s tragedy in a posh prep school where Hugo concocts a devious plan to destroy Odin due to his jealousy of Odin’s heroic exploits on the basketball court. Stiles and Phifer have electric chemistry as the doomed lovers, playing their complex relationship with nuance and power. Stiles imbues Desi with a hidden strength and engenders empathy in the viewers, making for a heart-wrenching experience when Hugo’s plot comes to fruition and Odin tragically murders Desi. Stiles’ firm grasp of her craft and psychology helps to show the continuing relevance of Shakespeare’s work.

An itinerant storyteller, John Drain attended the University of Edinburgh before studying film at DePaul University in Chicago and later earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. John focuses on writing mysteries and thrillers featuring characters who are thrown into the deep end of the pool and struggle to just keep their heads above water. His work has been recognized by the Academy Nicholls Fellowship, the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Cinestory, and the Montreal Independent Film Festival. In a previous life, John created and produced theme park attractions across the globe for a wide variety of audiences. John keeps busy in his spare time with three Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and a seemingly never-ending stack of medieval history books.