Michael C. Hall has joined the cast of the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown. The actor is set to join the series, which portrays the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, during Season 2 of the show. Hall will be portraying a famous political figure, and once you read it I guarantee you'll find the casting interesting. Michael C. Hall will be playing none other than former American President John F. Kennedy. Jackie Kennedy has also been cast.
The casting may seem a bit odd when you look at the face of our 35th President and Michael C. Hall. The portrayal doesn't seem spot on, but this won't be the JFK we typically see on screen. Typically, when I think of JFK I think of the "chicken in every crockpot" laughing at Forrest Gump getting shot in the buttocks President. That's not the direction The Crown will be taking!
Deadline writes that the JFK we will see Michael C. Hall play is different than many of the portrayals we've seen in the past. In the show, President Kennedy will receive a lot of positive attention thanks to the help of his wife Jackie Kennedy, but reports indicate he will feel very emasculated by the media and public, who give more attention to his wife than him. The Crown will show the darker and more manipulative side of John F. Kennedy as he looks to humiliate his wife, flaunting his infidelity and privately showing anger at the attention The First Lady is receiving. That's definitely a reported side of JFK that's not always portrayed in popular culture.
Michael C. Hall will share the spotlight (which he will hate in character) with actress Jodi Balfour, who will play Jackie Kennedy. Showrunners describe Balfour's representation in The Crown as a woman who naturally fits the role of First Lady, but hates the public life it brings. If the show is continuing its historical take on the reign this visit will likely take place a couple months after JFK's inauguration at the royal palace. Historically, Jackie was the talk of the trip, winning both media attention and the attention of European heads of state, a fact we are sure to see Hall's Kennedy resent in the series.
Michael C. Hall is no stranger to critically-acclaimed television. The actor got his first big break with his role on HBO's Six Feet Under in 2001 and even those who haven't watched Dexter likely recognize his work on the Showtime series. Now that he's hopping over to Netflix it's almost as though he's making a checklist as he goes along! I can't wait to see him on The Crown, although I'm still having trouble seeing him as John F. Kennedy. Season 2 of The Crown does not have a release date yet, so before you go and binge the first season again jump over to our midseason premiere guide and see what's premiering this month.
