John Lithgow didn't play Trump in a film as it was 'almost too close'

Veteran actor John Lithgow has revealed he was once offered to play US President Donald Trump in a movie but he passed the role as he was involved with another project.

The actor, who has played many real-life figures on the screen, said he wouldn't do the part as it was "almost too close".

"They actually asked me to play Donald Trump in a project. I turned it down mainly because I was doing something else.

"I don't think I would do it, it's almost too close," Lithgow, 74, said on "Sunday Today with Willie Geist".

The actor will next be seen in the drama "Bombshell" as the former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.

Ailes was accused of sexual harassment and resigned from the media company in July 2016. He died in May 2017 at the age of 77.

"Bombshell" also stars Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Margot Robbie as a fictional Fox News employee.

Lithgow previously played Winston Churchill in the Netflix series "The Crown" and Bill Clinton in the Broadway play "Hillary and Clinton".