Indianapolis native portrays Obama on the big screen

To land the role of Barack Obama, Indianapolis native Parker Sawyers turned off his sketch comedy instincts and relied on what it's like to be a young man looking for love.

"Southside with You," a film that opens locally on Aug. 26, depicts the first date of the future president and the future first lady, Michelle Robinson, in 1989.

Sawyers, an alum of North Central High School and Wabash College, said he botched the first audition tape he sent to the filmmakers.

‘Hell or High Water’ actor finds humanity in stark film

"It was just a straight-on impersonation," Sawyers said during a phone interview. "It wasn’t good. It was not a 28-year-old who really likes this girl. I misinterpreted the script."

After speaking with director Richard Tanne, Sawyers understood the job didn't call for the president's political persona or syncopated speaking cadence. "Southside," featuring Tika Sumpter in the role of Robinson, is a date movie based on a date that became historically significant with time.

"To strip it all back and play him at 28 was quite a challenge," Sawyers said. "I didn't want to slip into caricature. I didn't want to sound like the older Obama."

It's an understatement to call "Southside" a big break for 33-year-old Sawyers, who has been acting for just five years after previously working as a lobbyist in London.

His showbiz resume includes roles in the films "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Hyde Park on the Hudson," as well as one episode of Netflix series "Lilyhammer." He portrays a CIA employee in Oliver Stone's upcoming film "Snowden."

Sawyers talked to IndyStar about his political past and artistic future:

Party lines: Despite his new connection to a two-term Democratic president, Sawyers grew up in a Republican household. He is the son of James Sawyers, who served as public information officer for the  Indianapolis Department of Transportation from 1976 to 1985, and Paula Means, who was known as Paula Parker-Sawyers when she served as deputy mayor of Indianapolis during William Hudnut's administration. Sawyers worked as a paralegal for former Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi and also was part of the staff of Lt. Gov. Becky Spillman when Mitch Daniels was governor. He took note, however, of Obama's star-making speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. "It was still quite fresh," he said. "I was super interested in him. I wasn’t really Republican. It was like working in the family business."

Everyday people: Sawyers said a big part of the appeal of "Southside with You" is a glimpse of the Obamas before they entered the public arena. At the time of their first date, Robinson was a 25-year-old attorney at Chicago law firm Sidley Austin, and Obama was a summer intern at the company. In "Southside with You," Obama drives a car that boasts a rust hole in its floor. "You see the humble beginnings," Sawyers said. "It’s so inspiring. He really did have a hole in his car. It’s not some kid who grew up in the culture of elite East Coast schools. He didn’t summer at Martha’s Vineyard."

Reality check: Regarding the historical accuracy of "Southside with You," Sawyers said screenwriter-director-producer Tanne devised the story by researching the early days of the couple's relationship in interviews and books. "Obviously, the dialogue is made up," Sawyers said. It's true that Obama and Robinson visited an art gallery and went to the movies to catch "Do the Right Thing" on their first official date. He invited her to attend a community meeting at some point, but this was not a first-date occurrence as depicted in "Southside with You." The Obamas have been married since 1992.

Indiana in '83: Reality vs. new retro series on Netflix

First lady: Sawyers said he and co-star Sumpter clicked during the movie's shoot last summer in Chicago. "It was an immediate balance," he said. "I’m quite hyper; she’s quite composed. I’m always doing voices; she’s very stately. I think it comes across onscreen. He’s very playful, and she’s, ‘OK, man, what are you talking about?’ That’s pretty much how me and Tika are."

In the spotlight: If the Obamas have seen "Southside with You," Sawyers said he is not aware of any screening. "I can’t imagine a movie being made about me in the future," he said. "I don’t know how they’ll take it." Made for a reported budget of $1.5 million, the film is a small project that potentially could rocket Sawyers to fame. "I’ve heard a few times, ‘Are you ready for your life to change?’ That’s not easy to deal with," said Sawyers, who lives in England with his wife, Edita, and two children, ages 7 and 4. "I just want to keep working and tell more positive stories. One of the best parts about doing this project is to see people leave the theater with a smile on their face."

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.