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Thatcher movie sparks new trend

Movie News: Actress Glenn Close announced today she is to star in the sequel to The Iron Lady, a film about Thatcher’s political successor, John Major.

There are so few roles of substance for female actresses of my generation,” Close told The Daily Beast. “So when this opportunity came along I thought, ‘Wow, perfect!’”

Charting Major’s rise and fall, the film will pitch his famously mild public image against the wild excesses of his private life – sometimes even going for long walks without telling anyone what time he would be back.

My job as a female actress is to connect with John Major the man,” says Close, who will be joined by 50 Cent as Norma Major and Justin Timberlake as egg-hating seductress Edwina Currie. But despite Hollywood’s new interest in British political history, it is a home-grown movie that is causing the biggest stir; ‘Winston’ starring Jo Brand.

Why shouldn’t a woman play Churchill?” says Brand. “He’s the Widow Twanky of British military history. Plus we both love a good quip, followed by a good cigar.”

Does this current crop of films herald the end of gender-defined roles for actors?

Well there’s nothing new about it of course,” replies Brand. “There was plenty of gender swapping in Shakespeare’s day – though I’ve just been told that Eddie Izzard is to star in a biopic about me, and I do think that’s going a little too far.”

 

Story: Jasper Gibson

Images: Ninj