The Gus Van Sant-directed, Sean Penn starring Harvey Milk biopic Milk opens next week, and it’s already generating controversy, especially in California in the wake of the Prop 8 debacle. Penn is certainly no stranger to playing politicians in the limelight; his Willie Stark character in All The King’s Men was loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. While we’ve had a slew of movies about fictional presidents and politicians, we’d like to see more biopics based on some of the larger than life characters who have dominated the political world. From Rahm Emanuel to Pat Buchanan, here’s a look at a handful of political firecrackers who deserve their own Oscar-baiting biopic.
Ann Richards
This feisty governor of Texas was famous for her brash attitude and quotes like this one about George H.W. Bush, “Poor George, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” She was larger than life, sported a huge white hairdo, and famously posed on a Harley Davidson that was sent to her as a gift (she didn’t keep it). She weathered a brutal campaign for the governorship of Texas in 1990, in which she came from a 20-point deficit to defeat Clayton Williams Jr. She lost her reelection in 1994 to George W. Bush, after another bitterly fought race.
After losing the election, Richards campaigned frequently for Democratic candidates across the United States, and frequently turned to Hollywood and her love of movies. She narrated the documentary Barbecue: A Texas Love Story, had a small part in Disney’s Home on the Range, and played herself in an episode of King of the Hill.
Who should play her: I don’t think you can see anyone but Ellen Burstyn playing this role. Not only does she have an uncanny resemblance to Richards, but she’s a top notch actress who incidentally starred in one of my favorite Texas movies, The Last Picture Show.
Emperor Norton
Easily one of the most colorful and eccentric character in U.S. history, Joshua Abraham Norton was a UK citizen who spent time abroad before settling in San Francisco and going bankrupt as an importer of rice from Peru. He went on a self-imposed exile, and then shortly returned to San Francisco where he declared himself Emperor of the United States. He would often make wild proclamations and demands, such as abolishing the Democratic and Republican parties, and forbidding Congress to meet. He was never taken seriously, and eventually San Francisco embraced him as their own.
Soldiers at the Presidio gave him an old uniform, replete with gold epaulets, to wear, and he was often seen around town lecturing or greeting people on the streets. He eventually began printing his own money, which was recognized as legal tender in San Francisco, and he also adopted the title Protector of Mexico. When his uniform fell into disrepair, the city bought him a new one, and when he eventually died penniless, a group of gentlemen in the city paid for his funeral, and the newspapers ran front page headlines. Mark Twain based the King character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on Norton, and most people don’t even know about him.
Who should play him: When I first moved to Los Angeles I worked at a film company who had a biopic in the works about Emperor Norton, and oddly enough Edward Norton was attached to the project. It sadly vanished into the cracks of development hell, but it would be fantastic to see this get resurrected.
The Brothers Emanuel
You might not have heard a lot about Rahm Emanuel until he recently accepted the Barack Obama’s offer to become his Chief of State, but he’s been raucous political figure for several years. He also has two brothers who have each risen to the top of their game in their respective fields: Brother Ezekiel received an MD from Harvard Medical and PhD from Harvard University in political philosophy. He also serves as chair of the department of bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Brother Ari is a Hollywood super-agent, and the basis for the Ari Gold character played by Jeremy Piven in Entourage.
As colorful as his brothers are, Rahm is the one to watch in the upcoming years. He’s already served as an adviser to President Clinton, headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, chairs the Democratic Caucus, serves on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means, served on the board of Freddie Mac, and is also currently as a congressman from Illinois. He’s a powerful figure in the halls of Washington, known for his bull-headed attitude and his “sharp elbows.”
Who should play them: It’s no doubt that Jeremy Piven doesn’t have the chops or the ethnicity to pull off playing all three brothers himself, so we’d like to see some bold decisions in casting these roles.
- Alexander Siddig as Rahm Emanuel: He was brilliant as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai in Syriana, and proven that he’s grown well out of his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine uniform.
- Shaun Toub as Ezekiel Emanuel: Looking the complete scholar in this summer’s Iron Man, Toub can pull off the wise doctor and elder brother with no problem.
- Ben Affleck as Ari Emmanuel: Ben Affleck has been trying to ride on pretty boy action star coattails for too long. We know the guy can act after seeing him in Boiler Room, so give him a role where he’s not trying to be Harrison Ford. A young and powerful Hollywood agent? We’d buy it.
Pat Buchanan
While it might not be popular to follow the lives of politicians that people love to hate, you usually end up getting some insights into their lives that you probably weren’t privy to before, like in Oliver Stone’s Nixon. Pat Buchanan is one of those people who are frequently a target in politics, and he’s been involved in politics since, coincidentally, Nixon’s presidency. He served as an advisor to Nixon’s campaign, and later as advisor to Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He was also the first host of CNN’s Crossfire, and has made a life for himself as a political commentator and writer, although it hasn’t won him a load of friends in the process — he’s more known for being a figure who instigates controversy.
Buchanan his a very loud and outspoken critic of homosexuality, abortion, and even feminism, having once said in one of his columns that women “are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism.” While that was in 1983, he recently posted on his blog (branded as “right from the beginning…” on the front page) that “black folks” should be grateful for being taken from Africa as slaves and introduced to Christian salvation in America. You might love or hate the guy, but at age 70 he shows no signs of slowing down, and some people (like yours truly) would like to find out how he got this way.
Who should play him: Ten years ago I would’ve said John Goodman would be a good choice for this role, but having become a huge fan of Paul Giamatti over the years, I’d love to see what he could do with it. Either him or Philip Seymour Hoffman. Maybe they could have a Buchanan-off between the two of them, winner take all.
Nancy Pelosi
Contrary to Pat Buchanan’s claim, there are plenty of strong women in Washington. Do you really need much more evidence in a year that saw Hilary Clinton running for President, and the first appointment by a woman to the prestigious position of Speaker of the House just two years ago? Nancy Pelosi has been a longtime outspoken political figure, and she’s now third in line for the presidency, putting her right behind the vice-president. She’s also not afraid of standing up to opposition. When President Bush criticized Congress for being “inactive” this summer, Pelosi retorted by saying that Bush himself was, “a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the war, on the economy, on energy, you name the subject.”
Pelosi said during her acceptance speech of the Speaker position that women had now finally broken through the “marble ceiling” in Washington, and has been very vocal in her opposition to the Iraq War. She’s also one of the richest members of Congress, thanks to her family’s real estate holdings, and her husbands stock in Apple Computer, which puts makes her one rich liberal. Her daughter Alexandra has directed the documentaries Journeys with George and Friends of God, and she recently published a book entitled Sneaking into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows. While she probably wouldn’t be unbiased enough to direct a movie about her own mother, it would be interesting to see what she could do with it.
Who should play her: Was I the only person who really liked Geena Davis in Commander in Chief? Sure, it was television, but she looked the part, and she’s definitely got some Pelosi hair going on. She’s tall enough to break marble ceilings on her own and could really pull this off as a comeback role. Hop to it, Davis.
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