What's your favorite depiction of POTUS on the big screen?
EMILY KWONG, HOST: Presidents on the big screen are just like those in the real world. There are great ones...(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "INDEPENDENCE DAY")BILL PULLMAN: (As President Thomas J. Whitmore) Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.KWONG: ...Terrible ones...(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB")PETER SELLERS: (As President Merkin Muffley) You know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the bomb.KWONG: ...And those that seem more at home on reality TV than in the White House.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DON'T LOOK UP")MERYL STREEP: (As President Orlean) They want you to be afraid.(BOOING)STREEP: (As President Orlean) They want you to look up because they are looking down their noses at you.KWONG: That was Bill Pullman in "Independence Day," Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove" and Meryl Streep in "Don't Look Up." Here at NPR, we're nonpartisan. We love celluloid presidents of all political stripes, fictional or otherwise. So this Presidents' Day weekend, I am joined by two of our most executive experts, Morning Edition host and presidential historian Steve Inskeep. Hello.STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE: (Laughter) Hi there. Good to see you.KWONG: And senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, who has covered three presidents and four presidencies here at NPR. Wait, how is that possible?TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: I want extra credit for covering each term.KWONG: Oh.INSKEEP: Of Trump.KEITH: Yeah, of Trump.KWONG: You covered Trump twice.KEITH: Covered Trump twice.KWONG: Well, welcome to you both. OK. Now, what is your favorite presidential movie? And what makes that performance so great?INSKEEP: OK, this is kind of obvious, but I'm going to say "Lincoln," the Steven Spielberg film.KWONG: Yes.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LINCOLN")DANIEL DAY-LEWIS: (As Abraham Lincoln) We're stepped out upon the world stage now - now - with the fate of human dignity in our hands. Blood's been spilled to afford us this moment - now, now, now.INSKEEP: Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing as Lincoln, and the thing that I like about him is that he gets some approximation of what historians, contemporaries say Lincoln was like. He doesn't have a deep voice of God. And so you get that coming through, that kind of folksy wisdom...KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: ...At the same time that he's doing brutal and ruthless things.KEITH: So I will say, I mostly like fictional presidents, and I'm going to explain why, which is, since coming on the White House beat, I have enough reality in my life.(LAUGHTER)KEITH: There's so much presidential reality that I like the fiction.KWONG: It does seem like there are way more fictional presidential movies than real ones. Why do you think that is?KEITH: I think it is because real presidents are multifaceted. They're complicated. They aren't really heroes. Most of them have major flaws, and we know too much about them.KWONG: Yeah.KEITH: And fictional presidents in my favorite genre of presidential movie, which is action films - fictional presidents don't need to be multifaceted. They're not complicated.KWONG: But you didn't see "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"? He...INSKEEP: Oh, hey. There you go. Exactly.KWONG: ...Takes up (inaudible).INSKEEP: Without a doubt (ph).KEITH: I did not see that.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER")BENJAMIN WALKER: (As Abraham Lincoln) For whatever else I am - a husband, a lawyer, a president - I shall always think of myself, first and foremost, as a hunter.KWONG: Is there a president you'd like to see put on celluloid more?KEITH: How about Grover Cleveland?KWONG: Why?KEITH: Our only other president...INSKEEP: Wow.KEITH: ...Who has served two nonconsecutive terms...INSKEEP: Amazing.KEITH: ...And who had some issues related to tariffs. We could have, you know, history echo.KWONG: Oh, we could.INSKEEP: Also had some issues relating to his personal life. We could go pretty deep on this.KWONG: Grover Cleveland, who would you cast?KEITH: I have no idea.(LAUGHTER)KEITH: Let's just give everything to Anthony Hopkins or Daniel Day-Lewis.INSKEEP: No, no, I have a suggestion for Grover Cleveland.KWONG: Yeah. OK.INSKEEP: Nick Offerman...KEITH: Oh, yes.INSKEEP: ...Who is the guy who plays Chester Arthur in "Death By Lightning," this new series.KWONG: That's brilliant.INSKEEP: So he's basically a comedian, right? He's a comedic actor...KWONG: Yes.INSKEEP: ...Plays this serious guy, but with a - in a fun way. He's also, like, an alcoholic. You know, when he gets nominated for vice president, he goes out and gets drunk and gets sick in the bathroom.KWONG: Steve, you might have a career as a casting director.INSKEEP: It could be. But the reason I think of it, he's got this kind of classic, late 19th century...KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: ...Body type when men just ate too much, it seems, and just kind of burly, facial hair. And Offerman gets it done, and Grover Cleveland was the same kind of person.KWONG: I hope Nick Offerman hears this. I hope a movie...KEITH: We need those (inaudible), Steve.INSKEEP: (Laughter).KWONG: ...Happens that can be traced to this conversation. Steve, who do you want to see on film more? Is there a president who hasn't been given his due?INSKEEP: I propose Andrew Jackson.KEITH: I'm shocked. I know.KWONG: Inspiration for your book, "Jacksonland."INSKEEP: Thank you for the name drop.KWONG: Why Andrew Jackson?INSKEEP: Andrew Jackson because he is just - he's a force of nature. He believed in his own authority. He believed that he was the country when he was president. He created a tremendous image of himself, and he battled everyone all the time, just constantly. I mean, it's not for nothing that President Trump...KEITH: Yeah.INSKEEP: ...Once upon a time, named Jackson as his favorite president.KWONG: Which actor do you think could portray the fire and brimstone of Andrew Jackson?INSKEEP: OK so, this is the other thing.KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: This guy is thin.KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: He's unhealthy.KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: He's been at war. He's been shot several times. He's got a couple of bullets rattling around in his body - lead bullets. He is taking medicine for his illnesses that makes him more sick.KWONG: Wow.INSKEEP: And yet he continues going on. So I'm not quite coming up with the name, but it has to be somebody who's painfully thin, a total wreck and in his 60s.KEITH: What about Christian Bale? He could lose all that weight again.INSKEEP: Oh. Yeah, he could do that.KWONG: Oh, Christian Bale known for going to extremes...INSKEEP: Yes, OK.KWONG: ...In his performances. That's an interesting choice.INSKEEP: This is a guy who went to extremes.KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: That's perfect, yeah.KWONG: In the land of fictional presidents, Tam, your favorite...KEITH: Yes.KWONG: ...How you escape reality - who is your favorite? Like, are you looking for more of an action-hero type like Harrison Ford in "Air Force One"...(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "AIR FORCE ONE")HARRISON FORD: (As President James Marshall) Get off my plane.KWONG: ...Or, like, the calm, dulcet tones of Morgan Freeman in "Deep Impact," very compassionate?(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEEP IMPACT")MORGAN FREEMAN: (As President Beck) You have a choice. We have a choice right now.KWONG: What do you like?KEITH: Yeah, Bill Pullman is my president.KWONG: From "Independence Day."KEITH: From "Independence Day," yes - he plays President Thomas J. Whitmore when the aliens attack.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "INDEPENDENCE DAY")PULLMAN: (As President Thomas J. Whitmore) I know there is much we can learn from each other if we can negotiate a truce.KEITH: And ultimately, he leads a global force as they take on the aliens, and we secure our independence. And...(LAUGHTER)INSKEEP: It's a very subtle movie.(LAUGHTER)KEITH: It is amazing. Will Smith is also in it.KWONG: Oh, I know.KEITH: It is.KWONG: He's so good in it.KEITH: And the speech that President Whitmore gives before they go into battle is such a glorious speech that every year...KWONG: Yeah.KEITH: ...Around the Fourth of July on the NPR Politics Podcast, we recite the speech from "Independence Day."(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "INDEPENDENCE DAY")PULLMAN: (As President Thomas J. Whitmore) And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday but as the day when the world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night.KEITH: (Reciting) We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.(APPLAUSE)KEITH: It is so glorious. It is an inspirational speech. There are no politics. There's no complexity. Just go blow up the aliens.KWONG: Yeah. You know what this is reminding me of? You know, in sports movies - the reason we love sports movies is when the coach...KEITH: Yes.KWONG: ...Gives a pep talk in the locker room.KEITH: That's this.INSKEEP: Yeah, yeah.KWONG: I feel like presidential movies, real or fictional, there is a pep talk scene. There's a, like, reminder of our common purpose scene that kind of - like, as an American when I watch it, when they get it right, I'm, like, reminded of what we share. That's the best-case scenario for...KEITH: Without all the baggage.KWONG: Yeah.INSKEEP: I mean, that is the job, a job of a president in a crisis.KEITH: Yes.INSKEEP: And I'm not talking here about how any particular president in recent times chooses to do the job, but the job is to talk to all of us as citizens, whether we voted for that person or not, and talk about what we have in common and what's in it for all of us.KWONG: Yeah. Thank you so much for joining me, you both. That is Morning Edition host and presidential historian Steve Inskeep and senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. It was great to talk to you.KEITH: Good to talk to you too.KWONG: And happy President's Day.INSKEEP: Loved it. Thank you.(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
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