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There's no introduction needed for the elder half of the 'Beautiful Creatures' cast, which includes Oscar winners Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson, along with Oscar nominee Viola Davis. But the young leads -- Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert -- are probably unknown to most audiences. As for the rest of film's stars, a few of them have been acting for ages, including "Veronica Mars" alum Kyle Gallner and "Phantom of the Opera" songbird Emmy Rossum. Interestingly, almost all of these rising actors have a famous connection: several have showbiz parents and one was "discovered" by Steven Spielberg.
Ahead of the film's Friday release, we run down the young stars of the supernatural romance and their ties to "Back to the Future," "The Piano" and ... handbags?
PHOTOS:
Gallery | The Young Stars of 'Beautiful Creatures'
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Alden Ehrenreich (Ethan Wate)
Ehrenrich plays restless teen Ethan, who falls for the new girl despite the town's opposition to her mysterious family. He was discovered at age 14 at a friend's bat mitzvah by Steven Spielberg when the director saw him in a short film. With Spielberg's help, he lined up some TV roles including the "Wendigo" episode of "Supernatural"; he then appeared in the Francis Ford Coppola films, "Tetro" and "Twixt." He next stars in the thriller "Stoker," which opens in limited release on March 1. -
Alice Englert (Lena Duchannes)
The New Zealand native, who plays conflicted caster Lena Duchannes, is the daughter of Oscar-winning director Jane Campion ("The Piano") and second-unit director Colin Englert. Her parents divorced in 2001 when she was 7. She made her film debut at 8 and at 12 appeared in her mother's short film "The Water Diary." After leaving high school to pursue acting, she starred with Elle Fanning in "Ginger & Rosa" for director Sally Potter, and in the Roland Joffe thriller "In Fear," which screened this year at Sundance. She recently wrapped "Singularity" opposite Josh Hartnett. -
Emmy Rossum (Ridley Duchannes)
Rossum plays Siren Ridley (she spoke to Moviefone about how much fun she had playing her first villain), but you already know her from her roles in "Mystic River," "The Day After Tomorrow" "Poseidon," and "The Phantom of the Opera." She released her debut album, "Inside Out," in 2007. She currently stars on the Showtime series "Shameless" as Fiona Gallagher. -
Thomas Mann (Wesley Jefferson "Link" Lincoln)
Mann plays Ethan's best friend, who's one of the few people in town willing to ignore the gossip about the Ravenwoods, despite the fervent preaching of his ultra-religious mother (Emma Thompson). Mann also played Ben in "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" and Thomas in "Project X." His other credits include "Fun Size" and "It's Kind of a Funny Story." -
Zoey Deutch (Emily Asher)
Deutch, who plays mean girl Emily, is another showbiz kid: her parents are "Back to the Future" star Lea Thompson and "Pretty in Pink" director Howard Deutch. She began acting in 2010 on the Disney Channel's "The Suite Life on Deck," then played Sarah Michelle Gellar's bratty stepdaughter on the CW series "Ringer." She just landed the lead role of Rosemarie in the upcoming film adaptation of the Vampire Academy books. -
Tiffany Boone (Savannah Snow)
Boone plays another mean girl who bullies Lena. "Southland" fans might recall her from last season: She's the girl who gets in Officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie)'s face until he punches back in frustration. Her other credits include an appearance on the series "Suburgatory" and the horror comedy "Detention." -
Kyle Gallner (Larkin Ravenwood)
Larkin is Lena's cousin, an Illusionist who has the power to change his appearance. Gallner starred as Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas on "Veronica Mars" and had recurring roles on "Smallville," Big Love" and "CSI: New York." He also played the lead in "The Haunting in Connecticut" and the 2010 remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street." He just wrapped production on "CBGB," in which he plays rock legend Lou Reed. -
Rachel Brosnahan (Genevieve Duchannes)
Brosnahan is seen in flashbacks as Lena's great-great-great-great grandmother, who caused the Duchannes family curse during the Civil War. She plays Rachel in the just-debuted Netflix original series "House of Cards," and has appeared in episodes of "Gossip Girl," "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Good Wife." She also has a celebrity relative: Handbag designer Kate Spade is her aunt.
