The making of Showtimes series about the Fox News founder.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
I thought of it as somehow fundamentally changing the way people thought of him, Sherman says now.
Then it was over, and nothing changed.
HBO had optioned it, but by the time of the convention, the option had lapsed.
Yet finally, as he scrambled in Cleveland, the tables were turning.
The Loudest Voiceis based on Shermans book as well ashis follow-up reportingforNew Yorkon Ailess pattern of abuse.
But the reporter is not the hero.
This epic belongs to Roger.
The series picks up Ailess story in 1996, dramatizing the brutal months during which he built Fox News.
But Shermans entanglement began in late 2010, when he sold his book idea.
Sherman got a death threat; Ailes grew increasingly paranoid about leaks and even fired Lewis.
Gabe learned more after writing the book about the impact he was having on Roger, says McCarthy.
There was something very Trumpian about it.
I had banished a lot of those feelings, Sherman says.
I was reliving parts of my life, just with different people.
Even the launch of the book was painful to relive.
The show plays it as a win for Ailes.
Shermans own reversal began after HBO dropped the option.
(Formerly a press agent for Jared Kushner, Raffel went on to serve in the White House.)
That same day, Sherman was on the phone with the head of Blumhouses TV team.
The following May, Ailes died.
Once Roger passed away, says McCarthy, it was almost like the spell was broken.
(Also, he could no longer sue for libel.)
Nonetheless, Ailes comes off sympathetically in the show, at least initially.
If its only a show for Roger haters, wed fail, says showrunner Alex Metcalf.
In the writers room, Sherman dug into his Rolodex, getting back in touch with his sources.
He also had to figure out how to turn himself into a character.
Sherman instructed Kranz on his reporting process, while Kranz took notes on his mannerisms.
The resulting performance was, Sherman admits, disturbing.
And Im like,Wow, is that me?
Am I on the spectrum?
Am I just like this robot whos not affected by insane amounts of stress?
(Stahl showed a photo of Kranz in character to their 18-month-old daughter, who said, Dada!)
Post-Ailes, the connection is running strong for now.
The ratings are great, but the ratings are beholden to their fealty to Trump, Sherman says.
The journalists future too depends on the president.
Now a correspondent forVanity Fair, Sherman has a new movie in development.
It delves into Trumps relationship with another villainous political player, Roy Cohn.
The Loudest Voicepremieres June 30 on Showtime.
