It’s no wonder that the best of Hollywood’s leading lady talent are chomping at the bit for this part. Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain and Amanda Seyfried are all in the running to play the former Secretary of State and First Lady, Hillary Clinton. The film’s title, Rodham, points towards the time in the Senator’s life the story will depict. Rodham of course was her maiden name before marrying Bill Clinton.
The project has garnered a lot of steam based on the screenplay written by Young il-Kim. The script landed a top spot on The Blacklist’s best as-yet unproduced screenplays of 2012. The PDF of the script was leaked online earlier this month and it attracted attention for its saucier scenes. Taking place during Clinton’s younger years, it hones in on her time as a lawyer in Washington. In the midst of the Watergate scandal, Clinton was brought onto the House Judiciary Committee to impeach Nixon.
Smashed director James Ponstoldt will direct the feature, and he’s absolutely thrilled at the talent seeking to star. He told The Independent:
“They’re all wonderful actresses. We’re very fortunate that a lot of really great actors are interested in playing these roles. We’re in an enviable position. Regardless of people’s political affiliation or how they feel about Hillary Clinton, you don’t find people who question the quality of her intelligence or her drive. I want a wonderful actress who could embody that.”
With a project that sounds like perfect Oscar bait, it’s hardly a surprise he’s excited. It’s just the kind of material that’ll be nominated in all major categories for.
All four actresses have no doubt got the chops to handle a meaty role like this. With the amount of decent lead roles for women in Hollywood in decline, it’s a surprise that there aren’t more after the part. The question is though, who’s got the room in their calendar?
Johansson’s got her plate full right now with her directorial debut in development and her impending commitments to Marvel. Witherspoon has the sci-fi love story Passengers and Paul Thomas Anderson flick Inherent Vice coming up. The Oscar-robbed Chastain has three very exciting projects on her upcoming slate; The Zookeeper’s Wife, Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. Seyfried meanwhile has five films in pre-production keeping her busy for the next year or so.
With Rodham aiming to land in cinemas around the time of the 2016 Presidental Election, there’s time for all four to clear their schedules.
If they want a shot at an Oscar that is.
Published: May 27, 2013 08:40 am