On Monday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie seized on Hillary Clinton having lunch with President Obama to promote NBC's upcoming four-part miniseries on the former secretary of state and first lady: "[She] has been traveling around the country giving speeches as you know, as she considers whether to get into the 2016 presidential campaign. Well, whether she runs or whether she doesn't, NBC says it will move forward with a new miniseries about her life." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
As the headline on screen blared, "Hillary Goes Hollywood," Guthrie touted the casting for Clinton: "This is slated to be a four-part movie starring Oscar nominee Diane Lane, and it will recount Clinton's final years as first lady up to the present. No word yet on who would play other characters, such as Bill Clinton, perhaps Monica Lewinsky."
Guthrie prompted discussion among the rest of the morning show cast. Fill-in co-host Carson Daly made his picks for other actors to play key roles: "I think playing President Clinton, Bill Pullman....And my Monica Lewinsky, wait for it, Elizabeth Moss from Mad Men."
News reader Natalie Morales chimed in: "I was going John Travolta for Bill Clinton....And then Olivia Munn, I was thinking for Monica Lewinsky."
Weatherman Al Roker rounded out the exchange by suggesting: "I would go with Woody Harrelson for Bill Clinton and Katy Perry for Monica Lewinsky."
While the Today crew was happy to give the miniseries publicity, political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd was working to distance the news division of the network from the NBC entertainment program. On July 27 he tweeted: "Just want to get this out of the way now: NBC News has nothing to do w/Clinton mini series on NBC entertainment. So save your complaints."
On June 7, Hillary Clinton fan Andrea Mitchell appeared on Today to cheer a separate biopic coming out about the possible 2016 presidential candidate, announcing that Clinton's "friends in Hollywood" were "doing her a favor."
Now it seems that Clinton's friends at NBC are also doing her a favor.
Here is a full transcript of the July 29 exchange:
8:10AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We are back at 8:10 with What is Trending Today. And trending on the Huffington Post today – oh, to be a fly on this wall – as we mentioned earlier, President Obama is hosting Hillary Clinton for a lunch at the White House today. The former secretary of state has been traveling around the country giving speeches as you know, as she considers whether to get into the 2016 presidential campaign.
Well, whether she runs or whether she doesn't, NBC says it will move forward with a new miniseries about her life. This is slated to be a four-part movie starring Oscar nominee Diane Lane, and it will recount Clinton's final years as first lady up to the present. No word yet on who would play other characters, such as Bill Clinton, perhaps Monica Lewinsky. Carson's been doing some deep thinking about this.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Hollywood Goes Hillary; Diane Lane to Play Clinton in NBC Biopic]
CARSON DALY: I have, I thought a lot about it. I think playing President Clinton, Bill Pullman. Think about it. Bill Pullman just played a president, 1600 Penn.
AL ROKER: He's played it a couple of times.
DALY: He's got the – he's got the eyes.
GUTHRIE: I could see that. That's pretty good, alright.
DALY: And my Monica Lewinsky, wait for it, Elizabeth Moss from Mad Men.
GUTHRIE: Okay, that's an out-of-the-box. What did you think Nat?
MORALES: I was going John Travolta for Bill Clinton.
GUTHRIE: Yeah, because – well, he was in Primary Colors.
ROKER: He played him once already.
MORALES: Primary Colors, exactly. But he kind of has that same facial shape there also. And then Olivia Munn, I was thinking for Monica Lewinsky.
DALY: Wow.
ROKER: Okay.
GUTHRIE: That's a good thought, yeah.
DALY: She's very attractive.
MORALES: Dark hair.
GUTHRIE: What do you think, Al?
ROKER: I would go with Woody Harrelson for Bill Clinton and Katy Perry for Monica Lewinsky.
DALY: Woah, out of nowhere.
GUTHRIE: Okay.
ROKER: She can do the soundtrack.
GUTHRIE: I gonna say, maybe turn it into a musical. Well, there's a thought.
DALY: Interesting.
