Biographer for Dick Cheney says Oscar-nominated movie has many inaccuracies

ATLANTA — With a number of awards already under its belt this season, the people behind the movie "Vice" are hoping to take home the biggest award of them all this Sunday – the Oscar for best picture.

The film shows the rise to power of arguably the country's most powerful vice president to date, Dick Cheney.

The man who is currently penning Cheney's official biography sat down with Channel 2's Craig Lucie to talk about Cheney and the movie.

Charles Denyer has spent the last 20 years living here in metro Atlanta. He told Lucie that he spent a couple of short stints living in Washington, D.C., and during those times, he was able to make connections that eventually ended up leading him to the former vice president.

The 91st Academy Awards will air Sunday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. on Channel 2. 

"We're very intrigued with Dick Cheney. There's a certain mystique about him. And because of that, we're days away from one of the grandest prizes of all for the silver screen. And Christian Bale may very well walk away with it," Denyer said.

Denyer, not downplaying Bale’s acting abilities, said the movie is far from accurate.

“There are some gross misrepresentations in the movie, no question about it. Did they get some things right? They did. His name is Dick Cheney, and he was vice president. I can pick apart the inaccuracies in the movie for hours,” Denyer said.

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Denyer said he has gotten to know Cheney very well over the years and speaks with him about once a month now as he works on his biography.

“When you spend as much time as I have with the former vice president, interviewing him … I’ve interviewed him now on two books, and obviously working with him on a third book, his biography, you get to know somebody very well. And what I can tell you is he’s very genuine in everything he tells me. He’s very forthright, he’s very direct. It’s what I call 'the Cheney way,'” Denyer said.

Denyer said his interest into Cheney first piqued on 9/11. He told Lucie as he made his way home from the Pentagon that day, he passed Cheney’s home, which he would later end up writing a book about.

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“I think to know Dick Cheney, you need to know he’s a very unassuming man. He doesn’t have an inflated sense of ego about himself,” Denyer said. “James Baker told me the one reason Dick Cheney has gotten so far in politics is because of that. He’s a really down to earth person.”

Bale’s portrayal of Cheney comes off as someone very dry and stern. Denyer said Cheney has a great sense of humor.

“He likes a good joke. We tell a lot of good jokes back and forth whenever I’m with him,” Denyer said.

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Lucie asked Denyer what was one thing we will get to know about Cheney that’s not already known about him.

“He’s someone that’s very good about understanding the political landscape and any issue that comes his way. Whether it’s national security, the war on terror, the environment, any major policy issue directive you can think about in this country, he speaks with absolute authority on. He’s just a knowledge base, almost second to none,” Denyer said.

Denyer said he expects his biography about Cheney to come out in the next few years.

Cox Media Group