BUSH-TED

Sam Rockwell Apologizes to George Bush’s Daughter Over Portrayal of Ex-President

The Oscar-winning actor played Bush in a 2018 movie.

Sam Rockwell had an amusingly awkward moment on Tuesday’s episode of Today when discussing his portrayal of former President George W. Bush in Vice—opposite host Jenna Bush Hager, the real Bush’s daughter. The 56-year-old Oscar winner, joined by longtime partner Leslie Bibb, joked about the surreal experience of meeting Hager after playing her father in Adam McKay’s 2018 political satire. “I’m sorry for [that],” Rockwell quipped, prompting Hager to laugh and reassure him, “No, you don’t need to apologize!” As footage of Rockwell’s Bush impression played in the studio, Bibb teased Jenna that, “Her dad has never been sexier. Look at you two!” Rockwell then asked if they’d need therapy to process the odd dynamic, to which Hager joked “We do have the same physical therapist. We could go to her!” Later in the interview, Rockwell admitted he studied Bush’s mannerisms intently for the role, and busted out a quick impression to the delight of the host and audience, but admitted most of the nuance had been lost in the years since filming, replaced with a “general Southern drawl.” He told Jenna: “Now when I do [Walton] Goggins, I do George, your dad. Or when I do your dad, I do Matthew McConaughey or Woody Harrelson. Just one amalgam of Southern people.”