Four More Roles Cast in Hank Williams “I Saw The Light” Biopic

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The complete cast of the upcoming I Saw The Light Hank Williams biopic is beginning to take shape as the movie is set to begin filming in Louisiana this week.

Joining Tom Hiddleston playing Hank Williams, Elizabeth Olsen playing Audrey Williams, and Maddie Hasson as Billie Jean Horton, are four more actors playing important roles, announced yesterday by The Hollywood Reporter.

David Krumholtz, who starred previously in the TV show Numb3rs and currently appears on The Judge will be playing the role of James Dolan. Dolan is a New York journalist who finds himself in a contentious situation with Hank amidst an interview with the country superstar. James DuMont will play Mayor WB Nolan, who after booking Hank for a small town gig, has to try and get Hank to perform despite the country performer being heavily inebriated. DuMont was in the recent James Brown biopic Get On Up, and also appeared in Dallas Buyers Club.

Wrenn Schmidt will play Bobbie Jett, one of Hank’s numerous mistresses, and the mother of Hank’s daughter out of wedlock, Jett Williams, who was born five days after Hank Williams passed away. Schmidt has appeared recently in the TV series’ Boardwalk Empire and The Americans. And also announced as part of the cast is Josh Pais who will play Dore Schary, an MGM production president who attempts to convince Hank to become a movie star. Pais has appeared in The Good Wife and Law & Order: SVU.

I Saw The Light is based off the biography of Hank Williams by Colin Escott, and is being directed and co-produced by Marc Abraham, who also wrote the screenplay.

The casting of Tom Hiddleston to play Hank Williams has been a controversial one in some sectors. Hank’s grandson, Hank Williams III, has been a vocal opponent of the casting, saying that it would take an American to understand the unique the role of playing country music’s first superstar. Executive music producer for the film and Hiddleston’s personal vocal coach Rodney Crowell has defended Hiddleston, saying he’s “the right actor for the job.”

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