Famous liberal Woody Harrelson says he was surprised to find that he liked Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, who he plays in the HBO movie “Game Change,” opposite Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin.
“I wouldn’t imagine myself wanting to have anything to do with [Schmidt], but I really found myself liking him,” Harrelson tells the April issue of Men’s Journal. “He’s a political animal, but I feel like he’s an idealist and not bogged down in all the bullshit. Let’s face it. Obama was a phenomenon. They knew they were going to get beat, so choosing Palin was just a Hail Mary pass. It was just a wild idea.”
While Sarah Palin has spoken out against “Game Change,” Schmidt cooperated in the making of the film. He called watching Harrelson play him “an out-of-body experience.” But while the two men got along in person, Harrelson says that playing a Republican on TV has not lead him to be more sympathetic to conservatives.
“[Bleep], no! The [bleep] those people say just makes me weep for humanity!” exclaimed Harrelson.
Harrelson also reveals to Men’s Journal that he was at first not too taken with the idea of starring in “The Hunger Games,” despite its potential to be the new “Twilight” saga.
“I turned it down,” says Harrelson. “But then the director, Gary Ross, called and said, ‘I don’t have a second choice, you’re the part. You have to do this.’ And I said, ‘In that case, let’s do it.’”