I wasn't alive for the heady days of Vietnam and burning draft cards and Kent State, although I'm supposing that the last decade's war protests and Occupy Wall Street might form something of an approximation. So I can't speak to the era's tensions with any kind of authority, but there's one thing I do know from first-hand experience: your grandparents probably hate the ever-loving shit out of Jane Fonda.
A lot of that stems from an extremely controversial trip that Fonda took to North Vietnam in July of 1972, wherein she posed for pictures with NVA soldiers and, worst of all, engaged in a press conference with American POWs who had been tortured and forced to partake in the press conference and speak out against the war. I love the fact that I live in a country where speaking out against the actions of the government is considered a healthy and respectable form of free speech (for the moment, anyway), but it's hard not to agree that Fonda pushed some moral boundaries with the visit, a good accounting of which you can find on Snopes. It's one thing to speak out against a war that you feel is unjust, but Fonda went so far as to accuse the POWs of exaggerating their circumstances, "probably for their own self-interest." Which...wow.
My grandfather is a retired admiral who spent a good chunk of the 60's and 70's in Vietnam, so understandably he still has some strong opinions on the merits of Fonda's trip to Hanoi, as well as the woman herself. I would not at all want to be in the room with him when he learns that one of the most famous hippie liberals of the era has reportedly been cast as America's most famous drug-hating granny, Nancy Reagan, in The Butler, an upcoming film from Lee Daniels, director of Precious. Man, would I not want to be there, except perhaps to summon emergency services to help treat the ensuing cardiac event.
The Butler is a biopic of Eugene Allen, the long-serving White House butler who worked for eight different presidents over a lengthy career. It's no doubt a fascinating story, but the Fonda casting is certainly a note of curiosity. Nancy Reagan never came across as being a hardcore conservative, from my memories (and has been active in supporting things like stem-cell research despite the party line), but it's hard to imagine that she fostered many good thoughts about someone like Fonda. Reagan's still alive and kicking at 91, so it's possible that we'll get her opinion on the news at some point soon.
Obviously, the goal of any film is to cast the best actor or actress for the role at hand, but it's hard not to feel that some consideration to the wishes of someone who's still alive might be nice in this instance, especially someone as generally well-thought-of as Reagan. I'm sure Fonda would do well in the role, but there's still the faintest whiff of troll-iness in the casting that skeeves me out a bit, especially given the prevailing conservative opinion in America that Hollywood overtly or covertly advocates liberal social policies as a rule. Maybe they'll double down and get Tim Robbins to play Reagan, just to see how much foam accumulates at the corners of Rush Limbaugh's mouth as he rants and raves.
Having an admiral for a grandfather is pretty impressive. All my grandfather ever did in the military was get "shot in the ass." (And even that is debatable, from what I've heard.)
Anyway, yeah, that's weird casting.
Meryl Streep should have been cast as her. I did not know any of that about Jane Fonda. I'd love to see what Nancy Reagan has to say about the casting.
I'll just wait to show my grandparents until the porn version, "The Butt-ler", comes out. Problem solved.
It's probably going to be a bit role in the grand scheme of the movie, but I still find this kind of funny. Having not heard about this in great detail before, I bet that my still-living grandparents don't think very highly of Jane Fonda.
I approve.
I'm kind of upset that Jane Fonda, formerly an anti-Vietnam War activist, wants to have the role of Nancy Reagen, one of the strongest advocates for the war on drugs (which, by the way, is complete and utter bullshit). I guess I won't be disappointed if the film doesn't glorify the Reagans, but if they're portrayed as the greatest people (or even as good politicians) then that would be idiotic of Fonda.
Dude, your grandfather was an admiral? Fuck.
REGANOMICS KILLING ME! REGANOMICS KILLING YOU!
My grandfather was a Yeoman on a sub tender in the Navy during WW2, and I doubt that he would really care much.
I just want Reagan on the 10 dollar bill
All veterans who have gone through POW training, me included, have heard about Jane Fonda. The Snopes article was interesting because the slips of paper was highly emphasized during the training. Finding out the slips of paper were false doesn't change the fact that she was a propaganda tool for the Vietcong. I have no ill will for Jane Fonda though. I think she was just a silly movie star that didn't realize what she was doing. She saw the American war movement as evil and the plight of the Vietnamese people as just. Under those circumstances it is hard to believe the "good guys' would torture POW's. I think her heart was in the right place. She just didn't realize the ramifications of her actions. As far as the casting choice, seems okay to me.
@MooseyMcMan: I wonder what rank of Admiral he was...maybe a Ror-Admiral?
You know...like the...rank...Rear...
...I'll let myself out.
My Step-Dad was 1st Lt. during Vietnam. He also hates the ever-loving shit out of Jane Fonda.
This is just dumb. Talk about the worst possible person for that role...
Fuck Jane Fonda. Go back to 'Nam bitch!
@MooseyMcMan:
My great great great grandfather got shot in the ass at Antietam and then lost his arm at Gettysburg.
Personally I find this despicable, but that is mostly due to Jane Fonda being second on my most disliked celebrities, behind Roman Polanski. Opposing a war is one thing, but making propaganda for the enemy is quite another.
I can't believe that the casting director didn't think of the issues this might bring up, and I too wonder what Nancy Reagan must think.
@erichr said:
We haven't moved beyond this stuff? I'm truly shocked at the people here who still think that this is a problem. There's no such thing as "the enemy".
I guess it's good that you at least hate the peace activist slightly less than the guy who pleaded guilty to statutory rape.
@gangly said:
I think you misunderstand my wording here (might be my fault). I'm not condemning peace activism, in fact I think it is essential to democracy that our societies allow that sort of public discourse. I'm just saying that Fonda crossed a line by aiding the propaganda campaign of the government that the United States was currently at war with. I personally think that is a step too far. Let me be clear, I was not alive during Vietnam nor am I even an American, this is just my personal opinion about loyalty to ones country. And when I use the phrase 'the enemy', I am meaning the fighting force that is opposing her own country's military, not any sort of nebulous group of states or peoples.
I don't mean to start a big fight, but is it really so hard to see why people have strong feelings about this? Just my two cents.
Maybe this news will kill Rush Limbaugh and some other Fox News wackadoos? Here's hoping.