Columbia Pictures and
director Roland Emmerich has assembled a powerhouse cast to give life to
compelling characters in the new action thriller “White House Down.”
In
the film, 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 his daughter, the president, and the
country.
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| Photos courtesy of Columbia Picures |
The
character at the center of “White House Down” is John Cale, an ex-soldier and
divorced father who’s trying to put his life back on solid footing – especially
when it concerns his relationship with his daughter. “Cale’s been trying to
figure out his life for years, to get it together. He doesn’t really have the
tools to put it all into place,” says Channing Tatum (“The Vow”). “But
his heart is good – he’s always wanted to be his daughter’s hero. And now that
he’s realizing that he can’t be that, due to mistakes he’s made, he thinks,
‘Well, she idolizes the president – if I can’t be her hero, maybe I can help
protect the guy who is.’”
Opposite
Tatum, the filmmakers cast Jamie Foxx (“Django Unchained”) as President
Sawyer. 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.”
Helping
John Cale and President Sawyer fend off the ruthless mercenaries and their
quest to seize control of the White House is the exceptionally adroit,
tough-as-nails Special Agent Carol Finnerty played by Maggie
Gyllenhaal (“The Dark Knight”).
At
the beginning of the film, Finnerty has just turned down Cale’s application to
join the Secret Service – but even that is not so simple. “Years ago, they had
a crazy love affair,” says Gyllenhaal. “It was a long, long time ago, but they
were crazy about each other. And now he’s back, she’s interviewing him, and of
course he’s super hot and amazing in a lot of ways. He still takes her breath away.
But he’s just not qualified to be a Secret Service agent.”
Jason
Clarke (“Zero Dark Thirty”) plays the
ex-soldier-turned-paramilitary-leader, the head of the invasion force, Emil
Stenz. “He’s a former Special Forces guy – doing some nefarious things in
strange places – and he became a gun for hire,” says Clarke. “And now, he’s
been hired to try to take over the White House, to kidnap the president and try
to make some money.”
Joey
King (“Oz
the Great and Powerful”) joins the cast as Cale’s daughter, Emily. Their
estranged relationship is put to the test when they are separated during the
crisis at the White House. “At the beginning of the movie, her parents are
divorced and she’s not too keen on her dad,” explains King. “That’s why he
takes her to his job interview with the Secret Service and gets her tickets to
the White House tour – he knows she’s obsessed with all things politics and he
thinks that will impress her. And it does – she’s super-excited. But then, when
they get separated and all this crazy stuff happens.”
Richard
Jenkins (“Cabin in the Woods”) joins the cast as the Speaker of
the House Eli Raphelson, a career politician from the opposing party, and James
Woods (“Straw Dogs”) as Martin Walker, the outgoing head of the Secret
Service.
this sounds huge.
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