STEVE CARELL (Evan Baxter)
MORGAN FREEMAN (God)
LAUREN GRAHAM (Joan Baxter)
JOHN GOODMAN (Congressman Long)
JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS (Marty)
JIMMY BENNETT (Ryan Baxter)
WANDA SYKES (Rita)
JONAH HILL (Eugene)
MOLLY SHANNON (Eve Adams)
GRAHAM PHILLIPS (Jordan Baxter)
JOHNNY SIMMONS (Dylan Baxter)

ABOUT THE CAST

STEVE CARELL (Evan Baxter) has emerged as one of the most sought after comedic actors in Hollywood. First gaining recognition for his contributions as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Carell has successfully segued into primetime television and above-the-title status in the film world with equal aplomb.

Carell opened his first lead feature, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow, at number one, a spot it remained in for two straight weekends. The surprise hit of 2005 went on to gross more than $175 million worldwide and had number one openings in 12 countries. The success of the film has continued, as it has also generated over $100 million in DVD sales in North America alone. On an award level, the film was honored with an AFI Award (named one of the 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year) and took home Best Comedy Movie at the 11th annual Critics’ Choice Awards. The film also earned Carell and Apatow a co-nomination for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America.

Carell currently stars in the Americanized adaptation of the acclaimed British television series The Office. In its third season, the show continues to flourish in the ratings and has earned Carell an Emmy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy. In 2006, Carell earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Michael Scott, the pompous and deluded boss of a Pennsylvania paper company.

This fall, Carell will star opposite Juliette Binoche as the title character in the romantic comedy Dan in Real Life. Next summer, he is set to star in the much- anticipated action-comedy from creator Mel Brooks, Get Smart, opposite Anne Hathaway.

In 2006, as part of an ensemble, he starred in Little Miss Sunshine, which earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture and won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The black comedy, also starring Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette, was released last summer. Previous film credits for the actor include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Bruce Almighty and Bewitched.

Born in Massachusetts, Carell now resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Nancy Walls (NBC’s Saturday Night Live), whom he met while at the Second City Theatre Group in Chicago, where both were members. He is the proud father of a daughter and a son.

MORGAN FREEMAN’s (God) extensive feature film credits include Brubaker, Eyewitness, Harry & Son, Teachers, Marie, That Was Then…This Is Now, Street Smart (for which he won the Los Angeles, New York and National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor of 1987, and was nominated for both Golden Globe and Academy Awards®), Clean and Sober, Johnny Handsome, Glory, Driving Miss Daisy (for which Freeman earned his second Academy Award® nomination as well as a Golden Globe Award and Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival in recreating the role that he created on stage), Chain Reaction and Paramount’s adventure Hard Rain. In 1993, Freeman made his feature directorial debut with Bopha!, starring Danny Glover and Alfre Woodard and soon thereafter formed Revelations Entertainment, a production company developing entertainment product in all existing and emerging media that “enlightens, inspires and glorifies the human experience.”

The Shawshank Redemption, based on a Stephen King novella, brought Freeman his third Academy Award® nomination. He also starred as abolitionist Theodore Joadson in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad; as the President of the United States in the box- office hit Deep Impact; and opposite Ashley Judd in the highly successful thriller Kiss the Girls. Neil LaBute’s Nurse Betty, which saw Freeman performing with Chris Rock and

Renée Zellweger, was released to critical acclaim in 2000. Freeman then reprised his Kiss the Girls role as Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider, which was a box-office smash in the spring of 2001. Freeman again starred with Ashley Judd in Carl Franklin’s High Crimes; performed opposite Ben Affleck in the hit action thriller The Sum of All Fears, based on the Tom Clancy novel; starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton, Kirsten Dunst and Holly Hunter in the independent film Levity, which was selected to open the 2003 Sundance Film Festival; performed in Dreamcatcher, also based on a work by Stephen King; and The Big Bounce, a thriller based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Freeman costarred in Clint

Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, a SAG Award and an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor.

Other recent credits include Luc Besson’s Unleashed, opposite Jet Li; An Unfinished Life, opposite Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez; Batman Begins; and the Academy Award®-nominated March of the Penguins, which he narrated. Freeman most recently starred in Lucky Number Slevin, with Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett; 10 Items or Less, with Paz Vega; and The Contract, with John Cusack. Recently, he finished production on Rob Reiner’s The Bucket List, co-starring Jack Nicholson.

Currently, Freeman is filming the fantasy-thriller Wanted for Universal Pictures, with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy; and will reprise his role as Lucius Fox in the next installment of the Batman series for Warner Bros., The Dark Knight.

For her critically acclaimed portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, LAUREN GRAHAM (Joan Baxter) has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for best actress in a drama series, a Screen Actors Guild Award for female actor in a drama series and two Television Critics Association Awards for individual achievement in drama and comedy. Additionally, she has earned two Teen Choice Awards for Choice Parental Unit, a best actress nod from Viewers for Quality Television and an award for best actress in a drama from the Family Friendly Programming Forum and was recently honored by Planned Parenthood as a Champion of Choice for her work with family issues on and off screen.

This spring, Graham co-starred with Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore and Piper Perabo in the successful romantic comedy Because I Said So.

Graham’s additional feature film roles include the dark comedy Bad Santa, opposite Billy Bob Thornton; The Pacifier, opposite Vin Diesel; The Amateurs, opposite Jeff Bridges and Tim Blake Nelson; Warner Bros.’ Sweet November, starring Keanu Reeves; the thriller Nightwatch, starring Patricia Arquette and Ewan McGregor; and as Renée Zellweger’s best friend and confidante in the Meryl Streep drama One True Thing.

In addition to Gilmore Girls, Graham’s list of television credits includes parts in Caroline in the City, NewsRadio, Law & Order, Seinfeld, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Conrad Bloom and Townies.

In 2002, Graham made a notable appearance on stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival starring in Once in a Lifetime, the 1929 comedy about the advent of motion pictures.

Growing up an avid equestrian in northern Virginia, she attended Barnard College in New York, where she majored in English. She then earned a master’s of fine arts in acting from Southern Methodist University.

Graham currently lives in Los Angeles.

JOHN GOODMAN (Congressman Long) remembers the day in 1975 when he left St. Louis for New York, armed only with a degree in fine arts from Southwest Missouri State University, $1,000 his brother had lent him and a dream of being a professional actor. He didn’t want to look back 15 years later and say, “I wonder if I could have...” He made the rounds, worked odd jobs and just tried to keep busy. He’s been quite busy ever since.

Today, Goodman is one of the entertainment industry’s most respected actors. He earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1992 for his chilling performance in the Coen brothers’ heralded Barton Fink. Coincidentally, Goodman’s breakthrough motion picture performance was in Raising Arizona, also a Coen brothers’ film. He has since teamed with them for The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Goodman is currently filming Speed Racer, based on the classic 1960s Japanese animated series, with Susan Sarandon. He recently completed production on the film Death Sentence, for 20th Century Fox, opposite Kevin Bacon; and lent his vocal talents to DreamWorks’ animated film Bee Movie, due out this November.

Goodman has lent his voice to numerous additional animated films including Monsters, Inc., The Emperor’s New Groove, Tales of the Rat Fink and The Jungle Book 2. He also voiced one of the main characters in NBC’s animated series Father of the Pride.

Goodman was raised in St. Louis by his mother, his father having passed away when John was two years old. As a tall, broad-shouldered teenager, he attended Affton High School, where he dedicated himself to football (his team won one game). He intended to play football at Southwest Missouri State University but injured a knee and was forced to sit out a year. Goodman spent that year studying drama with fellow students Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper. He never returned to football and graduated in 1975 with a BFA in theater.

Goodman’s stage credits include many dinner theater and children’s theater productions, as well as several off-Broadway plays. His regional theater credits include Henry IV (Part I and Part II), Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It. He performed in a road production of The Robber Bridegroom and starred in two Broadway shows— Loose Ends in 1979 and Big River in 1985.

In 2002, Goodman starred on Broadway in the Public Theatre’s Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. In 2001, he starred in the Shakespeare in the Park production of The Seagull.

Goodman’s additional film credits include Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, Beyond the Sea, Masked and Anonymous, Storytelling, Coyote Ugly, What Planet Are Your From?, One Night at McCool’s, Bringing Out the Dead, Fallen, The Borrowers, Blues Brothers 2000, The Runner, The Flintstones, Mother Night, Arachnophobia, Always, Pie in the Sky, Born Yesterday, Matinee, The Babe, King Ralph, Punchline, Everybody’s All-American, Sea of Love, Stella, Eddie Macon’s Run, C.H.U.D., Revenge of the Nerds, Maria’s Lovers, Sweet Dreams, True Stories, The Big Easy, Burglar and The Wrong Guys.

Goodman made his small-screen debut in the HBO production Mystery of the Moro Castle. Since then, he has given many acclaimed television performances. For eight seasons, he played Dan Conner in Roseanne, a role that earned him seven Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. He received Emmy nominations for his starring role in TNT’s Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long and for his role as Mitch in the CBS production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. He also starred in the HBO film The Jack Bull.

Though he prefers to think of New York as a home base, Goodman, his wife, Annabeth, and their young daughter, Molly, reside in New Orleans. He has sold his New York apartment, which he still refers to as a “hunting lodge.” He says, “It’s a place I visited once a year. The bathtub is in the kitchen. I’ve had this place since the mid-’70s, and I really didn’t want to give it up.”

The New York Times has called JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS (Marty) “one of the most skilled actors of his generation.” An incredibly diverse artist, audiences are often surprised by his chameleon-like character changes. The guy who played David Letterman in the highly acclaimed HBO film The Late Shift is indeed the same guy who played the flamboyantly gay Shih Tzu handler Scott Donlon in Christopher Guest’s blockbuster comedy Best in Show.

Higgins has recently finished principal photography on Warner Bros.’ Joe Claus, for director David Dobkin, co-starring Vince Vaughn, Kevin Spacey and Dame Judi Dench.

Last summer, he starred in Universal Pictures’ The Break-Up, with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston; last fall, he was part of the ensemble in Warner Independent’s For Your Consideration, the latest Christopher Guest film.

He recently starred in Sony’s Fun With Dick and Jane, opposite Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni. In addition to co-starring in Christopher Guest’s comic triumph A Mighty Wind, Higgins also wrote the razor-sharp parody songs and created the complex vocal and instrumental arrangements for the film and the bestselling soundtrack.

In addition to his film work, Higgins has starred in the title role of the Lincoln Center/Broadway premiere of the A.R. Gurney play Big Bill, a searing drama about the fall from grace of the great American tennis champion Bill Tilden—a role Higgins reprised from his Williamstown Theatre Festival triumph, where he is a popular fixture. Higgins also provides countless over-the-top voices for Cartoon Network’s Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and for Fox’s CGI animated show Game Over.

In Los Angeles, Higgins is a much sought-after actor for regular roles on pilots, as well as guest-starring roles on various series—such as his recurring role on Fox’s recent comedy, the critically acclaimed Arrested Development.

JIMMY BENNETT (Ryan Baxter) is a multi-talented 11-year-old who has worked with some of Hollywood’s heavyweights. Most recently, he co-starred in Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon, alongside Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Josh Lucas; and Firewall, with Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen. Bennett was also seen in The Amityville Horror, for producer Michael Bay, and starred opposite Bruce Willis in Miramax’s Hostage. In addition, his voice can be heard in Warner Bros’ The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks.

His other film credits include Asia Argento’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things Else, for Muse Films and based on the J.T. Leroy novel, and Daddy Day Care, with Eddie Murphy.

Bennett also worked on the hit WB television series Everwood and has appeared in the miniseries Detective, for the Hallmark Channel; CSI; Judging Amy; The Guardian; and Strong Medicine. In addition, he has voiced characters for some of the more popular children’s movies in recent history, including I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown; Fun With Roo (ABCs and 123s); and Springtime With Roo.

When not acting, he loves soccer, skateboarding, swimming, listening to heavy metal music and playing the guitar. Bennett resides with his parents and older sister in Huntington Beach, California.

WANDA SYKES (Rita) has been called “one of the funniest stand up comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. Her smart-witted stand-up has sent her career in many different areas.

She was last seen co-starring with Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman in the romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend and in the New Line feature Monster-in-Law, opposite Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, and was recently heard in the animated features Over the Hedge, for DreamWorks, and Barnyard, for Paramount Pictures. She also recently guest starred on The New Adventures of Old Christine and on NBC’s Will & Grace. She was seen on Comedy Central’s Wanda Does It, where she tried various non- showbiz jobs. Her first book, titled “Yeah, I Said It” and published by Simon & Schuster, hit bookstores in September 2004. “Yeah, I Said It” is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and current events.

In fall 2003 she was seen on Fox’s Wanda at Large, which she wrote and produced and in which she starred. She also starred in a one-hour Comedy Central special titled Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied. In addition, she was recently seen on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and heard on Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers as the voice of Gladys Murphy.

Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and raised in Maryland. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Hampton University. Her stand-up career began at a Coors Light super talent showcase in Washington, D.C., where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience.

She spent five years as part of HBO’s critically acclaimed The Chris Rock Show. As a performer and writer on the show, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmys and, in 1999, won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand- Up Comic. She won two more Emmys—one in 2002 and one in 2004—for her work on Inside the NFL. In 2003, Sykes earned a Comedy Central Commie Award for Funniest TV Actress. Other writing credits include the MTV 1999 Music Video Awards, the MTV Movie Awards, the 74th Annual Academy Awards®, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show and Wanda at Large.

She has also appeared in the feature films Clerks II, Pootie Tang, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and Down to Earth.

In the short time since he debuted his penchant for dramatic comedy with the one- scene plays he wrote and performed at the gritty Black & White bar in New York City, JONAH HILL (Eugene) has already worked alongside many of the most sought-after actors, directors and producers in Hollywood. His first feature film was I Heart Huckabees, with Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin for director David O. Russell. He then secured a small role in Judd Apatow’s summer comedy hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin, with Steve Carell; and after a meeting with Adam Sandler, a small part for him was written into the feature Click. Last year, Hill was seen opposite Justin Long in the teen comedy Accepted.

This summer is quite busy for Hill, with three big comedies being released. In addition to Evan Almighty, he is currently co-starring in Knocked Up, Judd Apatow’s latest project for Universal Pictures, opposite Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen.

Finally, teaming again with Apatow, Hill—in his first leading-man role—will star in Superbad. Premiering in August and co-starring Michael Cera and Bill Hader, the story centers on two high school students (Hill and Cera) as they attempt to get alcohol for their last high school party in hopes of attracting women. Their separation anxiety takes center stage, however, as during the hijinks of the evening the boys realize this is their last adventure together before they go to separate colleges.

Next up for Hill is the comedy The Middle Child, which he both wrote and will star in for Apatow Productions. Loosely based on his own childhood, of having a sister born when he was a teenager, the film is set for a 2008 release.

Hill also appears in two independent projects. In the first, Strange Wilderness, he co-stars with Steve Zahn, Justin Long and Ashley Scott. One Part Sugar stars Hill as a confused teenager who turns to a life of buying and selling drugs when he finds out the man who raised him (Dylan Walsh) is not his biological father.

Previously, Hill was seen in the independent feature 10 Items or Less, starring Morgan Freeman, for director Brad Silberling. He was also in Grandma’s Boy for 20th Century Fox and Happy Madison Productions, and he had a recurring role in the improvisational television series Campus Ladies, a comedy from executive producer Cheryl Hines and the co-executive producers of Reno 911!

MOLLY SHANNON (Eve Adams) has successfully segued from television to the silver screen and has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought after talents. She can currently be seen starring in Year of the Dog, for writer/director Mike White. The very busy Shannon recently appeared in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ comedy Little Man, as well as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, with Will Ferrell, and had a cameo in the box-office smash Scary Movie 4. In addition, Shannon was recently featured in two independent films, Sue Kramer’s Gray Matters and Bruce Leddy’s Sing Now or Forever Hold Your Peace.

Among Shannon’s most memorable moments on film are her portrayal of Betty Lou Who in Ron Howard’s worldwide blockbuster Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and her title role in Paramount’s hit comedy Superstar, portraying everybody’s favorite Catholic schoolgirl, Mary Katherine Gallagher—a character Shannon created during her days on Saturday Night Live.

Additional feature film credits include A Night at the Roxbury, a spinoff of the popular head-bopping, nightclubbing brothers sketch on Saturday Night Live; Warner Bros.’ comedy Analyze This, opposite Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro; Todd Solondz’s controversial Happiness; and Fox 2000’s Never Been Kissed, opposite Drew Barrymore.

Additional credits include the CGI/live-action comedy Good Boy!; My Boss’s Daughter; Miramax’s romantic comedy Serendipity, opposite John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale; the animated comedy Osmosis Jones, co-starring Bill Murray; the independent feature film Wet Hot American Summer, opposite Janeane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce; and a cameo role in Disney’s The Santa Clause 2, opposite Tim Allen.

On television, Shannon was last seen opposite Christopher MacDonald and Jason Schwartzman in the offbeat comedy series Cracking Up. She also starred in the USA Network original film 12 Days of Christmas Eve and appeared in the remake of the classic musical The Music Man, co-starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.

Her television series credits include multiple guest appearances on Will & Grace and Sex and the City, among many others. Additionally, Shannon spent six seasons as a member of the repertory company on Saturday Night Live, primarily known for the eclectic characters she created. In addition to Mary Katherine Gallagher, she is also praised for her parodies of Courtney Love, Liza Minnelli, Monica Lewinsky and Meredith Vieira, roles that continue to be a highlight among the revitalized ensemble cast.

Prior to joining SNL, she appeared at the Up Front Comedy Theater in Los Angeles in The Rob and Molly Show, an improvisational show she co-wrote with Rob Muir.

Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Shannon earned a BFA in drama from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She currently lives in Los Angeles and New York.

GRAHAM PHILLIPS (Jordan Baxter) recently returned to his home in Laguna Beach, California, from months on location working on several projects. He was in New York City, where he played the title role in The Little Prince with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. The New York Times called Phillips’ performance as the Little Prince “smashing.” From there, Phillips went directly into the world premiere of An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera, where he played the part of Young Clyde, both opening and closing the opera with a solo.

Phillips’ other professional stage productions include A Christmas Carol—The Musical on Broadway, performed at Madison Square Garden, where he sang the role of Tiny Tim to Jim Dale’s Scrooge; and The Ten Commandments—The Musical, with Val Kilmer at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. Phillips, at 10 years old, was the youngest person to sing the national anthem to open a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game. He has also debuted original songs composed by Martin Charnin and John Kander in New York.

Phillips’ television credits include Crossing Jordan, Judging Amy, King of Queens and a Hallmark Movie titled Love’s Long Journey, as well as appearing twice on the Today show as a soloist.

Phillips has recorded a solo composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz for the film Noel, starring Robin Williams and Susan Sarandon. He also was a soloist on Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell 3 album.

Currently, Phillips is set to start production on Ben 10. This television film is based on the popular kids animated show and will mark the first time that Cartoon Network has presented a live-action movie. Phillips is set to play the lead role, Ben.

JOHNNY SIMMONS (Dylan Baxter) is quickly gaining momentum in his burgeoning acting career. With a handful of auditions to his credit, Simmons impressed Tom Shadyac enough to win the role of Evan Baxter’s eldest son and make his acting debut in Evan Almighty.

Born in Dallas, the 19-year-old arrived in Los Angeles prepared. At the early age of 12, the acting bug bit him. Even at that age, he knew he would come to California when he turned 18. He spent his teen years finding an agent who would help him get his SAG card, so he would be able to work immediately upon his arrival in L.A.

Only after a handful of auditions, Simmons has found himself breaking down doors that it takes most actors a lifetime to open. Getting down to the wire on a few huge franchise studio pictures before landing his current gig makes Johnny definitely one to watch as Hollywood’s newest rising young star.

Currently, Simmons is in production on the horror film Boogeyman 2.