The Al Yankovic Story Cast and Character Guide
We are living in the era of the musician biopic. We’ve seen films made on music legends like Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody), Elton John (Rocketman), Aretha Franklin (Respect), and Elvis Presley (Elvis). On top of that, we still have a Whitney Houston film, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, dropping later this year. With so many biopics happening, it was only a matter of time before we saw one for one of the most outrageous performers of all time. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story sees Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, Miracle Workers) star as the parody legend Weird Al Yankovic.
Weird Al is best known for his parodies of hit songs like Lady Gaga’s "Poker Face" ("Polka Face"), Michael Jackson’s "Beat It" ("Eat It"), and Coolio’s "Gangsta’s Paradise" ("Amish Paradise"). In true Al Yankovic fashion, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will serve as a parody of all of the biopics that have come before. The film’s humor and tone are reminiscent of the songs written by Weird Al himself. The movie features many familiar faces and is sure to bring the same level of joy that Yankovic has delivered over the last four decades. Here is a complete guide for the cast of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. But first, here's the film's synopsis:
The unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, "Weird Al" Yankovic rebels and makes his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him.
Daniel Radcliffe as Al Yankovic
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) plays the legend known to the world as Weird Al Yankovic. Radcliffe is best known for his role as the titular character in the Harry Potter franchise, but make no mistake, he’s had quite the career since his final battle against Lord Voldemort. He’s shown his range in films like Swiss Army Man, Guns Akimbo, and the television series Miracle Workers.
Radcliffe will have to bring all his comedic skills to this role since the film serves as a parody rather than a standard biopic. The very idea of playing such drastically different people than those who the characters are based on was reportedly quite the experience for Radcliffe. We spoke with the Al Yankovic actor about the writer's approach to the satirical film: "They do not miss a trope, whether it's the angry father, the repressive parents, or the moment of instant inspiration when songs just... Somebody literally says the words to a song, and they start writing it immediately."
Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna
Madonna is a surprise character in The Al Yankovic Story, considering the two never interacted in real life. Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) is cast as the Queen of Pop, and like the rest of the cast, is playing a caricature of Madonna. We spoke with Wood about the film's insane script, and she said: "Yeah, it was literally just as funny on the page, and that's when I knew it was going to be great, is when I was already laughing out loud just reading it and just picturing it. I just knew it was going to be amazing." Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is both a biopic and a parody, so this exaggerated portrayal of Madonna makes sense, but the strangest part of all this is that Al never met Madonna.
In the film, Madonna meets with Al regarding a parody of her hit song, "Like A Virgin". It turns out that this interaction is only for the film, according to the real Weird Al. In an interview with Parade, Yankovic says, “I really, really hope she can take a joke. I think she can." In reality, Yankovic did parody "Like A Virgin" with his song "Like A Surgeon", reportedly after an acquaintance of Madonna's brought the idea to Yankovic's manager, Jay Levey, who then suggested it to Weird Al. The movie seems to instead show the two artists meeting each other and entering into a wild alcohol-and-drug-fuelled romance, eventually leading to Weird Al's downfall in typical rockstar biopic fashion.
Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento
Rainn Wilson (The Office) plays the incredibly bizarre Dr. Demento in the film. Barret Eugene Hansen specialized in the comedic and unusual for his radio show.
In the film, we see Demento act as an inspiration and a mentor for Al, and that much is true in real life. Probably best known for playing Dwight Schrute in The Office, Rainn Wilson brings his talents to the role of Dr. Demento. Wilson is able to go from reserved to zany in an instant, making him the perfect choice to emulate Dr. Demento’s energy.
Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson as Nick and Mary Yankovic
Weird Al’s father, Nick Yankovic, is played by Toby Huss (The Rental), with his mother, Mary Yankovic, portrayed by Julianne Nicholson (I, Tonya). In the trailer, we see that Al’s parents want him to quit being himself, even though he wants to pursue his dreams of polka and song parodies. Al’s parents might not have approved of his dream early on, but the two likely came around during his rise to stardom. The two even appeared in some of his music videos, albeit in uncredited roles.
Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) portrays Oprah Winfrey in the film. Oprah is best known for her talk show, Oprah, and is a world-renowned author and philanthropist. We see Al appear as a guest on her talk show and bring a level of comedy to the situation. The Abbott Elementary creator and star, Quinta Brunson, appears in the film, and just like Oprah, you can’t ignore her presence.
Apart from these actors, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story also features Spencer Treat Clark as Steve Jay, Dot-Marie Jones as Mama Bear, Will Forte as Ben Scotti, James Preston Rogers as Hulk Hogan, Tommy O'Brien as Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, Nina West as Divine, Arturo Castro as Pablo Escobar, Conan O'Brien as Andy Warhol, Jack Black as Wolfman Jack, Jorma Taccone as Pee-wee Herman, Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper, Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim, Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher, David Dastmalchian as John Deacon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patton Oswalt, and Scott Aukerman, among others.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kxKa10Z1kraCVYq6tediapaSnpp6wbr%2FTqKmyZZOWwLV5wKebZpuYlr%2Bir9OeqWafpZ6xpns%3D