2018 has been an incredibly strong year for film, and historical stories, in particular, are thriving. We’ve had THE FAVOURITE and FIRST MAN, and now we’re set to finish out the year with another epic tale of war. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS tells the story of the 1569 conflict between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen Of Scots — and their countries and cultures.

Even if the story of MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS wasn’t the sort of thing we adore (and it is) we’d be dying to see it based on the cast alone. Here’s everything you need to know about the actors playing big roles in the film.

Meet Mary

Mary Stuart defies the pressure put on her to remarry after she is widowed at 18. Instead, she returns to Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. That proves difficult, however, as both England and Scotland are ruled by none other than Mary’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Mary is played by the spectacular Saoirse Ronan, who rose to fame back in 2003 with her performance in Irish series THE CLINIC. The actress’ breakthrough moment, however, arrived in 2007 when she portrayed the younger version of Briony Tallis in ATONEMENT. You may have also seen her in BROOKLYN, LADY BIRD, and ON CHESIL BEACH.

And Her Enemy

Queen Elizabeth I considers Mary to be her enemy, despite the fact that they’re cousins. Elizabeth is resentful of Mary because her younger, more attractive relative wants to take the throne. In short, Mary is a threat to Elizabeth’s sovereignty.

The enigmatic queen is brought to life by Margot Robbie. She rose to stardom playing high school student Donna Freedman in Australian soap opera NEIGHBOURS for three years. Robbie’s first move to the US was in short-lived series PAN AM. Her breakthrough Hollywood role, however, was in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET in 2013. Since then Robbie has starred in a number of successful films, including I, TONYA, SUICIDE SQUAD, and WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT.

Their Lovers

Jack Lowden plays Mary’s second husband, Lord Darnley. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS is the latest film to feature Lowden, who also starred in last year’s Christopher Nolan epic DUNKIRK. He rose to fame with his performance in BBC’s 2016 mini-series WAR & PEACE, in which he played Nikolai Rostov.

Then there’s Elizabeth’s lover, Robert Dudley, who also happens to be her counselor. Dudley is played by English actor Joe Alwyn, who featured in this year’s BOY ERASED and THE FAVOURITE. He also featured in THE SENSE OF AN ENDING.

The Cleric

David Tennant also features in MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. He plays John Knox, a Protestant cleric. The last couple of years have been busy for Tennant. The actor was recently seen in BAD SAMARITAN, YOU, ME & HIM, and MAD TO BE NORMAL.

Tennant is, however, best known for his iconic performance in BBC series DOCTOR WHO. He played the tenth iteration of the eponymous time traveler. He is also known for his performances in series including BROADCHURCH, that show’s American remake, GRACEPOINT, and JESSICA JONES (seen above).

The Advisor

Queen Elizabeth’s advisor, William Cecil, has a rather significant role in the film. He’s played by Australian actor Guy Pearce. Much like Robbie, Pearce rose to fame on NEIGHBOURS. His role on that show was Mike Young; he played the part for several years during the 1980s. Pearce is known for roles in THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, LA CONFIDENTIAL, PROMETHEUS, and IRON MAN 3. He’s also in Netflix’s THE INNOCENTS (seen above).

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS hits theaters on December 7th.