This is both pathetic and unsurprising.
According to an article from the Daily Beast, both Donald Trump and his new communications director, the repugnant Anthony Scaramucci, made a play to appear in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the 2010 sequel to Oliver Stone’s Wall Street.
Most of you are probably familiar with the basic premise of the original Wall Street, and its main character, “Gordon Gekko,” played by Michael Douglas.
The sequel stars Douglas and Shia LeBouf in what was a snooze-fest of the driest order, about a reformed Gekko, fresh off of an 8-year prison sentence for securities fraud, trying to repair the relationship with his daughter, and to warn the banking industry of a sure financial crisis.
It seriously was one of the worst movies I’ve ever attempted to watch.
One of the more “organic” cameos in Stone’s film comes courtesy of Anthony Scaramucci, whom President Trump recently installed as White House communications director. Back then, before he accused Trump’s senior strategist Steve Bannon of indulging in autofellatio, the tough-talkin’ Long Island native was best known as the founder of SkyBridge Capital, an investment firm managing billions in assets, as well as the “Wall Street guy” who posed a question to President Obama at a CNBC town hall—and was subsequently eviscerated for it by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (just three days prior to Money Never Sleeps’ theatrical premiere).
Scaramucci, who goes by the nickname “The Mooch,” pops up briefly in two interstitial scenes of Money Never Sleeps as an unnamed short seller working for Churchill Schwartz, the investment firm run by Brolin’s villain.
So he’s a “movie star,” as well?
I’d just as soon watch Rick Perry’s cameo in Man of the House. It was about 30 seconds of far more substantial fare, and I hear Perry has purposely held on to his Screen Actors Guild card.
The Mooch’s brief cameos, which amount to less than fifteen total seconds of screen time, didn’t come cheap. According to sources close to the production, in exchange for the cameos—and the SkyBridge Capital logo being displayed prominently during a charity gala sequence in the film—Scaramucci ponied up around $100,000. Former president George W. Bush didn’t nickname him “Gucci Scaramucci” for nothing.
That, of course, is more screen time than Donald Trump received.
The Donald, then a real estate magnate turned reality television host, was fresh off the third installment of Celebrity Apprentice—a show where C- and D-listers such as Gary Busey and Tom Green (remember him?) competed in tasks like “who can raise the most money auctioning off bling from Ivanka Trump’s upscale jewelry line.” During the previous season of the show, Trump infamously sexually harassed contestant Brande Roderick on national television, musing, “It must be a pretty picture—you dropping to your knees.”
The Trump cameo was cut from the movie, but did appear in the DVD extras.
And apparently, Trump felt his WWE wrestling performances and Celebrity Apprentice made him “a star.”
He had a really obnoxious list of demands.
“The preferred camera angle is Mr. Trump sitting front face to camera slightly favoring his right side, while avoiding left hair part and back and sides of hairand head. Camera eye level or above. If any angle shots need to be taken, please only use Mr. Trump’s 3/4 right side angle shot, while still avoiding the back and sides of hair/head. Lighting, warm golden lighting (no red tones please). Can you please include an eye light (if shooting in high definition, eye light needs to be even more powerful). Also, we had more success with being front lit and avoiding strong lighting behind top of hair/head). The result is golden blond hair, warm golden (even tone) tan skin and a more defined jaw-line. A great reference for Mr. Trump’s look is always the boardroom scenes in Celebrity Apprentice. Can you please provide a monitor for Mr. Trump to see the shot before he starts.”
Also, those playing barbers had to sign a contract, stating they’d not touch his hair.
I’ve seen Trump’s attempts at acting (more so in the past 6 months than I care to). I’d say on the cutting room floor was the right place for his cameo.
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