Don’t panic, film fans: that reliably ace character actor is not planning to ditch performing for the academic life. Richard Jenkins has signed on to co-star in HappyThankYouMorePlease writer/actor/ director Josh Radnor’s next triple-threat indie project, Liberal Arts.
Radnor, usually to be found playing the vaguely annoying central character Ted on TV’s How I Met Your Mother, has already nabbed Sundance breakout star Elizabeth Olsen to star in the story of Jesse, a 35-year-old man (Radnor) who goes back to his old college and wins the interest of a 19-year-old student named Zibby. (Really? Zibby? Okaaay…)
Jenkins, who also appeared in Radnor’s last pic, is on to play the main character’s favourite college professor, who helps introduce the pair.
Also jumping aboard are Twilight’s Elizabeth Reaser, **My Soul to Take’**s John Magaro, and Michael Weston, who was last seen on the big screen in Gamer. Jenkins, meanwhile, has a busy batch of films coming up for release at different times, including Friends with Benefits, The Rum Diaries, Cabin in The Woods and Cogan’s Trade. Oh, and he’ll naturally crop up somewhere in the Farrelly brothers’ Three Stooges pic.
Radnor aims to kick off shooting Arts next month.