When asked at Sundance if anyone had out about comparisons between him and Mangione, the man who allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson, Franco’s wife Alison Brie replied, “Anyone? Do you mean everyone?”
Dave Franco is aware that people have been noting just how much he looks like suspected UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson killer Luigi Mangione.
Both Franco and Mangione’s most prominent physical feature is their eyebrows, with Saturday Night Live recently joking that the alleged shooter’s biggest mistake was not shaving his before committing a crime.
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Since the shocking death of the UnitedHealth executive on December 4, users on social media have been fan-casting Franco in the role of the 26-year-old suspected shooter. Apparently, so have people who know him personally.
“Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it,” Franco admitted over the weekend.
“I’ve never received more texts in my life about anything,” – #Together star Dave Franco on the flood of messages he’s received from people wanting him to play Luigi Mangione pic.twitter.com/s9A9pcPRJN
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 25, 2025
@THR
Franco was at the Sundance Film Festival alongside wife Alison Brie when he was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if anyone had reached out to him about his physical resemblance to Mangione.
“Anyone? Do you mean everyone?” Brie joked, before Franco laughed, “I have never received more texts in my life about anything.”
Brie, who also stars alongside Franco in their horror film Together, clarified, “But I don’t think there have been any official offers.”
“No, no official offers,” Franco agreed, but he didn’t shot down the possibility of being interested, should such a project ever get off the ground.
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Mangione dominated social media shortly after Thompson’s shooting death last month. He was arrested on December 9 after he was recognized in a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania.
In some circles, the suspected killer has become a bit of an anti-hero, with some using the tragedy to decry the American health care system. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the shooting. He’s next scheduled to appear in court in February.
While there may not be a call anytime soon to portray Mangione on the big screen, SNL has already covered the ongoing criminal case pretty extensively. If there’s enough buzz, we could imagine Franco getting that call, or one for any one of the late-night talk shows.
