Entertainment

Is Mulligan the best choice for Hillary Clinton?

by Rachel Simon

It looks like Carey Mulligan, most recently seen as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, is the front-runner to play Hillary Clinton in an upcoming biopic, Rodham, supposedly beating out Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, and Amanda Seyfried, among others.

The hotly anticipated film, to be directed by James Ponsoldt (August's The Spectacular Now), will focus on the former Secretary of State's younger years, specifically her life in 1974, when Clinton (then Rodham) helped to impeach Richard Nixon as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. The film will also track Rodham's relationship with an up-and-coming Arkansas lawyer named Bill Clinton (yet to be cast).

Mulligan, 28, a British-born actress who only made waves in the U.S. in recent years, may seem like an odd choice for the part. However, judging from her varied roles in films like Gatsby and Drive, Mulligan might just have what it takes to play one of America's most important political figures. And don't forget the Best Actress nod she earned a few years back for her starring role in 2009's An Education, the small British coming-of-age film that won our hearts, mostly because of Mulligan's fantastic performance. In just four years, Mulligan has skyrocketed from being a virtual unknown in the U.S. to a genuine A-list star, and with a lead role in the Coen Brothers' upcoming Inside Llewyn Davis, she's poised to keep on climbing.

Mulligan is a talented, surprising actress, and we don't doubt she'd be a perfect choice for Clinton. Mostly, we're excited to see an actress as young as she taking on such an important female role, especially after her recent turn as another one of our country's most iconic women, Gatsby's Daisy Buchanan. The roles are vastly different, of course, but the message is the same: Mulligan is quickly becoming studios' top choice to play strong, multifaceted female characters.

Now the only question remains: Who should play Bill?

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