Who should play Joe Exotic in a 'Tiger King' movie? Hollywood's in a big cat fight
[Warning: Plenty of "Tiger King" spoilers ahead.]
"Tiger King" should officially be crowned Twitter King, as Netflix's wild documentary series about America's big-cat community galvanizes social media and floors viewers, including many celebrities.
Chrissy Teigen, Jared Leto, Cardi B, Dax Shepard, Kim Kardashian and Edward Norton have shared their thoughts about the runaway hit. They're weighing in on star Joe Exotic's jaw-dropping country music videos, whether Carole Baskin really committed that crime and, most importantly, who should play the self-proclaimed Tiger King in the inevitable movie adaptation.
Among the first to throw his hat into the circus ring was actor Shepard, who insisted Wednesday on Twitter that he would be perfect for the part of the Oklahoma-based tiger-taming, gunslinging, country-singing gay polygamist and former presidential/gubernatorial candidate. (Shepard, cohost of the "Armchair Expert" podcast, later shared a rather convincing photoshopped image of himself as Exotic.)
This is a great first step. https://t.co/wcwuVNCcaZ
— dax shepard (@daxshepard) March 26, 2020
"If I don't get cast as Joe Exotic in the eventual biopic, Hollywood is broken," Shepard wrote, prompting an immediate #howdareyou from comedian Dane Cook, who had other ideas.
"I already got asked but I’m sure there is a villain role supporting me we could slot you in," Cook quipped in response.
Later, "Reno 911!" star Thomas Lennon chimed in to report that his "phone has been blowing up" with messages dream-casting him in the wacky lead role, while "Motherless Brooklyn" actor Norton told Shepard to "step aside, pal" and suggested Shepard should play one of Exotic's three husbands instead.
"You’re way too young and buff and you know it," Norton replied to Shepard. "You could probably pull off Maldonado still, actually. Wouldn’t that be fun?"
Um, step aside, pal. You’re way too young and buff and you know it. You could probably pull off Maldonado still, actually. Wouldn’t that be fun?
— Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) March 26, 2020
But even Hollywood was able to agree on one major plot point: Baskin, Big Cat Rescue owner and Exotic's arch nemesis, definitely murdered her husband, Don.
To be clear: When asked in the series about her husband's mysterious disappearance, Baskin maintained that she doesn't have a clue what happened to him. And she has never been charged with murder.
But that hasn't stopped absurd speculation.
"It is my opinion that I believe someone named don has maybe gone through a woman named carole’s meat grinder for sure," Teigen tweeted, referring to an unsubstantiated theory that Baskin fed her husband to the tigers.
It is my opinion that I believe someone named don has maybe gone through a woman named carole’s meat grinder for sure https://t.co/xLRzcVznNN
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) March 26, 2020
"That became, like, this wholly exciting thing that I ran him through that grinder, and it's like, I couldn't have run his hand through the grinder — much less a body," Baskin says in the doc, laughing.
Meanwhile, Leto took it upon himself to host an entire "Tiger King" viewing party on Twitter, commenting on everything from Exotic's signature fringe-tastic outfits to his homegrown country tunes, before adding an obligatory, "For the record no one should keep these animals in cages like this. Not ok."
"Got my popcorn. Pressing play on #TigerKing Episode 1," Leto tweeted on Thursday, along with a photo of himself clutching a tiger stuffed animal and dressed in a sparkly getup fit for the Tiger King himself. "Let's do this."
Got my popcorn. Pressing play on #TigerKing Episode 1. Let’s do this @Netflix #JaredLetoCinemaClub pic.twitter.com/ZfDX2QW9F1
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) March 27, 2020
Here's what other stars are saying about the see-it-to-believe-it hit docuseries.
Christian Bale as Joe Exotic NOW pic.twitter.com/jlhzg3iWt1
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) March 29, 2020
Wayyyy to real. pic.twitter.com/CdQIgBWRj2
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 30, 2020
A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib) on Mar 26, 2020 at 7:37pm PDT
Who you think is more wrong ? Narcissist joe ? Or Greedy Carol ? And why ?
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 27, 2020
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) March 26, 2020
Has anyone seen Tiger King on Netflix?!?! It is crazy!!!!
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 22, 2020
if u haven’t started watching “Tiger King” yet you’re trippin
— JoJo. (@iamjojo) March 23, 2020
Tiger king on Netflix is wild.
— Sam Smith (@samsmith) March 24, 2020
Joe Exotic is not a terrible singer. 🐅
— Taran Killam (@TaranKillam) March 23, 2020
Has anyone watched ‘The Tiger King’ on Netflix? IT. IS. CRAZY! These big cat people are as mad as a box of frogs...
— Nathalie Emmanuel (@missnemmanuel) March 23, 2020
Joe Exotic got 19%(!!!) of the vote running for Governor of Oklahoma running as a libertarian... #TigerKingNetflix 🐯🐯🐯🐅🐅🐅
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 25, 2020
Thanks all for reaching out that I seem “Joe-Exotic-Y.” I don’t quite see it. For example here’s me recently on the left of @adamraycomedy pic.twitter.com/lh6ytSEGnJ
— Thomas Lennon (@thomaslennon) March 27, 2020
Watching Tiger King and this is one of the few non-weird people in it and still, look at the decor pic.twitter.com/q2vMYVInnC
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) March 24, 2020
One question how do I listen to Joe Exotic’s full musical catalog?
— nicole byer (@nicolebyer) March 24, 2020
my favorite danny mcbride movie is tiger king
— Pete Holmes (@peteholmes) March 24, 2020
I don’t trust that the tiger king is social distancing
— John Early (@bejohnce) March 25, 2020
#JaredLetoTigerKing pic.twitter.com/K70mgU7qUG
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) March 27, 2020