Becoming Nixon: Harry Shearer plays Tricky Dick in his own words
Harry Shearer transforms into former U.S. president Richard Nixon for Nixon's the One.
Harry Shearer, one of comedy's greatest character actors, joins guest host Brent Bambury to discuss Nixon's the One -- a six-part YouTube series about the famously embattled 37th president of the United States.
The Simpsons and Spinal Tap actor shares his approach to getting inside Richard Nixon's head, both psychologically and with the help of talented make-up artists. He also explains the comedic value of the former president's real conversations, as transcribed from Oval Office recordings.
"We're not just doing our version of the words," Shearer tells Brent, adding that the reality is funnier than anything that fiction.
"We're trying as hard as we can to replicate exactly what you hear on the tapes [...] the rhythms, the inflections, the pauses, the hems, the haws."
Click here or on the listen button above to hear the full segment (audio runs 20:47), and watch the pilot episode for Nixon's the One in the window embedded below.