Drake once said that he wanted to play Barack Obama in a movie but most people just shrugged it off as over-zealousness of the “Yes We Can,” variety. But the Canadian hip-hop star seems to have mounted a small campaign to have the chance to play Barack Obama in a movie. Speaking to VH-1 at the Sundance Film Festival, Drake put his passion and intentions out there for any interested filmmakers to hear:
“I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him. That’s the goal. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions.”
Drake added that most of the scripts he gets are for basketball players or rappers (surprise, surprise), but he wants to take on roles with more significance.
“I’ve been reading scripts for a while. I want to do something great. I want to do something for my culture: the younger people who are still in tune with everything going on. I’m actually writing with my friends right now.”
There’s been a lot of conversation and brainstorming lately about how to reinvigorate black film, but Drake is one person whose name I’ve never heard mentioned. Could he parlay his acting chops from Degrassi into a lead role in a feature film? And more than anything, can he pull off a role as huge as Barack Obama?
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