Exclusive: Cast Talks 'The Front Runner' At NY Premiere

Time is a funny thing. It moves fast when you don’t want it to but when you need it to move along the most, the clock seems to stop ticking.

A week doesn’t sound like a very long time- but in that very week so much can happen. You can start off feeling on top of the world and end it in a heartbreaking devastation. Even more so, those days can feel like an eternity. This was the truth for the presidential race candidate, Gary Hart. In the film The Front Runner Hugh Jackman stars as Hart and depicts the scrutiny he endured when the scandal of his extramarital affair arose just a week before the election.

We spoke with the cast at the New York premiere at MoMA. Check out what they had to say below:

The Knockturnal: Was there ever a reference back to our current political climate while on set of this film?

Helen Estabrook: I mean sure, you can’t really avoid it but I think that since we gave all of the actors and the extras news articles from 1987 when they got to set, we were all sort of engaged in this time period. Obviously we had some of these conversations at lunch time or whatever but we were all really actively focused on this time period.

Sara Paxton: Yes of course. It’s interesting because as we were filming this movie the landscape was kind of changing beneath our feet. So it felt like everyday there was a new thing that was discussed that seemed relevant to what we were shooting. It was pretty amazing it’s almost like we can’t keep up.

Jason Reitman: I came at it from a different angle. I fell in love with the people, I thought it was just thriller in which a guy went from being the next president of the United States to leaving politics forever in less than a week. And in it conversations of all of the things that we’re talking about today. The line between our public and private life, gender politics all the things that we’re trying to figure out now. It came up in a way where the volume was turned down.

The Knockturnal: What most inspires you about this story?

Helen Estabrook: I think the women in this film really inspire me … the different voices of the different characters but also the women that we got to work with- I mean it was just everyone, this team was a very inspiring group to work with so it was wonderful.

Sara Paxton: Oh my gosh. Well I connected with the character of Donna Rice right away when I read the script. I think that every woman can. And I think that as an actor I related to her because she was a woman who was doing everything she could possibly do to avoid the stereotypes. You know, she was constantly avoiding getting put in a box, and as an actor people are always trying to put you in a box. And she makes one potential mistake and gets trapped in that box for the rest of her life. I’m glad that this movie gives her the voice that she didn’t have 30 years ago.

The Knockturnal: In this story, there isn’t really any precise indication of being a “hero” or a “villain” can you explain that?

Helen Estabrook: Yeah! I think it was really important to us that every character got their voice and got their own perspective and that we were really showing that everyone was trying to do the right thing in a circumstance that they had never been in before. And so there aren’t going to be heroes or villains because everyone is just doing the best they can with the information they have and their point of view.

Sara Paxton: Yes definitely. I would say that in this film, there is no classic hero, there is no classic villain I mean that’s not how life works, you know? This is a story that asks the questions of the viewer. It asks the questions and puts it up for debate for us to decide, it doesn’t answer any of the questions. And I heard that that might be frustrating for some people – but for me I love that. I love imagining that people will watch this movie and leave the theater just discussing and deciding and arguing amongst themselves where they stand on these issues. I think that getting the conversation going is a good thing right now.

Jason Reitman: I don’t think there’s heroes and villains in life! There’s complicated people. This is a story in which everyone will see it in a different way. Everyone’s going to come at it from a different angle. What I hope for is real conversations. Each audience member is going to align themselves with one of the 20 main characters and come out of it and hopefully have a really healthy debate with their friends and loved ones.

The Knockturnal: What do you hope people take away from this movie?

Matt Bai: I would bet that you walk away thinking and talking to other people that saw the film. This is not a message movie, there’s enough out there that tells you what to think in politics and in art. This is us asking some really hard questions about the process and the people who run, the people who cover people who run, and who vote. I hope that people will walk out having different perspectives and takeaways because that’s what we’re really trying to start.

Jason Reitman: No I don’t think movies should have messages, I think they should raise questions.

A fun party followed at Rainbow Room.