Who should play Andy Beshear in the inevitable pandemic movie? Facebook debates.
It’s all but a certainty that, eventually, movies will be made about and set during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, who would Hollywood cast to play Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear?
That question was asked by user Lori Potraffke in the popular Facebook group “andy beshear memes for social distancing teens,” which has surpassed 150,000 members since it was created last Friday. Her post received more than 1,000 responses in a little more than a day.
Dozens of famous faces have been suggested but some consensus has been built. Ryan Reynolds, of “Deadpool” and “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder” fame, is a frequent pick. One user, Rosa Hart, pointed out that he’s already auditioned, citing a video posted to Twitter as part of a social-media chain to encourage people to take efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 seriously.
Many users pointed out that Tom Hanks — who recently portrayed Fred Rogers in the film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” — would be an ideal choice because of his wholesome persona, but that he might be too old to play Beshear. Some users pointed out that Andy’s father, Steve, who served as Kentucky’s governor from 2007-2015, might be a better role for Hanks, 63, while Tom’s son Colin could fill the role of Andy.
Several other hunks — Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Jon Krasinski — received many votes of approval. Kentucky native George Clooney was mentioned a few times, as was Johnny Depp.
“They don’t look a thing alike,” Eileen Langer wrote of Depp. Felicia Wilkey responded, “Maybe with makeup?”
Some folks chimed in about whom would best portray Virginia Moore, the executive director of the Kentucky Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing who’s on stage as an interpreter during Beshear’s daily news conferences. One suggestion was Camryn Manheim, who worked as a sign language interpreter before pursuing her acting career.
Jess McClure said one thing is an absolute must.
“As long as Aaron Sorkin writes it,” McClure wrote.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 8:05 AM.
