Based on the former FBje 2018 director’s memoir, the miniseries tells a story so recent that viewers may experience a boost For Comey, watching Daniels in action brought tears to tears and nausea
James Comey, left, said watching Jeff Daniels play him was exhausting ???? For Daniels, it was about doing the things that matter, that matter credit Left to right: Jared Soares for The New York Times; Evan Jenkins for The New York Times
Last winter James Comey first met Jeff Daniels The experience made Comey sick to his stomach – I remember the word « nauseous, » Daniels recalled
The Two Men – Comey, a former FBje director, and Daniels, an Emmy-winning actor met in Toronto on the set of “The Comey Rule,” a two-part series debuting Sunday on Showtime, based on Comey’s 2018 memoir, A Higher Loyaltyune ???? Daniels plays Comey
Until then, the real Comey had made himself available by phone and email, but otherwise remained uninvolved. Eventually, however, he found time to spend a day on set. That day, by chance, included a re-enactment of the now infamous private dinner at which Comey said President Trump told him, “I need loyalty I expect loyalty ???? (Trump disputed this version of events)
Watching Daniels squirm in a replica chair at a replica table in a replica of the White House Green Room across from Brendan Gleeson’s Trump, Comey began to feel physically ill. so he knew the scene was working
– It was painful for him, – Daniels recalls in a three-way conversation with Zoom with Comey earlier this month Comey, whose only credit on the show is for writing the source material , puts it in a more colorful way – It’s freakinâ ???? ruined my day, â ???? he said happily
Written and directed by Billy Ray, a director and screenwriter specializing in real-world thrillers (â ???? Shattered Glass, â ?? Breachâ ????), â ? ??? The Comey rule? ???? mixes legal process, political suspense, and historical drama over a period of history so close and largely unprocessed that watching it can induce a sort of emotional boost which means Comey may not be alone. to feel sick
The first episode covers the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election and the FBje is investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private mail server.The second follows the months that followed, largely focusing on the investigation into Russian electoral interference and culminating in the dismissal of Comey Reconstructions and domestic scenes – ???? Jennifer Ehle plays Comey’s wife, Patrice offer a sympathetic view of Comey as a civil servant and individual They reiterate his self-criticism that he can be proud, overconfident, led by personal ethics at the expense of useful institutional norms But no scene contradicts or questions the version of events – A Higher Loyalty – Provisions
Ray admitted he approached the project with the belief that Comey’s handling of the Clinton inquiry had handed the election over to Trump – Well, sir, – Ray remembers saying at the initial introductory meeting, « You got him elected ???? But the Comey of Part 1 is ultimately a tragic hero, a righteous man trapped in a no-win situation. The circumstances of Part 2? Even less winnable
Side by Side on Zoom – Comey from Virginia, Daniels from Michigan – Comey and the actor playing him suggested a comparison and contrast exercise (Mostly Contrast) Daniels wore a Philadelphia Folk Festival t-shirt, her hair all over the place, her face relaxing into a Comey frown, perfectly dressed in a suit jacket and collared shirt, accessorized with a smile Her tidy background – ???? blinds closed, a eulogy or two â ???? ran into Daniels’ cluttered desk
On set, a hairpiece, makeup, and the occasional vocal coach had helped Daniels slip into Comey’s dress shoes. Again, these shoes had elevators; Comey stands an impending 6ft 8 – My family believe he captured me somehow, – Comey said It was kind of the way he was holding his neck and shoulders…
In the conversation both men projected decency, an Eagle Scout-ness of soul Daniels also has sympathy, and his recent mostly trustworthy heroes streak – ???? Will McAvoy in – The Newsroom, – Atticus Finch on Broadway – To Kill a Mockingbird – a ???? provides a meta-text that could help viewers invest in a story about a man who managed, in a matter of months, to rock both sides of the aisle and probably most independents too
During an hour-long interview, Comey and Daniels discussed the shock of reliving the recent past, what a 2016 election drama can mean to viewers in 2020, and just how the miniseries made the real Comey cry These are excerpts from the conversation
Jim, I understand that you were reluctant to sell the film and television rights What convinced you?
JAMES COMEY Shane Salerno one of the producers turned me around He said tell us why you wrote this book ???? I said, “Well, I wanted to be useful, especially to young people, and try to offer a vision of these institutions and what leadership can be ???? And he said, « If your book sells a million copies, it will be a huge non-fiction hit. If a TV show has a million viewers, it’s canceled today ??????? He let it in and then he said, « Listen man I know you’re uncomfortable But if that’s your mission, get over your discomfort Because the kids won’t read your book, but they’ll watch a showâ ????
COMEY It was never one of my career goals to be a B List celebrity At first I wasn’t going to write a book Then I wasn’t going to include the Trump chapters until my literary agents told me: “Are you crazy ???? I just wanted it all to go away And the idea of a movie or TV show meant it was just going to be back in the public eye forever
In the end, I decided to stay in the public eye until the election, so it didn’t make such a big difference. But it was my discomfort. I just thought, « Oh, my God, do I really need this? ” And also, look, I’m sensitive to criticism, and one of the criticisms of me that seems wrong to me but still hurts a little bit is this notion that I’m a showboat or that I want the attention and I thought that it would just feed this story
COMEY He asked me to watch ‘Shattered Glass’, ‘to go back and watch’ Breach ‘again He said,’ I’ve told tough stories and I can tell them in a fair way ???? And I was convinced that he was right Also, Patrice and I met him His verdict was: – Listen, he is a fair personâ ????
Jeff, what sold you on the role, especially after a year of eight shows a week on â ???? To Kill a Mockingbirdâ ?????
JEFF DANIELS During â ???? Mockingbird, â ???? Billy came to me and said, “We want you to play Jim Comeyune ???? My first thought was, « I haven’t a clue how to do thisa???? Which is a good thing Because that’s what I thought with – Newsroom, – – Without God, – â ???? Imminent turn, â ???? Atticus Finch So I said yes, knowing I would have to do it nine days after completing a year of racing at Mockingbird, â € “ which is like running a marathon and then someone hands you a glass of water and tells you to turn around and run another
Before signing up for this project, had you given much thought to Jim and what kind of man he is?
DANIELS I honestly tried to go back and think of October 2016 in particular when they reopened the case [the Clinton investigation] Did I hit the roof and start throwing things? I don’t remember I think I was still recovering from « Grab them by the pussy » â ????
DANIELS I think I emailed her once and basically said, “If you’re in New York in October, I’d love to sit with you ???? And we didn’t And it was OK
DANIELS I did as little as possible with this YouTube is full of Jim I can’t compete with YouTube, but if I can pull them with a hairpiece and two inch lifts then I did my job It more about making the audience think about what they’re thinking and feeling what they’re feeling rather than looking at a whole bunch of manners and accents and things like that
DANIELS I had two inch lifts, and it shows up and I’m still looking up I needed Elton John platform shoes
COMEY I was able to see the loyalty dinner ???? It was the only day I could get to Toronto I watch this, and I feel a little sick Jeff captures my discomfort in an incredible way So when I met him I said, “Best compliment I can do you is that you just ruined my day I feel terribly bad ???? Yeah, the scene is weirdly precise
COMEY I was blown away by the ballet They are pushing cameras, and there are people walking, and there is a lady next to me who follows the script to make sure the words are not dropped and there are voice coaches â ???? just this big group of people They took me in the wardrobe And they had Patrice’s clothes like the stuff she is wearing Then they went into my daughter’s closet and then they showed me my stuff, and it’s like these people have been harassing me and I have no idea
DANIELS All I got is what Billy told me: the struggle to be an apolitical public servant in America today And it’s like America didn’t no idea what that means, nor care
COMEY There is a danger of convincing me, because I was so uncomfortable with the idea of a film about me But I think these are the institutions that are our foundation and the people who compose them imperfect people, people like me One of the pitches Billy did, he said: â ???? I see it as a love story It’s about the love between a man and an institutionâ ????
It reminded me of a Greek tragedy, the story of a good man who lacks accuracy
COMEY Yeah, I think it’s true I think it’s a tragedy There was no door that was going to prevent the disaster Isn’t that of the essences of tragedy? That there is no way out for your hero?
DANIELS It’s a tragedy so far But it’s not over yet Our institutions are at stake Our country is at stake Democracy is at stake It will end in November 3
Exhausting COMEY I watched it with Patrice and two of my daughters And it was moving Because when you’re there one of the ways you survive is to not let yourself be defeated So watching it with some of my daughters, I realized how much pain there was for me that I didn’t fully recognize But maybe what made it most moving for me was watching their reaction Because they felt so much pain at the time And I didn’t really appreciate it It was a wave of emotion that I had suppressed and then a wave of emotion sideways from them
The mini-series will take place five weeks before the presidential election. What do you hope the public takes out of it?
COMEY I thought it was important that this work be shown to the American people before the election Because it is about the nature and character of our institutions and the damage that the person who would want to be reelected made them I hope it makes a difference because it tells the truth
DANIELS I think that’s the difference between being relevant and irrelevant There was a time when it was going to be aired after the election, and it was not acceptable Before the election, we are relevant We participate in the national conversation leading to the most important elections in the history of this country
DANIELS On the path to the left, the path to the right, you are not going to have them Forget them They are gone It’s 20% in the middle Some people say they don’t exist anymore I think they do I live around them here in Michigan There are people here, sometimes they vote Democrat, sometimes they vote Republican, often Republican out of habit They think twice now And these are the people who have to seriously watch this I like do the things that matter, that matter And that thing matters This thing matters
Do you think it’s been enough time for us to really understand what happened in 2016?
COMEY Maybe not completely But the analogue I’m watching is [the movie] – All the President’s Men, – which came out in ’76 It wasn’t the end of the Watergate story It was a contribution, a first contribution to the national understanding of what had happened This is how I see it But I also think you are right I don’t think we have a full understanding of 2016 I see it as a first draft of history
James Comey, Billy Ray, Donald Trump, Jeff Daniels, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
News from the world – United States – â ???? The Comey Ruleâ ???? : Why Watching Jeff Daniels Ruined James Comey’s Day
