Five Actors for a Michael Phelps Movie
by Larson Hill

You know it’s coming. After winning eight gold medals and swimming his way into the record books as arguably the best Olympic athlete in history, Michael Phelps will surely have his life story told on the big screen. In fact, we’re almost certain Hollywood executives are clamoring to get the exclusive rights to Michael Phelps and his road to Olympic victory. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Michael Phelps has either already taken calls from Hollywood while in Beijing or has had contact with some executive even before he left. It’s more likely that Phelps will soon be fielding offers for a movie of his life, which is tailor made for success at the box-office.

Although someone will eventually play Michael Phelps in a movie, here’s a list of five actors who could step into the pool as Phelps if a film gets a green light in the near future. For some of these guys, quitting smoking might be harder than training to be an Olympian.

Channing Tatum

After dancing his way into the public spotlight in Step Up, Channing Tatum proved that he has the physical discipline necessary to step into the swimming pool. Training to become a dancer isn’t easy. You need to follow a strict daily regimen that pushes you beyond your abilities. Although Michael Phelps followed a strict training routine for the past decade, one that paid off in eight gold medals, Tatum’s discipline and determination to succeed on Step Up took him to new heights. The simple fact is: Tatum knows what it takes to achieve stardom. If he didn’t put in the time to become a dancer, he wouldn’t have a career. Possibly the most valuable asset Tatum has is experience from the set of Coach Carter, which undoubtedly gave him a “no fear” attitude toward winning. After co-starring in last year’s Stop Loss, Tatum also proved that he also has the dramatic acting chops to reveal the emotional journey and the sacrifices Michael Phelps endured outside of the pool.

Ryan Donowho

Hitting the gym and bulking up is a must, but any guy that can go from bucket-drumming on the streets of New York to starring in The O.C. to part-time gigs with his own band on the side has what it takes to win. Since being discovered on the NYC streets hitting a bucket for kicks, Donowho has gone on to rack up seventeen film/TV credits in seven years, as compared to Michael Phelps’ sixteen Olympic medals in eight years. The fact that Donowho has flown under the radar as an actor for most of his career could work for the starring role in a Michael Phelps movie since Phelps has also flown under the radar (relatively speaking) with the mainstream public until winning eight gold medals in Beijing. Donowho seamlessly stepped into the role of love-struck surfer turned drinker Johnny Harper on The O.C., proving he can handle Phelps’ years outside the pool, especially his DUI arrest in 2004.

Sean Faris

Being a diver on your high-school swim team helps a lot when auditioning for a Michael Phelps movie. As well, starring in a movie titled Never Back Down seems like good preparation for taking the lead in a movie about the life of Michael Phelps. Although Never Back Down didn’t strike gold at the box-office, it did propel Sean Faris to bigger heights. Like Channing Tatum in Step Up, it’s obvious Faris had to employ a strict training regime in order become a great fighter. Add to that, Faris had to double his efforts in the gym to look the part, which would translate well when playing the physical aspects of Michael Phelps. After winning the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight, is it possible that Sean Faris could someday win the award for Best Swim? Sounds lame, but it would make for some cool underwater split-screen visuals. If Michael Phelps was ever involved a fight during high school, Faris could make him look like a bad-ass.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Have you taken a look at the recent pics of Jake Gyllenhaal for the upcoming Prince of Persia? It looks like Gyllenhaal’s been on the Michael Phelps diet and hitting the gym like an Olympic athlete. Whatever he’s been doing to get in shape, it’s making him look more and more like Michael Phelps (with hair) by the day. After embodying San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist, Robert Graysmith, in David Fincher’s Zodiac and going through sniper bootcamp for his role in Jarhead, Gyllenhaal would have no trouble diving into the pool to play Michael Phelps. As far as diving into the pool of Phelps’ life to accurately reflect the sacrifices one has to make to become an Olympic champion, Gyllenhaal is a near master at tapping into the emotional journey of a character since his role in Brokeback Mountain. Olympic athletes come from all walks of average life and one of Gyllenhaal’s best qualities is his ability to be an average Joe in larger than life situations.

Milo Ventimiglia

If there’s one actor out there right now that makes the most sense to take the lead in a Michael Phelps movie, it’s Milo Ventimiglia. After all, Ventimiglia’s character on Heroes, Peter Petrelli, is arguably the most powerful super hero on the series (and figuratively on the planet). Given Michael Phelps’ super human achievement of winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, you need someone who can live up to the super hero status. It’s the super hero connection and the fact that Ventimiglia does look like an indomitable version of Phelps that makes him perfect for the role. The only problem is that Ventimiglia stands 5’9 to Phelps’ 6’4 so some tactical camera trickery would be needed to make him look like the larger than life Phelps. If art could imitate real life, with Ventimiglia in the role of Michael Phelps, we might even find out that Phelps has a twin in an alternate reality who’s winning another eight gold medals as we speak at the 2012 Olympics in London.