20. Kate Mara
There's been media furore over the last few weeks regarding the release of the second season of House Of Cards, the Kevin Spacey-led Netflix series that has taken viewers by storm. Co-starring in the show with the two-time Oscar winner is Kate Mara, the older sister of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's Rooney, who plays Zoe Barnes, an ambitious young political journalist who becomes 'associated' with Spacey's scheming politician Frank Underwood. Having secured roles in Wally Pfister's directorial debut Transcendence and the Fantastic Four reboot on the back of her appearance on the show, the future looks bright for the thirty year old. Rewind back to 2006, however, and she was one of a countless number of actresses auditioning for roles on both films and television shows. 24's fifth season saw her cast for five episodes as Shari Rothenberg, an analyst who is brought into CTU to replace the departed Edgar Stiles, becoming embroiled in a conspiracy to set up series stalwart Chloe O'Brian in the process.
19. Stephen Root
A significant number of 'cult' comedies exist in the world of film largely ignored by the masses but highly appreciated by a dedicated following of fans. One such comedy film is Office Space, the 1998 brainchild of Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge. Though the film features Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston as it leads (with David Herman, who appeared as Dalton Furrelle in 24, playing the role of Livingston's co-worker Michael Bolton), it is more memorable for two of its supporting characters (as well as an infamous printer destroying scene) Bill Lumbergh, the subtly dominant office manager played by Gary Cole, and Milton Waddiams, the awkward and abused employee whose mumbled threats to set the building on fire really should've been taken more seriously. Milton was played by Stephen Root, also known for his roles in a number of Coen Brothers films as well as 2004's Dodgeball. In 24, he popped up for a few episodes midway through season eight as Bill Prady, the probation officer for an ex-con associated with CTU employee Dana Walsh, who inexplicably turns out to be a Russian mole a short while later, killing Prady when he becomes a nuisance. I wonder if she remembered to file a TPS report about it?