Bill Pullman Interview Discusses President Whitmore in Independence Day: Resurgence

Independence DayBy Luke Nov 15, 2015Comments

A new interview has emerged over the past few days that discusses the role of President Whitmore in the coming sequel to Independence Day. Our fighter-pilot President has taken a turn for the worst since the "War of 1996". So what is President Whitmore doing 20 years after saving the world? The simple answer is he lives in Virginia. Bill Pullman discussed the mental state of President Whitmore as becoming "more and more isolated”. With a cane, inner-ear imbalance, and PTSD, our President is a far cry from the hero he once was.

Questions emerge for why such a heroic character takes a turn for the worst. Could it be that President Whitmore did not call for the evaucation of New York, Washington and Los Angeles in time for millions of Americans to be saved? Or could it be the first assault and watching hundreds of fighter pilots die in a failed counter-attack. We see throughout Independence Day President Whitmore to be stressed out (as any President would be during an invasion); but the triumphant speech and final battle would prove otherwise. Maybe the horrors from the war are creeping back.

More information regarding the relationship of President Whitmore and David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) also emerged. We know both characters have a backstory as David punched the "President in the face" as Margaret Colin's character puts it. With the alien mothership destroyed, the final scene between President Whitmore and David is President Whitmore stating "Not too bad, David. Not too bad at all". During the filming of Independence Day:Resurgence; there was quite a delay in how the characters would reconnect after an uneasy peace. But as Pullman put it, "It's good to see how complicated your relationship has remained.".