Page 3 Profile: Jon favreau, Barack Obama's speechwriter

The Beltway bad boy?

There are two famous Jon Favreaus. One is the director of the Christmas classic Elf and the Iron Man films, while the other is President Obama's 31-year-old director of speechwriting. But their worlds could soon collide. The man Obama described as his "mind reader" is departing the world of politics to try his hand at screenwriting.

Lucky for some!

The White House wunderkind first met Obama in 2004, when he was working on John Kerry's presidential campaign. Favreau was sent to ensure there were no overlaps between Obama's and Kerry's addresses to the Democratic National Convention. Interrupting Obama's rehearsal of his speech, the young upstart even suggested a few improvements. The pair have since become inseparable. It was Favreau who crafted the victory address following the Iowa primary in January 2008 which began: "They said this day would never come."

Why give up on such a brilliant job?

Five years ago, Favreau said the "rigours" of his job had "prevented any sort of serious relationship", and you can't imagine that there has been any let-up since. Long-time Obama adviser David Plouffe expressed his confidence in Favreau's chances at screenwriting. "He can write comedy, history, drama, suspense," he said. "He's got the whole range." And Favreau is no stranger to Hollywood excess. In 2008, a picture emerged on Facebook of him groping a cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton, and two years later he was spotted playing drinking games shirtless at a Georgetown bar.