'Mank': Meet the cast of Netflix film who play real-life characters Herman J Mankiewicz, Marion Davies and others from 'Citizen Kane'
The upcoming Netflix film 'Mank' is set in the 1930s and will depict the 1930s Hollywood in the eyes of Herman J. Mankiewicz, who is an alcoholic. According to Netflix, "1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles." Here's the look at all the real-life characters that will be portrayed in the film and the actors who would be playing their roles.
Gary Oldman as Herman J. Mankiewicz
Actor Gary Oldman plays the role of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz in the film. Oldman who was last seen in 'The Laundromat' and 'The Courier' will play the alcoholic writer who in real life was known for working on screenplays of other writers and 'adjusting' them, and in the process, the films that he had worked on went uncredited. What distinguished his work was "Mankiewicz humor". The film will see Hollywood in the 1930s unravel from his perspective.
Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies
Actor Amanda Seyfried who is well-known for her roles in 'Mamma Mia!', 'Les Misérables', and 'Nine Lives' among others will play the role of Marion Davies in the film. The popular actor who rose to fame in the 1900s saw a decline in 1937 after the Great Depression and seeing as the film is set during this time, we will also see how the much-rumored about association between her and the character in 'Citizen Kane' called Susan Alexander Kane came about.
Lily Collins as Rita Alexander, Herman's secretary
Actor Lily Collins will play the role of Herman's secretary who was the inspiration behind Susan Alexander Kane's name. Collins is best known for her performance in 'Rules Don't Apply'.
Tom Pelphrey as Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Actor Tom Pelphrey plays the role of Joseph L Mankiewicz. Joseph had an illustrious career in Hollywood as he won consecutive Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay for the 1949 film 'A Letter to Three Wives' and the 1950 film 'All About Eve'. During his 40-year-old career in Hollywood, he wrote a total of 48 screenplays and also produced award-winning films which include 'The Philadelphia Story'.
Tom Burke as Orson Welles
Orson Welles was credited as the writer of 'Citizen Kane' and he is also the one to have repeatedly informed the media that actor Marion Davies was not the inspiration behind the character of Susan Kane. The film takes place in the process of Herman working on the screenplay for 'Citizen Kane' and so we can expect to see a lot of insight about how the film came to be written.
Other cast members in the film include Arliss Howard as Louis B. Mayer, Sam Troughton as John Houseman, Ferdinand Kingsley as Irving Thalberg, Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz, Herman's wife, Joseph Cross as Charles Lederer, Jamie McShane as Shelly Metcalf, Toby Leonard Moore as David O. Selznick, Monika Gossmann as Fräulein Frieda, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, Leven Rambin as Eve, Bill Nye as Upton Sinclair and Jeff Harms as Ben Hecht.
The film will reportedly see real-life characters George S. Kaufman, Greta Garbo, Josef Von Sternberg, Norma Shearer, Eleanor Boardman, Joan Crawford, Charlie Chaplin, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Billie Dove, Rexford Tugwell, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Charles MacArthur, Darryl F. Zanuck, S.J. Perelman, Carole Lombard, and Eddie Cantor portrayed as well.