Summary
- Paul Walter Hauser embraces the challenge of portraying Chris Farley in an upcoming biopic, approaching the role with love and effort.
- The actor, known for his authentic portrayals of real-life figures, has been preparing to play Farley his entire life.
- Hauser’s success in past biographical roles, such as in
Richard Jewell
, sets him up for potential recognition in the upcoming Chris Farley film.
Paul Walter Hauser has shared what his angle will be and how much he has prepared for his upcoming project, in which he will give life to the beloved late comedian Chris Farley of Saturday Night Live fame. Hauser, who was quick to build a career beyond his first more “secondary” roles, seems like the perfect actor to take on the role, and this goes beyond his physicality. Ever since he blew up everyone’s minds playing criminal Shawn Eckhardt in I, Tonya, Hauser has proven he does have the ability to play real-life characters with great balance. It’s no wonder director Josh Gad agreed with his casting for the biopic of the SNL star who left us too soon.
In an interview with Variety, Hauser discusses what will be his most prominent biographical role to date. The actor is aware that biographies of this nature could spark controversy. After all, Farley was a very well-known celebrity in his field and popular culture, and Hauser knows that it could be difficult for people to welcome another actor playing Farley:
“Everybody’s going to judge the crap out of the movie and have very passionate, hard-line opinions.
I’m not worried about playing Chris because I know I’m going to approach it with a lot of love and effort.
At the end of the day, all you can do is work hard and try your best to love the character and the project as much as possible.
To me, that doesn’t seem like much of a hurdle with Chris. I adore him. I want to honor him. I want people to leave the theater, having laughed and cried together.
”
There’s no doubt he’s the right man for the job. The actor also says how much he has practiced to play Chris Farley:
I’ve been practicing to play Chris Farley my entire life.
The SNL performer, famous for giving life to characters in the show like Matt Foley, one of the Gap Girls, a Chippendales’ potential dancer, and himself in the bit The Chris Farley Show, rose to stardom in his late 20s when Hollywood provided a place for him. Films like Wayne’s World, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja showcased the actor’s peculiar physicality for comedic performance and the balls-to-the-wall quality of his acting. The actor passed away in December 1997 when he was just 33 years old.
Related
Paul Walter Hauser Talks Fantastic Four Casting, Will Also Star in The Naked Gun & Chris Farley Biopic
The casting news marks a big month for Paul Walter Hauser who is also set to play Chris Farley in a biopic that was recently picked up by New Line.
Paul Walter Hauser’s Performance as Chris Farley is Another Great Biopic Opportunity for the Actor
Actually, make that underrated actor. Paul Walter Hauser has had a great run in Hollywood so far. His role in the biographical drama Richard Jewell, was acclaimed by critics who recognized his potential to play real-life figures with enough authenticity. In the interview, he shares some insight about the selection of his roles based on what they represent to him:
”
When you get a script for something like I, Tonya and you see that Shawn Eckhardt is this quasi-compulsive liar-manipulator, who’s not very self-aware, it’s like, ‘Oh man, that looks like fun to play.’
When Cobra Kai came to me and said, ‘You want to play this man-child who wants to relive his youth by becoming a serious karate student with all these teenagers?’ It’s like, man, that’s hilarious and sad and interesting. Yeah, I’ll play that.
So you take it as it comes and hope it’s something interesting that you can latch on to and have fun with.
”
Hauser’s other noteworthy performance came in 2022, when he played Larry Hall in the Apple TV series Black Bird. The drama thriller saw Hauser play a serial killer in disguise and Taron Egerton’s Jimmy Keene trying to draw some information from him in an undercover operation. Hall’s persona is so unnerving that Keene has a problem taking the operation all the way through. The performance by Hauser is undoubtedly his best to date, and it got him several awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. If we take into account that award organizations love biographical roles, his performance in the Chris Farley biopic will surely put him on some of the ballots when the time comes. Hauser will also participate in upcoming projects in the MCU, the Naked Gun reboot, and he has officially entered the field of professional wrestling.
There is currently no release date or official title for the Warner Bros. project about Chris Farley, starring Paul Walter Hauser.