Background:

"Oh great, this is going to be like shooting baskets with Magic Johnson watching." Bill Pullman (on watching Independence Day with former President Clinton)

The portrayal of President Thomas J. Whitmore in Roland Emmerich’s huge hit, sci-fi thriller Independence Day (1996, a.k.a. ID4, with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum), tossed Bill Pullman toward the limelight. First noticed while playing roles in Ruthless People (1986) and Spaceballs (1987), Pullman later gained more recognition while acting in films like 1992's A League of Their Own, 1993's Sommersby and Sleepless in Seattle, 1995's Casper, While You Were Sleeping and The Last Seduction, 1996’s Mr. Wrong, as well as 2000's The Virginian (TV), Lucky Numbers ..[Full version]