Roland Emmerich recalled the moment when Bill Clinton suddenly left during a White House screening of Independence Day. The filmmaker added that screening at the White House felt “bizarre,” as he and the producer couldn’t help but think, “We’re in the White House watching it blow up.”
Roland Emmerich says Bill Clinton briefly ran out during Independence Day screening
While celebrating the 25th anniversary of Independence Day with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, director Roland Emmerich shared a memorable moment. During the movie’s screening at the White House, the 42nd US President, Bill Clinton, ran out.
After the iconic explosion of the White House played out on the screen, Clinton had suddenly left the room. Emmerich later clarified, “One minute later, he comes back, shaking his hands dry. Dean and I looked at each other and nearly started laughing.”
The brief exit, as it turned out, was just a bathroom break. The director explained that this was a common occurrence during screening. He said, “In test screenings, a lot of people left right after, and then they immediately came running back. They didn’t pee earlier because they were so into the movie.”
This incident serves as a great callback in the wake of the current US President, Donald J. Trump, demolishing the White House’s East Wing to build a new ballroom. Roland Emmerich, along with producer Dean Devlin and actor Bill Pullman, attended the private screening. During the interview, they shared more details on the same.
The Independence Day team was in New York for the movie’s promotional event when Devlin received an unexpected phone call. “The phone is ringing in my room,” the producer recalled. “I pick it up and they said, ‘Could you hold for the White House?’ I said, ‘What?’ And they said, ‘The President would like to screen the movie tonight.’”
Soon after, the trio found themselves inside the White House, holding an exclusive screening for Bill and Hilary Clinton. Emmerich described the screening room, saying, “It’s a former bowling alley, a little postmark of a screen.”
They also shared that they were so nervous that they just stood in the back row as the president watched their film, fully aware of the scene where White House is blown up. When the scene finally happened, Devlin recalled exchanging looks with Emmerich and saying, “We’re in the White House watching it blow up,” adding that the situation was “bizarre.”
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.
