Barack Obama on board with Drake playing him in a biopic

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Former President Barack Obama has an idea about who should play him if a biopic was to be made about his life and it's a choice that will make fans of Degrassi: The Next Generation very happy.

In a recent interview for "360 With Speedy Morman", Obama spoke about a potential biopic about his life, and when asked specifically if he'd be ok with Drake taking on the role, the 44th president praised the casting choice:

"I will say this, Drake seems to be able to do anything he wants. I mean, that is a talented, talented brother. So, if the time comes and he's ready…"

Obama was then pressed more directly about Drake getting his stamp of approval and Barack doubled down on his approval by saying he has more than one fan in the household:

"Drake has, more importantly I think, my household's stamp of approval. I suspect Malia and Sasha would be just fine with it."

All of this is, of course, is being said more in jest but the talk of Drake playing Obama in a movie goes all the way back to 2010 when the musician and actor personally volunteered to play the role:

"I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama's life soon because I could play him. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don't change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I'm pretty good at impressions. Slowly but surely, I'm not in the study mode because nobody's called me about anything, but I just pay attention so when the day comes I'm not scrambling to learn how to speak like him."

Obama has been portrayed multiple times on film but has yet to have a film made centered on his life. Most recently, he was played by Kingsley Ben-Adir on the Showtime limited series The Comey Rule. He was also played by Parker Sawyers in the romantic drama, SOUTHSIDE, released in 2016. That film co-starred Tika Sumpter as Michelle Obama and focused on the famous couple's first date in 1989. 

Drake is primarily known for his music now but he first gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Drake portrayed Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate. Drake was featured on 100 episodes of the series between 2001-2008.

Do YOU think Drake has what it takes to play Barack Obama?