- “Mom, I’m going to be George W. Bush!”
I think it is safe to say, many parents dread getting a phone call in the middle of the night concerning the well being of their children. For my mom, that statement was just as terrifying. Let’s go back a few years….
I remember ever since Gregory Itzin’s emmy-nominated performance on the fifth season of “24″ as President Charles Logan (an evil President of the United States, nonetheless)…I told myself, “that is the kind of role I want to do”. What was fascinating about the character were his cowardly nuances, unsettling philosophies, and vulnerability to being manipulated while still being Commander-In-Chief of the most powerful nation in the world! People would talk about that season of “24″ and just go off about how much “they hated that guy that played the president.” And I would always respond to them…”Yeah, he’s probably one of my favorite characters on TV.” And he still is.
Why? Because through all the bad decisions, horrible schemes, and “hate-inducing” cowardice he exhibited…you still looked forward to every scene he was in. Every scene, you would role your eyes. Every scene, you would go…”that son of a b****”. And every scene…you felt a little bit more sympathy for him. BAM! What is this guy doing to me? What a great friggin’ role to have that can make the audience feel that way! It is the kind of role any actor would kill to have…
Which brings me to “Dubya”…when J. Michaels (our director) called me up to offer me the role…I think my response in side my head was “Holy crap!!!! You bet your sweet a$ I accept!” But instead what came out of my mouth was…”That sounds great.”
“Dubya” is that role I so badly have wanted to play.
Is it because I like George Bush? Is it because I am a political person and want to make a statement about the man? Is it an opportunity for me to tear him apart in a public forum? Am I republican?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding…”NO”. Anybody that really knows me, knows that I don’t like to talk about two things: religion and politics (Well, three things if you include season two of “Heroes”…but that doesn’t apply right now). They are both very personal and very private things that I don’t care at all to talk about in conversation…and have seen way too many friendships dissolve because of opposing views. I don’t want that. Nothing is worth that. I like my friends. I respect their opinions. I respect other peoples opinions…it’s what makes us American and makes us individuals.
But in order to play the role of ‘Dubya’…I had to explore and find things I like about him because it is boring to play a character that you hate. You’ve got to find something to connect with…and dare I say, find something that I see in myself. And I had to some digging on this one…
I’m not going to go into boring details about every facet of this character this character but three blaring controversial questions needed to be answered.
1) Is George Bush evil?
2) Is George Bush smart?
3) What do I like about him?
I could tell you my answers to these questions, but what fun would that be? Gotta leave something for people to see onstage. Otherwise, I’m just going to end up telling you exactly how I’m going to play him. I like surprises.
I will say this…”Bush” has damaged this country. “Bush” has cost people their lives. “Bush” was not a good president. I’m not a politician or an activist….but I am an actor. I’m an entertainer. I love to make people laugh and make them feel things. That’s it. Simply put. So why not enjoy portraying one of the most controversial, parodied, hated, flabber-gastingly bad public speaking presidents of all time? But the moment I let any of Erik Hogans’ beliefs enter my performance…the character will immediately grow stale. So for now, I’m just going to do the best job I can.
But just like President Charles Logan on “24″….when he was no longer President in season six, we all kind of missed him. We missed hating him. Deep down, a part of us are going to miss the “What stupid thing did Bush do now?” aspect of him. It’s entertainment. It’s funny. It is a release for us to laugh at someone. Then you look at what “Bush” has done to people’s families and to the country, and then go…”Not so much.”
That feeling is what this show is going to convey.
On an interesting note, my parents recentely attended a breakfast with Michelle Obama down in Florida. Cool huh? Even cooler, she made sure that Obama got a promotional postcard for THE DECIDERS and a note attached saying that her son was “George Bush”. But the icing on the cake….when my dad got an opportunity to shake hands with her…he didn’t accept her hand….he wanted “THE BUMP”! And he got it!
But with all the crazy buzz and excitement about THE DECIDERS…it all started with that phone call to my parents to tell them I was going to be their favorite president (note: sarcasm)…and their reaction? They just laughed their butts off. It was laughter that said both “we are so proud of you being cast in a great show” and “George Bush? You’ve got to be f****** kidding me!” To get that kind of reaction from them, was pretty cool and I knew right then and there…I just became part of a project that was going to be extraordinary.
