LFF 2015: Trumbo Rolls Into London

Breathing life into this story of political strife and artistic struggle? Jay Roach, director of **Austin Powers **and Meet the Parents. It’s an unlikely match at first glance, but John McNamara’s witty script pokes fun at this embarrassment in Hollywood’s past, while Roach is careful to let the cautionary message speak volumes in a biopic that’s often breezily comedic.

“He finds humour in the absurdity of human behaviour”, co-star Helen Mirren (who plays acid-tongued gossip columnist Hedda Hopper) told Empire. “I think that’s the best kind; it didn’t feel like he was directing a comedy at all.”Joining Mirren and Cranston on the red carpet in Leicester Square were Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and John Goodman, whose turn as a sardonic studio exec sees him no less gloriously foul-mouthed than in Argo. Could this latest tale of Hollywood and politics see awards buzz come February? Cranston is in with a chance, barking Trumbo’s one-line witticisms with grizzled, moustachioed relish whilst conveying the traumas faced by a real unsung hero.

“You couldn’t have asked for anything better”, said producer Shivani Rawat of his performance. “He really makes you believe he’s Trumbo.” Her ideal cast got the film off the ground faster, but it was the man himself, responsible for **Roman Holiday **and Spartacus, who convinced Rawat to back it. “I never knew his story, yet we’ve all grown up watching his films. I was on board after five pages.”

**Trumbo **will be released in UK cinemas on 5 February 2016.

*​Reporting by Alastair Livesley, with thanks to Go Think Big and O2. For amazing work opportunities go to Go Think Big.co.uk. *