Halle Berry to star in movie about 2000 Democratic congressional candidate

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Halle Berry is Top of the Class

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http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16820

Source: Variety
October 5, 2006

Halle Berry has signed on to star in Class Act for DreamWorks Pictures, and Doug Atchison has come on board to write and direct the true life tale, reports Variety.

Berry will play Tierney Cahill, a teacher from Reno, Nev., who took a challenge from her sixth-grade students to run for Congress in the 2000 elections on the condition that they would help run her campaign. The single mother ultimately lost her bid to an incumbent, but she ended up winning 35% of the popular vote.

The casting is a unique move for Hollywood, in that Cahill is a white woman. The production felt it was more important to find the right actress to play the role rather than the right white actress.

Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is producing for the studio with Underground Films. The goal is to start the film in May or June.

[WI_DEM]

1. This is a positive! Berry is a wonderful actress and why not have

a black actress play the part if she is the best one for the job?

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2. indeed. And Berry has never done anything overtly political

so they'll have a hard time trying to marginalize the movie as being agenda-driven.

[mnhtnbb]

3. It could be any teacher, any class, any town USA if the intent

is to tell the story for the greater truth--not just do a documentary.
So why not Halle Berry?

[POAS]

4. Why not when

white men have been portraying Jesus since Europeans first put oil to canvas.

[KingFlorez]

5. Great idea

She's a good actress and I think it's a great idea to have her play this role.

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6. bump

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7. again

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8. third time hopefully the charm

[NaturalHigh]

10. I'll go see her movie...

ANY movie.

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9. ditto

[Roxy66]

11. I love Halle Berry

she is a wonderful actress.