It has been confirmed that, when he’s not coming up with inventive nicknames for his adversaries or spouting expletives at reporters on the record, White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci enjoys producing a prestige HBO project every now and then. The “Mooch” will be credited as co–executive producer on the network’s upcoming Joe Paterno biopic, Happy Valley, according to The Hollywood Reporter, primarily because he brought in financing for the film. This might help to explain why Scaramucci recently made the bizarre choice to quote the late, disgraced Penn State coach in the effort of making a broader point about honor and dignity — a move which attracted criticism that flew a little under the radar, given the many other scandalous headlines surrounding the new Trump administration hire.
The news also adds another piece to the puzzle of White House officials dabbling in Hollywood projects. Steve Bannon is still cashing in on Seinfeld and has more than a dozen producing credits for independent movies — including 2016’s Clinton Cash — to his name. President Trump, of course, is retaining a producer credit on The Apprentice, his long-running NBC reality show, while ostensibly leading the country. And this isn’t Scaramucci’s first foray into Tinseltown, either. The Mooch’s previous producing credits include The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, a well-received indie starring Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks, and Big Words, a drama focused on the struggles of a faded hip-hop group in the aftermath of the 2008 election. Scaramucci also, per IMDb, cameoed in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps as “panelist on TV.”
