Barry Keoghan
Art student Spencer Reinhard is played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan. After moving from bit parts in television to small roles in low-budget movies, 2017 became his breakout year. He was featured as part of the high-profile ensemble cast of Dunkirk and turned in a performance netting superb reviews and a handful of award nominations in the quirkier independent film The Killing of a Sacred Deer. In addition to appearing in the highly praised HBO miniseries Chernobyl, Keoghan came to the attention of his largest audience yet with his unbilled cameo as the Joker in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The subsequent release of an extended deleted scene between Batman and the Joker on YouTube which failed to make the final cut of the movie created high expectations for Keoghan’s Joker to appear as on-screen in a more substantial role at some point in a later sequel in the franchise.
Evan Peters
Evan Peters plays a student attending college with Reinhard while on athletic scholarship. The heist at the center of the plot is stimulated by this friendship. The St. Louis native got his initial start in the business through television, appearing as a regular on several shows including the Disney Channel favorite, Phil of the Future. Guest roles on some of the hottest crime dramas of the time followed, including Monk, Criminals Minds, and The Mentalist, followed. Although Peters has appeared in a few other theatrical movies, his career has mostly blossomed through the relatively new introduction to American TV programming of the limited series. He has played a variety of different characters on multiple seasons of American Horror Story and nabbed an Emmy award for his performance in Mare of Easttown. In 2022, he was cast in his most significant role to date, playing the title role of the notorious serial killer in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story in yet another limited series.
Blake Jenner
The role of the getaway driver in this heist story is played by Blake Jenner. After a series of low-profile roles in several short films, Jenner hit the jackpot twice by not only landing a role in the wildly popular TV series Glee, but by marrying co-star (and future Supergirl) Melissa Benoist. The marriage would help Jenner land a couple of guest appearances on his wife's show, but Benoist went public with stories of domestic abuse. Jenner later confirmed that these incidents occurred during their short marriage. His career trajectory since appearing in American Animals has all but stalled, dominated mainly by voice work in video games.
Jared Abrahamson
Jared Abrahamson plays a fourth member of the student gang who is directly responsible for the heist failing to go off as planned. The actor’s early career was dominated by appearances in short films and made-for-TV movies. As of 2022, his finest reviews have been for his performance in the 2016 theatrical film, Hello Destroyer. Following a series of appearances in low-budget films, peaking with American Animals, he was cast in the Netflix series Travelers in the central role of Trevor Holden.
Ann Dowd
The attempted heist upon which the film is based took place at one of the most unlikely of locations: Transylvania University library’s rare book collection. Ann Dowd plays Betty Jean Gooch, the unfortunate librarian who was attacked with a stun gun by Warren Lipka and restrained from seeking help by being tied up by the two. Dowd has been acting in film and television since 1985, appearing in such high-profile films as the Oscar-winning Philadelphia as well as the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Her TV credits include guest roles on The X-Files, As the World Turns, and Law & Order. In 2017, she won an Emmy for playing Aunt Lydia on The Handmaid’s Tale.
