Bill Clinton was president when the 1996 film Independence Day was released. Arguably the most famous scene in the film was the moment the White House blew up.
Bill Pullman — who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in the film — attended a screening of the movie at the White House’s East Wing. He was reportedly seated in the front row between the president and his wife, Hillary Clinton.
In a 2021 oral history, Pullman, alongside writer-producer Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich, recalled the moment Clinton ran out of the screening room during the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The first big destruction scene starts with blowing up the White House. In test screenings, a lot of people left right after, and then they immediately came running back,” Emmerich said. “They didn’t pee earlier because they were so into the movie.”
Devin added, “When we got to the moment the White House blows up, Roland and I are looking at each other going, ‘We’re in the White House watching it blow up.’ It was bizarre.”
According to Emmerich, Bill Clinton ran out of the theater after the White House exploded.
“One minute later, he comes back, shaking his hands dry. Dean and I looked at each other and nearly started laughing,” he continued.
It seems the former president enjoyed the film as he then invited Pullman on a private tour of the White House.
“So we ducked out after the movie,” Pullman said. “It was just me and him walking around, talking about, ‘This is the desk from 1812 where they signed such and such.’ I thought, ‘I’m glad it was me that went to watch the movie in front.'”
