The dateline NICASIO caught my eye in the NYTimes, on the National page. Chris Lehane, a former political operator for Bill Clinton, was interviewed as he edited “Knife Fight” the movie he wrote and produced at Skywalker ranch for release in a few months.
The article compared “Knife Fight” to “The Ides of March” which is currently in release and starts Ryan Goslin as a political operator for a candidate who has sexual relations with an intern. Ryan Gosling’s role is based on Jay Carson who used to work for Bill Clinton.
Interestingly, there is a cameo performance by Paul Giamatti of a rival political operator in The Ides of March, someone a lot like Chris Lehane. “Jay is earnest and great,” Chris told the NYTimes. “I like sticking the knife in people.”
Eli Attie, himself a former Democratic consultant in Washington who came to Los Angeles to write for “The West Wing” and who knows both men, said: “Jay is the kind of politics we hope for,” he said. “And Chris is the politics we have to have.”
Rob Lowe will be playing the Chris Lehane-type operative in Knife Fight. “From what I hear, Rob Lowe is considered better looking than Ryan Gosling,” Mr. Lehane said (or “jokingly noted,” as he said by way of an e-mail clarification to Adam Nagourney, the NYTimes writer). I enjoyed the Ides of March and am looking forward to seeing Knife Fight.
