The Loudest Voice: Joe Cortese on Playing Roger Stone
Showtime’s limited series The Loudest Voice is getting plenty of attention.
The series centers on Roger Ailes, who molded Fox News into a force that irrevocably changed the conversation about the highest levels of government.
The Loudest Voice focuses primarily on the past decade when Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, and it also touches on defining events in Ailes’ life, including experiences with world leaders that gave birth to Ailes’ political career and the sexual harassment accusations and settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end.
On The Loudest Voice Season 1 Episode 5, which airs this Sunday, we’ll see the portrayal of another significant figure: Roger Stone, played by Joe Cortese.
Cortese is best known for recent standout roles in Green Book and The Assassination of Gianni Versace. I had a few questions for Cortese about his upcoming role as Roger Stone and what it was like working on The Loudest Voice.
“What made me excited was the fact that Roger Stone was such an outrageous character and very different
from Gio Lascudo, the character I played in Green Book,” Cortese said. “It’s always interesting for me to play real-life characters that the audience knows. I’ve played a few of them. The research is something I like doing.”
He did plenty of research to prepare for playing Stone. He watched the documentary Get Me Roger Stone, talked to people in the media, and studied Stone’s behavior on newsreel footage.
Aside from the character, Cortese was also excited to work with Russell Crowe, and he only had great things to say about working on the series. “The set was extremely well-run,” he said, calling everyone “top pros.”
“It was a great experience,” he added.
Cortese also commented on why the show is an important one to watch. “Millions are watching this show because of what it has to say and how it affects the current political situation,” he noted. “Every episode gets better and better.”
—
Be sure to catch Joe Cortese as Roger Stone on The Loudest Voice, airing Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime.
*Additional reporting by Kevin Lever.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.