With Justice League smashing onto our screens, DC is upping the stakes with an epic, bust-'em-up
brawl featuring the heavyweights of the comic book line-up.
But life wasn't always teamwork and spandex for the cast of Justice League.
In our universe, there was a time when Flash sang opera, Aquaman studied marine biology,
and Batman grew up just outside of Boston … with parents.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck took his first acting role at the age of 7, and he acted regularly from
that first role all the way through his teens, despite moving with his family often.
When the Affleck clan finally settled down in Massachusetts, 8-year-old Ben Affleck became
friends with an older kid who lived two blocks away in the same neighborhood: Matt Damon,
who he's still friends with today.
"Or you could learn about things that are actually true, like how incredibly short Matt
Damon is."
"Or the fact that Ben's left eye twitches every time you say the word Gigli."
They were both interested in acting, and Ben Affleck still credits Matt Damon and their
childhood friendship as the reason he decided to become a "real" actor.
These days, he's obviously looking a little older, which is exactly what the new Batman
needed to be.
"This guy, he's like.. he's is older... he's really f----- up and he's really broken down.
And he's on the edge of moral bankruptcy.
I'm clearly your man!"]
Jason Momoa
Most people were probably introduced to Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, but the Hawaiian-born
actor has gained acclaim for more than his role in Game of Thrones.
Before leading the Dothraki, Momoa traveled the galaxy as the dreadlocked Ronon Dex in
Stargate: Atlantis and destroyed hordes of magical monsters in the 2011 remake of Conan
the Barbarian.
And it's safe to say that he's changed a lot over the years.
Momoa originally went to school to study marine biology, an education which may come in handy
now that he's donning the scaled armor of Aquaman.
Plans are also in development for a standalone Aquaman film to be released in 2018.
Gal Gadot
The decision to cast Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman seemed to come out of left field for a lot
of people, but the Israeli-born model definitely has the background to pull off a superpowered
heroine.
Gadot grew up in Israel and was crowned Miss Israel in 2004 before spending her next two
years in the Israeli Defense Forces.
"You were trained in the Israeli Army."
" Yeah, that's probably where it all began."
"I was a girl scout."
Gadot went on to star in four Fast & Furious films, then immediately transitioned to the
DC film universe as our favorite Amazon warrior princess.
She claims that when she auditioned for Batman v Superman, she didn't know she was trying
out for Wonder Woman.
All she knew was that it was a Zack Snyder film, and her first guess was that it was
an audition for a new Catwoman.
Judging by her standalone film's ratings, Gadot seems to be shaping up to be a solid
Wonder Woman for the 21st century.
Ezra Miller
Born in Wyckoff, a small town in northern New Jersey, Ezra Miller grew up in a family
that was all about the arts.
A lot of that must have rubbed off on the young boy, who first sang on stage at the
age of 6 and went on to study at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
In 2008, the 16-year-old starred in his debut film, Afterschool, but the movie that brought
Ezra Miller into the public eye was definitely 2011's We Need to Talk About Kevin.
He's since starred in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it's looking like
he's got a long run as the Flash ahead of him.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams never wanted to be an actress as a child—she wanted to be a dancer.
But even that dream wasn't entirely likely.
When she was 18, she found herself working at Hooters just to pay for a car.
"You used to be a Hooters waitress, which I can see… why."
"As you can see.."
I'd be proud of that, I'd be like, 'I had the body people.'"
By chance, she happened to be in Minnesota in 1999 when a casting crew came through looking
to fill parts in the Kirsten Dunst film Drop Dead Gorgeous.
She nailed the audition and snagged her first film role in the process.
Amy Adams' first major role was as Leonardo DiCaprio's love interest in 2002's Catch Me
If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg, but her breakout hit didn't come until 2007,
when she starred in Disney's Enchanted.
Since then, Amy Adams has been nominated for five Oscars, won two Golden Globes, and moved
well past the status of "rising" star.
And somehow that smile hasn't changed a bit since high school.
Ray Fisher
Born and raised in New Jersey, Ray Fisher started acting early in high school musicals,
but he only applied to drama school on a bet.
To his surprise, he was accepted, and he's since worked mostly with the Shakespeare Theatre
of New Jersey.
In 2013, he played Muhammad Ali in the off-Broadway show "Fetch Clay, Make Man," a role which
finally caught the attention of Hollywood.
Except for his brief cameo in Batman v Superman, Justice League will be Ray Fisher's first
film.
Fisher has definitely shown his skills on stage, and hopefully he'll bring the same
enthusiasm to the role of Cyborg.
He's already slated to star in a standalone Cyborg film, rumored to be coming out in 2020.
And after Justice League, there's no doubt that the 29-year-old will be getting more
movie offers than ever.
Henry Cavill
Believe it or not, Man of Steel wasn't Henry Cavill's first time in blue spandex and a
red cape.
He was originally cast as Superman in 2006's Superman Returns, but due to a director change
and subsequent recasting, Cavill lost the role to Brandon Routh.
According to MTV, Cavill had gone so far into the casting process that he'd even tried on
the Supes cape.
The DC universe seemed determined to keep Cavill out, but he finally got his chance
to fly with 2013's Man of Steel.
Now, Cavill has finally pushed his way into pop culture as the modern face of Clark Kent.
It must feel good after so many near-hits: in addition to missing out on Superman Returns,
Cavill almost became James Bond and was Stephanie Meyers' first choice for Edward in Twilight,
although that was probably more of a near-miss for Cavill.
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