Natasha Lyonne has been notorious for playing herself with roles in Russian Doll and Poker Face, but it looks like she’s going to be someone else this time around with the upcoming biopic Can We Talk?.
According to The InSneider, Lyonne has been cast as legendary comedian Joan Rivers in a biopic about her life Can We Talk?. Rivers was considered a trailblazer when it came to female comics, and she was known for being very tenacious and often controversial; up to her death at 81-years-old back in 2014.
Admittedly, Lyonne’s raspy voice is closer to Rivers in her later years, but she does have the accent down:
At this point, it feels inevitable that we’re finally going to get a Joan Rivers biopic. After all, we’ve had a lot of fantastic shows that have been open about taking inspiration from Rivers’ journey as a comic. Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was said to have been based on Joan Rivers; and HBO’s hit series Hacks centers on a catty comedienne character that people are also comparing to Rivers.
Though I would have preferred for a stand-up comic to have the part, I think Lyonne is a great choice. She is naturally funny, and like Rivers, she is also a gay icon. I mean, even Rachel Brosnahan wasn’t a stand-up, but she managed to play a fantastic Midge Maisel in the show so effortlessly.
As someone who loves stand-up, Rivers has always been a figure that is constantly celebrated, and it’s great that we’re actually getting a biopic out of it.
No release date has been set for Can We Talk?.
