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Thandie to star in Bush film
07/04/2008 21:12 - (SA)
Los Angeles - The Bush administration is coming together - and adding a key ally for good measure.
Oliver Stone has found the actress to play Condoleezza Rice in W, his upcoming movie about President George W Bush. Thandie Newton is in final negotiations to star as the National Security Advisor-turned-Secretary of State.
Meanwhile, Ioan Gruffudd is in final talks to play former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Rice and Blair are the first non-Bush roles to be cast; Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks and Ellen Burstyn had previously been cast as George W, George snr, Laura and Barbara Bush, respectively.
Also notable is the fact that Newton, who was born in Zambia and raised in England, is a Brit, making her the first non-American to be cast for a role in the US administration.
She is currently in theatres with Run, Fat Boy, Run. Cardiff-born Gruffudd is also British.
W, which is expected to start shooting shortly, will look at Bush's formative years and path to the president as well as his life inside the White House.
As one of the few cabinet members to serve during both Bush terms, Rice's role in the Bush White House is seen as pivotal. According to those who've read the W script, Rice is said to be in a key first scene as well as a number of scenes connected to the Iraq War. Blair also appears in Iraq-related scenes.
Stone has said he wants to draw a fair-minded portrait of the president. Sources familiar with the script say Bush is depicted as an easily distracted figure predisposed to personal agendas, though they say the script occasionally shows a more sympathetic side.
Among the key W roles yet to be cast are Vice-President Dick Cheney, former secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld and advisor Karl Rove.
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South Africa
