Quinta Brunson to play Oprah Winfrey in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
The film, which stars Daniel Radcliffe in the titular role, is out this fall on Roku
Everyone look under your seats…yes, that’s right! It’s a new Quinta Brunson casting announcement! The comedian behind Abbott Elementary is taking on the role of Oprah Winfrey in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, per CBS News.
Daniel Radcliffe stars as the titular parody bard in the Eric Appel-directed Weird, which follows Yankovic’s rise to stardom and his interactions with entertainers across genres. Brunson joins an already-stacked supporting cast that includes Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna, Julianne Nicholson as Mary Yankovic, and Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento.
Brunson shared a first look at her and Radcliffe in character alongside the caption “Let’s get #weird.” Needless to say, Brunson makes a bang-up Winfrey, all fluffed-out hair, puffed-up sleeves and bauble jewelry. Most noticeably (and importantly), Brunson and Winfrey share the same million-watt smile.
The casting announcement comes after a soaring few weeks for Brunson, who recently became the first Black woman to receive three comedy nominations in the same year at the Emmy Awards. Brunson was nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Comedy Series—at 32 years old, Brunson is also the youngest Black woman ever nominated in the comedy acting category. Brunson’s costars Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Tyler James Williams were also nominated in acting categories.
In addition to Weird, Brunson is also set to guest star on the upcoming reboot of classic catering comedy Party Down. But first and foremost, she is working on a highly-anticipated second season of Abbott Elementary—Brunson shared on Twitter yesterday that production has officially begun. Apologies to the child actors who have to attend on-set school in mid-July, but hey—when Brunson, Ralph and Williams are your teachers, it can’t be so bad.
Although Weird still has yet to receive an official release date, the film will reportedly become available for streaming sometime this fall on Roku.