There are many wonderful elements in Be Cool, but perhaps the most enjoyable aspect is the film's vast array of talent. The mixture of both new and veteran actors is the secret ingredient that gives this film its punch.

No stranger to the silver screen, The Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) chooses to flex his comedic muscle by playing the role of Elliot Wilhelm, a personal bodyguard (who happens to be gay) determined to make it in show business (think Lucille Ball meets Vin Diesel). When asked about his departure from the epic roles his audience is so used to seeing him in, he answers, “I didn’t take the role specifically to get away from the action drama, I took the role because it was a challenge. You hear this all the time with actors -- how they are always waiting for that role where they could be fearless and jump off the cliff. For me it was this role. I saw an opportunity to play a guy that was conflicted in a world he didn’t want to be in, and at the same time felt like he had something to offer the world through song and through dance. He's a gay man who's proud, and by the end of the movie he embraces [it] even more. And not only that, in terms of drawing from things in my own life, I connected with Elliot. Here is this inspiring actor -- that was me five years ago! Here is a guy who really doesn’t have any money -- that was me eight years ago!”

The Rock illustrates the ways in which Elliot’s experiences were analogous with his own climb to stardom, so it is easy to see how the two relate. But how can The Rock identify with Elliot’s homosexuality?

"Well, I was lucky in my life -- I have had many positive gay influences. My mentor for many many many years is a strong, proud, steadfast, truthful gay man who, by the way, I’ve literally seen kick a lot of people's asses. And I say that not as if he is a violent man -- he was a formal professional wrestler.”

Elliot is a very whimsical and dynamic character who flirts with typical gay stereotypes throughout the movie. Unfortunately, not everyone has a sense of humor, and there is a possibility that gay rights activists might take The Rock’s portrayal negatively.

“I hope [they don’t] because it was important for me from the get go," The Rock states. "I didn’t want to turn anything into a mockery or Saturday Night Live skit, but [instead] dry play it as straight as I possibly could... no pun intended [smiles]. It goes back to my ideology and my interpretation of what being a gay man is and the strength of that and bringing it over to Elliot. I think the audience and the fans will be very supportive because at the end of the day I’ve always wanted to entertain and I think they will just appreciate me taking on the role.”

As Raji, Vince Vaughn also gets the opportunity to transform himself into a very memorable and out-of-the-ordinary character.

"Raji is very unique in his own way," Vaughn states. "He’s a guy who takes on a whole sort of hip-hop vernacular and dress as a sort of identity. I always saw Raji as someone who was not very tough and very insecure, who’s created a reality for himself that he felt safe within."

To bring the character to life, Vaughn rented DVDs of Sanford and Son and Good Times to authenticate Raji’s facade. “For me, it was watching stuff that I would imagine Raji would have been exposed to and watched and sort of built his persona off of. Then as an actor, for comic purposes, I would push it a little further than if it was a straight drama.”

Vaughn pushed it so far that co-star Christina Milian reported, “Vince stayed in character all day!”

“Vince was great to work with,” says The Rock. “I’ve known Vince for a little while now and we talked about doing something together and had this opportunity. Vince Vaughn is one of the few actors in Hollywood who is taller than I am! He’s 6-foot-5, and looking up at this Jewish character dressing like a pimp, it's so funny. Gary (director and executive producer) had given us a lot of leeway in the scenes to improvise and ad-lib and just go for it.”

Cedric the Entertainer, who plays Sin LaSalle the famed music producer, agrees. “Gary knows actors enjoy taking little liberties to build backstories and all that stuff. He’ll say, ‘All right, this is yours. Go ahead, go free -- do your thing.’ That makes it pretty cool.”

“My character has so many contradictions,” continues Cedric, whose character, much like Raji, also combines opposing cultural stereotypes. "He’s weird. He went to Wharton but he’s thugged out. He’s a father, but you know he’ll whip out his pistol and smack you out of nowhere. I thought it was casting out of the box, and I commend Gary for that."

Cedric is another actor we see taking on a role outside of his traditional typecast.

“I thought it was a unique role for me to play," he states. "Plus it was villainous. I’m always the good guy, but in this movie I’m gonna kick ass.”

The movie industry is always looking for fresh faces, and for Be Cool they found their face in Andre Benjamin, who music fans know and love as Andre 3000 from OutKast.

“This man is a revelation -- he is so gifted as a comedian," praises John Travolta. "I love his music, but I almost love him more as a performer. He knocks my socks off... he’s hilarious in the movie.”

Benjamin admits that he was a little apprehensive about the part when first approached by F. Gary Gray to play the role of Dabu. He didn’t want to be typecast since this was his acting debut. After some convincing from his longtime friend and co-worker, he accepted the part.

“I trusted Gary and I’ve had a lot of fun playing Dabu, an over-the-top thug,” Benjamin states.

Readers will be surprised to find out that Benjamin has known Gray for over 10 years. "Gary worked on our second video off OutKast’s first album in 1994,” says Benjamin. "We were all coming up at the same time. We ran into one another on a video set some years later and he said, ‘I’m gonna look out for you. I’ve got some projects coming up, so just stay tuned.’ I think it’s been four years since then, and he’s now a director extraordinaire.”

F. Gary Gray and Andre Benjamin are not the only members of Be Cool who are reunited in the film. Audience favorites John Travolta and Uma Thurman team up once again.

“I found the script incredibly funny and enjoyable,” Thurman says, “but the main initial hook was to team up with John again. We had such a great time 10 years ago, and when I read through the dance scene I felt like I’d been there before. To dance with John Travolta is just so much fun. John is the best partner that you could get to dance with in the whole world. He makes it so easy. He’s so passionate and he had so much fun dancing that even though I was shyer and a lot less confident, it really let me go and just have the time of my life dancing with him.”

Thrilled to be working aside Thurman again, John comments, “Uma and I are very comfortable together onscreen, and in Be Cool we’re playing very different characters than we played in Pulp Fiction. In Pulp Fiction we were basically playing two people that were hell-bent for death, and in Be Cool we’re playing two people that are cool and rugged, cool-bent for life.”

Without a doubt Chili Palmer is totally cool; he’s confident, calm and never lets anyone rustle his feathers. But unlike a typical loan shark, Chili has a distinct morality -- he’s a gentleman’s gangster. Is Chili too moral for the cutthroat movie and music industries?

“Morality is subjective,” says Travolta. "I think Chili has a sense of fairness and a sense of justice. His approach to both may be a bit unorthodox, but he has an innate sense of justice and at the end of the day Chili Palmer is a good guy.”

Good guy and all, Chili never lets a good opportunity pass him by. “Chili always takes advantage of an opportunity,” says Travolta, “giving two things consideration: is it appropriate to take advantage, and is it fair and just? He’s just clever that way. Chili never really worries about anything. He’s a created character that’s based on confidence, and even if he’s not particularly confident in a certain instance, you’d never know it. He’s always analyzing how to get in and out of situations in a very cool way.”

There are very few movies that can successfully craft such a talented team of actors who, in the film, take on such dynamic and equally sensational roles. Collectively, the cast and crew have formulated a pop culture favorite with Be Cool, one that will be resonating in audiences' memories for years to come.

Be Cool is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Check out the film's trailer at www.becoolmovie.com.