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White House Down

Release Date: June 28, 2013 (US)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Writter: James Vanderbilt
Jamie Foxx as: President of the United States James Sawyer
Co-Stars: Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Runtime: 137 minutes
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rated: PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence including intense gunfire and explosions, some language and a brief sexual image.
Production budget:  $150 million (estimated)
Box office: $205.4 million
Links: Imdb – Official Site

Plot Summary

Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation’s government falling into chaos and time running out, it’s up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

Jamie Foxx’s Character

Jamie Foxx as President James Sawyer is the man at the center of the storm in the film.

Foxx says that the 46th president of the United States is “a man who would do anything to protect America, but also a man who understands that in order to protect America in this day and age, you have to have an understanding of the enemies. If you don’t have that understanding, or a way to open a dialog, you’ll forever be at odds and something drastic will constantly keep happening.”

What we want to make sure is that I’m not playing President Obama. But there are certain times when I do Obama-type things … There are certain inflections, but it’s definitely not him. But we sort of made our own thing. I haven’t seen the film, but there are moments where we laughed out loud, even in spite of all the terrorists. So it’s really good. – Jamie Foxx on playing the president of the United States

Photos

     
More pictures here!

Trivia

  • The movie was originally scheduled for a November 2, 2013 release but was moved forward to a June 28, 2013 release
  • “White House Down” was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Washington, DC, USA
  • Roland Emmerich began filming in July 2012 at the La Cité Du Cinéma in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • This is the second time Jamie Foxx and Garcelle Beauvais have portrayed a couple. The two previously starred together in “The Jamie Foxx Show” from 1996 to 2001.

Quotes

“It’s a complicated role,” says writer James Vanderbilt about Foxx’s character. “You have to have a serious side as the President of the United States, but also, the president in our movie has got to be able to play the fun stuff as well. He’s got to be able to play the physical stuff, the light moments, the dark moments, all of it. And on top of it all, the actor had to be believable as an electable president and pair well with Channing. Jamie was a perfect choice.”

“We were hoping to find the right actor to play the President — somebody who could play it in a way that was a little disarming. We were hoping to find an actor who could bring the gravitas of the presidency, but also a comedic element — not jokes, but funny, light moments that would cut the tension. In a way, Cale and Sawyer are a classic ‘buddy’ pairing. That’s why Jamie was perfect — he won an Oscar for the way he can inhabit different characters. Not only that, but it turned out he has great chemistry with Channing — they played off of each other in a way that we all found incredibly satisfying to watch. With Channing and Jamie together, the movie is just so much fun.” says producer Bradley J. Fischer

Trailer