14 DAY TRIAL // The search is over: the upcoming Lifetime biopic “Liz & Dick,” starring Lindsay Lohan as the iconic screen siren, has finally found its Richard Burton. Grant Bowler, an actor from New Zealand, has signed on for the part.
Just yesterday, word got out online that Lindsay was acting like a diva on the set of the film, insisting that producers bring on board an A-lister to play her love interest, even though it was clear for her the budget would not allow it.
What was worse was that shooting was supposed to start in just a few weeks and producers were already considering going over Lindsay in choosing an actor they felt would be right for the part.
Regardless of the rumors, a leading man was found: his name is Grant Bowler, he hails from New Zealand, and he may be familiar to viewers at home from “Ugly Betty” and “True Blood,” Deadline reports.
“After an extensive search, Grant Bowler (True Blood) has been set to star opposite Lindsay Lohan in Lifetime's biopic Liz & Dick, playing Hollywood great Richard Burton,” the movie-oriented publication says.
“The biopic chronicles the enduring love of movie icons Taylor (Lohan) and Burton (Bowler), whose fiery romance was the most notorious, publicized and celebrated love affair of its day,” Deadline adds.
Burton's part was cast just 10 days before shooting starts, with the actor winning over producers after sending his audition tape in.
The film's Executive Producer, Larry A. Thompson, says he's a perfect match for Lindsay, and that together they will undoubtedly make a wonderful couple.
“Grant will add gravitas to our couple and bring to life one of the greatest actors who has ever lived. Burton was a Welsh poet, a rascal, and a man’s man, who swept Elizabeth Taylor off her feet and flew her so close to the sun that they both exploded into stardust that still lights up Hollywood,” Thompson says.
Lohan and Bowler will match this kind of intensity, Thompson believes. He's already seen proof of that just recently, when the two met for their first reading together.
“The chemistry erupted in the room,” he says.
“Liz & Dick” is Lindsay Lohan's first film in many years, which is why industry watchers refer to it as to her comeback.