The biographer of the late legendary broadcaster Barbara Walters shared which actress should play her in a movie.
Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today and author of “The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters,” spoke with Fox News Digital following her appearance at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival earlier this month.
When asked what Hollywood starlet should step into the role of the trailblazing journalist, Page let out a chuckle.
“I don’t know,” Page initially responded.
Barbara Walters, a pioneer for women in broadcasting, died last month at 93. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
“Meryl Streep would be great,” she then added. “You know, in a way, it depends – are you talking about the young Barbara Walters or the older Barbara Walters because she had like a 50-year career. And so you might not have the same actress play her through her whole life.”
Page then suggested the hypothetical biopic take a page from Netflix’s drama series “The Crown,” which had three actresses play the late Queen Elizabeth across six seasons.
But Page was stumped as to who should play Streep’s younger counterpart.
Meryl Streep attends “Le Deuxième Acte” (“The Second Act”) Screening opening ceremony red carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 14, 2024, in Cannes, France. ( Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Page spoke about what inspired her to write about the journalism trailblazer.
“For women journalists, no one has been a more iconic figure than Barbara Walters,” Page said. “That’s true for women in TV broadcast journalism, it’s true for women in print journalism, like myself, as well. And there was no real biography of Barbara Walters ever written, and I thought she deserved one.”
BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALISTIC PIONEER, DEAD AT 93
USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page speaks at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 5, 2024. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
Throughout her decades-long career, Walters repeatedly made history, first becoming the first female co-host of NBC’s “The Today Show,” later becoming the highest paid news anchor ever when she joined ABC News.
“If you grew up watching Barbara Walters, it wouldn’t occur to you that a woman couldn’t do big interviews, couldn’t interview presidents and prime ministers and despots and murderers, and it also wouldn’t occur to you that a woman couldn’t make as much money or more than her male colleagues,” Page said.
Walters died in 2022 at age 93.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.
