The Comey Rule is a two-night event on Showtime, which dramatizes a true story centered on President Trump, but what do the characters look like in real life? Originally slated to premiere after the presidential election in November, the miniseries’ debut date was changed to September in order to reflect the timeliness of the show’s subject matter.
Based on the memoir A Higher Loyalty by former FBI director James Comey, The Comey Rule chronicles Comey’s turbulent relationship with President Trump. Rather than serving as the biopic of one man, the adaptation explores the dynamic between Comey and Trump and delves into how their markedly different personalities ultimately placed them on opposing ends. Written and directed by Billy Ray, who scripted films such as Captain Phillips and Richard Jewell, the miniseries features a large cast playing real life characters.
The ensemble cast is necessitated by the fact that that The Comey Rule also touches the sprawling investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. The adaptation stars a mix of Golden Globe and Emmy winners, familiar faces from popular television shows, and even a few Broadway performers. Not all of them are dead ringers for their real life counterparts, though they all make for interesting choices. Here’s how every major character of The Comey Rule looks like in real life, in addition to their significance to the story.
James Comey
Played by Jeff Daniels, Comey served as the director of the FBI from 2013 until he was dismissed in May 2017 by President Trump. He was fired from his position, according to statements from Trump and the White House, in order to ease the pressure that Trump was under as a result of the Russia investigation. Daniels is known for his roles in films such as Dumb and Dumber. He’s also known for his leading role in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, which earned him an Emmy.
President Donald Trump
Brendan Gleeson plays Trump. The actor is perhaps best known for his role as Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter film series, Gleeson has also had supporting parts in Bravehart, Michael Collins, and Gangs of New York. Currently, Gleeson stars in the drama series Mr. Mercedes. Prior to winning the 2016 U.S. election, Trump was a prominent businessman and reality TV personality.
Michael Flynn
Portrayed by William Sadler, Flynn is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general. He served as President Trump's first National Security Advisor, remaining in the position for 22 days until he was forced to resign after information surfaced that he had been misleading regarding the nature of his communication with Russian officials. In addition to appearing in The Shawshank Redemption and Die Hard 2, Sadler is recognized for his role as role as the Grim Reaper in the Bill & Ted movies. He’s also played the U.S. President Matthew Ellis in Iron Man 3 and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sally Yates
Holly Hunter plays Yates in The Comey Rule. Yates was the Acting Attorney General for 10 days during the Trump administration. Before being dismissed for her refusal to defend Trump’s ban on certain Muslim-majority countries, Yates had warned the administration about Flynn’s untruthfulness. Hunter is best known for her performance in 1993’s The Piano, for which she won an Academy Award. She’s also been nominated for her supporting turns in The Firm and Thirteen. Along with those live-action appearances, Hunter voiced Mrs. Incredible in The Incredibles and its sequel.
Robert Mueller
Peter Coyote appears as Mueller, the former FBI director who served in the role from 2001 to 2013. In 2017, Mueller was appointed as special counsel to oversee allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. Coyote is an actor, author, director, screenwriter, and narrator. He’s known, as well, as an announcer for the Oscars.
President Barack Obama
A relative newcomer, who has been acting since 2012, Kingsley Ben-Adir has the notable role of portraying Obama. Ben-Adir is known for his roles in The OA and Peaky Blinders. More recently, he recurred on Hulu’s adaptation of High Fidelity. Obama served as U.S. President for two terms, from 2009 until 2017. Prior to leaving office, Obama advised Trump against hiring Michael Flynn.
Jeff Sessions
A former U.S. senator from Alabama, Sessions was nominated by Trump for the job of U.S. Attorney General. He recused himself from overseeing any aspect of the investigation into the 2016 election interference after news reports revealed that he twice met with a Russian official. Sessions is played by Joe Lo Truglio, who is best known for his role as Charles Boyle in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Truglio has also appeared in comedies such as Superbad and Wet Hot American Summer.
Rod Rosenstein
Rosenstein was chosen by Trump to serve as Deputy Attorney General, later authoring the memo which would be cited as the basis for dismissing Comey as FBI director. He also appointed Mueller to the role of special counsel. Rosenstein is played by Scoot McNairy, who has starred in shows like Halt and Catch Fire and Narcos: New Mexico. On the big screen, the actor has had roles in many films. They include 12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Andrew McCabe
McCabe was the Acting Director of the FBI, from May 2017 until August of that year, in the wake of Comey’s dismissal by Trump. He’s portrayed in The Comey Rule by Michael Kelly, who is best known as Doug Stamper in House of Cards. More recently, Kelly had a main role in Jack Ryan season 2.
James Clapper
Clapper was appointed by Obama as Director of National Intelligence, a post he held until the end of Obama’s second-term. He has said that he views Russia as the primary adversary of the U.S. Clapper is played by Jonathan Banks, who gained critical acclaim and a bevy of nominations for his performance as Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad and the spin-off series Better Call Saul. Throughout his career, which has spanned decades, Banks has also appeared in notable movies like Airplane! and Gremlins, in addition to long-running series like ER and Dexter.
Loretta Lynch
Lynch served as Attorney General under Obama from 2015 until 2017, leaving at the end of Obama’s second-term. She’s played by Michael Hyatt, who is well known for her memorable recurring roles on The West Wing, The Wire, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Currently, Hyatt stars in the FX series Snowfall.
Reince Priebus
Priebus, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, served as White House Chief of Staff for President Trump. He remained in the position from January 2017 until July 31 of the same year. He’s played by T.R. Knight, who played George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy. In recent years, Knight has become better known for his roles on Broadway.
Jeh Johnson
Jeh Johnson served as the Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. He’s also appeared as a frequent commentator on matters related to security for all the major cable news channels. Damon Gupton plays him in The Comey Rule. Damon has portrayed Inspector Henderson in Black Lightning, among his other TV credits. He’s also appeared in films, including The Last Airbender, Whiplash and La La Land.
Peter Strzok
Strzok is a former FBI agent. In June and July of 2017, he worked on Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation. He was removed from the investigation when his criticisms of President Trump, contained in private text messages with FBI lawyer Lisa Page, came to light. He’s played by Steven Pasquale. In addition to his theatre performances, Pasquale is known for his role on Rescue Me as Sean Garitty.
Lisa Page
The former FBI lawyer, who became a frequent target of Trump, is played by Oona Chaplin. Chaplin appeared as Talisa Maegyr in Game of Thrones. She’s also had a prominent role in the BBC series Taboo and is slated to appear in the Avatar sequels.
Chuck Rosenberg
Rosenberg served as Chief of Staff to the Director of the FBI from 2013 until 2015. In this role, he worked closely with James Comey. Rosenberg is also known as a frequent commentator on MSNBC, making regular appearances on nightly programs like The Rachel Maddow Show. Richard Thomas, best known for his leading role in the CBS drama The Waltons and his supporting performance in FX’s The Americans, plays Rosenberg in The Comey Rule.