Will Drake play Barack Obama in biopic? Former POTUS says rapper seems to be 'able to do anything he wants'
Yes we can indeed. Drake has been deemed suitable for playing Barack Obama in a potential biopic. During a recent interview on Complex's 360 With Speedy Morman, Obama opened up about Drake’s interest in playing the former president, telling Morman, “I will say this, Drake seems to be able to do anything he wants. I mean, that is a talented, talented brother. So, if the time comes and he's ready…”
When Morman asked if the Canadian rapper has his “stamp of approval,” Obama, 59, referenced his two daughters, 22-year-old Malia and 19-year-old Sasha. “Drake has, more importantly I think, my household’s stamp of approval,” said Obama, who recently released his memoir, 'A Promised Land'. “I suspect Malia and Sasha would be just fine with it.”
Though the former President has been portrayed on screen several times, there are no biopics about him yet. Devon Terrell played Obama in 2016’s 'Barry', and Parker Sawyers took on the role in 'Southside With You', a film focussing on the politician’s relationship with wife Michelle Obama.
Drake, who shot to fame by acting on the Canadian drama 'Degrassi' expressed his interest in playing Obama to Paper, back in 2010.
“I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him,” he said during Obama’s first term in office. “I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice.” Drake added, “If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions. Slowly but surely, I’m not in the study mode because nobody’s called me about anything, but I just pay attention so when the day comes I’m not scrambling to learn how to speak like him.”
Recently, Obama revealed that his daughters became close friends during the pandemic. “Like a lot of families who are lucky enough not to have to worry about losing a job, or a family member getting sick, there are times where it's felt claustrophobic, I'm sure, for them.”
“But for Michelle and me as parents, to have this bonus time where your kids are having dinner with you every night and we're playing games and watching movies together — there's been a lot of joy to that,” Obama explained. “ I think part of what's been also wonderful is seeing Malia and Sasha become such great friends. They've got a three-year gap between them, and when one is 16 and the other one's 13, there's still that sister competition. ‘Did you grab my halter top? Where is it? Why haven't you returned it? Why are you doing this, why are you doing that?’”
He added, "Now they're both old enough, where they just enjoy each other's company and to be together as a family and see how they've become these marvelous young women — there's been no greater joy than that."
He also added that living all time together was not always comfortabe because that “doesn't mean that we haven't gone through what I think a lot of people go through, which is a little bit of cabin fever. And I'm sure the girls have felt it more severely than Michelle and I have."