Oliver Stone begins filming his George W. Bush biopic today, and last we heard, despite having committed to some fairly weird casting decisions -- lots of comedians and international beauty Thandie Newton as international not-Thandie-Newton Condoleeza Rice -- he had yet to confirm anyone for the role of Vice President Richard "Dick" "Go Fuck Yourself" Cheney. There are rumors, of course, most of which involve really great actors -- but for our money, the perfect guy for the role booked a gig for the great backlot in the sky 10 years ago.
We're talking here, of course, about 80's and 90's character actor J.T. Walsh, who -- if you watched TNT as much as we did this weekend -- you know established his bona fides in beady eyes; gruff, gravely, midwestern voices; and a hiss-inducing sense of self-interest and self-entitlement in such films as A Few Good Men, Executive Decision -- and even Stone's 1995 Nixon movie, where he played crony and part-time plumber John Ehrlichman.
Walsh was one of the great go-to guys for directors in need of a total dick, but in smaller, stranger roles like his appearances in Sling Blade and Pleasantville, he revealed a capacity for comedy and weirdness that, sadly, were never fully put to use by Hollywood before his sudden death iin 1998. We'd like to have seen him have the opportunity to put all his powers to use as Dick Cheney, handling the asshole stuff with perfect aplomb, and applying his wit and deftness of craft to whatever comedy's in the flick (and it sounds like there's a bit).
We're sure whoever gets the role will be great, but there will probably always be a "What if?" in our minds if they don't really knock it out of the park. (We're looking at you, Duvall!)
