Bill Pullman doesn’t appear to be a fan of the video Donald Trump shared showing his own head superimposed on the actor’s body during an iconic scene in the 1996 movie, Independence Day .
Trump shared the altered clip showing himself as Pullman in a scene in which the actor, playing the president of the United States, is about to join a group of fighter pilots launching an attack against alien invaders trying to destroy the planet. The clip drew widespread ridicule for Trump, and was not well appreciated by Pullman, either.
The actor spoke to The Hollywood Reporter , saying that no one can be him but him.
“My voice belongs to no one but me, and I’m not running for president — this year,” Pullman told the entertainment industry news outlet.
The video had shown Trump’s head moving along with Pullman’s character of President Thomas J. Whitmore, but kept Pullman’s voice from the movie.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2020
Pullman wasn’t the only star of Independence Day who had a reaction to his video. Actress Vivica A. Fox, who starred as the wife of Will Smith in the movie, called out Trump for “insulting” the classic movie.
“PRETENDING U KNOW WHAT YOUR [SIC] DOING?? CAN’T BELIEVE U WOULD INSULT OUR CLASSIC FILM THIS WAY! BUT HEY! TYPICAL POS BEHAVIOR! U NEVER HAD,” she tweeted , linking to Trump’s post.
Many critics had called out Trump for what appeared to be a frivolous post during a time of national crisis and the speech calling for national unity, while Trump’s video only showed the faces of his Republican allies. Others believed that Trump did not seem to match the ethos of the character, a former fighter pilot who risked his life to join the attack against the world’s alien invaders.
“Bill Pullman in INDEPENDENCE DAY got his butt in a jet and actually fought the aliens. We can’t even get Trump to wear a mask or not say something stupid for a day,” tweeted New York Times and CNN contributor Wajahat Ali. “Please do not disrespect the memory of Bill Pullman’s character, MAGA.”
Trump has been known to share videos of himself inserted into classic movies or other scenes, including one showing the president from his time in the WWE repeatedly punching someone who had the CNN logo superimposed over their head.
The video drew criticism who said that Trump’s attacks on the press were encouraging his more extremist supporters, who would sometimes threaten journalists or even attempt to harm those seen as enemies of the president, as was the case with bombing attempts from Cesar Sayoc .
