Director Lee Daniels is best known for bringing Monster’s Ball and Precious to the big screen. But the Oscar nominee will soon be recognized as the man who assembled an all-star cast of Hollywood A-listers for his historical drama Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
The Paperboy director assembled a stellar cast including Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker, Mariah Carey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, Robin Williams, Jane Fonda, John Cusack, Terrence Howard and Vanessa Redgrave.
The Butler gives audiences a fictional glimpse into White House during several presidential administrations, including those of Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Regan, and President Barack Obama.
Click here to watch Oprah talk about her role as Gloria Gaines in ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’
During an interview with Chris Witherspoon, Daniels revealed that the only person he was unable to cast in The Butler, was President Barack Obama.
“Obama,” Daniels exclaimed when asked if there is anyone that he wanted to take part in the film but was unable to get on board.
Daniels said he wanted President Obama to play himself in the film.
“I was too afraid to ask him,” he confessed. “I think that he was in the middle of something called the election. It would have been weird if I had somebody playing Obama. I couldn’t have anybody playing Obama but Obama.”
The Butler hits theaters nationwide August 16th.
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