Hocus Potus
It’s one of the most important positions on the planet and, with so much cinema offering a US-centric perspective, there have been ample opportunities to portray a fictional President of the United States on-screen, alongside the great many biographical performances as the men who occupied the Oval Office. Heck, we even had The Gipper himself, Ronald Reagan, doing things in reverse, as the actor who became the actual 40th President of the United States. As we arrive at the Inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, now seems like a good time to take a stroll through the Hall of [Fictional] Presidents.
Writing a fictional President is a challenge but also offers a great deal of story flexibility. It’s not always necessary for the President to be the main focus, but the role will almost certainly remain key, either because of the power the President wields, or because the buck stops with them. Sometimes, as in real-life, we get the leaders we want to see in power and other times not. Some of these fictional leaders of the free-world have been charismatic like JFK or Teddy Roosevelt, some have been notorious or subject of scandal like Nixon or Clinton, some make a huge societal impact like Abe Lincoln or George Washington, and some suffer from relative obscurity like Martin Van Buren or Millard Fillmore.
This list can never be exhaustive [unless you have another 4 years!] but aims to give you a little bit of everything, from obvious front-runners to dark horses; the ones with great names and the ones known only as ‘The President’. Remember, I’m covering only fictional presidents. The main requirement beyond this is that they play a key role in the movie. I’ll look at their most notable achievements [I’ll avoid the most obvious spoilers where I can, but this won’t always be possible, so tread lightly and carry a big stick], assess their likely popularity, and look at the chance of them being re-elected [if they’re already on a second term, please remember this is just a hypothetical ‘What If?’].
So, without further ado, let’s get down to it, boppers
James Marshall (Harrison Ford) - Air Force One (dir. Wolfgang Peterson) 1997
Bio and Notable Achievements: Medal of Honor winner. Family man. Michigan alumnus. Takes a hard line on terrorism through bold policy, which upsets his advisors. Also takes a hard line on terrorism by fighting with, strangling, and shooting the terrorists who have taken over Air Force One and are holding his family hostage, which upsets the terrorists. Doesn’t get in the escape pod (unlike John Harker), but still manages to avoid the CGI disaster that is the crashing of Air Force One into the ocean.
Popularity Rating: Sky High, though that cosy relationship with Russia won’t be popular with all.
Chance of a Second Term: Locked On
Notes: Ford will play the President for a second time in Captain America: Brave New World, but missed an earlier chance to do so as Jack Ryan when the franchise was rebooted again after Clear and Present Danger, rather than following the character arc of the Tom Clancy novels.
John Harker (Donald Pleasance) - Escape from New York(dir. John Carpenter) 1981
Bio and Notable Achievements: While on his way to a peace summit, also finds the presidential plane hijacked. Unlike James Marshall, actually gets into the Air Force One escape pod, which lands in a reimagined Manhattan that has been converted into a giant maximum security prison, in a 1997 far different from the one portrayed in Air Force One. In possession of key information, including a cassette tape containing the secrets of nuclear fusion, to be used as a peace offering at the summit. Introduces the movie world to the badass that is Snake Plissken. Gets people killed but, also like Marshall, shoots a bad guy. Not a fan of Big Band music,
Popularity Rating: Important enough to risk a suicide mission into Manhattan.
Chance of a Second Term: In jeopardy, if the Chinese and Soviets don’t like Les Elgart’s ‘Bandstand Boogie’.
Edward Bennett (Donald Moffatt) - Clear and Present Danger(dir. Philip Noyce) 1994
Bio and Notable Achievements: Easily confused with President J. Robert Fowler. Lifelong friends with disgraced businessman Peter Hardin, recently murdered, who was found to be laundering drug money for the Colombian cartels. Discreetly approved off-the-books clandestine US military operations against the cartels in Colombia. Attempted cover-up due to unwelcome attention as a result of collateral damage following a smart bomb attack. Called before Congress.
Popularity Rating: That hard line on drugs will gain approval in some quarters, but no-one likes a potential Presidential scandal or two, least of all the party.
Chance of a Second Term: Low. That’s what happens when you take on a boy scout like Jack Ryan/Harrison Ford
J. Robert Fowler (James Cromwell) - The Sum of All Fears(dir. Phil Alden Robinson) 2002
Bio and Notable Achievements: Former Australian sheep farmer with doubts over his eligibility for Presidential Office. American Football fan like James Marshall. Easily confused with President Edward Bennett. Tendency to forget about dinner plans. Target of attempted nuclear assassination who gets pissed about it and risks taking the world to the brink of nuclear armageddon. Also gets angry with Jack Ryan, who seems to have gotten younger.
Popularity Rating: The booing from the crowd at the football game in Baltimore suggests a lack of popularity in some quarters, as does their brief puzzlement rather than concern over his emergency evacuation by the Secret Service.
Chance of a Second Term: Likely to be boosted by the attempted assassination if he can avoid nuking anyone before polling day.
Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) - Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (dir. Stanley Kubrick) 1964
Bio and Notable Achievements: Master of disguise. Faced with the nightmare scenario of rogue Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper launching ‘Wing Attack Plan R’ using B-52s from the 843rd Bomb Wing to strike the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons. Attempts to work with the Soviets to stop the bombers reaching their targets despite the resistance of senior military planners. Extremely patient when talking to his drunk counterpart in Moscow. Capable of being just as sorry as the Soviet Premier. Insists that you can’t fight in The War Room.
Popularity Rating: Very unpopular with General Buck Turgidson for refusing to take advantage of the situation by launching an all out attack, which he insists will result in no more than 10-20 million US citizens killed - tops - depending on the breaks.
Chance of a Second Term: Zero. Zilch. Nada.
The President (Henry Fonda) - Fail Safe(dir. Sidney Lumet) 1964
Bio and Notable Achievements: Married. Not a master of disguise. Faced with a slightly different nightmare scenario to that of Merkin Muffley, when computer systems failure causes Vindicator bombers from Bomber Group 6 to pass their ‘Fail Safe’ point and move towards striking targets in the Soviet Union, including Moscow itself. Attempts to work with the Soviets to stop the bombers reaching their targets despite the resistance of senior military planners. Has a much better relationship with someone called Buck. Required to show the Wisdom of Solomon in providing a solution to avert total nuclear war if even one of the bombers gets through.
Popularity Rating: May have lost the confidence of the Air Force, but has the backing of Defense Secretary Swenson. Very briefly unpopular amongst New Yorkers..
Chance of a Second Term: Impossible to say whether he’d even want one after the day he’s been through. Needs to write the speech of a lifetime for Americans to even consider voting for him again.
James Dale (Jack Nicholson) - Mars Attacks! (dir. Tim Burton) 1996
Bio and Notable Achievements: Husband to Marsha, father to Taffy [Taffy? Really?]. Looks weirdly similar to Art Land, the flamboyant owner of the Galaxy Casino in Nevada. Can handle the truth of Martian visitors and wants to treat them as foreign dignitaries, though the increasing belligerence of the intergalactic guests suggests this may be unwise. Begins to recognise challenges of diplomacy, but wonders why we can’t forget our differences, why we can’t work things out, and why we can’t all just get along. Capable of moving an audience to tears.
Popularity Rating: High on Earth, less so on Mars.
Chance of a Second Term: Even if someone can find a way to defeat the pesky Martians, there’s the small matter of staying alive to deal with first.
Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) - Independence Day (dir. Roland Emmerich) 1996
Bio and Notable Achievements: Husband to Marilyn, father to Patricia [which is a much more normal name than Taffy, if a little old-fashioned]. Kind of young-looking for a President. Former F-16 Fighter Pilot and Gulf War veteran. Doesn’t want to treat alien visitors as foreign dignitaries after they blow up various landmarks with energy weapons. Seemingly unaware of the existence of Area 51.
Popularity Rating: Anyone who can rally the entire world to strike back against the alien attackers on 4 July has got to be popular, right?
Chance of a Second Term: A successful fightback, leading from the front, against the not-so-cute extraterrestrials coupled with personal tragedy would make him a shoe-in.
The President (Phil Hartman) - The Second Civil War (dir. Joe Dante) 1997
Bio and Notable Achievements: You may remember him as Troy McLure. Ineffectual leader, relying on his advisors and self-interest to make policy decisions. Welcoming of immigrants. Fan of fictitious quotes from Dwight D. Eisenhower. Engages in a constitutional standoff with the State of Idaho over its refusal to accept refugees fleeing conflict in Pakistan and India. Sets an unlikely deadline of sixty seven and a half hours.
Popularity Rating: Low amongst fans of All My Children, Idahoans, and anti-immigration rebels. High amongst Chinese-Americans and Korean-Americans
Chance of a Second Term: With the United States a powder keg, who even knows when or where the dust will settle.
The President (Nick Offerman) - Civil War (dir. Alex Garland) 2024
Bio and Notable Achievements: First President to hold office for a third term[after the 22nd amendment]. Disbanded the FBI. Ordered airstrikes against American citizens. Authoritarian and a believer in spreading false narratives, including describing the Civil War against rebels led by secessionists from Texas and California - which he seems certain to lose - as a great military victory for his government forces. Doesn’t like journalists
Popularity Rating: Deeply unpopular in the many Western and Southern States with dwindling support in the North, those poll numbers look terrible.
Chance of a Second Term: Having already seen out a second term and taken office for an unprecedented third time, followed by leading the country into a bloody Civil War, all those who voted for him second-time-around are going to be regretting casting their vote.
Tom Beck (Morgan Freeman) - Deep Impact (dir. Mimi Leder) 1998
Bio and Notable Achievements: Not the first black President portrayed on-screen. Bearer of seriously bad news about a comet. Good at keeping a secret. Reassuring voice, calm manner. Not a fan of the name ‘Ellie’. Knowledgeable when it comes to comets, astronomy, and the use of nuclear weapons. Doesn’t need to play the lottery. Hasn’t seen ‘Armageddon’. Doesn’t tell the American people not to look up.
Popularity Rating: Most people seem to recognise he’s trying his best under difficult circumstances, but they can only take their hopes being dashed so many times.
Chance of a Second Term: It’s going to take a lot of help from the Messiah for that to happen.
Notes: Freeman would go on to play the President for a second time as Allan Trumbull in Angel Has Fallen, having played the Vice-President in Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen.
Douglass Dilman (James Earl Jones) - The Man (dir. Joseph Sargent) 1972
Bio and Notable Achievements: Unlike Tom Beck, Dilman was the first black President portrayed on-screen [by some margin]. Elevated to the Presidency as Senate president pro tem, following the deaths of the President and the Speaker of the House in a building collapse offscreen at a summit in Frankfurt and the refusal of the Vice President to assume the office due to terminal illness. Elected to his position in the Senate as a token gesture, he faces the challenge of undertaking duties he’d never expected to and dealing with political rivals who want to control him or oust him. Initially willing to toe-the-line set for him, he soon starts following his conscience, though an act of political terrorism in Apartheid South Africa may have damaging consequences for him.
Popularity Rating: Much of the nation is still in a state of shock. The South African scandal threatens his Presidency and, in a twist, also risks losing him the black vote.
Chance of a Second Term: He needs to win his own party’s nomination first, taking on political heavyweight Secretary of State Arthur Eaton whose own ascension to the Office of the President was stymied by the order of succession set out in the Constitution of the United States.
David Stevens (Charles Durning) - Twilight’s Last Gleaming (dir. Robert Aldrich) 1977
Bio and Notable Achievements: When renegade Air Force General Burt Lancaster gains control over Titan II nuclear missile silos in Montana, Stevens is faced with a choice: make public documents that show the US had no realistic chance of winning the Vietnam War and confirm to the American people that continued fighting was for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the Soviet Union their unwavering commitment to defeating Communism, or risk triggering nuclear war through the launch of the missiles. Clashes with cabinet and closest advisors over the correct course of action. Agrees to offer himself as a hostage during negotiations.
Popularity Rating: Entirely dependent on his course of action. Are the American people ready to hear that the war in Vietnam was unwinnable and a generation of mostly young men had their lives destroyed for nothing? Would acceding to terrorist demands, even with the nuclear touchpaper lit, seem like weakness?
Chance of a Second Term: He may not get out of this alive. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Janie Orleon (Meryl Streep) - Don’t Look Up(dir. Adam McKay) 2021
Bio and Notable Achievements: Like Tom Beck, bearer of seriously bad news about a comet if, and only if, it’s politically expedient to reveal the truth and/or to cover up a sex scandal with a Supreme Court nominee. Otherwise it’s a case of sitting tight and assessing, and rounding percentages down. Appointed her son Jason to the position of White House Chief of Staff and an anaesthesiologist to the position of Director of NASA. Potentially problematic financial relationship with mercurial tech billionaire Sir Mark Isherwood, a key campaign donor.
Popularity Rating: Complete country-wide split between her ‘Don’t Look Up’ policy fans and ‘Just Look Up’ advocates. Much depends on whether Comet Dibiasky brings jobs or the end of life as we know it.
Chance of a Second Term: If the math checks out, she’s not going to be around for the election. Nor is anyone else.
Notes: Only President on this list confirmed to have a tattoo.
Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) - The American President(dir. Rob Reiner) 1995
Bio and Notable Achievements: Widower. Father to Lucy. Falls in love with a spiky, passionate environmental lobbyist from Virginia. Doesn’t know the state flower of Virginia [apparently it’s the dogwood, which is both a tree and a flower], or how to dial an outside line. Sender of hams. Willing to send a watered-down Crime Bill to Congress to ensure reelection.
Popularity Rating: Hot and cold with environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, Lukewarm with liberal gun-control proponents. Positively icy with Republican Presidential hopeful Senator Bob Rumpson of Kansas. A move from being the sympathetic lonely widower to actively dating may hurt his numbers.
Chance of a Second Term: Overreach on a revised Crime Bill and sending a wide-ranging Environmental Bill through Congress at the same time is either bold politics or a horrible misstep.
Notes: Martin Sheen, who would go on to play the President in The West Wing [also written by Aaron Sorkin], is Shepherd’s Chief of Staff. Michael Douglas has actually slept with the First Lady in another movie, though not as POTUS. In The Sentinel(dir. Clark Johnson) 2006, he plays a member of the First Lady’s Secret Service detail and the two have a clandestine affair.
Adam Scott (Hal Holbrook) - The Kidnapping of the President (George Medeluk) 1980
Bio and Notable Achievements: Excellent bladder control for a man of his age. Helpfully carries snacks in case he gets handcuffed inside an armored car wired to explode at midnight by South American terrorists while visiting Toronto. Briefly pries off a plywood panel. Doesn’t listen to his security detail. Married to a First Lady who smiles radiantly while wearing a cream wool coat with silver fox collar.
Popularity Rating: Low with South American revolutionaries and Maury Chaykin. High with Canadians, who organise a candlelit vigil accompanied by the Salvation Army playing Abide With Me, Not popular with William Shatner for ignoring sensible security advice from his Secret Service detail.
Chance of a Second Term: If someone doesn’t hurry up with those bolt-cutters, we may not get a chance to find out.
Jack Cahill (Roy Scheider) - Chain of Command (dir. John Terlesky) 2000
Bio and Notable Achievements: Serial philanderer. Completely misunderstands the term ‘Political backchannel’ by putting himself and, more importantly, the nuclear football, in harm’s way aboard a yacht in the South China Sea amidst rising tensions between China and Taiwan. Launches a nuke. Gets rescued by Patrick Muldoon. Remembers his duty a bit too late.
Popularity Rating: Triggering a nuclear conflict with China would see those polling numbers plummet, but you also feel it’s only a matter of time before a sex scandal rocks the White House [which doesn’t look anything like the White House here].
Chance of a Second Term: Looking sketchy. Even if he does escape, there’s that whole nuclear-war-with-China thing to worry about. It also looks like Vice-President Gloria Valdez would have been the better choice.
And with that, that’s your list of candidates. Even with a fairly packed field like this one, it’s probably possible to create a similarly-long second ballot [I’m not promising this!] Did it include everyone you expected? What names/movies surprised you? I’d love to know what you think so feel free to reach out to me (links in bio below) and/or drop a message to the Movie Friends Podcast team.
