SPOILERS: Who Plays Who In 'On The Road'

Ever since its publication in 1957, Jack Kerouac's On The Road has polarized readers and critics. Now that it has (finally!) been made into a feature-length film, debuting at the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival, Walter Salles' On The Road will have viewers revisiting some of their most beloved — or abhorred — characters from the groundbreaking novel, many of whom were based on actual figures from the Beat Generation.

What follows is a run-down of the dramatis personae of On The Road, along with a description of which actual person Kerouac based the character on and which actor plays them in Salles' film.

Sal Paradise — Based on Kerouac himself and played by Sam Riley, Sal is the enthusiastic narrator of On The Road. Riley, a relatively unknown actor, won critical acclaim for playing a suicidal young rocker in 2007's Control.

Dean Moriarty — Based on the worldy and complicated Neal Cassady, and played by Garrett Hedlund (Tron), Dean is the hero of On The Road. Sal and the other characters look up to him immensely, and some even fall in love with him — a fact that is briefly touched upon in the book but aggressively pursued in the film. "The shooting script does not flinch from the more homoerotic aspects that were excised from the book originally published by Viking Press," according to Variety.

Carlo Marx — Based on key Beat figure and poet Allen Ginsberg and played by another lesser-known actor Tom Sturridge (Waiting for Forever), Carlo comes in and out of the meandering narrative of On the Road, each time bringing the party.

Marylou — Based on Cassady's wife Luanne Henderson and played by Twilight star Kristen Stewart, Marylou is Dean Moriarty's on-and-off girlfriend who gets roped into his vagrant lifestyle.

Camille — Played by Kirsten Dunst, Camille is based on (SPOILER ALERT!) Carolyn Cassady, whose name alone should tell you that Dean has room in his heart for more than one girl. That's all we're going to say.

Old Bull Lee — Played by Viggo Mortensen, Old Bull Lee is based on the iconic William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch and a primary figure of the Beat Generation.

Elisabeth Moss, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi and Terrence Howard also star in On The Road, playing an assortment of characters who are (in the book, at least) relatively minor.

—JUSTIN JANNISE