More 'W' Casting: Condi Rice and Tony Blair

Posted Apr 6th 2008 12:32PM by Eugene Novikov
Filed under: Casting, Politics

I'll say one thing for Oliver Stone's W: it makes for some fun casting updates. Watching this movie come together has had much more novelty value than I would have thought. I guess that's what happens when you set out to make a movie about the most controversial figures in the world right now, instead of decades ago.

Anyway, here's what we have so far:

And you may now take Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair off your to-cast lists. Those roles have been filled with Thandie Newton and Ioan Gruffudd (respectively, though I think it would have been much more interesting in reverse order). Both actors are British, but this won't be the first time Newton has played an American. My worry about her isn't her accent so much as the fact that she seems too damn nice. I think they should have followed the lead of the ultraconservative 2006 TV miniseries and cast 24's Penny Johnson Jerald (a.k.a. the terrifying Sherry Palmer). That's about as on-the-nose as it gets.

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Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. If you think she's too nice, you clearly didn't see her in "Beloved".

Posted at 1:34PM on Apr 6th 2008 by BE ADEQUITE

2. Why wouldn't they just get Michael Sheen to play Tony Blair? He was spot on in "The Queen."

Posted at 4:51PM on Apr 6th 2008 by Thomas

3. Why wouldn't they just get Michael Sheen to play Tony Blair? He was spot on in "The Queen."

Posted at 11:07PM on Apr 6th 2008 by Thomas

4. Why couldn't they just get Ice T to play Condi?

Posted at 12:15AM on Apr 7th 2008 by Mr. R

5. Penny Johnson Jerald would be inspired. Thandie Newton is a little young isn't she?

Posted at 7:36AM on Apr 7th 2008 by John R

6. Personally, I would have preferred Angela Bassett for Condi, but let's see what Thandie has to offer. Ioan is a pretty good choice, plus given how pliable Tony is, who better than Mr Fantastic to play him?

Posted at 9:17AM on Apr 7th 2008 by elessar

7. Also you must didn't see Thandie in Traffic.

Posted at 9:50AM on Apr 7th 2008 by greatone

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