John Lithgow Said His ‘Bombshell’ Character ‘Represents Everything That’s Gone Wrong With Broadcast News’
The challenge for actors is setting aside one’s own ideas and personality to become someone completely different. And sometimes, that means humanizing a character many might consider malicious or otherwise ill-intentioned. So, John Lithgow had his hands full playing the late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in the 2019 film Bombshell, even the actor himself admits.
John Lithgow has a history of playing villains
Lithgow has been a consistent presence in movies, television, and theater since the early 1970s. The actor has appeared in everything from the hit sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun to the Oscar-winning tearjerker Terms of Endearment. But along the way, he’s made a name for himself, perhaps most of all, playing villains, such as the Trinity Killer on Showtime’s Dexter.
On the big screen, Lithgow played the villainous Eric Qualen opposite Sylvester Stallone in the 1993 action film Cliffhanger. And he famously provided the voice of Lord Farquaad in the animated smash Shrek in 2001. But portraying a real-life figure as controversial as Ailes added a complicated new dimension to the role that separates it from Lithgow’s litany of fictional baddies.
‘Bombshell’ saw the actor portraying Fox News CEO Roger Ailes
In a recent video discussing his most popular roles with GQ, John Lithgow addressed how challenging he found it to play Ailes. The late Fox News CEO faced numerous accusations of sexual harassment in 2016, leading him to resign. As the figurehead of the controversial network, Ailes was often blamed for the divisive direction of the company.
“There was a reflexive revulsion to even the name ‘Roger Ailes,’ not just because of his misconduct charges,” Lithgow told GQ about making Bombshell, “but because he represented everything that’s gone wrong with broadcast news with the creation of Fox News, even though I think Fox News would not be quite the horror it is today if Roger Ailes was still alive.”
John Lithgow returns to TV for the FX series ‘The Old Man’
Playing such a controversial figure as Ailes might have been one of the most buzzworthy roles John Lithgow has taken on in recent years. Bombshell earned awards attention but received mixed reviews and only moderate box office returns. But the multitalented performer recently landed another plum role opposite Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges in the new FX series The Old Man, based on the Thomas Perry novel.
The show follows a former CIA operative (Bridges) who goes on the run after killing someone in self-defense. Lithgow plays the FBI agent with a complicated past who’s charged with bringing in Bridges’ character. Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg (Jericho) and Robert Levine (Black Sails), The Old Man debuted in June 2022, and FX has already renewed it for season 2.
