Ed Asner to Play John McCain in HBO Bergdahl Prisoner-Swap Movie
HBO announced today that veteran actor Ed Asner has signed to play the role of Senator John McCain in a hurry-up movie about the release of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl set to start filming this coming weekend. âWe needed an actor who could keep a straight face while completely changing his mind right on camera,â Yves Bedart, HBO Casting Director, told the L.A. Times. âFlip-flops are tough to believably pull off but if anyone besides Senator McCain can do it, itâs Ed Asner.â âWeâre currently still casting for 5 swarthy Arabs to play the released Taliban.â The news of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahlâs release after five years of being held in captivity by the Afghanistan Taliban was initially welcomed by Senator McCain with giddy excitement. He quickly changed his position however when several Facebook posts suggested Bergdahl may have been a hippie who possibly smoked a marijuana cigarette and then maybe wandered right into the hands of the terrorists. McCain (77) then immediately called for President Obamaâs impeachment.  âAmerican forces never leave a man behind. This is a proud day for the United States of America,â McCain originally told CNN minutes after the successful prisoner exchange was announced by the White House. âAmerican forces have been kicked in the nut sack. This is a sad day for the United States of America,â McCain told Fox News an hour later. Asner (84) is best known for playing angry news station manager Lou Grant on the 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and told the New York Times today that playing John McCain will be the biggest challenge of his acting career. âSenator McCainâs windy media statements wonât be hard to nail. I have an old trick whenever I have to fake being enraged on cameraâ¦I just dig my fingernails into the palms of my hand,â said Asner. âBut extreme back-pedaling is damn hard to act. Gotta give chops to McCain.â McCainâs office issued a statement earlier today claiming that Sgt. Bergdahl was spotted at the MGM Grand poker tables in Vegas and is not in fact in a German hospital recovering. Â