Actor Damian Lewis, a trim British ginger, has transformed into controversial crack-smoking former Toronto mayor Rob Ford for the movie "Run This Town."

It's ... eerie.

The first set photos have made the rounds via etalk in Canada. Lewis didn't quite Pull a Bale because he didn't gain the weight himself, but you can see how much work went into the makeup and body suit.

Lewis is a phenomenal actor, but this was a particularly interesting casting choice when you consider he's going through all of this for a pretty small role. "Run This Town" writer-director Ricky Tollman told press (via etalk) that Ford is a minor character in the film:

"This isn't the Rob Ford story, this is a story about people that I know and people I grew up with and a generation of people."

Landing Damian Lewis ("Billions," "Homeland," "Band of Brothers") is a coup, but did they need him? Couldn't they have found an actor who was already bigger, rather than having to spend hours each day artificially create this look? Maybe, but Tollman is aiming to tap into Damian Lewis' range for his "key scenes" and "key moments" as Rob Ford:

"I thought that this is a guy that can play the moments of darkness and depth but can also play the lighter moments. Rob was a guy that was elected because people wanted to grab a beer with the guy, you know?"

Here's the "real" Damian Lewis and the real late Rob Ford:


And here's Lewis' transformation for the movie:

"Run This Town" also stars Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud, Ben Platt, and Scott Speedman. According to Deadline, the story follows a young journalist (Platt), desperate to prove himself, who catches wind of a scandal involving a flashy, unpredictable politician with no filter (Lewis). Political aides (Massoud and Dobrev) attempt to keep their boss in check, and the story under wraps, in order to save their jobs.

No release date has been announced at this point.

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