Russell Crowe Unrecognizable as Fox News Boss Roger Ailes for Showtime Series
The first look at Russell Crowe's upcoming Showtime series has the actor completely transformed in [...]
The first look at Russell Crowe's upcoming Showtime series has the actor completely transformed in his role as Roger Ailes.
Crowe is taking on the role of former Fox News chief Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice in the Room, a series examining the modern news landscape. In a set video published by The Blast, Crowe completely disappears into the character.
In the video, Crowe walks out of his trailer with the assistance of a cane, stumping along with a practiced step. He had bulked up well beyond his usual size, though whether or not he was wearing prosthetics was not clear. He was dressed in a dark, simple suit and wore his hair in Ailes' signature long, balding fashion. He also wore a pair of large glasses.
The Loudest Voice in the Room — if that is the final title — will reportedly be a limited series, which will follow Ailes' departure from Fox News after sexual assault allegation surfaced against him. Ailes passed away in May of 2017, not long after his resignation. He was 77 years old.
Crowe, 54, looks remarkably at home in his Ailes costume. He will be joined in the series by Naomi Watts as Gretchen Carlson, Sienna Miller as Beth Ailes, Seth MacFarlane as Brian Lewis, Simon McBurney as Rupert Murdoch and Annabelle Wallis as Laurie Luhn.
The show is based on a book by the same title, written by Gabriel Sherman. The bestseller explored many defining events in Ailes' life, based on interviews with more than 600 people. According to a report by PEOPLE, the show may also depart from Sherman's title by the time it comes out.
Sherman's book was released in 2014, three years before Ailes passed. It has an average 4-star rating on Amazon, with more than 200 reviews. While it shows some reverence for Ailes, the book does not shy away from his controversies, nor the fact that he operated his network with a partisan agenda. It also examines how he brought massive media personalities like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Megyn Kelly to the forefront.
The show will reportedly center more on the final years of Ailes' life. The news executive passed away after falling down in the bathroom of his Palm Beach, Florida home. Ailes suffered from hemophilia, meaning his body could not produced blood clots to stop the bleeding.
Showtime's series is expected to air sometime in 2019.