I saw Selleck's name in the credits for the great, but old, "Midway" war movie, too...for whatever that's worth. "Trouble is, I *want* that fourth Jap carrier." - Admiral Nimitz.
Posted on 05/31/2004 1:12:25 PM PDT by wagglebee
LOS ANGELES — A film paying tribute to Dwight D. Eisenhower (search) and his World War II D-Day achievement required precise casting, said writer-producer Lionel Chetwynd.
So how did Tom Selleck (search), definitely not an Eisenhower lookalike, end up with the title role in A&E's "Ike: Countdown to D-Day" (search)? It was all about character, Chetwynd said.
"This is about the loneliness of command, the extraordinary courage it takes to command men and send them into battle and not lose your humanity. ... It's the story of a man of courage, confidence and decency.
"That's what was important in the casting, not to get somebody who looked like him," said Chetwynd, whose TV credits include "Kissinger and Nixon" and the recent "DC 9/11."
Based on their longtime friendship, he said, "I would play poker with Tom Selleck over the phone -- he's that honest and decent a man."
An effort was made to give the husky, dark-haired actor a few of Eisenhower's physical characteristics: Selleck's hair is shaved and dyed, he's sans mustache and his eyebrows are less prominent.
Selleck, the former "Magnum, P.I." star, "Friends" guest star and recent lead in a variety of TV movies, wanted to approximate but not ape Eisenhower's appearance.
"I knew I had to get in a certain ballpark physically, but I didn't want to wear Eisenhower ears and Eisenhower nose and bald caps," the 59-year-old said. "With a known quantity like me, I sincerely felt the audience would be looking for the lines in the latex rather than listening to the lines in the movie."
The actor did modulate his voice in an approximation of Eisenhower's restrained, Midwestern speech, part of a persuasive and intelligent performance.
Selleck didn't want to take on the role as an acting exercise, he said, but because he felt a responsibility to history and the sacrifices the war demanded.
"My dad was in this war and all my uncles, and their wives waited at home and raised kids and hoped for the best. It (the film) was kind of a way of paying homage to all that," he said.
The movie creates battle-free but eloquent drama as it details Eisenhower's stewardship leading up to the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Nazi Germany-occupied France.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I saw Selleck's name in the credits for the great, but old, "Midway" war movie, too...for whatever that's worth. "Trouble is, I *want* that fourth Jap carrier." - Admiral Nimitz.
Don't worry. A & E offer all their films for sale. You can probably order it via the internet.
Thanks for the schedule..my viewing was interrupted and I thought they might replay it immediately!
You freepers are too critical when it comes to hollywood! Look at the great casting they did for Doolittle in Pearl Harbor.
Tom Selleck did a great job portraying "Ike"! What a positive contrast "Ike" is to that Democrat "traitor" John Kerry!
Thought I'd let all of y'all know, the cable came back on and I got to watch it.
Enjoyed it too... good movie.
It was a good effort, although I thought it was kinda boring. Selleck isn't the right guy to play Ike. But he sure makes some real good modern westerns.
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