# Who will portray Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244 "2014-04-29T02:38:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/1 "2014-04-29T02:38:02Z")
Assuming, probably safely, that there will be a movie about Obama sooner or later, who gets the lead? \*\*Sampiro \*\* raised this [question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=501893)a few years ago and got sadly little traction. I didn’t want to unearth a zombie, so I’ll give it another shot. Because this is my thread, you don’t get to raise anyone from the dead or make anyone younger or older. You can get any actor working today to play the 44th President. Someone mentioned in another thread that there’s nothing Don Cheadle can’t do. He’s about the right age, but he’s about 5 inches shorter than Obama, and doesn’t look much like him. He is an awesome actor, though. Giancarlo Esposito is also about the right age and a little closer in [looks](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3255274240/nm0002064?ref_=nm_ov_ph). But at 5’8" like Cheadle, he’s also a little short. I might still go with him. Get some pointers from Peter Jackson on making him look like the 6’1" Obama. I never saw _Breaking Bad_, but I understand Esposito was pretty awesome in it. He was also terrific in _Homicide: Life on the Streets_. If he can play a ruthless drug dealer in _Breaking Bad_ and an estranged son trying to win his father’s affection in _Homicide_, he can probably play a pretty interesting Obama. I’d never heard of [Harry J. Lennix](https://www.google.com/search?q=harry+j+lennix&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HAtfU7X9CMewyQG-hYGYDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1366&bih=591) before, but [this](http://dailydoppel.blogspot.com/2007/08/barack-obama-harry-j-lennix.html) blog suggests him. There’s some resemblance. And it looks like he was in _Little Britain USA_, so that counts for something. But I’m still going with Esposito. Who’s your pick? ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/2 "2014-04-29T02:38:45Z")
Forrest Whittaker? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/3 "2014-04-29T02:43:09Z")
[Satan of course.](http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/03/obama.jpg) Produced by Fox Studios. (from History Channel’s “The Bible”) ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/4 "2014-04-29T02:46:43Z")
Grace Jones ---
**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/5 "2014-04-29T02:47:55Z")
I doubt Hollywood cares much about resemblance so long as the actor is black. Denzel Washington immediately comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/6 "2014-04-29T02:48:53Z")
Will Smith. I don’t even see how it’s a question. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/7 "2014-04-29T02:49:20Z")
When he was elected and generally seen as so hip he might have difficulty seeing over his pelvis, everybody said Will Smith. I still think it should be [Harry Lennix](http://www.cafemocharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Harry-Lennix-1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/8 "2014-04-29T03:05:55Z")
Is there enough interesting material from eight years to even stitch together a two hour movie? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/9 "2014-04-29T03:18:32Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Will Smith. > > I don’t even see how it’s a question. Obama said Smith has the ears for it. 😃 And there was that little joke in Men In Black 3. “Mommy, the President drank my chocolate milk and he didn’t say please.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/10 "2014-04-29T03:22:48Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is there enough interesting material from eight years to even stitch together a two hour movie? Well, let’s see. The 2008 campaign was somewhat interesting and someone already made a movie about the losing ticket, there was the recession, the health care bill, the killing of bin Laden, marriage equality, and oh right, he’s the first black/biracial president. You could probably make several movies about any president (OK, probably not WH Harrison) were you inclined to do so. A movie doesn’t have to be about the whole eight years, after all - it can be about any interesting moment in that time. That’s the approach they used in _Lincoln_, isn’t it? I have no idea if anybody wants to and I don’t expect anybody to try until well after he leaves office, but there’s more than enough to start with for someone who’s interested. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/11 "2014-04-29T03:27:09Z")
Serious: [Tim Russ](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750913/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1). They’re both the same ethnicity - Vulcan! Less serious, but experienced: [Jordan Peele](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1443502/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) of Key & Peele. Shakleika! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/12 "2014-04-29T03:35:26Z")
[Daniel Day Lewis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ-E08LuuxQ) of course. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/13 "2014-04-29T04:11:42Z")
There’s one A-list actor who has performed on stage with Obama, sort of, but I’m not sure how well that qualifies Clint Eastwood for the job. I think Forrest Whittaker is a magician of an actor, but it would take an awful lot for him to pull off a physical similarity to Obama. I don’t know the work of Esposito or Lennix, so for me that leaves the two obvious choices, Will Smith and Denzel Washington. Both of them melted into their roles of famous historical figures, but Washington might be getting a bit old for the part now. So that leaves Will Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/14 "2014-04-29T05:19:38Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > Serious: [Tim Russ](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750913/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1). They’re both the same ethnicity - Vulcan! > > Less serious, but experienced: [Jordan Peele](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1443502/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) of Key & Peele. Shakleika! Yeah but dose Tim Russ know how to do the Jedi Mind Meld? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/15 "2014-04-29T06:42:36Z")
> [@The Other Waldo Pepper](#): > > Will Smith With Jayden Smith as Malia Obama. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Is there enough interesting material from eight years to even stitch together a two hour movie? You could fill out a decent twelve hour mini-series just from the ups and downs of the ACA. But my vote is for Timothy Bottoms. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/16 "2014-04-29T06:57:56Z")
I’m betting it is going to be a decade at least before an Obama movie happens. Tristan Wilds is my bet. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/17 "2014-04-29T07:05:08Z")
Blair Underwood. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/18 "2014-04-29T07:15:43Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > With Jayden Smith as Malia Obama. > > You could fill out a decent twelve hour mini-series just from the ups and downs of the ACA. > > But my vote is for Timothy Bottoms. Well, if you did a mini series on the ACA, people will think they’re watching 50 reruns of the same show. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/19 "2014-04-29T11:22:15Z")
Tracy Morgan ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244/20 "2014-04-29T11:38:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is there enough interesting material from eight years to even stitch together a two hour movie? Sure. We’ll just have him down a couple of alien spaceships. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-portray-obama/687244.md?page=2)