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CNN Sunday Morning
London's Theater Holds Auditions for Saddam Look-Alikes
Aired May 04, 2003 - 11:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: The manhunt for Saddam Hussein stretches to an unusual location, London's theater district. Mallika Kapur explains this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The search for Saddam Hussein continues. But to find him you needn't go to Baghdad. You simply head for London's Hammersmith area. That's where you find Saddams of all sizes, shapes, and even the opposite sex, lined up outside the Riverside Theater to audition for the role of the Iraqi dictator in "Follow The Leader," a satire that opens this summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're after is people who look like the man himself.
KAPUR: But the resemblance, or lack of it, wasn't the overriding factor at this audition. Because when playing a maniacal leader, attitude counts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am the real Saddam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I am the real one. I am the real one.
KAPUR: For many of the Saddam wannabes it was a chance to have fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People need laughter. It is a serious business but we need laughter.
KAPUR: For others it was all about the art. Raj Kumar, a part- time actor who's played Saddam before, says he'd be happy to be the man people love to hate.
RAJ KUMAR, ACTOR: I love to do bits and pieces like this, you know? Where at least I'm someone important, whether it's hated or liked.
KAPUR: Different points of view. That's exactly what the show's producer says satire is all about.
RAYMOND GUBBAY, PRODUCER, "FOLLOW THE LEADER": It has been an area where you can portray events in a satirical way. And I think it's a good thing to do so, to get people thinking, going away questioning. That's what theater and live performance is partly about. KAPUR: Meanwhile the question, is he dead or alive, remains on everyone's mind here.
GUBBAY: We might turn up with one of the real doubles, or with the guy himself. He's out of work.
KAPUR: Saddam Hussein look-alikes may be out of fashion in Iraq, but it's the look of the moment here, outside this London theater, where looking like a most wanted man could give one of these aspiring actors what they most want, a shot at the limelight.
Mallika Kapur, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 4, 2003 - 11:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: The manhunt for Saddam Hussein stretches to an unusual location, London's theater district. Mallika Kapur explains this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The search for Saddam Hussein continues. But to find him you needn't go to Baghdad. You simply head for London's Hammersmith area. That's where you find Saddams of all sizes, shapes, and even the opposite sex, lined up outside the Riverside Theater to audition for the role of the Iraqi dictator in "Follow The Leader," a satire that opens this summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're after is people who look like the man himself.
KAPUR: But the resemblance, or lack of it, wasn't the overriding factor at this audition. Because when playing a maniacal leader, attitude counts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am the real Saddam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I am the real one. I am the real one.
KAPUR: For many of the Saddam wannabes it was a chance to have fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People need laughter. It is a serious business but we need laughter.
KAPUR: For others it was all about the art. Raj Kumar, a part- time actor who's played Saddam before, says he'd be happy to be the man people love to hate.
RAJ KUMAR, ACTOR: I love to do bits and pieces like this, you know? Where at least I'm someone important, whether it's hated or liked.
KAPUR: Different points of view. That's exactly what the show's producer says satire is all about.
RAYMOND GUBBAY, PRODUCER, "FOLLOW THE LEADER": It has been an area where you can portray events in a satirical way. And I think it's a good thing to do so, to get people thinking, going away questioning. That's what theater and live performance is partly about. KAPUR: Meanwhile the question, is he dead or alive, remains on everyone's mind here.
GUBBAY: We might turn up with one of the real doubles, or with the guy himself. He's out of work.
KAPUR: Saddam Hussein look-alikes may be out of fashion in Iraq, but it's the look of the moment here, outside this London theater, where looking like a most wanted man could give one of these aspiring actors what they most want, a shot at the limelight.
Mallika Kapur, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
