SAGINAW, MI — In May 2021, on-the-rise actor Paul Walter Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter his dream job was to play Chris Farley in a biopic about the late comedian.
“I think I have a really great take on that story, but I’m trying to lose weight and I’m trying to redefine myself as a person of healthy choice-making, and as an actor,” Hauser said in 2021.
“So the days of doing Fatty Arbuckle, Chris Farley or Ignatius J. Reilly in a ‘Confederacy of Dunces’ movie have a very small time window, and it’s getting smaller by the week.”
That window appeared to open wide this week, according to a new Hollywood Reporter report.
Hauser, who was born in Grand Rapids and raised in Saginaw Township, was cast as Farley in a film that will follow the life of the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member who later starred in 1990s-era screwball comedies such as “Tommy Boy” and “Black Sheep.” After battling addiction, Farley died in 1997 at the age of 33.
Landing the lead role as Farley represents the latest sign of Hollywood success for Hauser. His career gained significant momentum since that 2021 interview, when he talked about approaching Farley’s family to star in a film about the comedian.
Earlier this year, Hauser won an Emmy Award in the outstanding supporting actor category for his performance as a serial killer in the Apple TV+ series, “Black Bird.” The 37-year-old man even mentioned Saginaw during his quirky, headline-grabbing, nationally-televised acceptance speech, where he simultaneously ate a dried mango.
He also earned a Golden Globe Awards supporting actor nod for the “Black Bird” performance.
An alumnus of Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw Township, Hauser in recent years landed roles in TV series and movies such as “Super Troopers 2,” “I, Tonya,” “BlackKklansman” and “Da 5 Bloods.”
His breakout role came in 2019, when he played the title character in the Clint Eastwood-directed “Richard Jewell,” about the security guard who found a backpack with pipe bombs at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Hauser moved from Michigan to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue his dreams full time.
His Farley film will be produced by Lorne Michaels, “Saturday Night Live’s” founder and producer. Michaels’ other film producing credits include the Farley comedies, “Black Sheep” and “Tommy Boy.”
Michaels also produced hit movies including “Mean Girls” in 2004 and its remake earlier this year, “Hot Rod” in 2008 and “Wayne’s World” in 1992. Besides “Saturday Night Live,” his TV producing credits include “30 Rock,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Portlandia” and “Detroiters.”
The Farley biopic will serve as the directorial debut for Josh Gad, a comedian known for his performances in the 2013 Disney smash hit “Frozen,” its sequel and the 2017 remake of “Murder on the Orient Express.”
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