Inside Sam Rockwell's Oscar-nominated turn as George W. Bush in Vice

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Sam Rockwell
Starring In: Vice
Age: 50
Oscar past: 1 nomination, 1 win
Role call: The 43rd president of the United States and unwitting Dick Cheney foot soldier George W. Bush

George W. Bush has been ripe fodder for actors and comedians for nearly 20 years, but in Adam McKay’s Vice, Sam Rockwell imbues the former president with something new. Rockwell’s Bush is sort of a Texan frat boy-turned-mark, whose path to the presidency presents an opportunity for Dick Cheney (Christian Bale).

To prepare for the role, Rockwell watched takes by his predecessors — including Josh Brolin, Steve Bridges, and Will Ferrell (who served as a producer on Vice) — before immersing himself in recordings and footage of the actual 43rd president. “Oddly, for such little screen time [in Vice], it felt like a lead role because when I was away, I had to listen to [Bush] and that was weird,” Rockwell says. “It’s a very small part, but I had to stay in it.”

Mission accomplished.

Related content:

• How the Vice team built their genre-busting, fourth-wall-breaking Dick Cheney satire
• Adam McKay on why he loves the ‘divisive’ nature of Oscar nominee Vice
• Christian Bale and Sam Rockwell chart Dick Cheney’s rise under George W. Bush in Vice trailer