You may have recognized a few faces on the hit series “Atlanta.”
Wondering where you know them from or what other popular shows and films they’ve starred
in?
One actor was actually in a recent “Star Wars” production!
Keep watching to find out who and so much more!
Matthew Barnes shows up in the second season of "Atlanta" as Lucas, the manager of a rapper
named Clark County.
He and Earn have known each other for some time, but there doesn't seem to be much of
a friendship between them.
In fact, Lucas doesn't hesitate to try and woo Paper Boi away from him.
Thankfully, this doesn't happen — Lucas gets taken away by the TSA after Clark County
has him take the fall for a firearms offense.
Barnes decided to commit to acting after getting a bachelor's degree from Auburn University,
where he studied radio, television, and film.
Before he landed the role of Lucas, he appeared in an episode of "The Vampire Diaries" as
Jay.
He played a member of the Mystic Falls Community Protection Squad who died via a stake to the
neck.
In 2017, he joined the cast of the Tyler Perry series "The Haves and the Have Nots" as Officer
Allen.
You may also recognize him as Agent Wallace from the series "Strange Angel" or as Peter
Crane from the 2021 film "Queen Bees."
Like many characters in "Atlanta," former teacher Vanessa "Van" Keefer is at a crossroads.
Her relationship status with Earn is constantly in question.
She wants to make it work but knows it probably never will, and she's struggled to find the
right path for herself since losing her teaching job.
This complex character is played to perfection by Zazie Beetz, who received an Emmy nomination
for her performance in 2018.
Since her first acting credit in 2013, Beetz has been working like crazy.
In 2016, she appeared as Allie in the mini-series "Margot vs. Lily."
She began playing Van on "Atlanta" the same year, and she also debuted as Noelle in the
Netflix series "Easy."
Two years later, she played the lucky mutant Domino in "Deadpool 2," one of the only members
of X-Force to survive their parachute mission.
She starred in another R-rated comic book film in 2019, appearing as Sophie, the object
of Arthur Fleck's romantic delusions, in "Joker."
She continues to work steadily and shows no signs of slowing down.
In the pilot episode of "Atlanta," Earn needs to convince his cousin Al that he can be his
manager.
To do this, he decides to try and get his single played on a local radio station.
He has a connection named Dave, played by Griffin Freeman, who considers Earn a friend
but isn't willing to help him out.
Earn goes over his head to get the track played, but they seem to be on friendly terms when
he pops back up in Season 2.
One of Griffin's earliest and most recognizable roles was Margo's unfaithful boyfriend Jase
in the 2015 film "Paper Towns," based on the novel by John Green.
He went on to make appearances in the television shows "Ray Donovan," "NCIS: Los Angeles,"
and "The Goldbergs."
Fans of "The Walking Dead" will no doubt recognize him as Mark, a member of the Saviors who got
punished by Negan for sleeping with Amber, his ex-girlfriend.
Amber ended her relationship with Mark to become one of Negan’s wives, giving her
access to medication for her sick mother.
“There’s plenty of other gals that would love to take your place, and there’s a few
job openings that I can think of.”
"Atlanta" Season 3 opens with a perfect reminder of how surreal, dark, and hilarious the show
can be with a standalone episode that focuses on an entirely new character.
Loquareeous is a kid just trying to get by in school, but nobody wants to give him a
genuine chance.
His mother and grandfather are fed up with him, and his foster mothers are terrifying
people who should have never been allowed to watch over children.
Fronting a season premiere is a lot of pressure to put on a young man's shoulders, but Christopher
Farrar never plays a weak note.
He commands our attention and empathy from start to finish, which is no surprise given
the experience he's already had in the entertainment business.
In just seven years, the young actor has made appearances in highly-respected shows like
"Jane the Virgin," "All American," "Veep," and "Young Sheldon."
In 2020, he played Auggie Roberts in several episodes of the medical drama "Chicago Med."
When Alfred Miles isn't playing video games or selling marijuana, he's performing under
the name Paper Boi.
He decides to take his rap career seriously when his eponymous song gets some attention,
but he soon discovers that the music business isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Al struggles to get paid what he deserves without compromising his pride or diluting
his image.
He is played by Brian Tyree Henry, who is Emmy-nominated for his performance in the
series.
Like many others, his career began with a role in the long-running police procedural
"Law & Order."
Not long after this, he had a multi-episode run as Winston on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire,"
and he played Travis Brown in "Vice Principals," another HBO show.
In 2018, he played Fonny's friend Daniel in the romantic drama "If Beale Street Could
Talk," based on the James Baldwin novel of the same name.
That same year, he was part of the star-studded cast of the Steve McQueen film "Widows."
He has also worked on blockbuster flicks like "Joker," "Godzilla vs. Kong," and the 2021
Marvel Studios epic "Eternals."
He co-starred as Phastos, a member of the titular group.
The holy trinity at the center of "Atlanta" consists of Earn, Al, and a fascinating character
named Darius.
While many people in Al's orbit are concerned with how they appear, Darius doesn't mind
what people think of him.
Full of dubious factoids and drawn to the esoteric, Darius is one of those people you
can never quite figure out, but you're always glad he's around.
“You’re a simulation.”
“Oh.”
He’s played by LaKeith Stanfield, an actor who can stand out in a role while disappearing
into it at the same time.
You might recognize him when he shows up, but you quickly accept him as the character,
allowing any pre-existing expectations to fall away.
Early in his career, Stanfield portrayed civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson in the
2014 Ava DuVernay film "Selma."
The following year, he was Snoop Dogg in the N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton."
He had a memorable role in Jordan Peele's "Get Out," playing Andre, the character who
first confirmed Chris' suspicions that something was very wrong at his girlfriend's childhood
home.
“Get out!”
“Yo!”
“Ah!”
In 2018, he starred as telemarketer Cassius Green in the Boots Riley film "Sorry to Bother
You," and in 2021, he reunited with his "Get Out" co-star Daniel Kaluuya for "Judas and
the Black Messiah."
He was nominated for an Oscar for his turn as real-life FBI informant Bill O'Neal in
the film.
At first, Raleigh Marks, portrayed by Isiah Whitlock Jr., doesn't really have much time
for his son Earn.
When Earn stops by the house in the pilot episode, he refuses to let him in because
he knows he's going to ask for money.
He is clearly disappointed in his son's decision to leave Princeton, but he knows not to push
him on the subject.
When Al asks him if he can trust Earn to be his manager, Raleigh admits he doesn't blame
his nephew for being cautious.
However, he assures him that when his son really wants to do something, he gets it done.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is one of those actors that seems to show up everywhere.
He has over 120 credits to his name.
He’s appeared in everything from shows like "Law & Order" and "As the World Turns" to
movies like "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" and "Goodfellas."
He's known for his collaborations with Spike Lee, having plied his trade in "25th Hour,"
"BlacKkKlansman," and "Da 5 Bloods."
Fans of HBO's "The Wire" will no doubt recognize him as Clay Davis, Maryland's corrupt senator.
We meet Earn's mother in the pilot episode of "Atlanta," but it's not until the Season
2 episode "Fubu" that we get a sense of who she is.
Like any mother, Mrs. Banks only wants what's best for her son.
This means not sugar-coating things for him and giving life lessons, like the importance
of hard work, always making a good first impression, and sticking by your family.
She is played by Myra Lucretia Taylor, who has been active in Hollywood since the 1990s.
Taylor has made several TV appearances on shows like "Girls," "Elementary," "Madame
Secretary," "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," and "Hunters."
In terms of feature films, she's known for Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're
Dead" and the hit rom-com "The Big Sick," in which she plays Nurse Judy.
While all of this was happening, she also worked extensively in the theater, even spending
a lot of time on Broadway.
RJ Walker joined the cast of "Atlanta" in its second season, playing the rapper Clark
County.
He's initially friendly with Al, but there is something very sinister bubbling below
the surface.
While Al is concerned with making it as an artist without compromising a sense of normalcy,
Clark County is fine with sacrificing the people closest to him to achieve his goals.
Walker studied drama and improv before landing his first TV role.
He guest starred on “Major Crimes” and appeared in an episode of "Castle" at the
beginning of his career.
He went on to secure roles in "2 Lava 2 Lantula," "Switched at Birth," and the Amy Poehler film
"Wine Country."
In 2019, he began playing David Wright in the BET series "Boomerang," a sequel to the
Eddie Murphy film of the same name.
Donald Glover is probably the most widely recognizable "Atlanta" actor.
He stars as Earnest "Earn" Marks, an intelligent and creative guy with something to prove.
Earn left college before the start of the series and has been trying to find his place
in the world ever since.
Although he truly believes he has what it takes to manage his cousin Al's rap career,
his inexperience leads to continuous missteps and failures.
Not only is Glover the primary protagonist of "Atlanta," but he is also the show's creator,
in addition to frequently penning and directing episodes.
Glover is a multi-hyphenate who has been blazing his own unique trail in film, television,
and music for years.
An early success for him was the role of Troy Barnes.
He played a former high school football player who buckled under the pressure of being a
star athlete and wound up attending Greendale Community College rather than a major university
in "Community."
He had a small role on "30 Rock" — a show he also wrote for.
He was also impressive as the young Lando Calrissian in the underrated 2018 film "Solo:
A Star Wars Story."
If you're not familiar with any of his other acting work, you may know him better as rap
artist Childish Gambino.
Arguably the most recognizable "Atlanta" cast member after Donald Glover, Katt Williams
appeared as Earn's uncle Willy in the Season 2 opener "Alligator Man."
Just as Clark County is a reflection of what Al could be if he allowed himself to be corrupted
by the music business, Willy symbolizes what could happen to Earn if he doesn't get his
act together.
“Uh-huh.
You scared.”
Most people know Williams for his prolific career as a stand-up comedian, though he's
also been acting since 2002.
He got the ball rolling with a guest appearance on the crime drama "NYPD Blue" and made his
movie debut that same year, appearing in the third installment of the "Friday" franchise,
"Friday After Next."
Other notable film credits include "Norbit," "Epic Movie," "First Sunday," and "For the
Love of Money."
In 2021, he starred opposite Mike Epps in "The House Next Door," playing a vampire pimp.
This sequel to the 2016 comedy "Meet the Blacks," was arguably one of the worst movies of 2021.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite shows are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.