When Tom Hanks said that his movie “The Post” should not be screened at the White House and that he would boycott such an event, he probably didn’t anticipate that the White House would actually request a screening.
Well, the joke’s on Tom Hanks.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “President Donald Trump’s team has requested, and been granted, access to the 20th Century Fox political drama for both 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and Camp David, where the president is scheduled to host a summit on Saturday and Sunday with top GOP lawmakers.”
All throughout promoting “The Post,” stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, as well as director Steven Spielberg, have touted the film’s “timeliness” in reference to the Trump administration; now, the very “power” they fancied themselves speaking truth to has requested a screening.
Running up to its release, Spielberg even boasted rushing to make the movie as a response to the Trump administration’s war on the media to remind Americans of their First Amendment rights. All three stars seem vaguely unaware of the fact they enthusiastically supported a regime that led a full-frontal assault on religious liberty for eight years.
And now that we’ve mentioned the religious liberty thing, Hanks’ suggestion that the White House should be denied a screening of “The Post” implies a belief that businesses can deny services to other people based on ideological convictions. The talent behind “The Post” seems to have a real problem with hypocrisy. Good thing they have Meryl Streep in their camp to save-face . . . Then again, maybe not.
Amy Pascal, who produced the film with Spielberg, said support for the movie in Washington D.C. has been largely bi-partisan. A recent screening in the nation’s capital hosted several top Republicans, including Kellyanne Conway, special counselor to President Trump.
“They completely loved the movie, because the movie is about America and the movie is about the truth. This movie is for everyone. Kellyanne loved it, too, and danced all night with [Post co-writer] Josh Singer,” Pascal told THR earlier this week.
“I think it has been an unspoken truth in Hollywood that people are scared to make movies about politics. The Post is proof that this isn’t true,” said Pascal. “And the idea of a woman finding her voice is as relevant as politics in the movie.”