Here’s a quick guide to The Florida Project cast and their characters. The Florida Project is the sixth feature from writer-director Sean Baker and was released by indie film house A24 in 2017. Baker co-wrote the film with his longtime collaborator Chris Bergoch, who worked with the director on his earlier features Take Out and Tangerine. Like those films, The Florida Project is a slice-of-life drama that tells a tale of people living on the fringes of modern American society.

The Florida Project gets its title from the codename the House of Mouse used for Walt Disney World in its early planning stages, which is befitting since the film focuses on a six-year-old girl and her young single mother as they eke out a living under the poverty line while residing in a cheap, rundown Kissimmee hotel in the shadow of the nearby park. The indie drama was a critical hit and was named one of the top ten films of 2017 by both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.

Related: The Florida Project's Ending Explained

Interestingly, apart from Hollywood veteran Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project cast is largely made up of first-time actors but their unaffected performances are part of what makes the movie so memorable. Read on for a recap of who is in The Florida Project cast and the characters that they play.

Christopher Rivera, Brooklynn Prince and Valeria Cotto in The Florida Project

Brooklynn Prince – Moonee

Brooklynn Prince is the young breakout star of The Florida Project and gives an astonishing acting debut as Moonee – a six-year-old girl living in a sleazy Kissimmee motel optimistically named the Magic Castle with her unemployed mother Halley. Prince won Best Young Performer at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for her performance.

Bria Vinaite – Halley

Moonee’s mother Halley is loving but often neglectful and resorts to increasingly desperate means to make ends meet over the course of the film. Halley is played by Bria Vinaite, a first-time actor who Sean Baker discovered by chance while scrolling through Instagram and convinced to join The Florida Project cast.

Willem Dafoe – Bobby Hicks

Willem Dafoe is the biggest name in The Florida Project cast and plays Bobby, the tough-talking but kind manager of the Magic Castle motel. Dafoe gave one of the best performances of the past decade in The Florida Project and earned Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Academy Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes for his troubles.

Valeria Cotto – Jancey

Another first-time actor, Valeria Cotto was spotted by director Sean Baker in a Target store when she was just five years old. After a successful audition, Cotto joined The Florida Project cast as Jancey – Moonee’s newfound friend who lives at the neighboring and equally rundown Futureland Inn.

Related: James Ransone Movies & TV Shows: Where You Know The IT: Chapter 2 Star

Christopher Rivera – Scooty

Scooty is Moonee’s other best friend and also lives at the Magic Castle motel with his mother. He’s played by Christopher Rivera who, like his character, was living in a Kissimmee motel when he was cast in The Florida Project.

Next: We Can Be Heroes Cast & Character Guide