Bill Pullman reveals the joke Hillary Clinton made after they watched Independence Day together

Actor watched film in the White House with Bill and Hillary Clinton

Bill Pullman has reflected on watching his 1996 hit Independence Day with then-president Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton.

In the sci-fi action movie, Pullman played a fictional president of the US trying to help save people from an alien invasion.

During an appearance on last night’s episode of The One Show (25 July), Pullman recounted the experience of watching the movie with the couple, saying: “All of a sudden, in the middle of the publicity junket, we got flown to the White House. I sat next to Bill Clinton and watched this movie.”

Presenter Alex Jones then asked if the former US leader had any notes on Pullman’s performance, to which the actor replied: “Hillary had a nice comment, which was, ‘When we take our next vacation, we know who we can get to take over for a weekend.’”

He laughed, adding: “She didn’t offer the whole week, just the weekend.”

Independence Day, which also starred Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Quaid and Mary McDonnell, grossed $817m (£591m) worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of that year, beating out blockbusters including Twister, Scream, and Mission: Impossible for the top spot.

Bill Pullman in ‘Independence Day’ (Snap/Rex/Shutterstock)

In 2020, Pullman dismissed a tweet by Donald Trump, showing the then-president superimposed over his iconic speech scene in the film.

Responding to the tweet, Pullman said: “My voice belongs to no one but me, and I’m not running for president – this year.”