First 'LBJ' Clip: Watch Woody Harrelson Tell a Dirty Story
Why yes, that is Woody Harrelson’s voice coming out of Lyndon Johnson’s face in this new clip from LBJ. Thanks to some serious prosthetics, Harrelson is hardly recognizable as the 37th President of the United States. Director Rob Reiner’s film, premiering today at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows Johnson for several years of his political career — during which he, apparently, regaled his colleagues with some naughty life lessons. Watch the clip above.
LBJ takes place between 1959 and 1964, following Johnson’s sudden ascension from the Senate to the Vice Presidency to the Oval Office (he was sworn in after John Kennedy’s assassination), and his controversial second term (during which he passed the Civil Rights Act but also waged war in Vietnam). At TIFF, Reiner spoke to Deadline about his complex title character.
“Here was a guy who was so effective in persuading people to come around to his position, and at the same time have this incredible insecurity at his core. I thought if I can get that across somehow then it makes it a more interesting film,” said the director.
Audiences at TIFF are getting well-acquainted with this period of U.S. political history: In addition to LBJ, the film Jackie starring Natalie Portman, about Jacqueline Kennedy in the days following her husband’s assassination, premiered at the festival to rave reviews.
Related: Read our complete Toronto coverage
