Who Are the Fly Young Stars of Netflix's 'The Get Down'?

The heavyweight of old - schoolhouse hip - hop progress a culture atop four pillars : DJing , MCing , break - dancing , and graffiti art . Similarly , Netflix’sThe Get Down , a supercharged play chronicle the music genre ’s phylogenesis , is the sum of parts . act character , to be exact . Moulin Rougedirector Baz Luhrmann found singers , dancers , and supercharged personality to make his series as unquestionable as possible . Not everyone in the cast is a name , but each one is a talent . Here ’s what you require to know about these breaking ( out ) stars :

Justice Smith

On the show : Smith play tether character Ezekiel , a tidings - slinging , piano - playing Bronx kid with prodigious poetic skills , a knack for bother , and serious girl problems . In real life : The 21 - year - old Smith grew up in Orange County , where he jump into act in his teen geezerhood . After a few commercial and kid - centric roles , the player shore his big role in last twelvemonth ’s vernal - adult romantic dramaPaper Towns .

Shameik Moore

On the show : Moore plays " Shaolin Fantastic , " a wannabe DJ / kung - fu break - professional dancer who recruits Ezekiel for vocals . In real animation : The 21 - year - old Georgia native go after hip - record hop dancing as a tiddler and only transitioned to acting after landing a part on Tyler Perry ’s sitcomHouse of Payne . Several conk out Disney and Nickelodeon auditions later , Moore nabbed the lead role in the offense caperDope , a 2015 Sundance Film Festival prison-breaking ; he also bestow vocals for several Pharrell - produced song on its soundtrack .

Herizen F. Guardiola

On the show : Guardiola spiel Mylene , an seraphic Isaac Merrit Singer - professional dancer who dreams of stardom and combat her Pentecostal father for control over her life . In tangible life : The Get Downis the first act persona for Guardiola , a vocalizer - ballad maker whoreceivednews that she ’d won the part just day before her high school prom . A year and a half later , she was walk the Met Gala carpet and snappingselfieswith Taylor Swift . life sentence , world .

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

On the show : He plays Cadillac , a disco - dance gangster who could be Mylene ’s way to the top – or bottom . In real liveliness : Abdul - Mateen II , a Berkeley architecture graduate , ditchedhis career a few years ago to prosecute acting . He enrolled in the Yale School of Drama and notice himself performing at major house fete before Luhrmann tap him as the strutting mafioso . Next summer , the 29 - year - previous player will appear in his first movie : Baywatch , opposite the Rock .

Jaden Smith

On the show : Jaden plays Marcus , Ezekiel ’s experiential , graffiti - obsess chum . In real aliveness : You may not have recognized Will Smith ’s son dressed in " normal " clothes – i.e. ,not a white Batman costume . The star ofKarate KidandAfter Earthreturns to acting after a brief stretch as Twitter’spop philosopher .

Tremaine Brown Jr.

On the show : Brown Jr. play Boo - Boo , an adventurous member of Ezekiel and Shaolin Fantastic ’s group . In actual life : Last October , one ofThe Get Down ’s casting directors fancy the 15 - class - quondam aspiring knocker perform on the a New York City metro ; a few month later , he try out for Luhrmann . It go well for the South Bronx occupier , as you may have guessed .

Skylan Brooks

On the show : Brooks play Ra - Ra , Ezekiel ’s wingman in all base on balls of life . In real living : A veteran compare to his co - ace , the 17 - year - erstwhile LA implication have got his own opposite Anthony Mackie and Jennifer Hudson inthe criminally underrate 2013 come - of - age dramaThe Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete . He ’s since seem inSouthpawwith Jake Gyllenhaal .

Mamoudou Athie

On the show : Athie have on the daunting task of playing Grandmaster Flash , the hip - hops caption who becomes Shaolin Fantastic ’s Yoda . In existent animation : This 27 - yr - old is living the New York role player ’s dream . Last year , Athie made his stagecoach debut paired Diane Lane and Tony Shalhoub inThe Mystery of Love and Sex . He also appeared briefly in an episode ofMadame Secretary . The Get Downmarks his first regular series , though he ’ll appear diametric Emma Watson , John Boyega , and Tom Hanks in the coming adaption of Dave Eggers’The Circle .

The Get Down actors