From the department of grandioseGingrich ideas: Newt has named Brad Pitt as the actor who should play him in the movie version of his life. The candidate said as much during a phone interview this week on the Rich Stevens Radio Show, after the host asked, “If Hollywood was going to do a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?”
Newt’s reply was instantaneous, as if he’d pondered the issue before. Either that or the 1995 and 2000 Sexiest Man Alive (whose past roles include the demigod Achilles) just seemed like the obvious choice.
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“Is it because you guys look alike?” Stevens asked.
“No,” Gingrich replied, honestly. “I don’t look like him at all. He’s thinner, he’s better looking, he’s younger,” he added, in case any Americans were unaware of these facts.
Nonetheless, Newt concluded, “You’ve got to let your imagination soar.”
This got us thinking. Who should actually play Newt Gingrich in the mythical Hollywood film about Newt Gingrich? And if the other candidates got the same question, what would their answers probably be? And what should their answers actually be?
The result of our pondering is this slide show. Enjoy.
This week Newt Gingrich stated that, in a hypothetical movie about his life, he would want to be played by none other than the 2012 Oscar nominee for Best Actor, Brad Pitt. This got us thinking. Who should actually play Newt Gingrich in a Hollywood biopic? And if the other candidates got the same question, what would their answers probably be? And what should their answers actually be?
Newt Gingrich: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Brad Pitt: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images.
Newt Gingrich
Should Get: Rainn Wilson (c. 2037)
The Officestar acknowledged his uncanny resemblance to the former House speaker by using a photo of young Gingrich as his own Twitter avatar for much of January. A quarter century from now, we figure Wilson will be jowly and white-haired enough to immortalize Newt circa 2012. He and a septuagenarian Brad Pitt may have to duke it out for the role.
Newt Gingrich: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Rainn Wilson: Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
Mitt Romney
Would Want: George Clooney
Romney’s admiration for Clooney is no secret: he’s even named 2000’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? as his favorite movie. According to aides, Romney will often quote lines from the film, especially a trademark phrase—“We’re in a tight spot!”—from Clooney’s vagabond hero, Everett. And Romney does look like a Dapper Dan man.
Mitt Romney: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. George Clooney/Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images.
Mitt Romney
Should Get: Bruce Campbell
The face of cult flicks likeThe Evil Deadand Bubba Ho-tep, Bruce Campbell may not project the dignity Romney probably wants in his on-screen alter ego, but he has the perfect salt-and-pepper coif and square chin.
Mitt Romney: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Bruce Campbell: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Ron Paul
Would Want: Sir Ian McKellen
With his weathered face and expressive eyebrows, McKellen would bring a dose of much-needed grandeur to the role of the diminutive Congressman. A veteran of the X-Menand Lord of the Ringsfilms, he also has plenty of experience with fictional worlds, including the one in which someone would make a movie about Ron Paul.
Ron Paul: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Ian McKellen: Jason Kempin/Getty Images.
Ron Paul
Should Get: Don Knotts (deceased)
The late comedian Don Knotts began his career as a ventriloquist and ended it with Pleasantville, in which he appeared as a quasi-mystical TV repairman. Ron Paul, whose bone structure evokes that of the Andy Griffith Showco-star, began his career as a physician and seems more likely to end it as a Don Knotts impressionist than as President of the United States.
Ron Paul: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Don Knotts: Chris Polk/FilmMagic.
Rick Santorum
Would Want: Christian Bale
Bale’s good looks are the Platonic Form to Santorum’s shadowy imitation. It’s not hard to imagine the candidate, in a flight of fancy or ego, pointing his casting director towards the Dark Knight heartthrob.
Rick Santorum: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. Christian Bale: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.
Rick Santorum
Should Get: Jerry Seinfeld
“There’s something vaguely ‘Seinfeld’ about Santorum,” wrote one Slate staffer—and she’s right. We’re confident Seinfeld could give lines like “Is anyone saying same-sex couples can’t love each other? I love my friends, my brother. Heck, I even love my mother-in-law” the comic delivery they deserve.
Katy Waldman
