We're about halfway through November, so you know what that means. It's time to get the holiday festivities rolling. Christmas music is playing on the radio, seasonal decorations are being hung with care, and we're going to get a steady stream of holiday-themed movies and shows in the days and weeks ahead. For Netflix, that includes the debut of this latest streaming exclusive, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, which is a brand-new Christmas fantasy musical starring Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, and Ricky Martin, to name only a few stars involved.
If you find yourself wondering where you've seen these familiar faces or fresh newcomers, we're here to help. Here's where you've seen Netflix's Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey's cast before.
Madalen Mills (Journey Jangle)
As our young protagonist, Journey Jangle, the granddaughter of Jeronicus who has spent little time with her very elusive inventor grandfather, Madalen Mills plays the lead role in Netflix's new Christmas musical. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey isn't merely Madalen Mills' first starring role but it's also her professional acting debut. It's the first acting credit, and she was only seen in reality TV series Reality Cupcakes prior to this performance. Thus, it's more-likely-than-not that Jingle Jangle might be the first thing you see this child actress in — though she has already filmed her second role, The Tiger Rising, a family film which also co-stars Katharine McPhee, Dennis Quaid, and Queen Latifah.
Forest Whitaker (Jeronicus Jangle)
Playing the part of Jeronicus Jangle, a genius-but-troubled toymaker who's no longer the inventor he once was, Forest Whitaker plays the lead adult role in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
An Oscar-winning actor for portraying Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker is also the star of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Bird, Vantage Point, and Black Nativity, and he has prominent supporting roles in The Crying Game, Arrival, Bloodsport, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Color of Money, Street Kings, Where the Wild Things Are, Taken 3, Southpaw, The Last Stand, Phone Booth, Panic Room, Battlefield Earth, Black Panther, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Great Debaters, Platoon, Out of the Furnance, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Additionally, on television, Forest Whitaker can be seen in episodes of Empire, The Shield, and ER, and he appears in Godfather of Harlem, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and the mini-series, Roots. He recently starred in Burden and Finding Steve McQueen and next, he'll be seen in Respect and City of Lies.
Outside of all of his various acting credits, Forest Whitaker is also an established director. He helmed Waiting to Exhale, Hope Floats, and First Daughter. He also directed music videos for Jagged Edge, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, and Whitney Houston, the latter of whom starred in his first film.
Keegan-Michael Key (Gustafson)
In the villainous role of Gustafson, a former apprentice of Jeronicus who ventures down a dark path, Keegan-Michael Key is the central antagonist in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. Best known as one-half of the sketch comedy duo, Key & Peele, alongside Jordan Peele, the comedian frontlined the Emmy-winning Comedy Central series of the same name and later co-starred in Keanu, which he also produced. The comedic pairing was also seen together in the first season of FX's Fargo. Additionally, Key was also a cast member on MADtv for six seasons.
His other television credits include starring roles in USA's Playing House and Netflix's Friends From College. He was also the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals from 2005 through 2008, and he currently hosts National Geographic's Brain Games and CBS's Game On!, both as of this year. Additionally, Key played a recurring role in Parks and Recreation and makes frequent appearances on The CW's Whose Line Is It Anyway? revival. Recently, Key narrates Netflix's series adaptation of Green Eggs and Ham and lends his voice to SuperMansion.
Keegan-Michael Key had starring roles in films like Don't Think Twice and Teacher of the Year. His other movie credits include Mr. 3000, The Predator, Tomorrowland, Wanderlust, Dolemite Is My Name, Playing with Fire, Horrible Bosses 2, Pitch Perfect 2, Vacation, Why Him?, Win It All, Let's Be Cops, Due Date, Just Go With It, Role Models, and Hell Baby.
Keegan-Michael Key did voice work for The Angry Birds Movie, The LEGO Movie, The Lion King (2019), The Star, the Hotel Transylvania sequels, Storks, and Toy Story 4 — the latter two reuniting the actor with Jordan Peele. Most recently, Key starred in Netflix's All the Bright Places. He'll next be seen in The Prom later this year and heard in Wendell and Wild alongside Peele in 2021. Additionally, he's attached to an upcoming, still-untitled AppleTV+ musical-comedy series. with SNL's Cecily Strong. Also, Key made his Broadway debut in 2017 with Steve Martin's Meteor Shower.
Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Delacroix)
Playing the part of Mr. Delacroix, a banker who'll shut down Jeronicus' business if he can't come up with a profit quick, Hugh Bonneville plays a prominent supporting role in Netflix's Jingle Jangle. The English film and television actor is most recognizable for his Emmy-nominated performance as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey, a role he reprised in the film continuation of the same name last year. Additionally, Bonneville is well-known for playing Mr. Henry Brown in the Paddington movies. His other notable television credits include Married for Life, The Cazalets, Courting Alex, The Robinsons, Bonekickers, Country House Rescue, Freezing, Twenty Twelve, and W1A. Bonneville is also the narrator for The Cruise and Sofia the First.
Hugh Bonneville's other film credits include Iris, Tomorrow Never Dies, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Notting Hill, Muppets Most Wanted, Breathe, The Monuments Men, Bucke & Hare, and Mansfield Park. Next, the actor will play author Roald Dahl in An Unquiet Life. He'll also narrate the upcoming Silent Night - A Song for the World, which comes out next month.
Anika Noni Rose (Jessica Jangle)
In the role of Jessica Jangle, the mother of Journey and the daughter of Jeronicus, Anika Noni Rose provides a dramatic maternal performance in this seasonal musical. As an accomplished actress with demonstrated talents on the stage and screen, Rose has proven herself in a variety of projects over the course of a celebrated career. Particularly on the stage, Rose became a Tony-winning actress through her performance as Emmie Thibodeaux in Caroline, Or Change in 2004. She was later nominated again for playing Beneatha Younger in Broadway's 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun.
Furthermore, in the film world, Rose voiced Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, and she reprised this animated role in 2018's Ralph Breaks the Internet. The actress also played Lorrell Robinson in Dreamgirls. Her other movie credits include Assassination Nation, Everything, Everything, For Colored Girls, Surviving Christmas, From Justin to Kelly, Imperial Dreams, Half of a Yellow Sun, and, most recently, Body Cam.
Meanwhile, on television, Anika Noni Rose played main characters in HBO's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Starz's The Quad. She also had recurring roles in The Good Wife, Private Practice, Power, and Bates Motel. Additionally, Rose lends her voice to the animated series, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins. And the actress appeared in episodes of Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere and Amazon Prime's Them: Covenant earlier this year. Next, Rose is set to star in Maid and voice a role in Pantheon. She also launched a web series called Bedtime Stories for the Littles earlier this year.
Phylicia Rashad (Mrs. Jangle)
As Mrs. Jangle, an elderly parental figure who reads this festive story to the children on Christmas Eve, Phylicia Rashad serves as a watchful narrator figure throughout the course of Jingle Jangle. Most notably, Phylicia Rashad is a Tony-winning actress for her lead performance as Lena Younger in Broadway's 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun, and she became the first Black actress to receive this honorary distinction. Later, she reprised this role for the play's 2008 television adaptation and she won the NAACP Image Award for her performance. Her other stage credits include Broadway productions of Into the Woods, Jelly's Last Jam, Gem in the Ocean, August: Orange County, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Additionally, Phylicia Rashad is known for her two-time Emmy-nominated role as Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show. Rashad also played Ruth Lucas in Cosby. And she played recurring roles in Empire, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, This is Us, 13 Reasons Why, Do No Harm, and One Life to Live. The actress currently plays a role in OWN's David Makes Man.
On the silver screen, Phylicia Rashad is also known for her film roles in the Creed movies, Good Deeds, For Colored Girls, Just Wright, and Frankie and Alice. Earlier this year, the film and TV actress starred in Netflix's A Fall From Grace and Amazon Prime's Black Box, the latter of which was part of their Welcome to the Blumhouse streaming series. Next, she lends her voice to Pixar's upcoming Soul. Rashad is expected to return for Creed III.
Ricky Martin (Don Juan Diego)
In the role of Don Juan Diego, a sentient toy once created by Jeronicus who becomes a selfish egomaniac and works alongside Gustafson, Ricky Martin plays a splashy animated supporting role in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. The chart-topping Puerto Rican musician has been called the "King of Latin Pop," as he's quite easily one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all-time. His most well-known single is "Livin' La Vida Loca" though he also gained notice before this high-standing success through his performance of "The Cup of Life" at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. He has sold over 70 million records worldwide.
While he's certainly well-known for his musical accomplishments, Ricky Martin has branched out into various acting roles. Most notably, he played Antonio D'Amico in FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which earned him an Emmy nomination. Martin also starred in the soap opera, Por Siempre Amigos, the telenovela, Alcanzar una Estrella II, and appeared in several episodes of General Hospital. He also guest-starred in Getting By and Glee.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is now streaming on Netflix.
