Everybody’s Talking About James Woods in That ‘Bats–‘ Rudy Giuliani Biopic From 2003

A clip from “Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story” has resurfaced and the internet is loving it

James Woods and Rudy Giuliani

In a (not-at-all-shocking) turn of events, the internet can’t stop talking about Rudy Giuliani.

After a memorable month — which included a notable turn in “Borat 2”, a post-election press conference at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping and a recent hair dye gaffe — Giuliani is now trending for a totally different reason: The internet has rediscovered an old biopic in which the Trump lawyer was portrayed by actor James Woods. An amusing clip from 2003’s “Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story” has gone viral, and it reminds us of the person Giuliani used to be. You know, before he became a meme-worthy villain.

The clip shows a scene of Woods’ Giuliani taking a moonlit stroll on a fake beach with his wife Donna, played by Penelope Ann Miller. Throughout the scene, the two discuss everything from his personality (“I’m not a hard ass, I’m not insensitive,” Rudy tells his wife) to politics (“Democrats always talked about things getting better, Republicans did whatever they could to make them better,” he insists).

Of course, back in the early ’90s and aughts, Giuliani was a decently respectable public figure. As the mayor of New York, he helped unite the city after 9/11, earning him a spot on Time Magazine’s Person of the Year list in 2001. He also helped transform Times Square from a seedy playground into a tourist hotspot, cleaned up New York’s crime record and even received honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. In short, a biopic covering his life and accomplishments at the height of his “hero” status made sense.

That was 2003. It’s now 2020, and Giuliani’s personal profile is far from what it used to be — which means we can’t watch this clip without thinking of his more recent career moments. And the fact that he was portrayed by Woods, who is also a known Trump supporter? That’s just the icing on the cake.

Take a look at some of the responses and reactions to Woods’ Emmy-nominated performance.

https://twitter.com/garywhitta/status/1331264799720632322

 

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