In what can be described only as a nontraditional casting, Jane Fonda has been picked to play Nancy Reagan in a new film about a White House butler whose 34-year career spanned the presidencies of Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan.
Variety reports that director Lee Daniels has picked the woman known as Hanoi Jane for her activism during the Vietnam War to portray Mrs. Reagan in the film “The Butler.” The movie is based on a story by Washington Post reporter Wil Haygood, who chronicled the life of Eugene Allen, a butler who started at the White House in 1952 and retired in 1986.
Forest Whitaker is reported to be close to finalizing a deal to portray Allen, and Oprah Winfrey is in talks to play his wife, according to Variety. Variety reports that no cast deals are in place yet, but Daniels is finalizing financing for the film, which may start production in the summer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.