Tamal Kundu
Created by Robbie Pickering and based on the first season of the ‘Slow Burn’ podcast by Leon Neyfakh, ‘Gaslit’ is a political thriller series about the Watergate Scandal. However, the show doesn’t mainly focus on the infamous break-in itself. Instead, it revolves around one of the unsung heroes of the incident, Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts). But that doesn’t mean that the show completely avoids depicting key events and personalities of the scandal. The then-US President Richard Nixon and Journalist Bob Woodward appear in episode 4, titled ‘Malum in Se.’ If you want to know about the actors who portray them, we got you covered.
Who Plays Richard Nixon?
The Watergate Scandal is one of the most controversial incidents in the political history of America, and Nixon is often regarded as one of the worst US presidents of all time. So, he has been portrayed by a significant number of actors in both films and TV shows. This includes Anthony Hopkins in ‘Nixon’ (1995), Dan Hedaya in ‘Dick’ (1999), Frank Langella in ‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008), and Paul Ganus in The CW series ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.’ In the 1976 film ‘All the President’s Men,’ which is based on the 1974 non-fiction namesake book by Woodward and Carl Bernstein, filmmakers used archival footage of Nixon instead of an actor.
In ‘Gaslit,’ Danny Winn portrays the character. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, titled ‘Will,’ but it was uncredited. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Winn grew up in a military family on several bases, including Hawaii; Key West, Florida; and Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. He used to run a successful general contractor business but later decided to focus on acting.
Winn made his acting debut in 2015 in a season 2 episode of ‘The Night Shift.’ He delivered uncredited performances in several films before playing Papa Ellis in the 2016 film ‘Jordan’s Story.’ Since then, he has played characters such as Doyle in ‘Shot Caller,’ Paul in ‘Crossbreed,’ and Johnny Behan in ‘30 Seconds in Hell.’ In 2022, Winn began playing William Henry Ashley in the INSP series ‘Into the Wild Frontier.’ Winn also directed the TV movie ‘Interview of a Cannibal,’ which came out in 2015. ‘Oneida Flats,’ a film Winn is directing, producing, and starring in, is set to come out in 2023.
Who Plays Bob Woodward?
Like Nixon, the legendary Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward has been depicted by multiple actors over the years in films and TV shows. In ‘All the President’s Men,’ he was portrayed by Robert Redford. He was also played by J. T. Walsh in ‘Wired’ (1989), Will Ferrell in ‘Dick,’ and Julian Morris in ‘Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House’ (2017).
In ‘Gaslit,’ Stephen Todt, who looks like a spitting image of Redford with a 1970s hairdo and a gray suit, portrays Woodward. Todt made his first TV appearance in the ‘The Dickie Dick Show’ in 2008. In 2010, he played a college student in an episode of the 12th season of ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’ That year, Woodward debuted on the big screen with ‘The Glasses.’ Since then, he has essayed various roles in projects such as ‘The Last Conversation’ (2015), ‘The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time’ (2018), and ‘Adrift in Time’ (2020).
Read More: What Is the Gaslit Title Meaning?
