EARLY MAN (2018) Cast & Crew

Director Nick Park and cast Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, and Timothy Spal

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CAST & CREW

NICK PARK is a four-time Academy Award winner, three in the category of Best Animated Short Film - CREATURE COMFORTS, THE WRONG TROUSERS and A CLOSE SHAVE and more recently in the category for Best Animated Feature Film for THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT. All four films were created and produced at Aardman, where Park is a co-director with founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton.

Park became interested in animation as a child and started making films in his parents' attic at the age of 13. One of his earliest works, ARCHIE'S CONCRETE NIGHTMARE, shot on standard 8mm film, was shown on BBC Television in 1975. He went on to earn a BA in Communication Arts at Sheffield Art School in 1980, before moving onto the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield, England. At the NFTS Park began working on A GRAND DAY OUT, marking the introduction of Wallace & Gromit. In February 1985 he joined Aardman where he completed the film. He then directed CREATURE COMFORTS for Aardman's Lip Synch series for Channel 4 Television.

In 1990 both CREATURE COMFORTS and A GRAND DAY OUT were nominated for the Academy Award Best Animated Short film giving Park the rare distinction of having two films nominated in the same category in the same year; CREATURE COMFORTS won. Both films were also nominated for a BAFTA, this time A Grand Day Out was the winner. Park won his second Academy Award and second BAFTA THE WRONG TROUSERS and his third Academy Award BAFTA for A CLOSE SHAVE, both starring the much-loved duo. THE WRONG TROUSERS and A CLOSE SHAVE have won over 100 prestigious international awards.

In 1996, Park and Aardman were honoured with a BAFTA Special Award for Original Contribution to Television. In 1997, Park was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). In June 2000, Park's first feature film CHICKEN RUN, co-directed with Aardman co-founder Peter Lord, was released worldwide to critical acclaim and box office success. CHICKEN RUN has grossed over $250m worldwide, it was the 'best reviewed film of the year' in the US and established the Aardman studio as a major force in animated feature films.

In 2005 the first Wallace and Gromit feature film THE CURSE OF THE WERERABBIT was released worldwide. Along with co-director Steve Box, Park picked up his fourth Academy Award, this time for Best Animated Feature Film (2006).

Wallace and Gromit's A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH was broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day 2008 to a record beating 16.15M viewers. The 30-minute film was directed by Nick Park and cowritten by Park and Bob Baker (Baker co-wrote both THE WRONG TROUSERS and A CLOSE SHAVE). The film won the BAFTA for "Best Short Animation" and in the US, the Annie Award for "Best Animated Short Subject".

In the Autumn of 2010, "Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention", a six-part factual series for BBC One, saw Wallace and Gromit turn their hand to 'TV presenting' for the first time. The animated duo introduced films featuring interesting, unusual and extraordinary real-life inventions from around the world.

During the summer of 2013, Nick Park introduced over 80 giant Gromit sculptures to the streets of Bristol. The 'Gromit Unleashed' trail was on one of the highest-profile charity arts-trails the country has ever seen, an eclectic line-up of artists, celebrities and fashion designers created designs for the 5ft Gromits. After 10 weeks the trail culminated in an auction which raised £2.35M for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal and Bristol's Children's Hospital. This unique charity initiative was replicated with 'Shaun in the City', where 120 giant Shaun the Sheep sculptures decorated the streets of London and Bristol in the Spring and Summer of 2015 which went on to raise over £1,000,000 for children's hospitals throughout the UK.

Over the years with Aardman, Park has also served as a director and animator on numerous projects including pop promos, title sequences and inserts for children's television.

Park is currently directing his latest feature film EARLY MAN with film partner STUDIOCANAL, set for global theatrical release in 2018.

*****

TOM HIDDLESTON graduated from RADA in 2005. In 2011, Tom was seen in his breakthrough role in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated film WAR HORSE, as Captain Nicholls. He was cast alongside Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Marsan.

Tom was seen starring in his first Hollywood Blockbuster as the villain Loki in Kenneth Branagh's THOR for Marvel, a role that he reprised in the 2012 blockbuster hit Marvel movie THE AVENGERS. In 2013, Tom won the Best Villain award at the MTV Movie Awards for his role in THE AVENGERS as well as Best Fight, which he shared with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner.

2012 saw Tom nominated for a BAFTA Rising Star Award and an Evening Standard.

Film Award in the Best Actor category for his roles in Joanna Hogg's ARCHIPELAGO & Terence Davies's THE DEEP BLUE SEA. Tom was the winner of the British Rising Star Award at The Richard Attenborough Regional Film Awards and won Best Male Newcomer for his role in THOR at the 2012 Empire Awards. Tom was seen on our screens portraying Prince Hal in "Henry IV Parts 1&2" and the title role in "Henry V" which aired on the BBC as part of the highly anticipated Cultural Olympiad.

Tom won the Times Breakthrough Award for this role at the 2013 South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

In October 2013, Tom returned to his role as Loki in THOR: THE DARK WORLD, alongside an all-star cast including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Idris Elba. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor role at the 2014 Empire Awards for his role in THOR: THE DARK WORLD, as well as the Favourite Character award at the MTV Movie Awards.

Tom is also known for his stage role as Coriolanus. Tom starred opposite Hadley Fraser and Mark Gatiss and was directed by the Donmar's Artistic Director, Josie Rourke.

In February 2014, Tom starred opposite Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Mia Wasikowska in Jim Jarmusch's ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, as well as 2015's CRIMSON PEAK, alongside Academy-Award- nominee Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam.

In 2015, Tom starred in Ben Wheatley's thriller HIGH-RISE, alongside an all-star cast including Jeremy Irons, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller and Elisabeth Moss. Last year, Tom received a nomination for Best Leading Actor for his role in HIGH RISE at the 2015 Moet British Independent Film Awards. Tom also starred in I SAW THE LIGHT, the independent biopic about the country music icon Hank Williams. Directed by Marc Abraham, the film is based on Colin Escott, George Merritt and William MacEwen's 1994 book, Hank Williams: The Biography. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2015.

2016 saw Tom starring opposite Hugh Laurie in the television adaption of John le Carre's novel "The Night Manager". Tom was nominated for an Emmy for his role, and also been nominated in the Favourite Drama Performance category at the National Television Awards 2017 and won a TV Choice Award for Best Actor. Tom recently won a Golden Globe for his performance as Jonathan Pine in the 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Televison' category at the Golden Globe Awards 2017.

Tom will soon be seen reprising his role as Thor's adoptive brother, Loki, in the seventeenth film installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in THOR: RAGNAROK. The film was released in November 2017. Tom was most recently seen starring in Legendary's King Kong origins story, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Tom starred alongside Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly. Set in the 1970s, the film follows a team of explorers who are brought together to adventure into an island in the Pacific and into the domain of a mythical giant gorilla known as Kong.

In 2018, Tom will star in Aardman Animations' EARLY MAN, an adventure animation film directed by Nick Park. Tom will be voicing the role of Lord Nooth and will star alongside Eddie Redmayne and Maisie Williams. And next year, Tom will return to the Marvel Blockbuster franchise as the villain Loki in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the film sequel is set to be released in May 2018.

*****

MAISIE WILLIAMS was born on April 15, 1997. She is best known for her role as Arya Stark in HBO's "Game of Thrones", which is now filming its eighth season.

The role has earned her twoPortal awards, in 2012 for best supporting actress and best young actor in television - the youngest actor to achieve this - and was followed in 2013 by the Radio 1 Teen Award for Best British Actor. In 2014 Maisie was named as one of the UK's international screen stars of tomorrow and also won The Entertainment Weekly's award for best Supporting actress.

Atthe beginning 0f 2015 she picked up a European Shooting Star Award at the Berlin Film Festival for her role in Carol Morley's feature THE FALLING, she also received the 2016 London Critic's Circle Award for Best Young performer and The Evening Standard Rising Star Award for the same role. Her portrayal of teenager Casey, in Channel 4's CYBERBULLY, prompted critical acclaim and a BAFTA nomination for best single drama. Maisie is currently starring in Netflix' first UK original feature IBOY and has recently completed filming on 3 movies, Departures with Asa Butterfield, X-Men New Mutants, directed by Josh Boone and Aardman's animation EARLY MAN, with Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne.

*****

TIMOTHY SPALL , OBE is one of Britain's best-loved and most talented character actors. He received wide acclaim for his role as J.M.W Turner in Mike Leigh's MR TURNER (2014), for which he won seven international awards, including the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award. He trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA and began his acting career in the theatre, with seasons at Birmingham Rep and the RSC. We recently saw Timothy return to the stage in the most lauded The Caretaker at The Old Vic.

Timothy is perhaps best known for his role as Peter Pettigrew in the HARRY POTTER film series, and his diverse film work includes: THE KING'S SPEECH, THE DAMNED UNITED, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, PIERREPOINT, ALL OR NOTHING, LUCKY BREAK, TOPSY TURVY, SECRETS and LIES. TV credits include: "Fungus the Bogeyman", "The Enfield Haunting", "Blandings", "The Syndicate", "The Fattest Man In Britain", "Oliver Twist", "The Street", "Bodily Harm", "Auf Wiedersehen Pet", "Perfect Strangers", "Shooting the Past", "Our Mutual Friend" and his own documentary "Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea".

Other recent screen credits include: Sally Potter's THE PARTY, Phillip K. Dick's ELECTRIC DREAMS for Channel 4, Denial with Rachel Weisz and Tom Wilkinson, Nick Hamm's THE JOURNEY and David Blair's AWAY. He has recently wrapped on a trio of further screen projects, THE CHANGEOVER, FINDING YOUR FEET with Imelda Staunton and Celia Imrie and HATTON GARDEN for ITV. ROB BRYDON - Message Bird

Rob was born in Swansea and studied drama at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He commenced his professional life as a radio and television presenter for BBC Wales.

Rob first came to the public's attention in 2000 with the shows "Marion and Geoff" and "Human Remains", winning British Comedy Awards for both. Since then his comedy credits have included "A Small Summer Party", "The Keith Barret Show", "Directors Commentary", "Supernova", "Cruise Of The Gods", "Black Books", "I'm Alan Partridge", "Little Britain", "Live At The Apollo", "Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive", "QI", "The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year", "Have I Got News For You", "Gavin and Stacey", "Rob Brydon's Identity Crisis", as well as hosting the successful panel show "Would I Lie To You?". He has also appeared in the following drama productions on television and film: OLIVER TWIST, HEROES AND VILLAINS: NAPOLEON, THE WAY WE LIVE NOW, MURDER IN MIND, KENNETH TYNAN: IN PRAISE OF HARDCORE, MARPLE, LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, A COCK AND BULL STORY, THE TRIP, BEST OF MEN, THE TRIP TO ITALY, CINDERELLA, THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR and the latest instalment of the Trip series, "The Trip To Spain".

Rob made his theatre debut in 2011 playing opposite Kenneth Branagh in The Painkiller at The Lyric Theatre in Belfast, which subsequently came to the West End in 2016. He has also appeared in Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval in the West End and Future Conditional at The Old Vic, as well as his successful one man show Rob Brydon Live (West End and Tour). His most recent one man show, I Am Standing Up toured the UK in 2017.

Rob is also well known for his versatile voice and is a regular contributor to popular radio programmes including I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Just A Minute, and Loose Ends and is the voice of many animated characters in major films including THE LEGEND OF TREASURE ISLAND, ROBBIE THE REINDEER, THE GRUFFALO AND THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD, ROOM ON THE BROOM, HIGHWAY RAT and EARLY MAN for Aardman.

In 2009 Rob went to number one in the charts with Ruth Jones and Sir Tom Jones and the Comic Relief single Islands In The Stream. Rob has won five British Comedy Awards, a GQ Man Of The Year Award, a Royal Television Society Award and two South Bank Awards. In 2013 he was awarded an M.B.E.

VIEW ALL EARLY MAN PAGES
(Cast, Crew, Production Notes, Review, Photos, Articles)