THE OVAL OFFICE

ABOUT THE FILM

MICHAEL DOUGLAS stars as President Andrew Shepherd who, quite unexpectedly, falls in love with ANNETTE BENING starring as Sydney Wade, an environmental lobbyist, in "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT." The film offers a rare glimpse at an uncommon romance involving a most powerful man who must overcome obstacles not faced by average citizens.

Complicating his desire for personal privacy and his efforts to maintain a relationship, are issues President Shepherd must confront: approval ratings, an inquiring press, and an aggressive political opponent (portrayed by RICHARD DREYFUSS) Fortunately, he does have some help. His advisors, Chief of Staff (MARTIN SHEEN), Domestic Policy Advisor (MICHAEL J. FOX), White House Pollster (DAVID PAYMER), White House Press Secretary (ANNA DEAVERE SMITH) and Personal Aide (SAMANTHA MATHIS) coordinate his busy schedule, deal with the demands of Congress, and quell any global predicaments, all during an election year.

But political crises are different than personal ones. The question arises: Will the media, the public and his advisors allow Andrew Shepherd to be the President of the country and a single adult man at the same time? Only this American President can find a way to fulfill the responsibilities of the office as well as the needs of the woman he loves.

"THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT" stars Michael Douglas (Academy Award-winner for Best Actor for "Wall Street") and Annette Bening (Academy Award-nominated for her performance in "The Grifters"). The Castle Rock Entertainment film is directed by Rob Reiner whose previous films, "A Few Good Men" (Academy Award-nominated for Best Picture), "When Harry Met Sally...," "Misery" and "Stand By Me" have garnered both audience enthusiasm and critical acclaim.

"THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT" is produced by Rob Reiner, with Jeffrey Stott (co-producer of such films as "When Harry Met Sally...," "Misery" and "A Few Good Men") and Charles Newirth (co-producer on such films as Academy Award-winner for Best Picture, "Forrest Gump," and "Bugsy") serving as the executive producers. The film is written by Aaron Sorkin ("A Few Good Men," "Malice").

"THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT" features a superb supporting cast: Martin Sheen as A.J. MacInerney, the President's Chief of Staff; Michael J. Fox as Lewis Rothschild, the President's Chief Domestic Advisor; Richard Dreyfuss as Robert Rumson, the Senate Minority Leader; David Paymer as Leon Kodak, the White House Pollster; Anna Deavere Smith as Robin McCall, the President's Press Secretary; Samantha Mathis as Janie, the President's personal aide; and Shawna Waldron as Lucy, the President's 12 year-old daughter.

Top-notch technical contributions were provided by an impressive group, all previous Academy Award nominees, including director of photography John Seale, production designer Lilly Kilvert, editor Bob Leighton and costume designer Gloria Gresham.

REINER'S IDEA FOR A PRESIDENTIAL LOVE STORY

"I wanted to make a love story set against a real working presidency," says Reiner. "Aaron Sorkin (with whom I collaborated on "A Few Good Men") and I had been talking about doing a political film set in Washington."

Reiner and Sorkin wanted the script to contain the dramatic realities of current politics: "the constant struggle with poll results, Democrat versus Republican ideology, and the uncommon situation of a widowed president falling in love during his tenure in the White House," explains Sorkin.

In addition, Reiner and Sorkin wanted to infuse the film with comedic undertones. As Sorkin relates, "Most stories deal with putting an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. Well, there are no extraordinary circumstances the President can be in. So I thought we could have some fun placing him in everyday situations like going out on a date, ordering flowers from a florist, having 'meatloaf night' with his daughter, or just driving a car."

A year after their initial meetings, Sorkin went away to New York to write a first draft screenplay of "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT." Reiner's enthusiasm for that first draft encouraged Sorkin to fly out to Los Angeles so they could work on the script together.

What resulted from this union was a final script that combined the drama and struggle that surrounds the country's highest office with a very human love story. "The office of the President often doesn't allow you to seem human," says Reiner. "The public doesn't want the President to be a regular man, they want him to be a kind of king, an omnipotent father figure. But he has the same needs as any normal man does, so how does he deal with that?"

Along with the weight of the office, Reiner and Sorkin wanted to inject "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT" with two very specific political-public concerns that they both felt passionate about; gun control and the environment.

"To me, guns have always been an issue with which I find difficulty seeing both sides," Sorkin says. "We simply won't make any dent in crime whatsoever without eliminating guns. The environment is something I was always happy other people were concerned with because I like clean air as much as anyone, but I just don't feel like doing anything about it. Rob is someone who feels like doing something about it."

To make the film as authentic as possible, President Clinton and his staff were very gracious in allowing Reiner, Sorkin, "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT" cast and production design team to visit the White House on several occasions. They all came away with distinctive and sometimes surprising insights.

As Aaron Sorkin relates, "I was walking down a White House corridor, and I saw a Secret Service agent rounding the corner saying 'Eagle's moving,' and then I saw President Clinton rounding the corner. And there wasn't a motorcade, and I didn't hear 'Hail to the Chief.' The President said hello to someone, and was then introduced to me, and we talked for a couple of minutes. It was an incredibly powerful experience; this was the leader of the free world, and he was chatting. It was great to see an American man that strong and that calm at the same time."

It left such a memorable impression on Sorkin that he based the first scene of the film on it. "The President rounds a corner preceded by a Secret Service agent who says 'Liberty (our code name for the President) is moving.' It's very casual; he's going to work in the morning. So the audience's first look at our President will be the same as mine was."

Reiner made at least five visits to the White House in preparing for the film. One time he spent two consecutive days with President Clinton following him around and observing how he gets through the day. "I saw him preparing to give a radio address from the Oval Office on health care (which was the hot issue at the time). He was in a little private dining room talking with some of his advisors who had written the speech. And then I watched him give the speech. I also saw him going into Marine One, taking off on the South Lawn, and how the military aides, the medical people and the Secret Service agents follow him everywhere," says Reiner.

Although this was all quite interesting to the filmmaker, what really amazed him was how much direct involvement this President has in every aspect of his administration, the enormity of the job, and the great accessibility he gives his staff. "On most days, President Clinton works 14 hours a day, he's constantly under tremendous pressure, and gets reviewed every day of his life from everywhere in the world. It made me think 'Who would want this job?'" admits Reiner.

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