Biden Asks Actors Who Portrayed Presidents For Advice On SOTU Speech
President Joe Biden prepped for his State of the Union speech by getting tips from actors who played fictional presidents in movies and TV shows.
Hours before he is set to deliver his final SOTU speech before the 2024 election Thursday night, Biden shared a video titled "President to President: State of the Union Edition," showing him speaking with Morgan Freeman, Bill Pullman, Tony Goldwyn, Geena Davis, and Michael Douglas via Zoom.
In the video, which was posted on YouTube and X, formerly Twitter, Biden asked the stars for tips on how to make sure his "big speech" resonates with Americans.
Freeman, who played President Tom Beck in "Deep Impact" and President Allan Trumbull in "Angel Has Fallen," responded, "In my capacity as President, all I had to deal with was a meteor."
The 86-year-old actor added, "One of the things that I came out of that with my speech to people -- hope, hope is the strongest voice we have in this country. It's the most useful and the most effective. My advice is just keep telling us how you're working for us, and building hope."
Pullman said he "had it easy" as President Thomas J. Whitmore in "Independence Day" because dealing with "invaders from outer space" united the nation.
Recalling his character's speech in the 1996 movie, Pullman said his major takeaways from it were that "we can't be consumed by our petty differences, and we will be united in our common interests."
The actor told Biden, "When people look at all that you've managed to do, they're going to remember, time will remember always the importance of your words, when you say that thing about, 'There's nothing that we can't do when we do it together.' Those are good ones."
Meanwhile, Goldwyn admitted that his character President Fitzgerald Grant III in "Scandal" did not behave well in many situations in the TV series.
However, playing the fictional president still left him with some pieces of advice to give, including that Biden should tell Americans that "you exist for them" and that "they make you a better man."
Goldwyn also shared that he used to "wind down" with some of the things he enjoys, such as popcorn and red wine, after giving a big speech.
"Do that with ice cream, I highly encourage it," he told Biden.
As for Davis, she highlighted how "tough" a president's job is, with her "Commander in Chief" character President MacKenzie Allen having had to face a new crisis "every week."
Sharing what she learned from her experience playing a fictional president, the actress told Biden, "I do feel I should just point out one thing, it always bears remembering: there's no crying in politics."
Biden responded that he hopes his politics "doesn't make anybody else cry."
For Douglas, who starred in "The American President" as President Andrew Shepherd, "having a loving partner changes everything."
Douglas advised Biden to let "love and compassion as a leader ... shine through in your speech."
The actor added that the president should "save a dance" for first lady Jill Biden, seemingly referencing his iconic scene with Annette Bening in the 1995 film.
Watch the full video below.
Biden's State of the Union Address is scheduled to begin Thursday at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PT).
It will be broadcast live on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS and live streamed at Whitehouse.gov.
