For those of us who felt Liam Neeson was a pretty insipid replacement for Mel Gibson in the forthcoming sequel to The Hangover, there is exciting news today. Former US president Bill Clinton has reportedly filmed a cameo in Bangkok for the film, which sees bachelors Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha heading to Thailand for a whole new stag do.
Mike Tyson's cameo, along with that of his tiger, was the standout moment of the first movie, and director Todd Phillips was clearly looking for somebody with a similarly roguish image when he lined up Gibson to play a cobbler in round two. When it emerged that Phillips had abandoned plans to cast the Lethal Weapon star after complaints from cast and crew, producers swiftly announced that Neeson would take his place, and the earth failed to shake.
The Oscar-nominated actor still seems to be taking that role, so one can only assume that Clinton's part is an even smaller one. The gossip site TMZ reckons he'll be playing himself, but surely we won't see him spoofing his own travails or sending up the more dubious aspects of his public persona? One cannot imagine the lure of five minutes in the Hollywood headlights being enough to have him suddenly airing his dirty laundry in public.
Galifianakis, who played socially challenged brother-in-law-to-be Alan in the first movie, has denied reports that he was among those who spoke out against Gibson's employment. Neeson seems to have got his gig after another cast member, Cooper, tapped up his A-Team co-star to save the day just as the shoot was about to commence.
Gibson, according to the New York Post's gossip page, was furious. "He doesn't understand why Mike Tyson, a drug user who turned his life around, was given a chance, while Mel was kicked to the curb," the newspaper's source reckons. "Everybody deserves a second chance."
Clinton, however, evidently passes muster among the more politically correct members of the Hangover 2 team.
