Logan Lerman
Charlie is the main character in the movie, a shy boy who is dark and likable at the same time. Lerman received universal acclaim from critics for his performance, which made Charlie immediately likable but held on to his inner darkness until the big reveal at the end of the movie. He was also praised for creating a teen character who would also resonate with adults as well as kids. Previously best known as a child actor in the "Percy Jackson" series of adventures (think Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones) Lerman was nominated for Best Youth Performance at the Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Awards, and as Best Young Performer by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. He won the Best Actor Award at the Teen Choice Awards, and along with Emma Watson received an MTV Award nomination for Best Kiss.
Lerman has always considered himself to be the black sheep of the Lerman family since he is the only actor; everyone else in the family works in the medical profession.
Emma Watson
As wild and uninhibited teen Sam, Emma Watson managed to shake off the Hermione Grainger cloak that movie goers everywhere seemed to expect her to wear into middle age. Watson manages to create a young woman in Sam who is aware that she is at a crossroads in her life, and is a former bad-ish girl trying to reinvent herself before she heads off to college. She received many nominations for awards for her performance as Sam, most notably as Best Supporting Actress at many Film Critics Society Awards, including Boston, San Diego and Phoenix. She also won the People's Choice Award for Best Movie Actress.
As well as her work as an actress, Watson is also a model for British fashion house Burberry, and has developed a fashion line for People Tree. She is the founder of He For She, an activist group dedicated to gender equality.
Ezra Miller
Although Lerman had the main role in the movie, the breakout star was Ezra Miller, who received many accolades for his performance as Patrick. Miller had already made a splash as the uptight teen psychopath in the movie "We Need To Talk About Kevin" and followed it up by creating a character who was Kevin's polar opposite; widely regarded as the scene stealer of the movie, Miller received both nominations and awards aplenty, most notably as Best Supporting Actor at many regional film critics society awards, and also as Best Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Awards. Since this performance he has played cameo roles in many of the DC comics adaptations to hit the big screen, including Suicide Squad, and later played a leading role in Justice League.
Nina Dobrev
Dobrev creates a sensitive and confused sister to Charlie in the movie, her own emotional and relationship problems constantly on the back burner whilst her brother's mental health is addressed by her worried parents. Dobrev was better known as a television actress before winning the role of Candace, starring in "Degrassi : The Next Generation" before landing a regular role on "The Vampire Diaries".
Johnny Simmons
Arguably the most successful "child star" of the cast, Emma Watson apart, Simmons had already notched up a significant resume before bringing closeted football star Brad to life in this movie. His big break came when he was cast as one of Steve Carrell's children in "Evan Almighty" and he followed up this early success with several successful movies, most notably in the comedy "Hotel For Dogs". He received critical acclaim for portraying a realistic high school jock whose confusion over his own sexuality is not helped in any way by his status as the most popular athlete in the school.
Paul Rudd
To the generation of women who swooned over Paul Rudd in the Alicia Silverstone rom-com "Clueless", it is hard to picture him as an English teacher. His turn as Mr Anderson, the kindly teacher who befriends Charlie when it becomes apparent that nobody else is going to bother, is actually one of his lesser known cameo performances, coming the year after his second movie with Steve Carrell, "Dinner For Schmucks". He rounded out 2012 with another comedy, this time opposite Zoey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer, which also starred Elizabeth Banks. Rudd received good reviews for his role as Bill Anderson, and was also introduced to a younger generation of movie goers.
Kate Walsh
Best known for her role on "Grey's Anatomy" and for her spin-off show "Private Practice", Walsh plays Charlie's mother in this movie, telling interviewers that her early career experience as an English teacher in Japan was a well for her to draw on when it came to portraying a woman trying desperately to understand her teenage son, but failing to do so.
Dylan McDermott
Best known as a television actor, McDermott received a multitude of awards for his role in the legal drama series "The Practice", and subsequently for "American Horror Story", but it was alongside Julia Roberts in the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias" that he was introduced to movie audiences. As Charlie's father, McDermott brings to life a well-meaning and desperate father who wants to understand his son, but who is frustrated at his inability to do so.
Joan Cusack
Academy Award nominated Cusack is probably best known for her role as Cyn alongside Melanie Griffith in the hit movie "Working Girl", and younger audiences might recognize her voice as that of Jessie in the "Toy Story" franchise. She was also a member of the Saturday Night Live cast in 1985 and 1986. There is no comedy in her role as Dr Burton, but there is the raw and insightful openness that Cusack brings to all her characters. She creates a doctor who is clearly brilliant yet at the same time aware of how little she knows about mental illness.
