Jeremy Allen White Says He’d Play Gene Wilder in a Biopic if Asked: ‘I Need the Call’
Jeremy Allen White Says He’d Play Gene Wilder in a Biopic if Asked: ‘I Need the Call’
Rachel McRadyWed, October 7, 2026 at 4:21 PM UTC
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Jeremy Allen White and Gene WilderCredit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty; George Rose/Getty -
A Gene Wilder biopic is in development with director Dito Montiel attached after securing rights from Wilder’s estate
Jeremy Allen White says he’d be open to playing Wilder in the biopic
The actor recently portrayed Bruce Springsteen and journalist Jeff Horwitz, experiences he says brought significant pressure
Jeremy Allen White is open to stepping into Gene Wilder’s shoes.
The Social Reckoning star, 35, addressed the conversation surrounding the upcoming biopic covering the life of acclaimed actor Wilder during an interview on the Today show on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
After noting the physical similarities between White and Wilder, Craig Melvin asked The Bear star if he’d be willing to take on the role.
“Absolutely, it would be my honor,” White replied. “Young Frankenstein is one of my earliest film memories. Blazing Saddles, he’s a genius. It would be an honor. He was a genius. It would be an honor. Yeah, I love him. I’ve always loved him.”
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonky in 1971’s ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty
White added, “I need the call,” when it comes to casting.
However, co-host Savannah Guthrie seemed to question whether that call hadn’t already been made.
“I feel like he maybe already has that role,” Guthrie said. “Jeremy Allen White, do you already have the Willy Wonka role?”
White looked surprised, replying, “Do I already have it? No! No, no, no,” but added, “We’ll see, we’re manifesting it.”
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In June, Deadline announced that director Dito Montiel had been tapped to direct the biopic after securing the life rights from Wilder’s estate after his 2016 death.
White’s name has frequently been referenced in relation to the biopic due to his shocking similarity to Wilder.
And while White expressed his interest in the project, he did discuss his hesitation to play real-life people in recent years.
“I had a little hesitation,” White admitted about playing real-life journalist Jeff Horwitz in the new Aaron Sorkin film, The Social Reckoning. “I did a film called Deliver Me From Nowhere playing Bruce Springsteen, very public person, very beloved person, well-known person. It was a wonderful experience but it was a tremendous amount of pressure.”
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White said that when Sorkin pitched him the role as Horwitz, he was apprehensive.
“I was anxious about the idea of going ahead and playing another real person right away and feeling the responsibility again,” he explained. “I wanted my next thing to be something that was just my own and my own kind of creation and to feel no pressure to do any kind of impersonation.”
The Social Reckoning hits theaters Oct. 9.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
