The stars of the biopic ‘McCarthy’, Michael Shannon and Emilia Clarke, as well as its director Vaclav Marhoul and screenwriter Tom O’Connor, explained why the story of the venomous demagogue Joseph McCarthy had to be told now.
The film, now in development, follows Joseph’s journey from being an ambitious Republican Senator to the most powerful and feared man in the US, culminating in a dramatic and absolute ruin, reports variety.com.
“Given that Joseph McCarthy is such a darkly iconic figure in our history I was shocked that there had never been a film made about him,” Tom O’Connor said.
Tom O’Connor relied on research to tease out details of Joseph McCarthy’s origin story, such as his fascination with Adolf Hitler.
“Being from Wisconsin, with a heavy German population, McCarthy had been given a copy of ‘Mein Kampf’ by one of his supporters, and came to really study Hitler’s techniques, particularly the big lie.”
Michael Shannon, who plays Joseph McCarthy, said: “I had never stopped to consider the humanness of Jo McCarthy. I had never even stopped to consider where he’d come from, how he was formed.
“I was fascinated to learn that he had been a boxer and that he had been in the marines. I think that physicality feeds into the strength of how he was able to convince people. Throughout the course of this story one thing that will dawn on the audience is how did a man this flawed and conflicted manage to pull the wool over so many people’s eyes,” Shannon adds.
The film also shines a light of the part played by McCarthy’s politically ambitious wife, Jean Kerr.
The role will be performed by Emilia Clarke, who said: “There have been parallels drawn between her and Lady Macbeth, and there is a calculated-ness to her that will allow her to be in a position of power at a time when no woman ever was going to get into that position of power.”
Clarke said of the screenplay: “It’s fascinating, and it’s nuanced, and it’s complicated, and it’s alarmingly familiar. I have to be a part of telling this story now so I can take some time and better understand what is it about politics that gets particular people to be incredibly persuasive.”
