‘Hyde Park On Hudson’ Behind The Scenes: Bill Murray Becomes FDR (VIDEO)

Bill Murray has made a career playing off-beat characters in comedies. However, for his upcoming film “Hyde Park on Hudson,” the 62-year-old actor finds himself portraying a completely new type of person: a former U.S. president. Here, Murray is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. Told through the eyes of Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), FDR’s distant cousin and confidant, the movie follows the head of state as he looks to entertain the King and Queen of England at his home in Hyde Park, New York. Despite the praise that Murray has beeb receiving for his performance, he was initially wary of accepting the part from director Roger Mitchell. “I thought, ‘Can this guy be serious?’ the actor told the NY Times. “I wouldn’t have cast myself. But this guy did, and about halfway through I went, ‘Wow, he really was right.'” Granted, Murray was able to get some comedy in during the shoot. As he explains in a new exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the movie, FDR was “famous for scaring the daylights out of people.” You can check out more about the film and Murray’s performance in the three-minute clip above. “Hyde Park on Hudson,” starring Murray, Linney and Olivia Williams, hits theaters on December 7.