Hugh Jackman Takes on a Presidential Campaign and an Extramarital Affair in The Front Runner
Hugh Jackman is under fire in the new trailer for his political drama The Front Runner.
The 49-year-old actor plays former American senator Gary Hart during his 1988 presidential campaign which soon turns into crisis after his extramarital affair is discovered.
Jackman portrays a confident Democratic candidate during the rise and fall of his political career. Considered the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, his affair with Donna Rice forces Hart to drop out of the race.
“I’ve never known a guy more talented at untalented politics so that anyone could understand. It is a gift and he wants to share that,” J.K. Simmons, as campaign manager Bill Dixon, says about Jackman’s Hart.
As reporters begin to report on Hart’s relationship with another woman, he refuses to believe any scandal will bring down his prospects for the presidency.
“It’s nobody’s business. None of it is,” he tells Simmons’ character Dixon during a searing moment. “This campaign is about the future. Not rumors, not sleaze. I care about the sanctity of this process whether you do or do not!”
As everything falls apart, Vera Farmiga, who stars as Hart’s wife Lee, retorts, “The one thing I asked was that you don’t embarrass me.”
Despite his efforts to maintain decorum and keep his campaign afloat, a defeated Hart warns his wife, “There’s going to be a story tomorrow about me.”
The Front Runner is in theaters Nov. 7.
